Kendallville, IN-Napoleon, OH-Sandusky-Burton,OH

These last few days completed our 7 day stretch of riding and now we're in Burton, OH for a rest day, a well deserved day off.

Riding to Napoleon was only 70 miles, a "walk in the park" day. We were done by noon so we met in town for a burger and beer. Finally I found a Labatt's Blue beer and I'm still looking for my perch dinner.

My parents, brothers and their wives came to visit me in Napoleon, OH. They brought some watermelon and cantaloupe that was immediately consumed. The cookies I saved and put out for lunch the next day. I think they were impressed by the way I live these days, in a tent with my laundry hanging from the fly of the tent. It's a way of life I've become accustomed to and only one more week of it before I get back to all the comforts of home. We went to dinner, they dropped me off and headed back home.

The next day was a hot, flat 87 miles to Sandusky, OH. We camped at the KOA by Cedar Point. Many riders went to Cedar Point Amusement Park. Brad, Chacko(who's from India and has been in AZ for about 7+ years) and I went to a beach instead. The only thing was the beach was another 8-9 miles away, each way. It was the first time Chacko had seen a Great Lake. The water was like bath water and after walking across super hot sand the water felt wonderful. We headed back towards camp and got dinner at a local restaurant that had perch, only it was frozen and I'm looking for fresh perch. I've been telling Chacko about perch dinners so he got the perch sandwich. I guess I'll have to wait until I'm home for my meal. Back at camp after another shower to wash off the Lake Erie water I climbed into my tent only to have it rain again. Wouldn't you know it my tent had a little leak where the fly wasn't pulled tight. I had to shift everything around in it so I could sleep without being rained on. Between the heat, humidity and the rain my sheets were damp. Good thing one more day until I can do some laundry.

Continuing on to Burton we started the 92 mile day along Lake Erie and through Cleveland. That part of the ride was nice and flat. The weather was cooler than yesterday with a north wind off the lake. In Cleveland Brad, Su, George and I stopped by the Botanical Gardens. We only spent an hour there and saw the Glasshouse exhibit which included a Costa Rica rainforest and a spiney forest from Madagascar. East of Cleveland the hills started again. Thirty more miles of hills and then a rest day, hooray!

When I arrived in Burton I had a wonderful surprise. My friend Ann Walton came to visit me and had a room at a B&B. What a treat. I slept 9 hours, first time in a long time. The host made a fantastic breakfast of sausage and french toast. Everything was too good to be true. Then we went on a buggy ride with an Amish family. Very interesting way of life they lead. After we came back to Burton, had lunch then Ann headed home. Thanks for the great time Ann.

The Burton library is closing now so I'm signing off. Next rest day is Gettysburg and I'll see my sister Diane and her husband Tom. See you soon.

Belvidere-Coal City-Valparaiso-Kendallville

Well, first of all my iphone is dead so I won't be sending daily updates unless I can get to a public library like I am now.

We had some stormy weather for a couple of days and even though I had my phone in double baggies in my rain jacket, it still got wet. It rained again at night in Belvidere and we started the day in rain for about 50 miles. The roads were flooded several times and in some places the water was flowing like a river over the road. It was a strange feeling to be riding through it. After the rains, the weather got hot and humid and the wind picked up. Unfortunately it's been a headwind. We arrived at Coal City and it was HOT, one of those nights where you lie in the tent just trying to fall asleep. Then the rains started again. So for two nights I didn't get much sleep. Good thing the rain stopped by the time we got up and off to Valparaiso, another day of headwinds.

My sister Sue was waiting for me at Valpo. First things first, dry out the tent and do laundry. Everything was damp and stinky. After that and a nice shower we went to dinner at a local place. We figured it must be good because the parking lot was full and it was. Thanks for coming Sue.

Today we rode 105 miles to Kendallville in another headwind. I thought the winds are usually westerly but they've been more NE. The weather was good and the ride was long. I'm at the point where I'm counting down the days for the trip to be over. It's a great experience but something I only need to do once. I'm off to camp now for a shower. I looked at the time and realized we crossed into another timezone so we lost an hour and it's later than I thought.

