Day 48: Hangin' Out in Sturgis

TREV:
I woke up pretty early from the heat in the tent and made breakfast. Since I knew I couldn't check into the Sturgis hotel until early afternoon, and I was kind of tired, I read a bit before packing up. I'm currently working on Bram Stoker's Dracula since it was another free book for my Kindle. I finally packed up, said goodbye to Younegseub and the family, and hit the road. A quick stop at the Black Hills National Forest ranger station provided me with a couple great maps for the coming week, and I was on my way into Sturgis.

The Super 8 let me check in early so I was able to get to work with chores. First stop was the Post Office to pick up Stephs bike. One amazing thing about the postal service is that you can ship something to any random PO addressed to you c/o General Delivery and they'll hold it at the receiving location usually for 30 days. So the bike was boxed up with Frank's help and arrived here in Sturgis several days ago. I walked in, showed them ID, and there it was! They even let me assemble the bike in the air conditioned lobby and tossed the box for me. For personal shipping there's no beating the PO.

So I rode back to the hotel, got a sandwich, and started some laundry. I haven't actually washed my clothes since Missoula and they're starting to pick up some funk. I've taken my bike clothes into the shower each night and scrubbed them so they haven't been awful, but my regular clothes and sleeping bag need some good cleaning. Once the laundry was done I sat impatiently waiting for Steph.

I had gotten a text earlier in the day that BART was running late and she was worried about missing her flight so I was already a little anxious about her arrival. But after much too long I heard a knock on the door and opened it up, blinked a couple times in disbelief, and gave her a huge hug. She got her bags settled and we went out to a Sturgis staple the Loud American Roadhouse for beers, bacon wrapped jalapeño popper's, and dinner. We plotted and planned a little before getting some sleep in excited anticipation of our first day of riding tomorrow.

This trip has been amazing and I've had so many great experiences on my own but I'm excited to share the joy and adventure, especially with mi amor.

Since the next week and change will be OUR trip, Steph will provide some guest commentary to these posts. Hopefully she doesn't destroy the quality of my blogging, but more like I'm sure it will be a relief for you, the reader, to get some fresh air away from my BS.

STEPH:
The gangly man with a patchy beard who opened the motel door on Thursday night wasn't the boyfriend I'd said goodbye to in Portland, but he was a sight for sore eyes nonetheless.  Trev is definitely leaner and tanner than before and it seems like his muscle has migrated to his lower half!  His gear is dirty and weathered but he's in great spirits and I am so excited to join his adventure!

Day 47: Takin' it Easy into SD

It was nice to finally get a full 8 hours of sleep, especially in a bed. It's also easier to toss and turn and fall back asleep in a bed, so I did that until about 8 and then strolled down to Donna's Diner for breakfast. I had bacon, hashbrowns, eggs, and biscuits, and listened to the locals. I was pretty entertained as a table with two elderly couples ranted about modern society. "Kids with cell phones don't pay attention to what you tell them (does any kid, regardless of what they're doing?), I rented a video and it was full of profanities so I tried to get my money back from Walmart but for being a family store they weren't very helpful (since when did Walmart become a family store?), I tried to take one back to Blockbuster because it also was too bad but they wouldn't refund so I broke the DVD in half over the counter (since when is a video store responsible for you making a bad rental choice, and why would you resort to destroying the movie?)." It was pretty interesting but also a little overwhelming so I returned to my room and slowly packed up. I'm hoping the checkout went smooth because they never told me a time and there was nobody there when I left at 11, so I just left the room as I found it. Not a great motel if you need the service but since all I required was a bed and shower I managed fine.

The ride into Sundance was slow and pretty uneventful, but the scenery did start to improve as I entered the Black Hills. I also took it slow since my saddle sores are a little worse than I thought after yesterday. Some of you have complimented my writing saying that it feels like you're right there with me, so I'll give you the full experience. For those not interested, I apologize for the rest of the paragraph. If you're not familiar, saddle sores can emerge in the sit bone area from riding too long or having just a little something not quite as comfortable as it should be. The sit bones are the bones right above where your butt cheek meets your thigh and on any ride of significant length you want a saddle (bike seat) that contacts mainly your sit bones to prevent chafing in other areas. Now, my saddle sores are relatively mild and my educated guess is that they're cause by riding over 208 miles in the past two days. They basically feel like mild rug burns, but when you have to sit back on them to ride again it sucks. I shifted quite a bit over the day, stood up frequently, and yet still felt a sting when the pad in the bike shorts would stick to the slightly raw area. Okay, I'll stop with that, suffice it to say it was not my best ride, a far cry from the trip record of 18.7 mph average yesterday.

But I did stop at length in Sundance to snack in the park, get a smoothie, and find out that my former employer was just bought out by a rival company. Not sure what this means for me if I reapply but at least the deal can settle for the next two months while I finish this trip.

I continued to Spearfish and stopped along the way at the Vore Buffalo Jump near the WY-SD border. This is a site discovered in the '70s while building I-90 where the Native Americans used to stampede buffalo into a pit to kill them. It's estimated that over the roughly 300 years that this activity occurred, over 20,000 buffalo were driven to their demise in this natural sinkhole. They have an archaeological dig ongoing at the bottom and it was fascinating to see the excavation in progress.

I made it into South Dakota although the only welcome sign was on the interstate but you can still barely make out the sign. Finally I got into Spearfish and looked up my lodging. I just happened to stop next to Crows Peak Brewing Co, and then found out the KOA was 500 feet down the road! I set up camp and they gave me two free cookies and a goodie bag with emergen-c's, dried cranberries, and toothpaste! I'm pretty sure this goodie bag was made especially for campers. I showered quickly and on the way back to my tent talked with a man about my bike and the trip and such. As I got my water boiling he came over and invited me to dinner with his family, which is a very hard thing to say no to.

Younegseob is Korean and has been in the US with his wife and four kids for a year. They fed me Korean ribs, rice, kimchi, and an appetizer of anchovies and pumpkin seeds sauteed in soy sauce and honey. To top it off they gave me soju, a Korean rice wine! We sat and talked about my trip as well as theirs, which is a one month car camping trip around the western US. Younegseob is also an avid snowboarder so we talked about that for some time as well.

Eventually I thanked them and walked over to the brewery for a couple beers, and given my appetite, a 12" pizza. I'm glad I only have a 20 mile ride tomorrow to get to Sturgis, it will be good to rest the rear for a bit before Steph comes and we ride on Friday! Also, I'm excited for the Black Hills, from the little I've already seen they look beautiful (see picture).

