Month: June 2013

June 29th

Posted on by mikebike

Winnet Montana to Jordan Montana. 77 miles. 1249 from the Pacific. when I was eating supper last night Frank and Trudy showed up in town. so I had some camping buddies to share the days story. I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and was on the road by 530 today. my goal was to put on some miles before the heat of the day. I saw some Antelope and then about 20 miles later I had my first encounter with an Elk. The big bull looked as big as a school bus standing beside the road about 50 yards ahead of me. once he saw me, he and his girlfriends jump back over the fence and climbed a ridge. he watched me has a pedalled passed. Next minute he came running down the ridge about 20 yards ahead of me and crossed the road with horns up and chest out. what an awesome site. I stop my bike and just watch the wildlife show. about 2 minutes after he crossing road I heard a bark sound coming from the big bull, and less than a minute later the 3 females crossed the road and join him. that was really cool and the highlight of my day. I also saw several road kill rattlesnakes.
the day started out cool and then began to warm up quickly. by the time I roll into town at 2pm the temperature was 98 degrees Fahrenheit. the road was good and traffic was light, the wind was in my face the last 25 miles something I’m not used to. the big Montana rollers are seem endless. like waves in the ocean only 500 feet tall. lucky for me this little town also has a swimming pool. It was a great way to end the ride that was up and down all day long.
this is dinosaur country where the T Rex was discovered and several Triceratops. there are several groups of bone diggers staying in town tonight and we met most of them. they preferred to be called bone diggers instead of paleontologists. they show up every year about this time for 6 to 8 weeks and dig for more dinosaur bones.
thanks again for all the nice comments. I don’t have time to write back but I read every one of them. you guys are funny, and thanks for the support. it means a lot to me.

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June 28th

Posted on by mikebike

lewistown montana to winnett montana. 54 miles. 1172 miles from the Pacific. I had dinner with my biking friend Jim last night and we filled up on pasta. he will be heading south to Billings today to catch a plane back to california. he has some business to take care of and then he plans to rejoin the route after july fourth. so there’s a chance we will run into each other again as we crossed north america.
It seems like every morning there is a climb to start the day, like a morning wake up call. today was no exception. it started with a 5 mile climb out of Lewistown up and over the Judith mountain divide. lots of pine trees, deer and a couple cows. then a nice downhill until it levelled off at the bottom of the mountain range. it’s haying season in central montana and the smell of fresh cut hay and clover fills the air. all that is spoiled in 1 second when a cattle truck goes by with a load of cows. Cows pooping at 70 miles per hour is dangerous to a biker. luckly they didn’t get any on me. but the road was not so lucky. One of the new skills I learned today is weaving around fresh cow poop. I pulled into Winnett (population 162) about noon and had lunch at the small cafe. after lunch the locals pointed me to the park where camping is free. They did not mention that it also has a nice pool. I unloaded my pockets and jump in with my bike cloths on. then I dried off and took a long nap in the shade. it was heavenly after the hot ride. I planned a short day today as i try to recover some of my energy. the hot sun takes its toll on me in the afternoon. Tomorrow I plan on hitting the road very early and getting some miles in before the heat of the day. it’s been difficult to eat enough food. even though I eat all the time I must be burning more calories then I am taking in. I have to remind myself to take it easy. So that is what I am doing today. Hope you are doing the same. The picture of round bail with my lunch in the shade. It was the only shade in 50 miles.
Take care

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June 27th

Posted on by mikebike

Geraldine Montana to Lewistown Montana. 73 miles. 1117 miles from the Pacific. at this rate I should be home by Christmas. this is a big state with big mountains everywhere. its so big it has its own time zone. the Rockies are a distant memory. today’s challenge were the Highwood and Judith mountains. A big climb coming out of Geraldine this morning near Arrow Creek. and some washouts from the recent storm which meant gravel. gravel sucks. the reward for the climb was a beautiful view of the mountains both east and west of me. I purred through the high prairie with a nice tailwind. I had brunch in Denton Montana at a little cafe. they were getting ready for the big centennial celebration this weekend and told me i should stay for the party. big ups and downs wore me out after lunch. I stopped in a cemetery to take a nap under the only shade tree in the county. I ran out of water but found a nice rancher to replenish my supply. On his front porch were several boxes of fleetguard filters that the UPS man had just delivered. I told him I just retired from there 12 weeks ago. it’s a small world. not many people out here and the traffic has been very light, about every hour or so I would see another car or truck. mostly it was just me and the lone prairie. some deer and some confused looking cows. they didn’t know what to think of the bike. some ran and some just stood and stared at me shaking their head from side to side. I pulled into Lewistown and got a camping site. I took a shower and then did some laundry. I set up camp happy. I
plan on going do dinner with Jim the retired teacher from California. he took a different route today so we will compare notes. Take a look at the big blue sky in the photos. Later taters.

