6/30/04 Missoula MT

0 miles (2480 total)

Just another day of being lazy, eating and walking around town.

Met tons of eastbound cyclists in the last couple of days. Debie is part of a four-person group calling themselves 'Team Blast” following the TransAm headed to Georgia. There is another couple from Holland biking all over the western USA. Then there is Frans and Bonnie from upstate New York also heading east. Just tons of people.

Bike racks full of bikes all over downtown

Mike's new CoMotion road bike with BOB trailer

6/29/04 Missoula MT

0 miles (2480 total)

Adventure Cycling photo

Just had a lazy day waiting for Mike to arrive. At one point a truck pulled over to ask me if I needed directions. Turns out I met him yesterday on the way down into Missoula. Tim and his girlfriend Leatrice had started a long tour yesterday but had to abort the trip because of exacerbation of her MS. A real nice couple, and I wish them the best.

Once Mike arrived, we got a motel and he spent the afternoon putting his new bike together. Later we had dinner with a couple Jan and Beth biking east on the TransAmerica Trail. Other than that, just a lazy day.

6/28/04 Missoula MT

87 miles (2470 total)

Cold and foggy this morning but the sun was still up and lighting up everything. But as I continued down the mountain, I entered darkness again with fog so thick. I could barely see. Good thing town was a few miles down the road.

As I rode through Lincoln, when I saw the library, I realized I'd been here before. We stayed here on the Great Divide ride in 2001. I even stopped at the same restaurant, Lambkin's. Had some good french toast while waiting for the fog to lift.

And lift it did when the sun had climbed over the mountains. The temperature shot up fast. Just a fabulous day to ride with mountains all around. It seemed every corner was another picture postcard moment.

What a glorious morning!

At about 40-miles, there was Looney's Cafe/Motel. It was Looney himself behind the counter as waiter, cook and busboy. A great burger, if he doesn't say so himself. He said I had one more climb, then it was all downhill to Missoula. Sweet!

You couldn't ask for a better ride. The road hugged the banks of the Blackfoot River with steep mountains hemming you in on both sides. Just beautiful. But it was getting hot.

As I descended into Missoula, found myself biking through my first 90°+ day. After all the cool days I've had this trip, it wasn't the easiest thing to adjust to. But it felt great, even though it was a bit draining.

First stop, the Adventure Cycling office for free drinks and ice cream. Met Greg Siple who took my photograph for the archives last trip in 2001 and insisted I have a second one added for this trip. When it was time to close, I reluctantly left the confines of the air conditioned offices to head across town to the KOA.

After setting up camp, decided to see the latest Harry Potter movie. Not bad. Emailed Mike, hoping his flight was ok from Australia to Portland. Mike should get here tomorrow by rental car after he picks up his new bike in Eugene.

6/27/04 Aspen Grove Camp MT

84 miles (2383 total)

Todd is an experienced touring cyclist having done several solo and group tours. He had an idea about opening a hostel and with the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail in mind, picked Great Falls. I'm sure glad he did.

B & B Hostel in Great Falls

My usual early start was even more important today. My route would cover 80-miles and cross the Continental Divide. So I needed as much time as I could muster because it was sure to be a long climb over the Rocky Mountains.

Great Falls seemed abandoned as I rode through empty streets this early Sunday morning. Stopped for a chat with the woman at the Sinclair station in Vaughn. Probably should have stocked up on goodies as I don't think there are any more services along the highway until I reach Lincoln tomorrow.

The road wound it's way among lesser cousins of the Rocky Mountains ahead. Even having seen them before, these mountains continue to instill awe. Kind of makes everything seem small and inconsequential with them looming overhead.

Rocky Mountains

Finally hit roads with long passing lane climbs. Seemed I get to the top of one climb, only to loose all that elevation gain on the downhill.

Just got lucky that Bowman's Saloon was open. This business out by itself in the middle of nowhere was doing brisk business with people headed to Agusta for the big rodeo today. Didn't seem to matter that it was only noon. But lunch was just the energy I needed for the next push over the pass.