Day 46: Back to Back Centuries in WY

My destination for the day was Gillette, a mild 70 miles away, so I took my time in the morning. I rode through downtown Buffalo, which takes all of 4 blocks but has some great historic buildings, and restocked lunch supplies at the grocery store. I would be on I-90 the entire day and there was one rest area 30 miles from Buffalo, then nothing else until Gillette. It would be a hot day and not much of a water supply so I filled myself with sports drinks and water, then also filled my three water bottles and brought a 20 oz Powerade as insurance. Combined with some energy bars and jerky I felt I had enough supplies to be able to take it slow if the winds were against me (which they have been since Missoula).

But to my delight as soon as I got going I realized that I'd have a tailwind, at least starting out. The interstate zigged and zagged so sometimes it was a crosswind, other times it was at my back, but either way it was pushing me hard. There were even a few stretches where I was cruising effortlessly uphill at 30 mph and gaining speed! It brings me such a smile when the more I sit up the faster I go. So with all the wind I made it to the rest area sooner and with less effort than I expected, having only gone through a bottle and a half of water. I rested, reapplied sunscreen, refilled water bottles, and found out through conversation that it was 102°! That seems ridiculous but at least it was dry heat and with all the wind and all my sweat I was keeping cool enough. Don't get me wrong, it was really hot, but I was able to pedal through it better than I expected.

I made it into Gillette around 2 pm and stopped for Mexican food. Once I had cooled off I wasn't opposed to a warm meal and began to hear my stomach yelling so I went for the Macho Burrito. I've found that at least in MT and now here they don't have the beloved super burrito. Instead they have the macho, which is very similar but has red sauce and cheese over it, and the guac and sour cream is piled on top instead of inside. Either way it was great with my margarita and tamarindo agua fresca. And in case you're worried about the booze at lunch dehydrating me (Dad), I also downed four pints of water as well. I took my time, trying to wait out some of the heat, and rolled down to the Rockpile Museum which is free. Despite the horribly unexciting name, the museum actually has a really interesting collection of just about everything relating to Gillette history including dinosaur fossils from the area, arrowheads, old schoolhouses, and all sorts of western and mining gear and equipment from the past couple centuries. Gillette claims to be America's Energy Capital since the area provides a third of the coal that the U.S. uses.

During my museum exploring the burrito started to to weigh on me. I haven't been getting great sleep since I'll get in at dusk, set up and eat around 9 or 10, then get to bed around 11 or midnight. The sun is rising around 5:15 each morning which means that I start waking up around 6 when the tent gets light and warmer. I'll toss and turn for awhile but I'm still not getting enough sleep for the exercise I've been putting this body through. This, combined with a large lunch and hot day, nearly had me falling asleep in the museum. I headed outside and did a little bit of planning, because even though I had reached my goal, I just couldn't stop with so much daylight.

I hopped on the bike again, starting out slowly, and headed for Moorcroft. On the way I passed Rozet which has 25 people, a pub with drive up liquor service, and a strip bar. I'm not sure where the dancers come from or how they make enough money but I wasn't too curious and kept going. I was riding along Hwy 51 and it ran straight east as did the wind, and I don't think my speedometer read less than 24 mph the entire way to Moorcroft, this wind was perfect. Once in Moorcroft I headed to the RV park and motel, which is the first RV park I've come across to not also have camp sites. The lady also informed be, without any sign of empathy for my situation, that there weren't any washrooms either so I couldn't use an RV spot. Feeling a bit annoyed at the encounter I left and found a different motel to settle into. The employee was an elderly woman who I coached through the credit card swiping process and she asked me about my trip. I'm still not sure how it happened but the conversation soon turned from "why are you on this trip" to "I really like Mitt and I hope they get that Washington cleaned up". Thanks lady but I haven't paid attention to politics in a month and a half, and regardless of your views I don't want to hear them right now. I just got done riding 102 miles through 102 temperatures and need a shower not a sermon. It's nice not having to set up camp once in awhile, and I prepared a backpacking meal on the dining table to save some money so I'm feeling good about the night.

That's right, back to back century rides! I've had long stretches of little in the way of stops, and a strong urge to get to Sturgis in time for Steph's arrival, hence the Tom Petty song running through my head. Overall they've been great long days but I do have a couple small saddle sores so I'll take it easy the next couple days now that I only have to cover 80 miles in two days.

Day 45: Second Century into WY

I got a good start on the morning and got approval by the campground employee that Hwy 451 was a good choice. And indeed it turned out to be great! I had been feeling a little blue, perhaps lonely and definitely weary so I finally pulled out the iPod and headphone for the first time. I started off with Desmond Dekker's Israelites and continued with the Allman Brothers which makes for fantastic road music. The highway was smooth, nearly empty of cars, and was actually more level than the interstate since it tracked the Little Big Horn river. It would be 33 miles before I even hit a hill. As I had been packing up this morning I a nice woman had given me a bag of cherries at the campground and wished me luck, and not wanting them to get hot and bruised I ate them in the first 20 miles. So in 15 years when Hwy 451 from Garryowen to Lodge Grass is sidelined with cherry trees like the Great Basin, you'll have Trevor Cherry Pit to thank (not the same ring as Johnny but it'll have to do).

My first notable stop was the state line where I once again pulled out the jorts and took pictures. This photo session was quite a bit more relaxed since there were no other cars on the road to be embarrassed about. Putting the jersey back on was a little gross since my sweaty, sunscreeny arms had amassed quite the collection of gnats. But back on the bike I stooped in Ranchester to down two quarts of Gatorade and have a snack. My next stop was Sheridan and I came into town at 2 pm having already ridden 65 miles.

My first errand was to replace the tube I used yesterday, then I headed to the Post Office to unload some gear. After the past few days of hot weather I was happy to pack up a box of arm and leg warmers, gloves, rain booties, vest, and a few other smaller items. In all I unloaded about 3 pounds from the bags. It was ridiculously hot so I got a salad and beer at Sanford's. It was the first time I've ever seen linguine on top of lettuce in my salad but I went for it to get some extra carbs.