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June 26

Posted on by mikebike

Great Falls Montana to Geraldine Montana. 84 miles. 1043 miles from the Pacific. I had dinner last night with my biking friend Jim and then I went to the mermaid show. it was rated G. something I’ve never seen before are mermaids swimming in a bar. just when you think you’ve seen everything. today was a good day. lots of big roller coaster hills. And that other mountain range i didn’t see on the map. lots of pretty yellow, purple, lavender, and pink wild flowers. I saw several deer along the road and in the hills. I had lunch in Fort Benton and took a quick nap at the town park along the Missouri River. it’s a pretty little town with nice people. I’ve had a chance to see many nice towns. Portland, wala wala, and Missoula were my favorites. But there was nothing great about Great Falls. I am camping at the city park in Geraldine Montana tonight. population 68 ish.
thanks again for the blog comments. Take care – from big sky country

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June 25th

Posted on by mikebike

Augusta Montana to Great Falls Montana. 55 miles. 959 miles from the Pacific.
a great day to be on a bicycle. I left Augusta after having breakfast with my biking friends Trudy and Frank. the weather that haunted us yesterday had completely blown through the area. fair skies and temperatures in the low 70’s and a big tail wind all the way to Great Falls. in theory it’s downhill all the way to Mississippi from here. I rode with the Rocky Mountains in my rearview mirror and Big Sky Country as a front view. big farms and grazing land on either side of me. they call this area the frontal range. it is high and green. some big buttes sticking out here and there like someone painted in the landscape. high cirrus clouds brought promise of fare weather.
what a difference a day can make. I rolled in the Great Falls about 1 p.m. got a hotel, shower, and a much needed nap. then lunch and a massage. life on the road was good today . Jim, my biker friend that I met back in Missoula and I will have dinner tonight and then go to the local mermaid show. they told us its world-famous. I will let you know.
for those of you that are following me on a map might notice that I changed course in Missoula. I have decided to take northern route instead of Yellowstone. my route will continue to follow Lewis and Clark all the way to Bismarck. from there I will cut across to Fargo then into Minnesota.
I’ve been following the Adventure Cycling Association routes. they’re bicycle friendly and very scenic. it does not mean that they are easy.
take care my friends

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June 24th

Posted on by mikebike

Ovanda Montana to Agusta Montana. 83 miles. 904 miles from the Pacific. the word for todays travel was survival. I feel like I survived. the day started out cool in the low 50’s. it’s a beautiful 45 mile climb up to Rogers Pass, so I decided early start. again this morning was beautiful scenery and lots of animals. a huge eagle near the Blackfoot River made the Wisconsin Eagles look like a song bird. this thing looked more like a pterodactyl. I passed several beaver lodges and beaver dams hoping to see a moose or elk but no Bullwinkle today. several deer were surprised to see me.
A couple from California (Trudy & Frank) and I rode together most of the day. they are a little older than I am but in excellent shape. we climbed to 4500 feet and then down to four thousand and then back up to 4,500 all morning. The road was like a giant roller coaster. the weather was fair as we approach the summit of Rogers Pass around noon. but there was a looming black clouds in the distance. just as we reach the summit the sky opened up. we quickly put on a rain gear but it was too late. we were wet. the rain came in sheets and then it started to hail as a temperature dropped. I was thinking – well at least it’s not thundering and lightning. A few seconds later a big lightning bolt followed by thunder hit on the nearby summit. I almost crapped my pants. coming down the other side of the mountain in the rain was hair a raising experience. bike brakes to not work well in the rain. I stopped to put on more rain gear and a warm jacket over my wet body. Frank and Trudy went flying by. The sun starting to come out as we reached the base of the mountain. it was like a sauna inside my rain suit so I stopped and took it off. we had good weather for the next couple hours. then that looming black cloud reappeared. this time we put on our rain gear early enough. first a few sprinkles then some thunder and lightning and then the sky opened up. the wind was howling from my left rear quarter. road signs were twisting in the wind . I was thinking – are we in Kansas already. the wind picked up as sheets of rain pelted us. out in the front range prairie there’s nowhere to take shelter. the good news is the wind pushed us faster and faster. this is no s***. I was doing 28 miles per hour without pedaling. it was almost impossible to see Frank and Trudy just a few feet behind me. later they told me they were following my flashing blinkie. Frank yelled at me as he passed “are we having fun yet”.
we rolled into Augusta looking like three cold drowned rats. got a hotel room and a hot shower and then went to dinner across the street. my room is filled with hanging wet clothes. I will sleep well tonight.