Day 33 Madison, WI to Belvidere, IL

Another rainy morning and we had 94 miles to go. Fortunately it was a
warm rain so riding wasn't too bad. Last night there were some bad
storms in the area and several trees were down on the side of the
roads. The rain did stop and the sun came out which made the day hot
and steamy. Add a SW headwind and it was a tiring day. We crossed
into Illinois today, another state done. A 2008 big rider hosted a
rest stop which included watermelon and DQ Blizzards ice cream treats.
It all tasted so good.

I'm in my tent typing this and it's trying to rain. I have wet clothes
hanging inside and I don't think they'll dry tonight. It's 8:15 pm
and I need to pack it in as I'll be up a 4:30am tomorrow for a long day.

Rest day

We had a rest day in Madison, WI and I woke up to rain which cleared
up by noon. My cousins came to meet me for lunch. They picked me up
at the dorm at the University of Wisconsin and then we drove downtown
to State St. by the capital. Many of The streets downtown are either
one way or buses and bikes only. Tom drove around the same few blocks
several times before he found a parking spot We had a nice lunch
together. Then they took me back to the dorm and headed out. Thanks
for coming, I enjoyed it very much.

Later that day I cleaned my bike and rotated the tires, walked around
to different bike shops and checked out the lake. For dinner some of
us walked downtown to a Japanese restaurant. Funny thing, we walked
to State St faster than we drove there earlier. On the way home it
started pouring again so now I have wet clothes that didn't dry during
the night.

Viroqua to Madison, WI

Another century under our belt. The day started off foggy, so foggy that I couldn't see through my glasses. As the day went on the fog burned off and it grew hotter all the way to Madison. There wasn't much of a breeze in the morning and the afternoon brought us a gentle north crosswind. Good thing it wasn't too strong because I was tired enough as it was at the end of the ride.

We were on some back country roads that are a ribbon of black road through the corn fields. At one point there was brand new blacktop that was still soft. It felt like we were riding on flat tires.

Summer in Madison must mean road construction season. The roads we were to take are under construction and the cue sheet was a bit misleading so many of us were lost. I was with Mark and Mike and we finally asked a student for directions. We arrived at the University of Wisconsin and were elated to see that the rooms have A/C.

Su's husband Steve came for a visit and they graciously took me, Brad, Izzy and George to dinner. Thanks you so very much for the wonderful evening. After that we were dropped off at the dorm and I called it a night.

Hay stacks

Note that they are stacks, not tightly bound rolls made by machine.

Parking lot

The parking lot was full, mostly cars and motorcycles and this horse
and buggy.

Hello Wisconsin

Another state done. We're headed east and that means more traffic.
Gone are the days where there were more trains than people.

Shoe planters

What do you do with old shoes? Here's one solution, fill them with
plants.

Meyers rest stop

Thank you Meyers for the wonderful rest stop. I enjoyed the treats
all day.

Day 30, Winona, MN to Viroqua, WI

Leaving Winona started out with some low lying fog on the Mississippi River. It would have been beautiful if it was sunny, but that was yet to come as we got out of the valley and the sun dried it up.

At about mile 20 we had a rest stop at the Meyers' house. They are a family that lost a family member to lung cancer. Years ago when the Big Riders came through their town of Dakota, MN, they asked what the ride was for. Ever since they've been hosting a wonderful, all you can eat rest stop. They had us sign in and took our picture for the perpetual Big Ride photo album. They are a family with 11 children, all home schooled, ages 9-34. Their back yard has a beautiful flower garden and a large vegetable garden. They even supplied baggies so we could take carry-outs which surely beat PB&J. Thank you soooo much Meyers. I enjoyed the food all day.

The 66 mile day sounds short however once we got across the Mississippi River into Wisconsin we had to climb out of the valley followed by many rolling hills. Fortunately there wasn't any wind to contend with. As the day went on it became sunnier and much warmer, probably into the 80's.

LaCrosse, WI was the first town on the Wisconsin side with lots of traffic. After riding in the country for so long traffic can be very bothersome. At one red light I looked down and saw a bunch of dead fish flies. I didn't know they live in this area. Now I know I'm closer to home.