I assessed my condition and the next campsites and decided to go for Buffalo. It would be another 37 miles but I felt pretty good about the ride earlier. As I left it was even hotter and now the pavement was radiating. On these toasty days I can feel the difference in the tires as they get warm and turn a little buttery, almost making it feel like they're getting a little flat. The ride was much hotter but thankfully a cloud materialized for a bit and shaded several miles of the ride. To avoid the interstate I had to climb a rough hill but the descent was great and soon I was cruising into the Indian Campground in Buffalo and topping 106 miles! This century was definitely easier without flats and breakdowns, but 100 miles still takes its toll and I have some lightweight saddle sores.

To celebrate I had dinner at the Bozeman Trail Steakhouse, a couple beers, and a brownie sundae to finish it off. When I was done I still had a bit of a sweet tooth so I picked up some toffee cashews and peach rings at the gas station, a decision I definitely regretted after finishing them. I'm not sure why I eat some of the shit I do sometimes, but at least I'll burn the calories tomorrow!

Day 44: Barren and HOT in MT

A pancake breakfast is served at the KOA for $7 so I took advantage. Since it's apparently KOA's 50th anniversary they were running around the original location with cameras, filming for the upcoming convention (I can't wait, who's coming with me?) and I landed in in the background during breakfast. Once packed I rode to Cabela's to get a few dehydrated dinners and then Albertsons for more food. I also got the worst prepackaged sushi I've ever had. I know they're not the best but at least the rice is usually fully cooked! This topped off a little disappointment in Billings overall. I had hoped for a truly western town but it was a little too modern. It's a fun town and has a good nightlife and nice people, it just wasn't what I expected.

I left around noon and after climbing a hill on I-90 I came across the most barren scene I've come to yet. As far as the eye could see was just dried grassy fields, not even a cross street. I took refuge in the nearest rest area where I talked to a couple and their little kids about my trip. One of the boys couldn't take his excited eyes off the bike, there might be a future tourer in him. Since it had been two days without a flat it seemed I was due for another. I've found the biggest downside to the interstate is not the cars but the debris that gives me flats. Thankfully my poor luck had great timing and glass punctured the tube right before an exit and I was able to change it in the shade of an overpass instead of the blistering heat.

I stopped in Hardin for a Gatorade and some food and ended up at Subway, it being the recommended deli in town. With this heat I've been needing fresh and cool food, a bit different from some of the pub fare so far. The sandwich maker informed me that it was 101° outside! I kept up with the sunscreen and water and continued on to Crow Agency where I happened upon a rodeo. I watched a couple guys get tossed from the bulls really quick, the announcer repeating over and over that this guy and that guy got a no score.

I pit stopped at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Park before camp. The history is interesting but the park itself is little more than a lot of tombstones and fields, so I read the placards and saw the National Cemetery there, then headed out to 7th Ranch Campground. I got a nice site with a view of the sunset and started to cook when i remembered the half chocolate bar I had in the food pannier. It was of course melted all over the place, no more chocolate for awhile. The owner was grear and they give out ice cream sandwiches to each camper as well! It was a warm clear night so I slept with the fly off and got to end a long hot day with some beautiful constellations.

Day 43: Hot Road into Billings

I hit the road early so I could make the 75 miles into Billings and still have time to explore the city. The past couple days in MT have given me a lot of frontage roads which allow me the direct route of the interstate but without the traffic and debris. The ride was hot but I stopped when possible for a Gatorade or iced tea along the way. Most of the small towns along the way have little more than a street and a gas station so I didn't dawdle too much.

Why is it that the only three jerkoffs I've encountered on the road drive pickups? The first was in Loleta, CA, the second was on Hwy 2 before the Cascades, and the third was here outside of Billings. He was going the opposite direction and when he noticed me he gunned his big boy diesel truck so it created a huge trail of black exhaust for me to ride through. I'm not a fan of stereotypes and I know a number of great people who drive pickups, maybe it's just that the only guys that have soggy meatloaf for brains also happen to need the compensation that a large truck can provide.

Anyway, I made it to the KOA in Billings which is the first KOA in the world. I set up and headed into town by 5 which gave me time to explore. I hit up a western shop and was pretty disappointed with the gear, so I headed for Montana Brewing Co for some much needed food and drink. I'd been skimping along all day to make sure I earned this meal, so I indulged in a 1/2 lb buffalo-bacon-cheddar burger with sweet potato fries and a beer sampler. I'm not a red meat eater but I figured Billings is a pretty good place for my first buffalo burger, and it was quite tasty. Next I cruised town and landed in Yellowstone Valley Brewing Co where Colorado bad Whitewater Ramble was playing live. The music was great, beer was good, and I was having a great time. It's been awhile since I've seen live music and I soaked it up.

I also met Lisa and her husband there which have a daughter that has done some touring as well. We chatted about the experience and she invited me over later to their place where her husband and several other musicians would be jamming.

I killed some time at Rex's with a beer, Ahi salad, and a peach berry cobbler, then headed over. I was pretty impressed with the number of musicians that fit into that living room and the music was superb. Some of us chatted out on the porch for a bit since it was about 75° at 11pm. Needing some good sleep I headed back after not too long and got some on and off shut eye while the neighboring campers partied until 3am.

Day 42: Headwinds Through Livingston

Waking up in a bed is pretty nice. Just wanted to put that out there for those of you who might take it for granted. I took advantage of the hotel restaurants free breakfast and restocked some food at the local co-op. Check out was at 11 and I used up the last minutes packing. A cruise around town showed me U of M, a couple historic districts, and Lindley Park where I changed out the small tube for one of the right size that I had gotten at a local bike store. It's pretty comforting to have good tubes and enough spares.

Since it was after noon, I snacked and had a quick sampler at Bozeman Brewing Co before hitting the road. I pretty much had headwinds the entire day, varying from 10-25 mph. Have I mentioned how demotivating they can be? After 46 miles I had an average of 11.1 mph, a far cry from my 15-ish average, but I was still able to make progress.

Livingston exists almost purely due to the railway which I found out in the Railroad Museum. The Northern Pacific line run/ran from St. Paul to Seattle and Livingston sits right in the middle, convenient for repairs and fuel. The museum was interesting and by the time I left I was hungry again so a stop at Neptune's Brewery was warranted. I got the 6 beer sampler which cost a little more than expected, but I soon found out why. I've been used to 4 oz tasters and six of them is no problem, but these were around 8 oz each! To top it off they were high gravity beers ranging from 6-8% and even up to 10%. Let's just say when I left I was riding a line slightly more curvy than I'm accustomed to, so I had some snacks to soak it up.

