Monday, July 7, 2008 – Day 15

Start: Billings, Montana
End: Hardin, Montana
Miles: 57.29 Total Miles: 1,060.42
Time: 3 hours 32 minute (avg 16.2 MPH)

We had a really short day today. The official queue sheet had the ride just under 53 miles for the day. I backtracked a little for a picture and rode around the town a little which added some extra miles.

We headed out of Billings a little later than usual since the ride was so short and there was no rush to get on the road. The ride only took about three and a half hours. The air was pretty cool with a nice tail wind, which helped push us even faster.

Just outside of Billings, before we started our first climb, a group of us stopped to check out a snake that was warming itself in the middle of the road. So far, all we have seen are dead snakes that had been sunning themselves too much and became road kill. This guy was alive and well. As we were taking our photos, a couple of cars tried to get by. They probably thought that us tourists were really strange taking pictures of some snake in the middle of the street. We ended up getting the snake to move off the road and then the cars passed and we continued on. Another group of riders ran into a rattle snake later in the day.

As I was riding along, I was reminded that today was Monday and back at work there are plenty of meetings going on. What reminded me of this out in the wilderness? Well, there was a group of horses gathering in the field. Seeing them hanging around was so much like a group of co-workers preparing to start a meeting. Just hanging out talking about how their weekends were and what they did.

Some of the scenery was outstanding today. There were cliffs or bluffs all around the road. They were really cool to see and ponder how they were formed. I took several pictures of these cliffs, but this one was the best.

As I got closer to our destination, There was a sign announcing we were entering a different county. I looked at the sign and didn’t think much of it at first. I had to stop though and turn around for a picture of the county sign that really summed up Montana for me. I guess out in the middle of nowhere, there is no shooting range, but the locals need to practice their skills so they use the signs. I took one of the front so you can get an idea, but also of the back because that really shows the results.

At our last support stop for the day, the queue sheet described the location as the lone cottonwood. As I approached the area, I immediately understood. All around there was not a tree to be seen, but at the stop, there was this lone cottonwood tree. Strange to see it all alone out in the middle of fields and fields. It pretty much represents how I feel out on the road at times. A lone bicycle out in the middle of nowhere. It is amazing at times.

Sunday, July 6, 2008 – Day 14

Rest Day: Billings, Montana
Miles: 0.00 Total Miles: 1,003.13

Third rest day today – only five more left. That means the days in between rest days will start to increase. We spent our day off in Billings, Montana at the Montana State University dorm rooms. I went downtown to see what was going on, but since it was the Fourth of July weekend, things were pretty quiet.

Tomorrow will be a short ride of a little over 50 miles into Hardin, Montana. From what I understand, the ride will be short because to make it to the next stop would have been well over 100 miles and that was a little too far to go.

Saturday, July 5, 2008 – Day 13

Start: Harlowton, Montana
End: Billings, Montana
Miles: 95.54 Total Miles: 1,003.13
Time: 5 hours 54 minute (avg 16.6 MPH)

After the little sleep over the last two nights, today’s ride was great. We had a tailwind almost all day long. For the first half of the day it was flat and with the tailwind, I was averaging around 20 MPH.

There wasn’t a lot of scenery that I took pictures of since I was cruising along so quickly and didn’t want to stop.

I did take a picture of some sheep with some neat background. The rock formations were beautiful.

There was also a grain silo along the way that our queue sheet pointed out is the grain silo that can be seen forever. I spotted it about four miles out and realized what it was as soon as I reached it. It wasn’t really that big, but since the road that it is on is so long and straight, you can see for miles. The queue sheet actually pointed out the point when the road actually begins to turn because it is so many miles without any turns whatsoever.

We finished off the night with a great dinner of steak, fish and multiple pastas. It was delicious. Tomorrow is a rest day here in Billings, so I will do a little sight seeing and take care of the necessary things that have to be done to stay organized.

As I was writing this post, a storm blew in with thunder. I went over to check it out and this is what I saw. A wonderful ending to a pretty nice day.