At mile 50 we began a steep 1.5 mile climb which took us into Amish country. I didn't see any horse and buggies on the road but I did notice that their horses are tied up to trees along the road for grazing. Also their haystacks are real haystacks as opposed to the machine created hay rolls. At a store parking lot in Viroqua there was horse and buggy, cars and Harley Davidsons all parked together. A different sight to see.

We camped at the Vernon County Fairgrounds and this time the restrooms were clean. Don't ask me how this happened but an older man drove over Andy's bike and completely totalled it. We're headed to Madison, WI tomorrow and he can get a replacement there but he'd much rather have his own bike. Thank goodness no one was hurt. Knowing that we have 100 miles the next day I packed it in a 8pm.

Marina on the Mississippi

A typical marina on the Mississippi.

These boats are a bit different than the ones we sail.

2000 miles

Today was another milestone as we crossed the 2000 mile mark. Only
1300 more to go.

We're in Winona, MN after riding 90 miles today. The ride wasn't too
exciting until we were near the end and the area became hilly. It
reminded me somewhat of the Black Hills with the long downhill and at
other times of northern Michigan.

Speaking of Michigan, I'm happy to report that my husband and son
sailed on Natalie J in the Port Huron to Mackinaw sailboat race and
won their class. Congratulations to all the NJ team and good luck in
the Chicago-Mac next weekend. For those of you who don't know what
I'm referring to, the PH Mac is a 260 mile sailboat race in Lake Huron
that starts in Port Huron and finishes at Mackinaw Island in the
Straights of Mackinaw where Lake Michigan flows into Lake Huron at the
tip of the mitt. Next weekend is the race starting in Chicago and
sails in Lake Michigan to Mackinaw island, about 300 miles.

Being from Michigan, the great lakes are our playground. I look
forward to riding along Lake Erie soon. If you've never seen them,
they are like an inland freshwater sea.

Tomorrow's a short day with lots of hills and then we have another
century as we roll into Madison, WI.

Day 28, New Ulm to Owatonna, MN

Here it is, I've pedalled half way across the country and now I end
up in a hockey rink.

Today's ride was pretty uneventful, just 72 more miles of pretty
good riding. The roads are getting busier as we head east.
Unfortunately the shoulder was bad for the last 15 miles at times and
there was quite a bit of traffic making things a bit unsafe but we all
survived.

We're staying at the fairgrounds. The last time I stayed at
fairgrounds we showered where the jockeys did along with all the horse
hair. This shower is pretty scary because it is dark and the floor is
squishy. Who knows what's on the shower floor. Surely shower shoes
are a must and then I hosed off my feet after I was outside. So as
you can see this ride is not all glitz and glamor.

Next to the fairgrounds is the hockey rink that I had to check out. I
remember all too well the wonderful memories of my sons' hockey
days. These little guys are so sweet.

Then we at dinner at the grocery store across the street. It's one of
those that has an all you can eat food bar and the food wasn't bad.
We're eating breakfast there tomorrow. One of the best things there
was the clean restrooms. It's amazing the simple pleasures that we
look forward to these days.

Tomorrow's a longer day with rain and a headwind in the forecast.
That means early to bed as we will be on the road by 6:30am.

Rest day in New Ulm

Saturday was a rest day in New Ulm, MN. We stayed at the Martin Luther
College. It was super hot and the rooms didn't have A/C. I rode
around the town with Andy. Andy is making YouTube videos each day for
his 8th graders to watch. I caught up with him when he was
interviewing George, a New Ulm 80 yr old man who knew a lot about the
city. New Ulm is a German city and most of it's population is still
German. Back in 1862 there was an Indian war there that killed a lot
of whites and Indians however it was overshadowed by the civil war.

During the day I went to the Schell brewery with some friends. This
weekend was the German festival but I didn't go to it. Fellow rider
Sam won the saurkraut eating contest.

Since it was hot and I was tired I decided to go to church at the
cathedral which is what this picture is of. It took several years for
it to be built. The stained glass windows are beautiful and so is the
alter.