My ride concluded during sundown and I saw at least a dozen deer grazing in the fields alongside the road. I also came across the first antelope of the trip. There were two, one inside the fence and one along the road. The one on the road was spooked by me and began running down the road, trying to find a gap in the fence. At first it was exciting, seeing this creature running at my pace just in front of me, but it soon made me nervous. It would charge what looked like a hole, nearly get stuck, and keep running. I got a little worried about it turning on me with those antlers in fear, but soon it found a gap but still came close to getting stuck in the barbed wire. I'm glad it all worked out and was exciting but next time I'll stop and let it calmly find an exit, no need for everyone to get frantic.

I finally made it to the Big Timber KOA and had a good night of camping. Big Timber is the most ironically named town I've come across yet, there's hardly a tree in it, let alone anything of notable size, but at least it had a campsite for me. On to Billings tomorrow!

Day 41: Divide, Caverns, CENTURY

Having not known about the Solstice until the end of the day yesterday, I wanted to wake up early and make the most out of the second longest day of the year. I rose naturally at 6 and was on the bike by 8. The first hurdle was the Continental Divide which was a solid climb in the morning but not brutal. I got to the top on I-90 but being an interstate there's not much in the way of pullouts so I took off on a utility road at the summit. I was able to find a great spot on the ridge and take some photos as well as reflect on the appropriateness of Bob Seger's Roll Me Away, "...starin' out at the Great Divide. I could go east, I could go west, it was all up to me to decide." And as with every uphill, there's eventually a downhill to enjoy. Five miles of it to be exact! As I wound down the highway into the desert-like valley below I noted that I now enter the East. The Mississippi may bisect the country but the Rockies are a true divided between the wild, mountainous West and the more tame and flat East. Of course there are exceptions like many Western towns to come but overall that's the feel I get.

Another reason for starting early was to be able to tour the Lewis and Clark Caverns. They're off Highway 2 which snakes along the Jefferson River and provided for a gorgeous ride. I got to the visitor center and was informed that tours start from the Cavern Visitor Center, three miles up the hill. After starting I saw a disgusting sign claiming that parts of the next three miles would be at a 9% grade! I struggled up but not without a flat one mile from the top. My triple-patch-job finally gave way so I had to replace the rear tube, but I couldn't be too upset since it had lasted over 150 miles and was rolling on borrowed time at this point. I fought my way to the top, signed up for the tour, and raced to change into pants, flannel, and running shoes before it started in 5 minutes. The formations are stunning, growing typically one inch every 1000 years, and the tour has some exciting terrain including a slide and some very narrow passages. All in all it was well worth the climb.

Next stop was Bozeman so I slathered on the sunscreen again and biked up to Three Forks. Here I caught Adventure Cycling's Lewis and Clark route and had a nice map to follow. I wanted to visit Missouri Headwaters State Park and see the merging of three rivers but I got a flat before the entrance. The tube had holes in two places, caused by the Slime Wall inserts. That's the last time I'll use them, they've cost me at least three tubes and way too much hassle. I pulled out my last tube, the one from Hardware Hanks, and found out to my horror that the Schrader valve won't fit in my new rims! I tried everything to get the patch to hold but no luck. I pumped the tube and rode back into Three Forks, having to pump the tube two more times just to get 1.5 miles back. Between the three stores still open none of them had a bike tube. I used a cashier's phone to call "the bike guy" and left a desperate voicemail asking for a tube. I was just getting ready to purchase an automotive tire patch kit and try to make it work when an angel in the form of the bike guys wife walked in with a tube! I had started thinking about camping there and trying to bus or hitch into Bozeman in the morning when she glided through the door with that black rubber halo.

Since she only had a 26x1.00-1.25 and I use a x1.75 it meant that if I pressurized the tube up all the way it would be close to bursting since it's not supposed to fill that large of a volume in the tire. So I changed everything around: front tire and tube moved to the rear, new tube and rear tire moved up front. This way I could pressurize the front to only 50 psi instead of the usual 80 and still be able to ride well on the back. It was by no means ideal but I was rolling again, Bozeman-bound, starting at 7 pm. Although the L&C route added some miles versus the interstate, there is less debris on surface streets so I stuck to them, obviously not being able to afford another flat. The ride was a long 37 miles but I used my last Colossus power-up (90s X-Men arcade game reference) and RRRAAAAGGGGHH, got to Bozeman.

I was lucky enough to get in touch with Steph for her to be able to look up a motel and some food that would be available. As I got into town the sun was setting and it seemed as if El Sol was saying, "Good job, here's some of my best work." The sunset was one of the most beautiful I've ever seen and certainly tops the list for this trip. For some cursed reason most hotels were booked but I managed to find a Family Room with two beds and a pullout right downtown for the same price as a single smoking room farther away. A shower was followed by a BBQ pulled pork and coleslaw burrito from a food truck and two slices of pizza, plus a couple beers.

It was one of my most epic days, full of struggle and ending in triumph. Hopefully my next century will have less issues but I'm happy I was able to will the day to work for me and have a great adventure.

Day 40: Celebrations, MT Generosity

While fixing breakfast I thought about the idea put forth by a Nobel Chemist that we should celebrate our days as well as years. I did the calcs and found out my 10,000th day on this planet was back on March 14th. Since it was a Wednesday I probably didn't do anything to celebrate so I decided today would be my celebration. Turns out it was also the Solstice but I wouldn't realize that until the end of the day.

Starting out I wished hard for a day of no flats and had Steph crossing her fingers for me too. I took the Pintler Memorial Scenic Highway and it was well worth it. The highway was a mix of riding, some shoulder, sometimes very little. The terrain was flat, then rolled, then climbed through the Flint Creek Valley. The next 64 miles of riding would be some of the most beautiful of the whole trip so far.

I stopped in Philipsburg for lunch and met Carla at her roadside caboose deli. The turkey avocado sandwich was delicious, as was the hand-squeezed lemonade she made fresh. And all for $7? It was a great lunch. When I thanked her she brought out another lemonade, and when I said she shouldn't have, she replies very simply, "But I wanted to!" The road climbed quite a bit next until it crested at Georgetown Lake, and what a surprise that was! I had seen it on the map the day before but had no idea it would be a huge, calm, spectacular lake nestled in the top of the mountains! I enjoyed the view and road over my highest elevation for the entire trip at 6430'.