Downhill, but look at those 'uphills' ahead

The odd thing was that the road leading up to the pass all day seemed more difficult that the pass itself. Was a little nervous because traffic was heave and there wasn't much of a shoulder. The toughest part was the last two miles But the smell of pine was refreshing as I grunted my way up to the crest.

As passes go, Roger's Pass isn't all that high at 5610', but considering that I was at 3335' this morning, it was high enough. Met a father who was waiting for his wife and daughter to make the climb. She had told him she wanted to bike across Montana, so every weekend, they bike another section. Good for her.

Now, it's all downhill to the Pacific

Thought I'd get a screamer of a descent but it was too gradual to gain any speed. The big concern was I was headed straight for a rain storm. Put my rain gear on and tried to race it to the campground. Made it just as it started to rain.

Had to cook under the roof of the outhouse but that was ok because the smell probably kept the mosquitoes away. Didn't have much else to do so went to bed early. A couple of hours later, the sun finally came out just in time for sunset.

6/26/04 Great Falls MT

66 miles (2299 total)

Slept to 6:30am which is late for me on this trip. Headed back to the bakery for a little pastry before hitting the road.

Took more than a couple of miles to climb out of the river valley, but the views were incredible. The river seems so perfect here.

The river seems so perfect this early in the morning

Just like my approach to Fort Benton, today was all wheat fields. Off to the north, rain clouds were thick. But that gave me a bit of storm-induced tailwind. Plus the fact that I didn't want to get wet gave me more incentive to 'haul ass.'

You would think on Saturday, traffic would be light, but seems everyone was headed to the Summer Celebration in Fort Benton. So, besides heavy traffic in both directions, the road should was only 8” wide and seemed to get more narrow as I got closer to Great Falls.

Was shocked when I hit the city limits at 11am. Must have been flying down the road. Stopped to chat with the ladies at the Visitor Center and then got lost looking for a bookstore. But then the rain finally did hit town.

Lewis, Clark & York

Decided to spend that time in the Charles M Russell Museum to look at the city's most famous resident. They had his log cabin studio and house on the grounds of the museum.

Only a part of the 'great falls' can be seen because of dams

Heading downstream, someday to reach St Louis

Still had more time to go to the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. I know they did a good job, but I've seen it all before. Was shocked when I ran into Bob, the cyclist from Phoenix. His cycling partner Steve flew home today to surprise his wife on her birthday. They'd done big miles to make it and Bob was looking forward to a day off.

On the way home, ran into Bill from Independence. He's staying at the B & B Hostel too. What a great place. Todd has put together a beautiful hostel. It's his house along with a roommate and his dog, Nor. I'd highly recommend it.

6/25/04 Fort Benton MT

0 miles (2232 total)

Camping on the river on the fairgrounds

Boy, what a beautiful morning! And I don't have to ride or fight the wind. Had breakfast and got caught up on all my emails. Just did those touristy things like go to the library, visit the Museum of the Upper Missouri, and generally just wander about town. The bank hand an ice cream social which was good.

The famous Grand Hotel

A few kids being lazy swimming in the river

Later joined the line of hundreds for the Community Potluck dinner in the park. I just love home cookin'. Filled one plate with dinner and another with dessert. Man, oh man, was I stuffed. Sat with Doug and Sharla Smith from Great Falls. With them were their kids Rachael, Austin, Adam, Lily and cousin Sam Eve. They were up visiting family and friends.

Line up for all that food!

Doug & Sharla Smith with their kids
Rachael, Austin, Adam, Lily & cousin Sam Eve

Also met another Lewis & Clark cyclist. Bill is a retired lawyer from Independence, MO. He's anxious to finish. Going the other way on the Northern Tier was Chris from Chicago. He too was just ready to get to the end. Both seemed like good guys.

The Missouri River

6/24/04 Fort Benton MT

106 miles (2221 total)

Went to sleep last night thinking just how thing the walls of this tent were with a raging thunderstorm outside. And it was a doozy. Maybe it's the mountains, but you could hear the thunder twenty seconds away. And see it too! The image that kept coming to mind was a cartoon of the Greek gods bowling and ever time they got a strike, you'd hear the thunder. I wonder what would happen to the bike if it got struck by lightning.