After mass I met Susan for dinner at a German restaurant. Since Susan
lived in Germany she knew what the food should taste like and said the
dinner was to Americanized. Oh well, it was a good meal that willl
get me throuh the night. Back to the hot dorm we went to get ready
for our ride to Owatonna.

Day 26, Tyler to New Ulm

Again another great day for an 87 mile ride. Good thing we started by
7am because the weather is getting hotter and more humid as we head
east.

This is a picture of a typical grain elevator along the railroad
tracks. It seems like small towns have some things in common.
Further west it was having a river and railroad track running through
town. Now it's grain elevators and railroads.

Evonne's parents came today from Iowa and brought some fresh corn on
the cob, watermelon and muskmelon. Oh was it good. We all miss our
fruit and vegetables.

We're staying at Martin Luther College in New Ulm today for a
restday. It reminds me of Hope College in Holland, MI. First things
first, laundry. After living out of a suitcase it's amazing how I
prioritize my needs. With laundry done and the German fest in town,
we headed downtown for a beer. Again being the lightweight, one beer
is all I need. Day 27 is the restday so I'll be back walking around
town to see what it's all about.

Tyler, MN

Tyler is surrounded by corn fields. The town ends where the corn
begins. Literally right outside of some backyards.

Windmill farm in Minnesota

I could see a lot of windmills for miles. I stopped and listened to
the whoshing sound they make. I heard that there is a static
electricity that is emitted and therefore some cattle farmers don't
want their cattle by the windmills.

Day 25. De Smet to Tyler, MN

Today was an absolutely perfect day for a ride with clear blue skies,
good roads and a tailwind. We went through Brookings, SD which had a
nice bike shop but better yet it's home to SD State University and
good ice cream. SDSU is like MSU, an agricultural school and makes
it's own ice cream. Riding through campus the building have names
such as corn science or dairy science.

At mile 61 we crossed into Minnesota. Yeah, another state down! Now I
know I'm in the Midwest. The road changed from chipseal to concrete.
Speaking of which, what determines the Midwest? Is it the roads, the
type of crops from wheat and hay to corn and soy beans or perhaps east
of a certain point or river. These are things we discuss on this
ride. And why is a large area of the country called Midwest when it's
closer to the US Mideast?

Anyways we arrived at Tyler, MN, another small town that is getting
smaller each year. ATT doesn't have any service in much of this area
so that is why this blog is a couple days late.

De Smet

De Smet is famous because of Laura Ingalls Wilder author of Little
House on the Prairie stories. Therefore De Smet calls itself Little
Town on the Prairie.

Half way there

Crossing the half way point in Huron, SD.

Miller to De Smet, SD

Today was a quick 76 miles of long, straight and flat US 14 with the wind at our backs. It only took 4 hours, including breaks, compared to yesterday's 7 hours. The big highlight was crossing the half-way point in Huron, SD. Huron holds the annual state fair. Can you believe it, it's downhill from here except for some hills at the end. We'll be on US 14 for several days.

We're staying at the city camp ground in DeSmet and there is no ATT service here. I went into town and am at the library. It's nice to be in a clean A/C place. DeSmet is known for Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author of "Little House on the Prairie" stories. Each year there is a big pagent here that draws a lot of tourist. As for artist, Harvey Dunn, a famous painter of prairie life is from this area. The library has 3 of his original works. His little town was wiped out by a tornado several years ago. Apparently we rode by it but all that's left is a house, not even a sign for the town. I was talking to the librarian and most of the industry in this area is farming, a couple of window manufacturers and a sign company. So many small towns are dying out, this one seems to be hanging on.

Lake Thompson in 8 miles SE of DeSmet. It's South Dakota's largest natural lake and filled with northern pike, walleye, perch and crappie. Sounds like home. Now I'm hungry for a perch dinner. The Chamber of Commerce is preparing our dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow. I'm sure it will be good.

I'm signing off and plan to explore some more of this town.

Courthouse

Miller SD is the county seat of Hand County. Here's the courthouse

Pierre to Miller SD

Today was a long 75 miles across US 14 with a stiff SE headwind. The road was long, straight and flat. The scenery was farmland as in the picture. Fortunately the grasshoppers were left behind west of the Missouri River and now we had little frogs on the road. At least they weren't jumping in our face.

