Yesterday morning began with our good deed of the week. A day earlier we had spotted a woman's purse at the side of the highway as we left the town of Havre. It looked like it was recently lost and had the full complement of cash, IDs, and credit cards. Luckily the owner had a business card in there as well so we exchanged some texts and Mike mailed it a few towns west, back to its rightful place.
We stopped by the Hi Way Bar and Grill on our way out of town to pick up some baked goods. The first stretch of riding had some services but the towns were only a few hundred people in size and we didn't want to rely too much on finding food further down the road. The morning was our coldest yet, just 2 C / 36 F when we woke up. We survived the night by sleeping in all of our clothes, including rain gear.
As the day wore on we gradually warmed up and started peeling off layers. I think it was mid-afternoon before we got to the standard attire of shorts and jersey, though I kept on two pairs of socks for the whole day. We had a great lunch at a supermarket that served wraps and sandwiches. My burrito was a little odd (think part burrito, part Subway sandwich) but that's what I get for ordering a burrito at a latitude of 48.5 degrees.
The afternoon was disappointingly windy. The winds came directly out of the west and, though they were weaker than those we had encountered the day before, they slowed us considerably. Once we set off from lunch we had pretty much committed to doing 70 miles to the town of Shelby for the day since there were no other towns en route. The day was a slog and took almost 8 hours of riding, one of our longest days in the saddle so far. We were glad to make it to a motel for some showers, food, and lounging.
Today we had a rest day. Last week's rest day was 2 days late so we moved this week's up by a couple of days to compensate. I was extremely glad since my legs felt very tired from yesterday's work out. We visited a thrift shop where, miraculously, Mike found a spork. It is plastic, which isn't his first choice, but it will serve as an interim utensil until he finds something more permanent. With much fanfare he threw away the plastic spoon he has been using since Illinois. I bought a belt because either my jeans have stretched or I have shrunk. Then we wandered over to see a carousel that was built in the town by a retired farmer. It's a nice gathering spot for locals as well as a stopping point on the highway for those passing through. We were convinced to take a spin by an employee and also enjoyed some ice cream. We also had a short chat with Harry Benjamin, the 86-year-old man who did the restoration. It was extremely wholesome.
We've decided that we need to make the bike tour great again. We've started by having the rest day two days early and staying in a motel. Hopefully we'll continue by having very little wind tomorrow... don't hold your breath. Unless you are breathing across Montana from west to east, in which case please stop.
Yesterday's windy miles: 70
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| Sweet Grass Hills |
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| Typical Montana |
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| Excellent advertising |
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| The carousel went really fast |
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| We got ice cream too |
Ride on you two avengers!!
ReplyDeleteThat was a cold night! 2oC was our coldest last year, i dire everything I had except my rain hear you must have been quite rustly and a bit sticky. You can do this, wind or no wind. I hope wind means no mosquitos. Plan in your rest days always take them early never late. We'd like to buy Mike a new spork charge it to us when he finds one. Happy resting. Loads of love Debbi
ReplyDeleteLike the photo of the carousel. I guess the days ahead will be the toughest? I guess you will have to change your daily routine. Been looking up what height you have to climb - 3000m? Ranulf Fiennes got into what he called a 'polar plod', a routine and pace he could maintain. Look after yourselves and each other. The Other Old Guy.
ReplyDeleteYour Dad and Kellie have camped at 27 and 32 degrees, but they had 14 blankets and comforters with them as well as the Subaru in case they wanted to pack up and drive home. I realize that you are limited by whether towns and motels exist within your day's ride, but remember this is supposed to be fun for you - "motel it" and rest as you need to.
ReplyDeleteAnd in the non-rest category, Kellie and I worked on Yorkshire Tuesday and Wednesday with Kellie doing some overdue gardening.
Ride safely.
Cheri
Please get all of the suffering out of the way now. Remember, you promised the ride down from Washington would have no hills and the wind would be blowing at our backs so hard that we would only have to pedal for something to do as we buzzed down the Coast. You did say that didn't you?
ReplyDeleteAre you meeting up with them in Washington? Maybe I'll come up to SLO
DeleteBen, Yes, I am supposed to. I think its going to be Seattle then down. I can not speak for Mike and Rach but I figure you are probably more than welcome. After all, you did it before and usually it's "The more the merrier". Got all your gear in order?
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