By morning it had eased up a bit. Got packing and found my rear tire was partially flat. I just had to laugh. Didn't even try to find a hole, I just put in a new tube and threw the old one away. Put on a full rain suit not only because of the threat of rain, but because it was still pretty cold.

Even with the cloud cover, it was beautiful scenery I was riding through, rolling valleys with mountains on either side. The mountains really alter your sense of scale. Usually the specks you see on the hillside are cattle, but now I see they're houses and outbuildings.

Now, there's transportation!

That's windy

Rural graffiti

Passed through the Judith Mountains and had a long climb up from the Judith River. Then the road took a long turn around Square Butte dropping down among the surrounding badlands. It was so deep, I couldn't see the butte above me. Thank goodness I didn't have to climb back out.

All of a sudden, I was back in flat wheat fields. Stopped for lunch at the Denton Cafe. Had a fun visit with Jamie before her lunch crowd came in. By the time I stepped back outside, the sun had come out and the temperature had started to rise.

Another nice ride along flat roads, very little traffic and No Wind! I can't believe I've had two days in a row without wind. Better not say anything to jinx it.

After 73-miles, got to Geraldine, MT, but after checking out the RV Park, a patch of yard with an RV hookups and nothing else, was considering my options. Popped into the Food Coop for a swig of sugary refreshment when I got talking to Sharlo. She's a school teacher and just started here at the Coop a few days ago. When I talked about camping, she really made a good argument for continuing on to Fort Benton, another 27-miles down the way.

75 miles down, 27 miles to go

With no wind and no major climbs, I just might make it, but I should eat at least a little something. Sharlo recommended Rusty's Bar next door. It was the only place to eat but she said it was good, especially if they had fresh pie. Had half of a cheeseburger. Any more, and I would have needed to take a nap. With renewed energy, I seemed to fly down that highway. What incredible scenery! Rolling wheat fields as far as the eye could see, with huge mountains lining the horizon. Still now wind but the slightest of breezes.

Came down off the plains to cross the Missouri River into Fort Benton. At the Visitor's Center I found out I had arrived just in time for the Spirit of Discovery Summer Celebration, the 28th Annual, with three days of activities planned. The woman gave me directions to the new campground at the fairgrounds.

Not a bad place, as it sits right on the river. But they're in the process of building showers so I'll have to find somewhere else to get clean, maybe at the city pool.

Camped nearby was Kristen, a geography major from Missoula who had a summer job working as a ranger on the river. This part of the Missouri River is protected as the “Upper Missouri National Wild and Scenic River”, probably one of the few sections of the river that looks like it might have 200-years ago when Lewis and Clark made their way here.

Kristen was nice enough to invite me over and share her dinner and have some conversation. I probably talked her ear off. She's planning on going to Mongolia next year to visit her brother who just left for the Peace Corps. As it got dark and the mosquitoes began to gather in clouds, we said our goodbyes. She had to be up for an early start tomorrow. And even though my mind was still pretty excited about my 100+ mile day, the body was demanding sleep.

6/23/04 Lewistown MT

67 miles (2115 total)

Gary had said something about the sprinklers accidentally coming on at 6am when some other cyclists were here. So, when I woke up at 5:30, that's all I could think about. Got packed by 6 but no sprinklers.

I wanted to be on the road early to avoid some of the winds and to give me plenty of leeway to get to the bike shop in case I had more tire trouble to slow me down.

Another long, lonely road ahead...

Today's profile was a steady climb for 50-miles of about 1700-feet, then a five mile descent into Lewistown. I was real nervous about the tires and seemed to check them frequently. So far so good.

Actually made good time to Grass Range, in time for a little breakfast while listening in on the regulars' conversation at the Little Montana Cafe. Did you know the price for a bail of hay is $50?

Was back out on the road with a little more sugar in the engine. At one point I would have sworn I was going downhill because I was speeding along. Then I realized there was no wind, only the gentlest of breezes. Guess that shows how much work I've been doing lately.

Still heading uphill but goin' fast...