The first checkpoint was at 20 miles and I quickly refilled my water bottles because I wanted to keep plugging away. The next stop was at the 50 mile mark in Highmore. It took a while to get there with the wind and I was almost out of fluids. Out here you don't waste your water because there's no place to get more. We had lunch at the bowling alley-cafe-bar in Highmore. Most of us riders stopped there and I think we overwhelmed the place. 25 extra people all at once.

After lunch there was only 25 miles left and the wind did die down a little bit, enough to notice and ride a little faster. We arrived at Miller and I was craving ice cream so I asked a local women. It's at the soda fountain in the Rexall drugs, so small town.

For dinner we went back into town and ate at a recommended place that was ok, nothing to write home about. It's all part of Americana. Aren't we lucky to be able to experience this?!?

Rustlers

Miller SD high school is home of the Rustlers. The local merchants have this painted in front of their stores to show support. The new water tower in town will also have this on it. It's a big deal here in Miller. I immediately thought of our boat Rustler named after a ski slope at Alta.

Day 22, Kadoka to Pierre

Today was only 95 miles but the majority of them were into the 15 plus mph wind on a very rolling landscape. We had 35 miles of a great tailwind while we headed north. There wasn't much excitement to look at today so I kept my concentration by watching and running over the thousands of grasshoppers that were on the road. They were all over and would land on me, hit me in the face(good thing for sunglasses) and even ended up in the chain. After a grueling day we crossed the Missouri River and are camped at a city park along the river. Pierre ( pronounced pier) is the capital of SD and in the central time zone. Since we lost an hour it's now bedtime.

Rapid city to Kadoka

July 11 I celebrated my birthday with a 102 mile ride which took us through the Badlands. It was amazing to come over the top of a hill and see them. Although this picture doesn't show their true beauty, the rocks are very pretty. They vary in color from the whites to pale yellows and there are dark red layers in them.

We stayed at a city park in a tiny little town, Kadoka. Being a Sunday, everything was closed, even the bar. We ate at the H&H restaurant. A grasshopper joined us for dinner but didn't last long as fellow rider George at it up.

After a long tiring day I was asleep by 8 pm.

Rest day in Rapid City

Rest days are always well deserved. We've been riding for five days now and our next stint is six days. We used Susan's car and went back to Custer State Park in hopes of seeing the bison. Sure enough, we saw hundreds of them, so many we were in a bison traffic jam. They just walk across the road right in front, behind and next to the car. So close you could almost touch them, but you may regret the outcome. They're some big animals. The park has a roundup in the fall to brand the new ones, vaccinate them and determine which ones they are keeping and which will be sold. The park can only safely overwinter about 967 head. The summer numbers climb to 1500 head.

Then we headed off to Mt. Rushmore for a quick visit. It's amazing that someone carved those heads out of the rock. Even though Washington is the one farthest on the left, Jefferson was originally to the left of George but the rock was bad and the carving was destroyed.

The rest of the day was relaxing and tomorrow we have another century ride through the Badlands.

Day 19 Newcastle, WY to Rapid City, SD

Today took us from Newcastle, WY to Rapid City, SD, through Custer State Park and the Black Hills. The day started out with a climb up towards the Black Hills. I was wondering why the trees were all dead. In 2000 there was the Jasper fire that claimed an area approximately 8 by 10 miles. Our first big downhill took us to the town of Custer, SD. From there we went up to the pass in Custer State Park in the Black Hills at 5383' and one long downhill. On the way down there were female and young big horn sheep in the road. I also saw one bison in a ravine. The last stretch of the day was due north on route 79. Fortunately we had a tailwind to get us into Rapid City. Following dinner we walked downtown for a beer at the Firehouse Brewing Co. One beer and I was ready for bed.

Sam and Tim

Not only are they great riders they also go running after. It must be nice to be young. Sam aims for 25 miles a week of running. Keep up the good work!

