Alex makes a friend at a Missouri river overlook outside New Town, ND
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Sidney, MT July 4
Sidney, MT -- Sunday, July 4
What a day! The original story line was how we rocketed 84 miles over hills and some extended flat areas propelled by the favorable wind direction and speed we could have hoped. Our travels today first were to the NE and then nearly straight E with winds strongly out of the SW. High temperatures in the high 70's/low 80's made our riding conditions nearly ideal.
Although the ride was ideal we had many variables to content with including the availability of services, due to the holiday, and camping location.
Since we were off the designated route today we had very little information to guide us. Our first town Richey - 30 miles out - was figuratively a ghost town today. All the businesses were closed and a few people could be found. Fortunately we had fruit, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and water to re-fuel and get us to the next town, Lambert, 21 miles further.
It is here we struck pay dirt arriving just as the town parade had ended and free food (a donation was suggested) was being served. It was like a RAGBRAI town. We had great conversation, great entertainment, great food, and even great pie!! We spent a lot of time in this town and enjoyed every minute.
Despite the long trek, we arrived in Sidney at about 4:00. We had hoped the find a place to stay in town to catch the evening fireworks. With the exception of a dump of an RV park that wanted to charge us $30 to camp nothing could be found. We even sought advice from the sheriff's department without success. In the end we ended up camping at Rosalin Park five miles out of town but somewhat on tomorrow's route. We had been warned that Rosalin had no running water and As it was next to the river it is mosquito infested.
What we had learned was true. Almost immediately when we got off the bikes we were swarmed by mosquitos. Andrea immediately proclaimed "This is the worst fourth of July ever". We were all wondering how we could possibly manage not only setting up our tents but cooking our meal in this infestation. As I was surveying the situation I noted two campers 150' away enjoying the late afternoon under the protection of a mosquito net.
In my usual voice, knowing my voice carries, and in response to Andrea's proclamation, I stated that maybe we would get lucky and the campers would invite us over. A few moments later we were invited over and, after quickly setting up the tents, accepted their offer.
Randy and Cheryl are the names of our saviors this evening. What had started out as near disaster turned into a wonderful experience - one of those kindness of stranger moments. Randy and Cheryl shared their vodka, wine, and dinner. We ate like kings! Fresh caught catfish, burgers, and salad. We could bring little to the table, except a cork screw for the wine bottle which they did not have. We even made a beer run into Fairview with me driving a 4-speed 1966 Ford PU (Randy was the passenger as he was to drunk to drive). What a trip! This will be one of those moments that I will remember for a long time.
Lastly we had our own independent fireworks display. The display put on by other nearby campers and the $5 display the Alex had assembled from a vendor in a Sidney grocery store parking lot. Yes, a day to remember.
What a day! The original story line was how we rocketed 84 miles over hills and some extended flat areas propelled by the favorable wind direction and speed we could have hoped. Our travels today first were to the NE and then nearly straight E with winds strongly out of the SW. High temperatures in the high 70's/low 80's made our riding conditions nearly ideal.
Although the ride was ideal we had many variables to content with including the availability of services, due to the holiday, and camping location.
Since we were off the designated route today we had very little information to guide us. Our first town Richey - 30 miles out - was figuratively a ghost town today. All the businesses were closed and a few people could be found. Fortunately we had fruit, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and water to re-fuel and get us to the next town, Lambert, 21 miles further.
It is here we struck pay dirt arriving just as the town parade had ended and free food (a donation was suggested) was being served. It was like a RAGBRAI town. We had great conversation, great entertainment, great food, and even great pie!! We spent a lot of time in this town and enjoyed every minute.
Despite the long trek, we arrived in Sidney at about 4:00. We had hoped the find a place to stay in town to catch the evening fireworks. With the exception of a dump of an RV park that wanted to charge us $30 to camp nothing could be found. We even sought advice from the sheriff's department without success. In the end we ended up camping at Rosalin Park five miles out of town but somewhat on tomorrow's route. We had been warned that Rosalin had no running water and As it was next to the river it is mosquito infested.