The ride into Anaconda was thankfully downhill and I stopped at Hardware Hanks to pick up their last 26" tire tube. Now I at least had two spares and could ride a little more comfortably. A pit stop at the next Rest Area led to conversation with a family who gave me a cookie for the road.

Next came Butte, and being parched, I headed for beer. A pit stop at The Pit was interesting, such a massive mining operation taking place right next to downtown. Butte was once one of the largest cities in the West and the architecture of the glory days is still present. I had the sampler at Quarry Brewing and chatted with the owner's wife Lyza as well as a patron Debbie. Some popcorn and more conversation required another pint, and when they finally closed at 8 and I asked what my tab was, Debbie picked it up for me! (Don't get the wrong idea Steph, she's 60+ and explained that this is just how people in Butte are) I made my way to the downtown KOA and got quite a meal of fried chicken, Jojos, dinner rolls, and a slice of pie before calling it a night.

I had no flats, rode through stunningly gorgeous Big Sky countryside, and was the recipient of so much generosity. It was truly a day befitting celebration.

Day 39: Leaving Missoula

Nat, Dad, and I woke up and puttered around the house, gradually packing up and making sure to get the right things in my bags and the right things in their bags. Nat restocked me on Emergen-C's and I sent her back with my Brazil jersey, since I got the Big Sky Brewing one, and the bugle horn that no longer wants to make a sound except for that of a wheezing cough. When your sole function is to honk, and you no longer honk, I cease to have room on my bike for you! I also weighed myself after this week of stuffing my face and little exercise. I've pulled my weight back up to 179.6 lbs. It's an improvement over the 176 I was and still two pounds lighter than my Day 1 weight. My bags, now restocked with fuel and food to last me several days through remote Montana, stand at 67 lbs, pretty much the same as when I left. I am looking forward to shedding some rain gear once I get into the Midwest and Steph can take it back with her.

Brad picked us all up and we scored some Rhino shwag before dropping Nat and Dad off at the airport. It was so great that they came up, I always have such a fun time with them and glad we could all spend Father's Day together at the lake. I came back to Brad's, said goodbye, and cruised over to Bernice's Bakery for a coffee, sandwich, and red velvet cupcake with creme brulee inside. Fueled up, I hit the road with a lightweight 55 miles to ride.

Have I mentioned how much I hate flats? If not then I'll reiterate, they test my patience like no other and have been the sole sore spot on this ride so far. I made it 8 miles before getting one on the front tire. I patched it and rode another 3 miles before getting one on the back tire. This one I realized was caused by the Slime Wall inserts that are meant to stop flats! I patched both and continued for a bit before having to replace the front tube. After a total of 30 miles I added a patch to the rear tube since it was slowly leaking again. This brings me down to one spare tube and not a bike store for the next 60 miles so I'm trying to keep the beast rolling on patches. After the fourth stop everything seemed to hold and I was able to ride without incident for the next 25 miles.

Having a peaceful ride through rolling hills, on fresh pavement, and with a slight tailwind was a good reminder of why I decided to go on this trip. It was so peaceful riding on the frontage road to Drummond with gorgeous scenery all around and no cars on the road. I'm hoping for more of these days ahead of me and less flats, it would be such a nice relief. On a positive note, the tune-up worked great and everything is running very smoothly and efficiently on the bike. But I do find myself looking down at the tires every mile or so, I've become so paranoid about flats.

Drummond is a small town and the campground is nice, I should be able to make it into Butte tomorrow, just not sure whether to go the scenic route through Anaconda or not...

Days 36-38: Fam Time in MT

I woke up in the cabin, excited to jump in the water for some skiing, but it was pretty cool all of Saturday. The girls tried some fishing and we toured the lake in the boat but spent time in the hot tub instead of the lake. It's great to just lounge all day and have no agenda. Hot tub, read, chat with family, hot tub, eat, drink, hang with family, on and on and on. When dinner came around we stuffed a can up a chicken, set it on the Weber, and played ping pong for an hour while it cooked away. There were potatoes, barbequed salmon, coleslaw, and of course the chicken. With no dessert, Katie, Nat, and myself drove to the store for brownie ingredients. The magic that followed was an unbelievably delicious chewy chocolate brownie with marbled peanut butter, baked inside a peanut butter-graham cracker crust. Yes, we really did that and yes, it was fantastic.

Father's Day morning we had breakfast, warmed up in the hot tub, and hit the lake. While the water was cold there was no way I wasn't going to ski. Brad had a wetsuit so I pulled it on and jumped in. There was a perfect break in the wind that gave me the smoothest water imaginable and I was in heaven doing a single-ski loop around the lake. Dad tried out the water next and after getting over the cold, showed us how waterskiing is really supposed to be done. He continues to be the best! Katie hopped on the wakeboard next and took some good turns, and then helped me with advice on getting up on the board. It had been several years since the one time I wakeboarded but I was able to get up the second try. I got as comfortable as I could with the bindings being so small (they're meant for Katie and Rachel's feet) and before ending my run tried to jump a little. I landed a little too perpendicular to the wake and the rope jerked on my bad shoulder to straighten me out and I crashed. It's fun though, I'll have to give it a try again.

We left Katie in the cabin (she's going back up to work at Glacier NP the next day) and headed back to Missoula. The morning found Nat, Dad, and I running a few errands. I restocked some food and items at REI, as well as bought the new wheelset. On the way back I managed to sell the old wheels since I had listed them over the weekend on Craigslist! So even though I took loss on the old wheels, I ended up spending only ~$20 for a new wheelset and hopefully things are as good as new! The three of us bike to Kettle House Brewing and then out to Big Sky Brewing Co where I got a flat on the way. I had added some Slime Walls to prevent flats but it seems I might have pinched the tube when installing them on the new wheel.

Uncle Brad met us at Big Sky and we had some tasters, took a quick tour through the brewery with one of his friends who is a brewer there, and I ended up getting a bike jersey for a good deal. As a thanks for the whole weekend, Dad and I treated everyone else to dinner and drinks at Tamarack Brewing where we all stuffed our faces and finished with a large, ice cream covered pizza cookie!

I've had such a good time here, it's been and will be my longest break of the trip. I've been here 6 nights and 5 full days which have been full of food, rest, and great times with family. Tomorrow I'll say goodbye to all of them, Nat and Dad will fly back to CA, and I'll start making my way to Sturgis where the next great segment of the trip will begin with Steph!

