Winter in August

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Yesterday morning we were downright flying. I think the pavement was melting beneath us, although that may have been less likely as it was 58 degrees when we started out from Harlem. We did a stretch of 20 miles, took a break, and did another 20 to finish off a short day by arriving in Havre.

A guy named Mike was kind enough to open his copy shop for us on a Sunday afternoon. We needed to print out a whole sheaf of papers for the customs and immigration service. They want to know we're still married and boy are we ever.

The weather had warmed up all of four degrees to 62 by the time we were done riding for the day. We must go to the coast and the moderating effect of the ocean. The town allows cyclists to camp in their city parks so we stopped by the police station to check in. They gave us the once over, decided we had no ill intent, and we were cleared for camping.

We spent some time sorting out our next several days. Our route takes us through Glacier National Park and some of the roads there are closed due to fire. Nothing is certain yet, but we especially wanted to ride a stretch called Going-to-the-Sun road after rave reviews from other bicyclists.

It was about midnight when sprinklers started blasting our tent at a regular interval. We'd followed the instructions of the woman at the police station to the letter but I guess she had her signals crossed. No harm done, we stayed dry. This morning we discovered a pair of cyclists had arrived after we turned in. The father and son are riding west too and finally caught up to us after hearing about our grand exploits.

It was raining this morning but a bike tour waits for no one so we mailed off our stack of documents at the post office and began pedaling west again on the 2. (Always the 2.) It was cold. Cold and wet. At about thirty miles in, the winds began to gust to 25 or 30 miles per hour. Rach was getting blue and we were both struggling to ride a straight line as sudden blasts pushed us around the asphalt. This was the worst weather of the entire trip. Rain-driven wind pelted our eyes and made it difficult to see. The pace slipped down to maddeningly slow. In our final stretch toward a small town called Hingham we got off the bikes and pushed them because it seemed too dangerous to be suddenly shoved in the middle of the lane as traffic drove by.

Thankfully we found a bar and restaurant with warm and friendly staff who brought us tea and offered us showers at the attached RV park. We had intended to ride another 25 miles today but conditions were impossible. We called it a day and we're now set up in a covered picnic shelter that is shielding us from the onslaught of the wind. Rach and I both put on just about every piece of clothing we have. I think it was 48 degrees when we stopped riding. Luckily this weather seems to be a fluke and there are significantly warmer temperatures forecast for the rest of the week.

A little color 
The tracks always keeping us company


Rach is cold

High winds

Comments

  1. CheriAugust 28, 2018 at 7:55 AM

    How do you find someone to come open their store? Ride down the street and inquire if random people may be the proprietor? And what happened to the father/son who were riding west? They were at the park, and then vanished from the story. More seriously, I felt so bad for the two of you when I read of the weather. Walking your bikes sound horrible, but thank you for staying safe.

    Continue to ride safely.

    Cheri

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mikeroddyAugust 31, 2018 at 4:50 PM

      We e-mailed Mike the copy shop man the day before. His website advertises that some hours are by appointment only.

      The father and son had the right idea that day. They took a rest and stayed in Havre while we went off to be brutalized by the wind and rain.

      Delete
  2. the Old GuyAugust 28, 2018 at 9:08 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. the Old GuyAugust 28, 2018 at 9:16 AM

    [So many grammatical and other errors in first version, I had to delete and fix!] On on to the comment:

    You have had some unpleasant weather along the way, but for the most part, it seemed like you were living charmed lives. The early part of the ride seemed too good to be true as far as the weather was concerned. With 3/4 of the ride done, I figured you might be home free but that was obviously grossly wrong. I have been riding fairly seriously for about 45 years now and have never encountered conditions as bad as you have described. Some rain, sure. Lots of wind, enough to blow you off course or stop almost all forward progress. But not what you have described. I have never had to walk a bike because I couldn't see through the rain or make any forward progress. Nor was I pedaling a 100 pound, non-aerodynamic behemoth. Adversity is a teacher. "The pressure of adversity does not affect the mind of the brave man... It is more powerful than external circumstances." Lucius Annaeus Seneca. So, Stay Calm and Carry On, and Mind the Gap!

    ReplyDelete
  4. the Old GuyAugust 28, 2018 at 7:51 PM

    43 miles today. Poway to Del Mar to Solana Beach to Poway. Lots of wind going to the Coast but then it pushed me home.

    ReplyDelete

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