What we had learned was true. Almost immediately when we got off the bikes we were swarmed by mosquitos. Andrea immediately proclaimed "This is the worst fourth of July ever". We were all wondering how we could possibly manage not only setting up our tents but cooking our meal in this infestation. As I was surveying the situation I noted two campers 150' away enjoying the late afternoon under the protection of a mosquito net.
In my usual voice, knowing my voice carries, and in response to Andrea's proclamation, I stated that maybe we would get lucky and the campers would invite us over. A few moments later we were invited over and, after quickly setting up the tents, accepted their offer.
Randy and Cheryl are the names of our saviors this evening. What had started out as near disaster turned into a wonderful experience - one of those kindness of stranger moments. Randy and Cheryl shared their vodka, wine, and dinner. We ate like kings! Fresh caught catfish, burgers, and salad. We could bring little to the table, except a cork screw for the wine bottle which they did not have. We even made a beer run into Fairview with me driving a 4-speed 1966 Ford PU (Randy was the passenger as he was to drunk to drive). What a trip! This will be one of those moments that I will remember for a long time.
Lastly we had our own independent fireworks display. The display put on by other nearby campers and the $5 display the Alex had assembled from a vendor in a Sidney grocery store parking lot. Yes, a day to remember.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Circle, MT July 3
Circle, MT -- Saturday, July 3
Today's ride was a roller coaster ride lasting 66 miles. We seldom varied in elevation by more than 200' and at the end of the day we were at the same elevation as we started. There was very little flat land riding, excepting the last 10 miles. As soon as we crested one hill we began our descent into the next valley to begin yet another climb. Our day was made easier by a slight tail wind for most of the journey as well as a cool overcast day.
Today's ride was made interesting not by the countryside but by Alex's intestinal issues. Let's simply say that many sage brush received unexpected fertilization. All of this was most likely caused by Alex drinking the water in Jordan despite warnings by the locals yesterday not to drink the water. Alex chooses to drink the water because Andrea boldly stated that, based upon her experience, people over react to bad tasting water. Outside of the bad taste the water is generally fine. I suspected we might be in for a problem when Alex filled his water bottles from the tap in the Jordan grocery store. Upon noting this, the store attendant strongly encouraged the he replace the water with water from the water purifying machine at the back of the store. Although we all took advantage of the offer, Alex had already indulged in the local water the evening before. Go figure, this is what happens when you have a young environmental engineer in your group. You should note that Dad did not listen to his young environmental engineer daughter.
In Circle we are camped in their little used city park with three other cross country bicyclists (the WV school teacher and the two french Canadians). This city park has a swimming pool on site but it has long been closed because of vandalism. The people in this town are friendly and accustomed to having bicyclists stay in town. The WV school teacher, Randy, arranged showers for us at the Sheriff's office. At least I wasn't being asked to spend the night. It was a nice experience.
For the next two days we will be deviating from the published Lewis and Clark route. Instead of traveling to Poplar we will be traveling to Sidney, MT. We believe the road will be better and the opportunity for services in the pass through towns much better. This route will also put us another day ahead of schedule and provide us a good opportunity to see a significant fireworks display.
Lastly for the first time in many days, the evening weather is calm and dry and the camping area has fewer than expected mosquitos. This all adds to a more enjoyable experience. This has been my 21st day of riding. What a neat experience it has been. I will be a little sad to see it end in a few more days.
Today's ride was a roller coaster ride lasting 66 miles. We seldom varied in elevation by more than 200' and at the end of the day we were at the same elevation as we started. There was very little flat land riding, excepting the last 10 miles. As soon as we crested one hill we began our descent into the next valley to begin yet another climb. Our day was made easier by a slight tail wind for most of the journey as well as a cool overcast day.
Today's ride was made interesting not by the countryside but by Alex's intestinal issues. Let's simply say that many sage brush received unexpected fertilization. All of this was most likely caused by Alex drinking the water in Jordan despite warnings by the locals yesterday not to drink the water. Alex chooses to drink the water because Andrea boldly stated that, based upon her experience, people over react to bad tasting water. Outside of the bad taste the water is generally fine. I suspected we might be in for a problem when Alex filled his water bottles from the tap in the Jordan grocery store. Upon noting this, the store attendant strongly encouraged the he replace the water with water from the water purifying machine at the back of the store. Although we all took advantage of the offer, Alex had already indulged in the local water the evening before. Go figure, this is what happens when you have a young environmental engineer in your group. You should note that Dad did not listen to his young environmental engineer daughter.