Days 34 & 35: Break Time in Missoula

For my first full day in Missoula I started out doing some long overdue laundry and dropped my bike off at the Bike Doctor for a tune-up. I headed downtown for lunch at Iron Horse Brew Pub, which unfortunately doesn't actually brew their own beer. Since I was nearby I decided to check out the Adventure Cycling office. They had a greeter come out and we chatted about my trip. The whole place was made for biking and was pretty exciting to see. There were bikes placed all over that have been used by the staff for cross-country trips for the past several decades. They gave me a free years membership and I bought a t-shirt and map of the Lewis and Cark Trail which I'll be able to ride further on in Montana. They also took a pic of me for their Wall of Fame on which they cycle (pun absolutely intended) pictures through as they fill up the wall. Knowing that not everyone has family in Missoula to be a home, they have a sitting room with free ice cream and drinks so I took advantage and snacked over some maps.

Still in search of some local brews I found myself at Tamarack Brewing where their 11 beer taster set is only $8! I walked it off a little by cruising the town and checking out the Clark Fork River and Caras Park, and having a beer at my uncle's bar, The Rhino. It was fun to be in there after hearing so much about it and not really remembering ever being in there. There are a full 50 taps, mostly stocked with delicious beers so I made my choice and hung out with Brad until Betsy and Rachel came downtown to meet us for dinner at the Thursday night market. After a burrito and double scoop of local ice cream (Big Dipper's Cardamom and Espresso Heath flavors are both fantastic), I found myself back at the Rhino for a Chocolate Stout to finish the night.

Friday morning I got a call from the Bike Doctor with some bad news. It seems that when I first put Babe together I bought bike wheels meant for disc brakes only, and I've been using rim brakes. This means that the side walls aren't as sturdy and run the risk of "exploding" as the Bike Doc explained. On a back wheel perhaps it's not too big of a deal but on the front? Well imagine flying down a hill, applying the breaks, and all of a sudden losing the front wheel, not a good scene. So the next couple hours were filled with me (with Frank's assistance) looking for wheels, seeing if the wheels I have truly wouldn't work, what to do, etc. Frank found a set at REI, which they had, then they didn't then they found again. Ultimately I'll get a new set before leaving here since to risk continuing with the current wheels is not an option.

Brad and I hit the bar for one more beer before picking up Nat and Dad, and mid-beer got the call from Nat that they had landed. Slam the beer, rush over, and there were my dad and sister here in Montana! We piled in and hit the road north to Lake Blaine, making a tasty pit-stop at Flathead Lake Brewing Co. Eventually we got up to the lake and met Betsy and the other cousin Katie. They have a great little house on Lake Blaine which is a nice little lake just big enough for boating but small enough to be pretty calm most of the day.

I'm definitely excited to hang out with Nat and Dad, it's great that they came up here and we were able to make the timing work. It'll be fun to chill for the weekend on the lake and have a mini family reunion with the other Martens'!

Day 33: Into Missoula

Thankfully the morning in St. Regis was much calmer than the evening. I ate, packed up, and tried to hit the road ahead of the oncoming storm. I did a decent job of it, but I had cross winds and still got some sprinkles that were, for the most part, refreshing since I was wearing a jersey that hadn't been washed after a long day of use. The riding was mostly uneventful but I did come across another Rest Area that had free coffee, lemonade, and cookies. Whoever thought of this is a genius and the people who voluntarily staff and supply it are saints. It's so refreshing to arrive for the bathroom and water and get coffee and cookies as well! We talked about my trip a bit, I got some route suggestions, and one of the ladies even gave me a couple Power Bars from her car.

There was quite a bit of construction along I-90, which is usually good for a biker. Many times a lane is closed but there's very little work actually going on so I can ride in the closed lane, worry free. There were several stretched where the entire westbound freeway was closed and traffic was diverted onto eastbound, making it a narrow two lane highway. So I figured the safest thing to do was to get onto that closed section, and soon I was riding down the middle of westbound I-90 by myself!

I was much better about snacking and keeping a constant fuel supply going, and eventually stopped 30 miles outside of Missoula to eat when I got another flat, this time a glass shard. In pitting the wheel back on I noticed that one of the rear spokes was broken! This would explain the wobbling I have felt over the past couple days. I have a couple spare spokes but I elected to deal with it for the next 30 miles and pleaded with Babe to cooperate in exchange for a professional tune-up when we got into town. After that I had a great tailwind that carried me into town.

I met up with Aunt Betsy and my cousin Rachel and took a shower while they food shopped. Uncle Brad came home and we talked about the trip a bit since he had done his own bike tour after high school from Iowa to Washington and down to California. Brad and Betsy made us all dinner, my first home cooked dinner since Teri and Steve's, over two weeks ago. It's really nice to have these stationary breaks every once in awhile. It gives my legs time to recuperate, as well as my psyche, and I'm able to wash clothes and spend time cleaning and mending. I'm looking forward to exploring Missoula tomorrow and hitting Lake Blaine with Dad, Nat, Brad, Betsy, and Katie over the weekend. I've topped 1900 miles so far, time for a weekend off.

World Bicycle Relief

It was buried in a couple of posts but I've been exposed recently to a few businesses who support World Bicycle Relief, a charity that supplies bikes to the less fortunate as a means of transportation and to improve their lives. I've added it to the list of possible Challenge Charities and I'll accept changes to your pledged charities if you'd like, just send me an email or comment to this post.

Day 32: Lookout Pass, Hello Montana!

Trying to recuperate from a rough day, I took my time in the morning, made myself breakfast, and packed up. Steph had sent me an email with the lyrics to The Beatles - Let It Be, which are so fitting for a rough time that I laid down for a bit and listened to the song. Halfway through a bee came buzzing into my tent! With a little help he got out without incident and the morning continued.

The bike also needed a flat change so I took care of that and adjusted the brakes before heading over to the interstate to descend the east side of the summit. Downhill is always a joy, and today was no exception, a great way to start a ride. I swung by the Mission Inn Restaurant in tiny Cataldo, ID, and had some additional breakfast and charged my phone. Someone asked where I was going so we talked about it, and it turned out there was a guy there also eating breakfast whose brother is running cross-country! We chatted a little bit about it, he is driving the support van for the first few states and found it a good way to see some western states.

