July 24
Today was almost a rest day. 51 miles with much less elevation gain (1,047 ft) most of which occurred in the first 15 miles. Then downhill and flat. Lovely! Weekend, so fewer cars. Also nice shoulder and because we started earlier (7:23) it was cooler for the whole ride.
Must have paralleled almost ten miles of dormant BNSF railcars. We stopped a lot to take pictures…
We got into Glendive by 11 AM – earliest arrival time yet. Stopped at a great cafe to have late breakfast (since we had only had bottled Frappuccino’s from a gas station and grocery store pastries) and they had amazing options for both of us. Any salad with sweet potatoes, beets, and goat cheese is a hit!
Because we got in so early, we had to sit in the lobby of our Holiday Inn Express for almost two hours before our room was ready, but we didn’t mind since it was heating up outside. Doing laundry (and website) now and then out to find early dinner. Tomorrow will be another tough day, but we will end in North Dakota! May have to rethink our planned rest days as there is a heat advisory for Monday/Tuesday. Acclimated to mid-90’s now but 108 degrees is a little extreme ha ha.
July 23
Tough day. Fewer miles than yesterday (68) but as much elevation gain (almost 3000 ft again) and nearly all rolling hills. Might look like a roller coaster, but the uphills were pure work! Still not too bad at the beginning, and even through the construction was fine: several miles of gravel, the beginning of which were eerie with no workers and little traffic, but then one stoplight and we were directed to go in front of the pilot car and just steer clear of the trucks – no problem! However, after that we lost our shoulder and started getting passed both directions by trailered sidedumpers which blew us sideways so we had to start stopping in advance every time. Made the day a lot longer. And did I mention no tailwind but rather a crosswind today?
Sometimes it’s a curse to be a math teacher on a bicycle trip. My Garmin gives me so many stats that I start doing the numbers game (although it does occupy some time). While the Garmin estimates a finish time, I do my own calculations based on average speed or current speed and then all of a sudden we hit a hill and those estimations are shot… And I’m sure Craig is tired of hearing what fraction of total distance or of a particular climb we have left, but he’s a good sport about it 😉
Needless to say, we were exhausted when we finally rolled into Circle. Bought snacks and Powerade right away and then found the Horse Creek RV Campground where they let bikers stay for free. We could have opted for the Travelers Inn (aka Bates Hotel) but the reviews scared us, and the RV park had free showers, a bathroom, and a laundry room in which we could charge all our electronics (while Craig beat me at rummy several times – I must have been wiped! ;).
Dinner from a deli was a nice change from fried food. Listened to a great playlist (thanks, Clayton!) and lights out (only figuratively because a streetlamp was right next to us) by 9:30. We have only a few more nights of camping planned. Definitely makes things a little harder!
July 22
On the road at 6:22 AM this morning, after a breakfast of grocery store pastry and breakfast sandwich and bad coffee. But still grateful for a good night’s rest and the lot. The skies were threatening and we even got a few drops of rain and saw lightening in the distance, but lucky for us it hovered but never attacked, and it kept the temps in the 70’s and 80’s nearly all day! We did have one local person stop to warn us about today’s expected storms – just a few years ago she nearly lost her home to a fire started by lightening. But our good luck pieces and all your well wishes kept us safe 🙂
Much less traffic and fewer grasshoppers smacking our legs and chest today for 68 miles. Even a light tailwind which made the ride go faster despite the ongoing rolling hills. Total 3,012 ft elevation gain (not discounting the downhills) and much of the same scenery all day. We stopped in Sand Springs at their general (only?) store – had read that they had good milkshakes and did they ever! $4 for one of the best I’ve ever had – chocolate butterscotch, hand scooped. Yum!
We rolled into Jordan about 1:00 just as it was starting to heat up. We passed some pretty seedy motels and were so happy to have splurged on an Airbnb. Less than half the cost of our Coeur d’Alene hotel room for an entire 2-bedroom apartment with full kitchen and laundry. Worth every penny! They even have ESPN so we can watch the Sounders play tonight. Happy!
We plan to mosey into downtown shortly to pick up more water and snacks for this evening, and then we’ll eat at one of their two restaurants. (Their only grocery store doubles as a meat processing plant…) Getting a little tired of burgers (for Craig) and grilled cheese (for me) but we are surviving. Maybe North Dakota will have more variety ha ha.