In Circle we are camped in their little used city park with three other cross country bicyclists (the WV school teacher and the two french Canadians). This city park has a swimming pool on site but it has long been closed because of vandalism. The people in this town are friendly and accustomed to having bicyclists stay in town. The WV school teacher, Randy, arranged showers for us at the Sheriff's office. At least I wasn't being asked to spend the night. It was a nice experience.
For the next two days we will be deviating from the published Lewis and Clark route. Instead of traveling to Poplar we will be traveling to Sidney, MT. We believe the road will be better and the opportunity for services in the pass through towns much better. This route will also put us another day ahead of schedule and provide us a good opportunity to see a significant fireworks display.
Lastly for the first time in many days, the evening weather is calm and dry and the camping area has fewer than expected mosquitos. This all adds to a more enjoyable experience. This has been my 21st day of riding. What a neat experience it has been. I will be a little sad to see it end in a few more days.
Jordan, MT July 2
Jordan, MT -- Friday, July 2
Today's ride was all about the weather. When we left Winnett this morning it was a picture perfect day. It ended with strong winds, hail and rain and a severe thunderstorm warning until 11:30 PM. As I write this post at 8:30 PM I'm sheltered in my tent. Meanwhile outside, it is raining, thundering, and the winds are strongly blowing. It is a good thing that I improved the coaring on the tent fly yesterday, else wise, all of us would be sitting in a pool of water. Because of the strong winds at the city park campsite, we decided to dine at a nearby cafe. Just as we were getting ready to leave, the clouds let loose with pea sized hail and rain.
At least it did not let loose on our walk back!
When we began our ride this morning I thought I was living a dream and could do this bicycling touring for a long, long time. When we left this morning, Andrea was at the top of her game. She was in the riding groove and she made it almost impossible for Alex and I to match her pace for the first 43 miles. By the end of our 76 mile ride today, my fantasy of doing this for a long time had been shattered and Andrea's groove had long been lost been replaced by this grouchy, irritable, let this be over person.
Our culprit today was 33 miles of constant hills while battling a 25-30 mph cross wind in a blazing hot sun. It was ceaseless and never ending, in fact, it still continues. Towards the end of our ride we could see the storm that would dump on us this evening developing in the western sky. We had hoped the find a campsite with showers this evening to remove the layers of sweat, sun screen and dust from the ride; however, this was not a benefit available any place in town (motel excepted). For Alex and I our shower was relegated to lathering up at a nearby outdoor hydrant, while Andrea's was from our portable 'kitchen sink' behind a nearby bush. Yes, it was a trying day.
There were many good things about the day. The pancakes at Winnett were fantastic. We had one town - Sand Springs - (more like a store and post office in the middle of nowhere) to provide a mid ride refueling stop and near picture perfect morning weather. The store in Sand Springs was quirky but neat. As bicyclists, we were all asked to log in so that the attendant had a record of the bicyclists that passed through. There was a very limited selection of food on the shelves; however, the store did have a freezer of frozen pizzas which one could bake and eat on site. Since
the store was also a post office we used the time while the pizza was baking to write and send postcards. The store attendant was very accommodating to bicyclists. This break helped us get us through the day.
Lastly while eating dinner at a cafe we struck up a conversation with the Garfield County Sheriff. We shared some good stories and humor and learned more about our route tomorrow as well as the severe weather alert. Randy, the WV teacher, is still camping with us. He had a tough day too. Despite leaving 45 minutes before we did this morning he arrived at the site 90 minutes later.
The winds are supposed to cease tonight and tomorrow is supposed to be a good day. We are hoping so as it is a 68 mile ride to Circle with a constant stream of short hills and no services. It will be a challenging day.
Today's ride was all about the weather. When we left Winnett this morning it was a picture perfect day. It ended with strong winds, hail and rain and a severe thunderstorm warning until 11:30 PM. As I write this post at 8:30 PM I'm sheltered in my tent. Meanwhile outside, it is raining, thundering, and the winds are strongly blowing. It is a good thing that I improved the coaring on the tent fly yesterday, else wise, all of us would be sitting in a pool of water. Because of the strong winds at the city park campsite, we decided to dine at a nearby cafe. Just as we were getting ready to leave, the clouds let loose with pea sized hail and rain.