I caught the Trail of the Coeur d'Alene and had a great conversation with Everett, Kathy, and Dewey who were all riding it as well and very interested and enthused for my journey. A little ways down the trail I passed a guy in nice looking running gear and stopped to ask if he was running cross-country. "Yeah! You must be the guy riding cross-country!" I rode alongside Justin for a little bit, chatting about our respective journeys. He and two others are running via trail and side roads from Washington to Delaware. They expect it to take 80 days and are running about 42 miles a day. They were doing mostly hotels and had the support vehicle, but still I can't imagine running 42 miles in a stretch ever, let alone for 80 days! Their blog is runacrossamericaontrail.com.

The Trail of the CD'A is the best trail I've been on so far. I was able to follow it for around 50 miles and it was dedicated, smooth, beautiful trail the whole way. The only downside was the dog that chased me in Osburn, it strikes a level of fear I'm not accustomed to. The trail took me into Wallace where I stopped to feast on my snacks as well as to change ANOTHER flat and install a new chain. While changing the tube I noticed the puncture seemed to be in a similar place as the past three or four so I checked the tire. Sure enough there was a piece of staple embedded in the tire that had been causing flat after flat. I was frustrated I didn't think of this sooner, but relieved that I had found the problem.

Next task was making the 2000' climb up to Lookout Pass. I stuck to interstate this time, no gravel roads. It wasn't too bad, though I did get hit with a Rockies storm that dumped huge amounts of rain in a short time. There was also some hail that managed to pelt me for a minute or so. Upon reaching the top I came to the MT state line and pulled out the jorts. It was then I remembered Franks challenge was to have jorts and nothing else! I can't believe I completely forgot about that aspect through the past several states! I couldn't pose in front of the "Welcome to Montana" sign because it was hanging from an overpass. The state line sign is also located on the median of I-90, so I just had to settle for posing near it and blowing it a kiss for Teri's challenge. Hopefully the extremity of this situation makes up for a couple technicalities in the past photos. I'm at 4860 feet and it just finished hailing, and here I am standing on the shoulder of the nations longest interstate without a shirt on!

Once I got going again I figured I could make St. Regis, which was 30 miles away but home to a campground with a shower. Thankfully it was literally all downhill from the pass. But even going downhill my bike seems a little off. It has a little wobble to it, sometimes the brakes sound like their rubbing, and I'm now in constant fear of a flat. Sure enough, I got another flat. This one happened after the sun had dipped behind the mountains. I was in the shoulder of I-90, fixing a flat, with the light waning and no dinner in my belly. I've learned that I need to keep my food intake more regular, and rides are much less stressful when I'm not pushing daylight. This was one of the more nervous situations I've been in, fixing the flat on the interstate.

I just made it to the office before they closed, and got a site. I could see a storm coming down from the mountains so I set up my tent in record speed. No sooner had I staked down the fly and threw my bags and self inside than the sky opened up and let loose. I had music going and couldn't hear it, the rain was so loud on the fly. There was thunder and lightning overhead, but at least I was cozy and dry, and preparing dinner.

This is my one month anniversary and what a way to spend it. I made it into Montana across the highest state line I'll come to. On top of that I was treated to the excitement of thunder and lightning which I haven't seen on the trip yet. It's been a great month, but the past few days have been draining with the bike troubles. Losing confidence in such an integral part of this trip has not been enjoyable, I need to get to Missoula where I'll have a few days to take it to a shop for a full tune-up.

Day 31 Update

I just wanted to throw this in there for your enjoyment/horror since I forgot to add it when posting.

Day 31: Idaho Struggles

The day started off innocently enough with a delicious breakfast at Madeleine's Cafe in Spokane on my cousins recommendation. I rode around the town just a little before leaving, and I was most in awe of the Spokane River. With the snow melt and some recent rains that river is pouring and pounding its way through the middle of the city. I was surprised how violently the river courses right downtown, even having a couple small waterfalls. I was able to enjoy the river for a bit while riding the Spokane Centennial Trail which goes from Spokane to Coeur d'Alene. The trail is great in some areas, but just surface streets in others and the whole thing meanders and turns quite a bit, causing me to lose it a couple times and end up crossing the state line along WA-290. But cross into ID I did and I was able to take challenge pictures of both ID and WA since I missed WA on the way into the state. Taking the pics was a little embarrassing since there was construction going on right there and a pile of cars just sat waiting their turn to go while I ran around in jorts trying to pose for my self timer.

Once in CD'A I stopped at a health food store to restock some supplies like dried fruit, jerky, and cheese. I also hadn't eaten anything since breakfast which was a big mistake. I started getting frustrated at little things that wouldn't work right, like a strap not coming off on the first click or a paper bag tearing. To elevate the situation I wanted to ride down to the Lake and eat at the park but I got a flat tire from another industrial staple. So I plopped down on the porch of an abandoned house and ate, annoyed at my situation. In replacing the tube I didn't check the seal of the tire bead and the new tube was sticking out a little. Upon inflating the tube to high pressure the damn thing exploded like a gunshot, blowing out the seam in the tube. I used my last tube, made a quick replacement, and hustled to the nearest bike store before they closed. Three new tubes and a new chain would do just fine, and they recommended going up a side road to Fourth of July Summit instead of the interstate. I filled water and made my way to the side road. They mentioned it was gravel but well used so it shouldn't be an issue. I didn't deflate my tires as I should have, and got a flat on the gravel road. I was worried about daylight, had no idea what hillside I was going to pitch my tent on, and now another flat. As I started to pull the wheel off I began to feel the sting of mosquitoes, a lot of them. Flat tire, hot sun, having eaten too much not-healthy-enough food for lunch, getting greasy when I wouldn't have a bathroom to clean up in at camp, and now getting chewed up by mosquitoes was too much at once. I broke down and sat on the side of the road crying for a couple minutes, until the devil's bloodsuckers were in such a frenzy I had to get up and get moving again. It was the first real meltdown of the trip, I'd say making it a month is pretty good.