Definitely getting into more mountainous terrain. I saw snow up on the peaks just south of the highway. Wonderful! Ended up averaging 10mph for the first 45-miles which was incredible for an uphill ride. Those final five miles up slowed me down, but nothing I couldn't handle.

I just love the mountains

Lewistown, MT

Came into town just in time for Pizza Hut all-you-can-eat buffet. Yippee! What a great day!

I caught Mark Manseau on his lunch hour at his home. The garage is the High Plains Bike Ski Shop. He does insurance and investments by day, and is a bike/ski/kayak nut by night. He supplied me with two new tires and four new inner tubes as I breathed a sigh of relief. A very cool guy. If he didn't already have dinner plans, he would have invited me in for a beer Mark said.

High Plains Bike Ski Shop

Got a beautiful spot to camp down in the fairgrounds, surrounded by trees and quiet. And believe it or not, the wind has finally kicked up and it's out of the east. Maybe tomorrow I'll get a tailwind.

Looks like we might get some rain. Getting just a bit chilly too. Me Shirley who was out giving a few of the horses some exercise. Her vice is barrel racing she said. Headed back to the tent to batten down the hatches and relax after a very satisfying day.

6/22/04 Winnett MT

32 miles (2048 total)

Slept well but woke to rain. I'm starting to really hate rain. Packed up and noticed my front tire was flat. I just can't win. Took the tube out but couldn't find the hole. So put in my last good tube.

Stopped by the diner but didn't have an appetite. Outside of town it really started to come down. And looking across the horizon, it looked like I was going to have rain all day.

The gang stopped to give me a break from the rain in their RV. Barb had ridden ahead of me this morning. We were both soaked. But I wanted to go on despite the wet.

Not sure how far I had ridden, but the rain was moving on and there was a hint of daylight on the horizon. And now I had a flat tire on the rear. I could actually see the air bubbles. Fixed that flat, or thought I did, but before I could finish loading the bike, I could hear more air leaking through.

This situation was getting desperate. I dug out my spare tire and found another spare tube. Pitched the old tire as far as I could throw it. I just prayed this new tire and tube would get me to Winnett.

In Sand Springs, my mind was shot. The stress of tire problems had gone to it's breaking point. I asked Barb for a ride in the RV. I just couldn't stand the waiting for another flat.

I enjoyed the drive with Barb, as the landscape had subtle changes, with more pines. But the wind was still fierce and the climbs long. It would have taken me till dark to go the 75-miles to Winnett.

Got a drink at the General Store in town and talked awhile with the owner Gary. About an hour later Rob arrived, then Bruce awhile after that. We sort of had our last supper at the bar across the street. I'm really going to miss the companionship of these wonderful people. Set up camp at the City Park and showered at the community pool next door.

A real Montana cowboy

6/21/04 Jordan MT

69 miles (2016 total)

Took our time getting up. The gang is driving me out the seven miles of dirt road back to the highway. So I joined them for breakfast. Looked like it was going to be a beautiful day.

Dusty bikes!

But once we started unloading the bikes at the highway, I discovered I had a flat tire. So, unloaded the bike to begin the repair process. Found a piece of glass, so repaired the hole. Got that all done, and loaded the bike again. But before I was finished, the front tire was flat again. Upon closer inspection, found two more pieces of glass. Spent more time patching all my inner tubes. They're looking like quilts with all the patches. Finally was ready to leave around 10am.

That's when Fred, then Bill ride up. They're on the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail, heading east. They were excited when I told them about all the headwinds I had. Later, Joy and Lana cycled up. They were full of warnings about drinking the water in Jordan. They'd been sick for a couple of days.

L&C Riders heading east, with the wind!

Only saw 3 mail boxes in 100 miles – a long, lonely road

Had a pretty good ride because of tailwinds, averaging 14mph for 30-miles to the turn off. Even more desolate country this morning, only passed one house in that whole way.

Stopped for a bit of lunch at a rest stop with Rob and Barb. As I was leaving, got talking to a family from Agusta, MT. About a 100-yards down the road, I had to turn around because I had another flat. Just not my day.