At least it did not let loose on our walk back!
When we began our ride this morning I thought I was living a dream and could do this bicycling touring for a long, long time. When we left this morning, Andrea was at the top of her game. She was in the riding groove and she made it almost impossible for Alex and I to match her pace for the first 43 miles. By the end of our 76 mile ride today, my fantasy of doing this for a long time had been shattered and Andrea's groove had long been lost been replaced by this grouchy, irritable, let this be over person.
Our culprit today was 33 miles of constant hills while battling a 25-30 mph cross wind in a blazing hot sun. It was ceaseless and never ending, in fact, it still continues. Towards the end of our ride we could see the storm that would dump on us this evening developing in the western sky. We had hoped the find a campsite with showers this evening to remove the layers of sweat, sun screen and dust from the ride; however, this was not a benefit available any place in town (motel excepted). For Alex and I our shower was relegated to lathering up at a nearby outdoor hydrant, while Andrea's was from our portable 'kitchen sink' behind a nearby bush. Yes, it was a trying day.
There were many good things about the day. The pancakes at Winnett were fantastic. We had one town - Sand Springs - (more like a store and post office in the middle of nowhere) to provide a mid ride refueling stop and near picture perfect morning weather. The store in Sand Springs was quirky but neat. As bicyclists, we were all asked to log in so that the attendant had a record of the bicyclists that passed through. There was a very limited selection of food on the shelves; however, the store did have a freezer of frozen pizzas which one could bake and eat on site. Since
the store was also a post office we used the time while the pizza was baking to write and send postcards. The store attendant was very accommodating to bicyclists. This break helped us get us through the day.
Lastly while eating dinner at a cafe we struck up a conversation with the Garfield County Sheriff. We shared some good stories and humor and learned more about our route tomorrow as well as the severe weather alert. Randy, the WV teacher, is still camping with us. He had a tough day too. Despite leaving 45 minutes before we did this morning he arrived at the site 90 minutes later.
The winds are supposed to cease tonight and tomorrow is supposed to be a good day. We are hoping so as it is a 68 mile ride to Circle with a constant stream of short hills and no services. It will be a challenging day.
Winnett, MT July 1
Winnett, MT -- Thursday, July 1
What a day. We had a relatively easy 54 miles. Although we had a slight head wind, it did not significantly impact our ride. The most challenging part of the day was the first nine miles as we climbed out of Lewistown.
Once that was over it was close to downhill or flat the rest of the way.
The biggest challenge was pedaling the 54 miles with out any services. As we have throughout our journey, we purchased a variety of fruit, vegetables, and packaged meat to snack throughout the ride and stop for a roadside (aka ditch) lunch. The scenery also added some good flavor today as well.
Our biggest highlights today did not come from riding but from our overnight town of Winnett. It was here that we were threatened with severe weather and rain, camped in city park where the sprinkler system malfunctioned in the early evening and began bathing our tents in water, and discovered that Winnett is the second cross road for transcontinental cyclists (Missoula being the other, at least on this day. As with the past few days we've managed to dodge the most severe weather and heavy rain.
More rain is expected tonight. Fortunately, in Lewistown, I purchased a can of silicon and re-sealed the fly on both our tents. As a result our tents have stayed dry through the rain brought by nature and lawn sprinkling systems.
Today Winnett has been a meeting place for cross country bicyclists. In mid afternoon, at the only cafe in town we met two young English lads pedaling to Vancouver. Their route is undefined and changes day-by-day.
Whereas ours is slightly more structured, theirs is free spirit. They have been on the road 40 days and have only paid for overnight tenting/accommodations twice. I marvel at this free spirit. I wish I had more of that in me. On the other hand, some of that free spirit comes with questionable judgment. They planned to overnight in a town 23 miles away and left for that town just as the severe weather was fast approaching. I suspect they were caught in the storm. Shortly thereafter, two Canadian riders pulled into town after pedaling from Denton (93 miles). They were a little beat. This is something that we contemplated but Andrea and Alex vetoed. If it had not been for the arrangements that we made with the city (we are camped next to the pool) to leave the pool unlocked for the night they would have been without showers or restroom facilities. They have been following the same route that we have. Whereas we have dodged the severe storms, they have been hit twice. Hopefully having them camp with us doesn't cause our luck to change.