Day 18 Gillette to Newcastle

Today was a short day of 75 miles in beautiful weather. The highlight of the day was seeing the Devil's Tower off in the distance. I also saw a herd of antelope. We had to ride a 8 miles of rough road the was ground down prior to
resurfacing. One thing I like to do is look at the wild flowers. Today there were a lot of little sunflowers.

We're staying at the senior center in Newcastle tonight. Newcastle is the county seat of Weston County. This is a picture of the county courthouse. I'm told at night it's lit up and very beautiful. I'll never know because I'm in bed before the sun goes down.

Kate and Jan

My friends from Detroit who are really from the Czech Republic are making a car road trip west before they head back to Prague met me in Gillette. It was a very short hello and goodbye because they arrived at bedtime and then we were up and gone by 7:30 the next morning. I wish them well on their western adventure.

Check points

This is how we can easily find our check points. Frank is our helper who marks the check points with his ride bike and Susan's cat, not a real one.

Day 17. Sheridan to Gillette, WY

This day is the longest mileage of the whole trip, 112 miles across rolling hills. This is a picture looking back at the big horn mountains as we head toward Gillette on route 14 all day. We finally saw the antelopes today. At mile 51 we had a stop at what used to be cafe and post office. All that's open now is the post office and it's in the middle of nowhere.

I rolled into Gillette 7.5 riding hours after I started at 6 am. It made for a long day. After one beer I was ready to pack it in.

Gillette is the "energy capital of the country" with a lot of coal mining. The trains are loaded with coal that goes all over the country. Trains are constantly going through these towns and the are always sounding their horns, even in the middle of the night. I'm at the point where I don't even hear them anymore, otherwise I'd never get to sleep.

Cue sheet

This is a picture of a cue sheet. It's in a mapholder on my
handlebars. It wasn't hard to learn how to read and ride. Unlike the rides I do at home, there aren't markings on the road unless there are changes to the route. Note this one is for 112 miles, our longest day of the trip.

Day 16 Welcome to Wyoming

Last night it rained but once we woke up the rain subsided. The day was cool, damp and overcast for most of the day. We had 85 miles today, primarily an uphill slope with a headwind. It seemed like this was a long day especially after the easy 90 mile day a short while back. We went over the Bigfoot mountains and into Wyoming. The weather warmed up and the afternoon was very pleasant.

We are staying at a KOA in Sheridan ,Wyoming We're in our little tents and then these big campers roll up. I wonder if they consider that camping?

Sheridan is a nice little town with lots of sculptures on Main Street. We had dinner at the rib and chop house

Tomorrow we have a long 112 mile day so we'll be up and on the road early.

Custers battlefield

On our way out of Hardin, MT We stopped by Custer's battlefield. This is where Custer and his army tried to get the Indians to move to the reservation. To say the least, there were a lot more Indians than Custers army and Custer lost the battle along with his life, the army's life and horses lives. This also a national cemetery.

Great dinner

Tonight we're eating filet and trout, baked potatos, and lots of good salads. It's like our last supper.

Patty and Chuck

Patty and Chuck met 2 years ago on the Big Ride and have been together since. Patty joined us for just one week this year and heads home tomorrow. She's riding back to Billings alone. Be safe. We'll miss you Patty.

Billings to Hardin, MT

July 5th we leave Billings and have a short ride of 55 miles to Hardin. Since it's an easy day we didn't start until 7:30 and finished before noon. There's a lot of open land out here and for miles there wasn't even a cow. I think I saw only one tree along the way. We're very fortunate to have comfortable weather for riding. Two years ago the temperatures were much hotter. We have a great dinner tonight catered by Beyond Basil. They also catered our dinner in Billings. This is the best food of the whole Big Ride. Today's our last night in Montana as we head to Sheridan, WY tomorrow.

Here's some Montana trivia I read. Montana has more cows than people. 3 to 1 From Yaak, MT in the NW corner to Alzada in the SE corner, there are 774 miles, farther than Atlanta to Chicago. The state tree is the ponderosa pine and the state animal is the grizzly. Montana is the fourth largest state with 147000 sq miles but the country's sixth least populated state.