But as I got back on the road, I had a combination of crosswinds with a little headwind thrown in. Got caught the rain but it passed quickly. And if the winds weren't enough, the terrain was hill after hill.

It was amazing landscape though. Watched a big black storm brewing off ahead, wondering if it was going to cross my path. Sure enough, I donned my rain gear just in time. It was so fierce, I had trouble keeping the bike upright. At one point, I felt like I was sailing the bike down the road. I must have just hit the edge of the storm as the rain began to let up. That's when I passed the 2000-mile mark.

You can see rain from miles away

And then it still hits ya' miles later

Well, it was back to sunshine the whole way left to Jordan. Got in about 6:30. But instead of going straight to camp, I stopped off for a large ice cream cone. Yum!!!

Found the gang at Katie's Kamp. Barb again cooked up a wonderful dinner of turkey kabobs, her best yet. I sure am going to miss her cooking. But I was dead tired. These long days are hard and I don't see them getting any shorter for the few days.

6/20/04 Fort Peck Lake MT

90 miles (1949 total)

I'm still amazed at how early the sunlight comes. I swear it was bright enough to see at 5am. Got an early start because we have a long day planned. The trouble was that there was nothing the first 40-miles.

Took flat back roads among the river plain with the Missouri meandering off to the left. Had some headwinds but that's no surprise. Rode nice and steady, taking a break every ten miles or so to get a drink and stretch my legs.

Eventually had to get back on the highway to ride into Nashua. That's when Rob pulled up behind me. He was beat, but then he'd left over an hour behind me and still caught me.

Had a much needed lunch break at Vinny's. The guidebooks all talked about a homemade ice cream place called Bernies, but it was boarded up. Still, the Bull Burger (cheeseburger with onion rings) was good and I loved the vanilla shake.

The Fort Peck Theater
still has live performances ever summer

The lake is over 40 feet low
The normal shoreline is above the white rocks

Looked like some rain clouds were moving in, so there went our sunshine. But the route turned so that meant a little tailwind. Well, it turned into a lot of tailwind.

There I was climbing hills at 20mph and not even breathing hard. This morning it took me five hours to go 40-miles and this afternoon, it took me half that. Man, oh man, it's fun to ride with a tailwind.

These last 30-miles were a fantastic landscape. Reminded me more of western Texas, only greener. Nothing out here either. In all those miles, I saw three mailboxes and only two of those houses could be seen from the road.

Heading for 100 miles of road of 'empty'

Discovered there were two entrances to Rock Creek where the campground was supposed to be. Our plan was for me to wait at the entrance so Rob could pick me up in the car because it was seven miles of dirt road. But which entrance?

While I was riding to the second entrance, Rob arrived back at the first. Since he didn't see me, he started backtracking me down the highway. They ended up driving all the way back to Fort Peck before turning around. By that time I was taking a nap at the first entrance. I knew they'd be worried. Turns out the campground is closed because the lake is so low. So we're dry camping at a boat ramp area. Lot's of sea gulls, making it sound more like San Fransisco.

Again, Barb whipped up a fantastic dinner. I'm going to miss her cooking. Another long day with nothing between us and Jordan, our next destination.

6/19/04 Wolf Point MT

58 miles (1859 total)

Pretty darn cold last night but I slept pretty well. Probably got a later start than I usually do because it was so easy just to roll over and snuggle back into the sleeping bag.

What a combination!

After an incredible melt-in-your-mouth caramel roll at Wild Bill's Cafe, I was back on the road. The route had us using some fairly flat county roads that paralleled the highway. At one point, an AmTrac passenger train went past me, so I had to wave. And despite the chill in the air, it was a bright sunny day to be outside.

Riding through the Fort Peck Indian Reservation

It will take today and half of tomorrow to bike through the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Lots of good healthy crops and livestock but the towns have a lot of poverty.

At the Tastee Freeze in Poplar, the teenage girl had difficulty accepting the possibility of someone like me just traveling to see new things. Sad. Ended up fixing two flats today. Both on the rear wheel. I hate changing tires on a busy highway without any road shoulder.