Winnett is a town of 184 people. It is the county seat of the largest county in MT. Its claims it has the lowest per capita population of any county in the contiguous 48 states. Its total population is less than 1000. Given all of that its sole cafe was recognized in 2006 by Gourmet Magazine for its big, thick, fluffy pancakes and was recognized by The Missoulan as having some of the best pies in the state. We've already sampled the pie, tomorrow we plan to sample the pancakes.
Lastly, throughout our ride all of us have noted numerous crosses placed along the road ways. Some of these have been highly decorated, others bare. The crosses represent highway accidents and deaths. At one location yesterday we counted 10 crosses and at another 4. We've heard that MT at one time had no posted speed limit on any of its roads. Currently, the speed limit is 70. Still far to fast. Presently that has not been a problem for us. We hope that continues for a few more days until we reach ND and a western sporting goods store.
The scenery today was varied and good.
What a day. We had a relatively easy 54 miles. Although we had a slight head wind, it did not significantly impact our ride. The most challenging part of the day was the first nine miles as we climbed out of Lewistown.
Once that was over it was close to downhill or flat the rest of the way.
The biggest challenge was pedaling the 54 miles with out any services. As we have throughout our journey, we purchased a variety of fruit, vegetables, and packaged meat to snack throughout the ride and stop for a roadside (aka ditch) lunch. The scenery also added some good flavor today as well.
Our biggest highlights today did not come from riding but from our overnight town of Winnett. It was here that we were threatened with severe weather and rain, camped in city park where the sprinkler system malfunctioned in the early evening and began bathing our tents in water, and discovered that Winnett is the second cross road for transcontinental cyclists (Missoula being the other, at least on this day. As with the past few days we've managed to dodge the most severe weather and heavy rain.
More rain is expected tonight. Fortunately, in Lewistown, I purchased a can of silicon and re-sealed the fly on both our tents. As a result our tents have stayed dry through the rain brought by nature and lawn sprinkling systems.
Today Winnett has been a meeting place for cross country bicyclists. In mid afternoon, at the only cafe in town we met two young English lads pedaling to Vancouver. Their route is undefined and changes day-by-day.
Whereas ours is slightly more structured, theirs is free spirit. They have been on the road 40 days and have only paid for overnight tenting/accommodations twice. I marvel at this free spirit. I wish I had more of that in me. On the other hand, some of that free spirit comes with questionable judgment. They planned to overnight in a town 23 miles away and left for that town just as the severe weather was fast approaching. I suspect they were caught in the storm. Shortly thereafter, two Canadian riders pulled into town after pedaling from Denton (93 miles). They were a little beat. This is something that we contemplated but Andrea and Alex vetoed. If it had not been for the arrangements that we made with the city (we are camped next to the pool) to leave the pool unlocked for the night they would have been without showers or restroom facilities. They have been following the same route that we have. Whereas we have dodged the severe storms, they have been hit twice. Hopefully having them camp with us doesn't cause our luck to change.
Winnett is a town of 184 people. It is the county seat of the largest county in MT. Its claims it has the lowest per capita population of any county in the contiguous 48 states. Its total population is less than 1000. Given all of that its sole cafe was recognized in 2006 by Gourmet Magazine for its big, thick, fluffy pancakes and was recognized by The Missoulan as having some of the best pies in the state. We've already sampled the pie, tomorrow we plan to sample the pancakes.
Lastly, throughout our ride all of us have noted numerous crosses placed along the road ways. Some of these have been highly decorated, others bare. The crosses represent highway accidents and deaths. At one location yesterday we counted 10 crosses and at another 4. We've heard that MT at one time had no posted speed limit on any of its roads. Currently, the speed limit is 70. Still far to fast. Presently that has not been a problem for us. We hope that continues for a few more days until we reach ND and a western sporting goods store.
The scenery today was varied and good.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
No posts July 1 & 2
Out of cell phone range for a couple days. Headed northeast to Williston, ND on highway 200 in Montana.
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