Hitchhiker at the KOA in Hardin, MT

Here's an older woman hitchhiking. She asked Tim and Izzy to carry her bags to the road. She's from Maine and who knows where she's heading. The funny thing is just up the highway at the I-90 ramp was an old man sitting in a chair with a shade umbrella hitchhiking to Billings. Could these two be related??? We will never know. By the way, she was picked up within a few minutes.

Farm equipment on the road

Mountains in the distance, Billings, MT and Yellowstone River

Alan working ony bike

Happy 4th of July. We're in Billings, MT for a rest day and one thing I did this morning was ride down to the Yellowstone River. Talking to a local I met on the path, this river is the only major river in the US that doesn't have a damn on it. I rode around the trail that goes over to an island and there I saw the white pelicans. I never knew pelicans live in this area but it's the second time I've seen them.

After that I returned to the dorm, had Alan put a new chain on my bike and we got the bike all cleaned up. I didn't realize how much there is to make a bike work properly. Good thing Alan is here to keep us all pedalling.

Being Sunday and July 4th, things are pretty quiet in town. One of the biggest challenges is to find an open restaurant that we can get to for dinner. I don't even think there's fireworks tonight.

Small Town Festival

Today we put in a quick 90 miles from Harlowton to Billings, MT. On the way I saw this sign for the 29th annual Testicle Festival. I didn't ask questions nor do I want to know the details of this gala event. I guess I'm glad I'm a city girl.

Anyways the ride was one of the easiest and fastest 90 miles I ever rode. My average speed was 19.3 mph. That's pretty good for me. We had a tailwind the whole way on top of a mostly downhill slope. The weather started to look threatening but we didn't get caught in any storm today. We're staying at Montana State University here in Billings tonight and have a restday tomorrow. We can experience the 4th of July Montana style.

Deep Creek Canyon

On July 2nd we rode from Townsend, MT to Harlowton, MT, another century ride. We stayed on US 12 the whole way. The early part of the ride was through Deep Creek Canyon, a very beautiful place. We followed the creek all the way up to it's headwaters. The day was absolutely beautiful and I loved the whole ride up the gentle grade.

About 13 miles out of Harlowton the wind shifted to a northerly and the temperatures dropped significantly. Now all I wanted to do was get to the town. My speeds dropped from a comfortable 20 mph to 8-10 mph with a strong crosswind. A couple of riders were blown off their bike.

In Harlowton we camped on the football field which is not adjacent to the school. Arrangements were made for us to shower in a hotel about 1/2 mile away and then "$10" dinner night out on the town. Because of the high winds, teamwork was required to set up the tents. Then the rain and hail came, this time some hail was 1" in diameter. In Montana they do things big. We ate at a brand new place that didn't have indoor seating yet, so we sat at a folding table out on the gravel drive with some local folks. The menu consisted of burgers and dogs. I had a buffalo burger. We wandered back to camp and called it a night.

I made it

Here I am on the continental divide. The ride up was 4 miles. I just kept telling myself one foot in front of the other. Slow but sure I made it! Then we walked up to the tower and could see all the way to Glacier National Park. The ride down was fast. Mike reached 59 mph. I am super cautious and went slow braking all the time. The end of the downhill was Helena.

Helena, MT

Here's the capital of Montana. We went inside and met the Lt Governor and his dog, Sophie. He showed us around a bit and took us to a meeting room that has the flags of the 7 Native American tribes along with blankets. Since Native Americans play such a roll in Montana history he wanted the schools to teach it, however due to budget problems that never happened. Next we went to the Historical museum. There we saw the white bison. It's not an albino but is white with a brown spot on it's shoulder and had blue eyes. Only about one in five million births result in a white bison. This one lived on a reservation and was well taken care of so it lived longer than usual.

Then we started off to Townsend for the night. The skys opened up and we were rained and hailed on. There aren't any bridges over the road so we took cover under some trees. The hailstones were about as big as my thumbnails and did they hurt. We started up again only to get stormed on again. By the time we got to town the sun was out but you can see the storm over the mountain. On the way to Townsend we crossed the early stage of the Missouri River.

Tonight I'm sleeping in the school gym because it may storm again. Tomorrow is another century day with an early start.