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.