The highlight of the day occurred when I saw Steve and Mary Kreis, the Handlebar Honeymooners! They were on a tandem pulling a B.O.B. Trailer heading east on the Northern Tier Route. The funny thing was that they said they'd had headwinds the whole way east. Sure wish we could have visited longer. I wished them well and continued on to Wolf Point.

6/18/04 Culbertson MT

68 miles (1801 total)

On the weather channel last night, the coldest place in the country was right where I'm at. Go figure!

Williston is an oil town, at least the part of town I'm in. Seems three out of four businesses are directly related to oil. Not much to do last night but watch TV, then bed.

Woke up to clear crisp blue skies. Very cold so had to put on more clothes. Once down off the plain, it was a pleasant ride through the wide river bottom with all it's prosperous farms.

Took the tour of Fort Buford where Sitting Bull surrendered his rifle. But over at Fort Union it was the middle of the four-day Rendezvous complete with re-enactors. Lot's of fun.

Inside Fort Union

These guys stepped back through time

A few long uphills back to the highway but some good riding. Soon I was crossing into Montana. Yippie! And if that wasn't good enough, the road flattened out and it was pretty easy riding all the way to Culbertson.

The museum here is big for a town this small. Room after room filled floor to ceiling, each having a theme. Talked with the ladies while they fed me cookies and lemonade.

Even with the time change, it was getting late and I was worried about the gang. But it turned out they had spend a lot, I mean a lot of time at Fort Union, going to classes and watching demonstrations.

While Barb was making up some turkey burgers, two cyclists rode by heading east. I didn't realize how far north we were until they said they were following the Northern Tier Route.

Going to be cold again tonight with frost warnings. Time to bundle up.

Entering Montana. Yippie!!

6/17/04 Williston ND

38 miles (1733 total)

I had a new worst day on the road. But it all started out ok. Got an early start as usual and headed back down to Ginny's for breakfast. Blue skies above, so life was good.

But by the time I finished my french toast, dark clouds moved in from the north, the direction I was headed. Put all my rain gear on and moved out.

The first twenty miles wasn't bad but I was going west. On the plus side, I had a wide shoulder. Good thing too because there was a lot of oil tank truck traffic.

Stopped in at the 2J's Cafe in Alexander. It was good to get in out of the wind. Ate a bit but just couldn't get warmer. After some hot chocolate, decided time was wasting. As I rode out of town, the bank sign said it was 46°F. No wonder I was cold.

But now I was riding directly into these stiff winds of arctic weather. Absolutely no wind break anywhere. When I stopped for a snack, the bike didn't give me much protection. It was just so cold. Even a short ride in this was miserable.

Just before reaching the Missouri River, I spotted the RV. Couldn't figure how they got past me. But it was a welcome sight more than less. I gave up and asked for a ride the few miles across the river to town.

I decided after a day like today, I needed a bed for the night. Hopefully my ride into Montana will be better. Couldn't get much worse.

6/16/04 Watford ND

65 miles (1695 total)

I had nightmares that today was going to be a repeat of yesterday, so I thought an early start might give me some miles before the winds came up. I was wrong.

Today's route goes north but the first few miles out of town headed due west right into the wind. And it's another cold morning. But once the road curved north, the ride became a joy compared to yesterday.

We had taken an alternate route at the suggestion of the ranger at the Knife River Indian Village site because this was supposed to be more scenic. All of a sudden, the Badlands of North Dakota appeared on my left. Amazing! Almost like a miniature Grand Canyon.

The Badlands of North Dakota

The road wound it's way down to the Little Missouri River, then had a four mile climb back out the other side. Definitely different terrain. Today passed the Killdeer Mountains this morning. And the climbs are longer too. But because of all the irregular terrain, the wind seemed to die down at times.

Basically was alone with my thoughts all day as there was nothing between Killdeer and Watford. The clouds moved in and I put some of my warmer clothes on. Thought it might even rain.

Made good time today, pulling into town by 3pm. As I was riding down Main Street, Darrell, Lesley and Daden out on their bikes, joined me on my quest for the perfect hamburger. “You gotta' go to Ginny's!” So, I said lead on. For their help, I bought them ice cream cones.