Friday, July 4, 2008 – Day 12

Start: Townsend, Montana
End: Harlowton, Montana
Miles: 108.66 Total Miles: 907.59
Time: 8 hours 36 minute (avg 12.6 MPH)

Today was a really long day. First of all it was long due to the fact that I did not get much sleep from the night before. Just as I was nodding off, we were told to evacuate the camping area and go inside the school building that we were staying. There were two storm cells that were converging right over us. The sky was lighting up and the rain was just starting. So, we all went inside and watched the storm. It was a big storm and the worst part was several tents were flooded and a few were even broken from the winds. After the storm passed, I attempted to go back to sleep since my tent was as dry as could be. It was tough to sleep because the storms continued with a lot of rain, lightning and wind, just not as powerful as the first one. So, needless to say, I was not very well rested for the 100+ mile day ahead.

The ride started immediately with a long climb. For the day, we climbed just over 4,000 feet. That averages about 40 feet for every mile that we rode. Once we finished the big climb out of Townsend, I looked back to say my final goodbye to the Rocky Mountains. That was quite an accomplishment to make it over those even though we went over the smaller part of the range.

I saw a bunch of antelope along the way. They were hanging out in the field just off the side of the road grazing. I took this picture just prior to them seeing I was there and taking off.

Not too far down the road, I saw what reminded me of Day 3 leaving Vantage, Washington. I am sure something like this inspired the Wild Horses Monument. These were real horses. I am not sure if they were wild or not, but they were walking around on the top of the hills.

My day became a little troubling during the second half of the ride. I rode ahead of the support vehicles and therefore was unsupported from mile 40 to the end of the ride. That was 60+ miles without a vehicle providing water. In the heat and with the long ride, this was not a good thing. About mile 70 I realized I needed to find some water since I was getting low. I ended up going to three houses along the route to knock on doors to ask to use their hoses. No one was home. Maybe they were gone due to it being the 4^th of July. There were five ATVs that came riding down the road at about mile 75. I stopped them and asked them where I could find some water. They offered me a small water bottle that would tide me over until I could find more. What a blessing. I kept riding looking for some houses that looked occupied and finally came to a town called TwoDot. It was actually off the route but I needed to get some water and the town had a bar so I figured I could pick up some water there. Success! I was able to get enough water to get me to the end of the ride.

Once everyone arrived at camp, some of the riders participated in a hot dog eating contest. It was pretty disgusting. I took this picture prior to the really gross part of the contest. There were hot dogs and the associated mess everywhere. The winner was the first to finish six hot dogs.

The night ended with a firework show like no other I have seen. Everyone here in Montana is able to purchase fireworks like those that you would only see at a professional firework show. The campground we were staying at was the place many of them came to set them off. There were personal shows all around. They went on until about 11PM. I then went to sleep. At least until the storms blew in once again. The wind was the noisy part of the storm, but it didn’t keep me up too long. So, another night with little sleep. I am looking forward to getting to Billings tomorrow and a rest day.

One last photo. This is one of me in my camper hat.

Thursday, July 3, 2008 – Day 11

Start: Avon, Montana
End: Townsend, Montana
Miles: 66.08 Total Miles: 798.93
Time: 5 hours 1 minute (avg 13.1 MPH)

When we woke up this morning, the temperature was in the 40s. That was a change since we were starting to get use to the warmer temperatures. We knew it would be even colder at the top of the McDonald Pass, so we had to dress appropriately. It was a good thing that many did not send home their cold weather gear as planned in Missoula.

As we left the campground, I saw a cow with her baby calf along the side of the road that was real cute. It is funny how all the cows along the way stop what they are doing as I ride by and stare at me. It is as if they are wondering why I am riding a bicycle for so long and so far. I guess they are smarter than I am because I am thinking the same thing, but they are smart enough to continue eating, hanging out and being content where they are.

The incline up to the Pass began immediately after we left the camp. It was gradual to begin with, but our queue sheets let us know that the climb would get much steeper. The incline changed dramatically and we had 4 miles to go to the top. It was very steep, but the payoff at the top of the pass was worth it.

At the top, I had to take my picture with the sign showing the altitude. This pass doesn’t have a sign showing the Continental Divide, but it was the highest point that we will ride over along the entire ride.

We also went the extra mile to go up an access road to get a better view. From this area, we had
an unobstructed 360 degree view of all the area around us. It was fantastic. I took a video that I will post at the next stop that has faster Internet access. Here are some pictures of me and my
bike at the top. Boy do I need to shave!