I struggled with the road the rest of the time and finally made it up Alder Creek Rd close to the summit just before dark. A junction of several other dirt roads pointed me towards one that had a locked National Forest gate across it. At this point my rear tire was getting low AGAIN! I walked my bike down the closed road a bit and found a thick section of shoulder and set up the tent. I had just enough water for a few gulps, dinner, then breakfast tomorrow. This was the most challenging day I've had yet and I gave Steph a call for some encouragement. It's always good to have someone to be your rock and she was great and supportive in cheering me up. We decided the weather would be good enough to leave the fly off and see the stars, but that I should hang my food since northern Idaho can have Grizzlies. After some experimentation I got two of the panniers hung from a tree and climbed in my sleeping bag. It's definitely gross to have repaired a couple flats and have ridden 66 miles and not be able to wash up. I just have to deal with it for a couple more days until Missoula. Upon turning off the light I was at least able to have a great view of the night sky through my tent mesh, and the stars and I wished each other a good night.

Day 30: Walking Senior, Spokane

The goal for today was to get to Spokane and at just over 65 miles it shouldn't take too long if it were anything like yesterday. I snacked in Davenport and 10 miles later saw a man walking east along Hwy 2 with a bright best that read "Seniors Walking America" across the back. I stopped and asked him what his story was.
Bruce Maynard, seniorswalkingacrossamerica.blogspot.com, lives in northwest WA and has, in the last 3 years, walked down the west coast, across the south to Key West, and back up to Oklahoma! Oh yeah, he's also 78 years old. He uses a motor home as his base and walks 10 or 15 miles, then walks back to the motor home and drives 20 miles to do 10 the next day. His goal, pending a number of things that didn't include his age, is to walk through Europe, into Afghanistan to pick up the Silk Road, and continue through China. That way he'll have walked the globe! He was so full of energy and we talked on the side of the highway for a good 20 minutes. We both agreed it was good that the trips we're doing are for ourselves. It's admirable to do a big event or trip for a cause but it will get in the way of it truly being YOUR adventure. Sometimes a major adventure isn't what's needed so a cause is great, but not this time for me. Bruce's story is exactly the example I needed and will now use on the elderly people I chat with that say only in their dreams could they do such a big trip at their age.
The rest of the ride was uneventful and the wind was at a bit of a diagonal, but when I got to Riverside Park just outside of downtown I looked at my speedometer to see an average of 18 mph, which is a trip high for any significant distance! I set up camp, changed clothes, and rode into town. I first tried Northern Lights Brewery, which had a good tomato pesto chicken sandwich but out of all the 10 beers in the sampler I wasn't really impressed by any. Next I cruised over to Steam Plant Brewing, which is located in a renovated historic steam plant. The building was interesting and I had some nachos and a pint of their Double Stack Stout since it was happy hour all day on Sundays. Wow was the stout delicious. Thick, chocolaty, and what tasted like some vanilla bean flavor as well. It was on the sweeter side so when I ordered a small dessert I had another stout, it was just that good! After the equivalent of 4.5 beers and two dinners I was pretty stuffed and slowly rode back to camp.
Although a somewhat mellow day I had a lot of time to think during the ride since the novelty of endless wheat fields had wore out after yesterday. With both Jekyll and Hyde as well as City Slickers fresh in my mind, I had a lot of time to find commonalities between the two. It seems necessary to exercise and entertain the "demons" that everyone has, the Hydes, on a regular enough basis to keep the monster from taking over. Billy Crystal's character had, like Jekyll,  also not done enough for himself and his desire for excitement since he had fallen in a rut and needed an extreme adventure to pull himself out. I've always tried to keep things in moderation, including moderation itself. Too much of anything is bad for you, or at least overwhelming, so take it easy. But sometimes drastic or extreme things must be done as well, like my trip. I'm having an unsustainable amount of fun! It's been great and I encourage everyone to have an adventure for themselves, but I also can't go on doing this forever, it wouldn't balance with the rest of my life. I'll dedicate myself to work but not to a breaking point, yet on the other end I'll love some things passionately and with all my heart, such is the devil of moderation. Not sure if any of this last paragraph makes sense to anyone else, just wanted to get it down for myself, and see if I could wax philosophical about City Slickers.

Day 29: High Desert-ish, Tailwinds!

I'm now four weeks into this trip and it's as good as ever. I was warned in Centralia that a 3-4 week slump might happen and that I should push through but so far nothing of the sort. The rain was a bit of a downer for a couple days but I'm all dried out now and doing great. My fifth week started with more good conversation with Don who also gave me a cup of coffee in the morning. After all the talks with hosts I'm inspired to be one when I'm older. Sherri commented about a hill and I would soon find out the "hill" is a 2000 foot climb. Getting to the top brought on the most unexpected sight, endless wheat fields. The air was filled with the desert scent of sage but there were also lush, rolling wheat fields as far as I could see.

What came along with this area was a vigorous tailwind, the likes of which I've never experienced. It was surreal to come from the mountains yesterday to the fields today and to have the cycling be so different. When riding and seeing the wheat blowing but not feeling a rush of wind I was able to estimate the wind was moving right along with me at 28 mph for much of the ride. There were stretches with tumbleweeds bouncing over the road and into the fields. The wheat rustled and danced, supporting the crowd surfing tumbleweeds, as we all grooved to the glorious wind. My average speed was quick, I came to a downhill with smooth pavement, no cars, and a tailwind, and I hit records speeds which I won't mention to save the worriers at home. Just as I was speeding down the slope it opened up into a massive gorge and I couldn't stop the whooping and cheering, I was so thrilled.

I stopped in Coulee City at Couleegan's Bar and Grill for a beer and a bite. The bartender Jeremy suggested the Broasted Chicken with Jojos, which is basically fried chicken and potato wedges which were delicious, especially when followed with an Iron Horse IPA. I have yet to make a local bar stop that I regret. Jeremy was a perfect bartender, a sociable local, interested in your story and able to provide factoids and discussion about the area your visiting like the train-heist-era bullet holes in the bar. Batteries charged, both literally and figuratively, I hit the road again.

When I got to Wilbur I took status. I'd been riding for just over 90 miles at an average of 17.1 mph and it was now 6:15. I felt good and really wanted that 100 mile day but all my searching couldn't fine a campsite at a reachable distance further down the road. Standing there next to a diner and campground, getting cool in the breeze, I decided maybe it was a good sign that today was done. Although I ached for that century ride, I have to remember that this trip is not about the distance but the exploration between.

The campground had nice, comfortable facilities and the garden burger, raspberry milkshake, and mint chip sundae did a pretty good job of raising my spirits, as well as a gorgeous sunset. To top it off the campground/RV park had a sitting room with a heater and TV so I finished The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and watched City Slickers. Tomorrow I'll make my way to Spokane and get to do some city exploring again!