Met the gang back at the campground. The clouds had broke up and it was nice just sitting there in the sun.

After a shower, Barb had dinner all ready. We had salad, porcupine meatballs and ice cream for dessert. A lot better than my camp food. Later we watched “Get Shorty” on the RV's TV/VCR. This rig has everything.

Headed for Willeston tomorrow and might spring for a motel room.

6/15/04 Killdeer ND

66 miles (1630 total)

Barb decided to join me for an early start, letting the boys sleep in. Dark clouds to the west as we biked back to Glo's Kitchen. Glo herself was at the stove. Ate too much but we still got out on the road by 7am.

And almost immediately it started to rain. The highway seemed pretty busy with going-to-work traffic, probably to the power plants down the road. We just kept on until Hazen where Barb waited for the RV.

It never rained hard but you needed rain gear anyway. At one point, I was surprised to find Rob riding up behind me. But soon after he passed me, I had my first flat of the day. Nothing much more miserable than changing a tire, in the rain, along the side of a busy highway with no shoulder.

And I must have picked up some gravel changing the inner tube because at the Beulal exit, I got a second flat. Pretty damn frustrating. But once back on the road, the clouds broke and we had sunshine again.

A single tree isn't enough to block the winds

The headwinds started to pick up as I rode hill after hill. Seemed like you topped on hill, only to see two more ahead. But this wind was really hard work. Plus it kept me in the saddle longer. I did the same mileage yesterday in seven hours that took me twelve hours to do today. I ended up walking a lot of the hills just to get off my butt. The wind continued to get stronger, forcing me to pedal even on the downhills. For a lot of the afternoon, I just dropped my head and tried not to think of how much more I had to do.

Long lonely road ahead, into the wind!

At Dunn Center, I was thirsty and in need of some energy like a candy bar or soda, but there wasn't a gas station. Saw a sign for “Alice's Restaurant” so went looking for that. Turned out to be an oasis. “No pie!” they told me since a group of Chicago cyclists had just left buying everything. I wonder who that could be? [smile] Later I got a piece of coconut creme pie back at the RV. All I really needed was a Coke and a place out of the wind. “Very unusual to have all this wind.” they repeated. Headed back outside with just eight or nine miles left to do.

You've got Pocketmail!

About a mile outside of town, Rob pulled up in the car. “You want to finish in this hellish wind or do you want to load the bike on the car?” I thought over, but decided on the car. I mean, 66-miles against headwinds is enough for anyone.

Again, ending up camping alone after a grueling day like this would just make me want to quit. But the gang has kept me part of their group and helped me out both mentally and physically. A godsend for sure!

Hay bale humor

6/14/04 Stanton ND

69 miles (1564 total)

Woke up at 5am and just couldn't get back to sleep. So, eventually, I just got up and packed. Was out on the road by 6:30 and the city was still pretty much asleep.

A wonderful morning along the Missouri River

Bike paths lead me all the way down to the river where I turned north. Kind of freezing as I was shaded from the rising sun by the river bluffs. But no wind! By 9am, I had gone 25-miles. The river was always to my left with plenty of sand bars and marshes, a birder's dream.

Ended up going off route to ride through Washburn. Just had to stop at the Lewis & Clark Café for lunch. After I came back from the restroom, I discovered one of the local ladies had paid for my lunch and silently left before I could thank her. What a wonderful town!

Free lunch!

Crossed the Missouri and generally rode gentle hills all the way to Stanton. Not bad, 65-miles by 1:30. The gang had planned on stopping here for the night, but I'd go on if they wanted to.

Crossing the Missouri again.

Ended up staying at Glo's Kitchen for several hours waiting for the gang to catch up. Ate something and caught up on my writing. Had a downpour sweep through. “It never rains here!” the cook said. The sun had returned by the time Barb drove up in the RV.

Instead of pushing on, we decided to stay here, but wanted to see the Knife River Indian Villages site just a bit out of town. Had one of the young rangers give a great tour of a Hidatsas earth mound dwelling. It was Fascinating stuff and so practical. The museum had a very good film too on village life from a woman's point of view.

Seat of honor in Hidatsas home