July 21
Took our time this morning, because we knew it would be a fast (but HOT) ride, and it was! Getting used to Highway 200 with its varying shoulders (today was decent for most of the time) and the traffic seemed a little lighter than previous days. Lots of cattle! They seem to respond to Italian, or so I’ve decided in an effort to practice the language… It was 93 degrees by the time we reached Winnett and we averaged 15.1 mph, fastest rate yet! We were dreading camping here in a local park because of the heat (and no shower, no AC, no Wi-Fi, etc.) but we chanced upon the Northern Motel which had a vacancy sign on and found out they had just had a cancellation – we were ecstatic to say the least! Great little place for only $75 a night.
We bought 7 liters of water for tomorrow since everyone has warned us not to drink the water at our next destination and we thought it smelled a little weird here as well. The room has a fridge so it will start out cold at least. Today was only 55 miles, but tomorrow will be 77 and the temps in Jordan (still MT) are expected to hit 100 degrees. We are going to sleep extra early and hopefully rise with the sun to miss as much of the heat as possible. Fingers crossed!
July 20
Later start again today because we knew we only had 50 miles to go. Breakfast nearby, then hit the backroads for the first 18 miles, chatting with the deer, cows, and antelope and enjoying the nearly complete absence of cars! But the roads were a little rough, especially the rolling, gravel hills, so we trekked back to the highway at mile 18 and zipped the rest of the way to Lewistown with a great shoulder, even through 7 miles of construction in which the pilot cars and their loyal followers gave us wide berth. It also allowed us to stop in Moore at the Big Sky Grocery, run by Amish, where we had fantastic ice cream (evidently huckleberry is a theme in Montana). Once at our destination, we ventured by a bike repair shop (one man show in a garage) for piece of mind more than anything specific and walked into town for dinner at Central Feed which everyone seemed to mention. The beer was better than the food, but we still enjoyed it. Back to our Airbnb for a good night’s relaxation and sleep! Camping tomorrow, so likely no post until Thursday…
We’ve traveled 1,218 miles so far! More than a fourth of our planned trip 🙂
July 19
Later start today (8 AM) – not excited to get back on the highway but the shoulder started extra wide and eventually deteriorated to just okay. At one point the whole shoulder was a rumble strip though – not the most encouraging as giant hay trucks and truck-trailer combos chugged by. None of yesterday’s stunning scenery, but pleasant enough fields and a few streams. Mostly rolling hills and a few tough inclines but we still made decent time of the 61 miles with multiple water and snack stops and got to Stanford, MT by 2 PM.
A few times the temps hit 95 degrees, but after we relaxed at our destination awhile we heard thunder, had a light rain, and the temperature dropped to 61 degrees! Staying at a cute 10 room motel (the Sundown) and had a great bar dinner (grilled cheese for me) at the Waterhole Saloon. Very quaint little town, particularly quiet evidently, after their most raucous rodeo weekend of the year; can’t say I’m sorry we missed that!
July 18
Earlier start today (6:45 AM) but no real breakfast until we hit Cascade where we gorged. The ride today was phenomenal. All side roads that sometimes paralleled, sometimes crossed under I-15, so only church-goers and trucks with boat trailers passing us occasionally. Also cooler until noon but of course ended in the 90’s still, which we are getting quite used to. The views were stunning of the rocky outcroppings, the Missouri River (which we were also following along with I-15). Many possible settings for “A River Runs Through It” with the White Pelicans and the fly fishers. The Garmin had as scared about climbs until we realized it just couldn’t get accurate readings near the rock cliffs and so some of them never materialized. We were sad not to see any big horn sheep as the signs suggested.
A little lost at the end of the day, but managed to get back on track and into Great Falls by 2. So many businesses (including bike shops and many restaurants) close on Sundays in Montana! But we are ecstatic to have a hotel with full amenities. Walked to a nearby pizza place (meh) but then chanced the mile walk to the Sip and Dip Lounge which we found on AtlasObscura.com (thanks, Holly!). While the mermaids were “sleeping,” a guest at the bar volunteered to go swimming to give us all the full effect. Hilarious! Now laundry and to bed…
Breit Bikes 