Also at the top of this access road, was a transmission tower of some sort. While I was up there, some of the more daring riders decided to climb the tower. Oh my! That was really high.

After our fun at the top of the pass, it was time for the real excitement. The 6 mile downhill. There were warnings for trucks to go 25 MPH because of the twists and turns as well as the very steep grade. It was fast and thrilling to top out at close to 40 MPH on my way down. I probably could have gone faster, but there was a slight headwind and I had on my jacket that was flapping in the wind slowing me down.

After the Rockies were in my rear view mirror, there was still
about 40 miles to go for the day’s ride. It was pretty uneventful especially after that downhill. But I did see a deer and its baby playing in the field on the side of the road.

Finally, I wanted to let everyone know that we were and will continue riding along the Lewis and Clark Trail. It is interesting to think back to when they traveled this route without all the amenities that we have today. We think it is tough riding our bikes all this way, but they did it on foot with all their animals and gear in tow. I took a picture of the sign that designates the trail and then thought this one was better. It shows how times have changed since Lewis and Clark made their journey.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008 – Day 10

Start: Missoula, Montana
End: Avon, Montana
Miles: 104.29 Total Miles: 732.85
Time: 7 hours 21 minutes (avg 14.1 MPH)

We had rain last night in Missoula. So this morning was a wet and cloudy start. Heading out of town, the clouds were so low they were covering the mountain tops. It was cool to see them so low, but this also meant that we would have weather to deal with at least during the beginning of the ride.

As we began the long climb for the day into the Rocky Mountains, the drizzle started. The road was pretty wet. I have been hoping for a flat day for one of the upcoming rides and I was rewarded today. The only problem was it wasn’t the kind of “flat” I was looking for. I experienced my first flat tire today. I am pleased that it actually took this long into the ride to get my first flat and it was a quick change due to all the practice I have had on the Northern Virginia roads. The sad thing was that there were quite a few people that got flats today. I think there was around ten or so. It was mainly attributed to all the road debris sticking to our tires due to the wet road surface.

Along the ride today, I found the answer to how that big wagon in Spokane can be pulled. There was a really big cow at a convenience store we had one of our stops at.

The total ride today was just over 100 miles, so we logged our second century. Actually, the ride was just a little less than 100 miles, but some of the riders added a few miles to go over the century mark. It was a beautiful ride with a mixture of weather. It was cloudy, then drizzly, then rainy for a little bit. About three quarters through the day, the sun came out and I had to break out the sun screen. Overall, it was a much cooler day than the ride into Missoula. Much more comfortable and easier to ride.

Dinner tonight was fantastic. It was catered by a local restaurant that is known for their pies. We had pasta, bread, vegetables and fruit. Then we topped it off with an assortment of pie slices. It was delicious!

Tomorrow morning will start with an 11 mile climb to McDonald Pass, which is our way over the Continental Divide. From what I hear, the climb up is tough, but the reward on the other side is well worth it. A huge downhill ride that I am sure we will all enjoy. Note to Rachel Anne...I won't be stopping at the top of the mountain.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 – Day 9

Rest Day: Missoula, Montana
Miles: 0.00 Total Miles: 628.56

Today was our second rest day. We spent it in Missoula, Montana at the University of Montana in dorm rooms. The day started with getting things organized for our next few days of riding. It is amazing how quickly our bags get disorganized when we are living out of a tent and are on the go constantly. So, we take this down time to get things a little organized. Then it was off to do laundry.

Around noon, I decided to hike Mount Sentinel. This is the mountain that you see the big M on when you are coming into Missoula. A little history behind the M was on a sign at the base of the mountain.

If you look closely at this picture, you will be able to see the switchback trail that leads up to the M. The M is located 620 feet above Missoula and once you get to the M, it is huge. It is made of concrete and is 125 feet long and 100 feet wide.

Once at the top, the view is incredible. You can see the entire city of Missoula. It was a great hike. There were clouds blocking the direct sunlight most of the way up, which was nice. There were a lot of people on the trail and I was impressed that quite a few people use the trail as their morning training run. During my time on the trail, there was one person that ran up and down three times.

Tomorrow, we begin our climb into the Rockies. From looking at the map, it looks like we will cross over McDonald Pass on Thursday. The elevation is approximately 6,300 feet. Oh boy! The bright side is the downhill on the other side.