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June 23

Posted on by mikebike

missoula montana to Ovando Montana. 58 miles. 821 miles from the Pacific.
I dropped cheryl off at the missoula airport this afternoon. return the rental car and reassemble my bike. somehow with all the moves I lost my rear view mirror on my helmet. I stop by a bike store in missoula and picked 1 up. I can’t imagine riding these roads without knowing whats coming up behind me. the weather was clear, the shoulder was wide, and the wind was from my back. you can’t ask for much more than that. highway 200 follows the blackfoot river. lots of people fishing for trout and running the rapids today and lots of beautiful scenery. snow capped rocky mountains in my rear view mirror, the mission mountains to my left and rogers pass dead ahead. That will be tomorrows challenge.
the little town of Ovanda is just a bump in the road. but very biker friendly place. free camping and a 5 dollar option to stay in the museum jail. hi choose the jail option just in case it rains. it also has free solar showers. I am living in luxury. met some other cyclist from california and we had dinner and a bar restaurant up the hill. I had a bison burger and fries yum yum. another great day to be on the bike. thank you for all your comments. it’s nice knowing that I’m being followed by my friends.

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June 22 nd Glacier NP

Posted on by mikebike

I picked up Cheryl from the Missoula Airport late Thursday night. we spend a long weekend exploring Glacier National Park via a rental car. it felt weird driving a car after eight hundred miles on a bicycle. how do you pedal these things was my first thought. the park was beautiful with lots of new snow on Logan’s pass. Waterfalls were everywhere because the snowpack was just beginning to melt. the Highway to the Sun opened a day before we got here. luck of the Irish timing on that one. we hiked Avalanche Creek and Cedar Ridge. so beautiful. not many tourist here yet so it made exploring the park much easier. we had a great weekend together and it was nice to catch up on some much needed rest. Back on the bicycle tomorrow for me, and the airplane for Cheryl.
the pictures are from Glacier National Park – enjoy

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Road stories 3

Posted on by mikebike

mama said there’d be days like this.
I pulled into walla walla with a sore ass and a heavy heart. I was thinking my worst fears had come true. did I have a saddle sore that was ready to break ? well it sure felt like it. I decided to take a break and get a hotel and a massage. I called Cheryl and told her that my trip might be ending early. she assured me that everything would be fine, and that I was just having a bad day and needed some rest. I was thinking doom and gloom. I kindly ask the massage therapist to take a look. there’s no way you can be embarrassed about things like this. at least not at my age. she told me it looks like the skin was ready to tear. bad news. but the good news is her next client was a nurse that worked at a nearby hospital. so I stuck around and talked to the nurse. she assured me it could be treated and I’d be on my way soon. she said I needed a special patch that they use on people for bed sores. she had some at the hospital and would drop them off in the morning at my hotel. sure enough the next morning the massage therapist showed up at the hotel with the patches. she wouldn’t take any money. I rode the next two days with the patch on my right cheek. and just like magic it healed up just fine. once again life has been taken care of and not by me. my only part was to ask for help. and then good people did the rest. it just proved to me once again that there are a lot of good people in this world, and I that good spirits will always take care of me whether I believe in them or not. things don’t always go my way, and I cannot know what the future will bring. all I can do is make the most of this day and this moment. it’s easy for me to say, but hard to put into practice. but this type of trip forces that behavior of living in the moment. could that be one of the lessons I’m learning?
sorry, I have no pictures of the ass patch event:) some of you will be grateful for that.

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Road stories 2

Posted on by mikebike

I crept my way into Umatilla Oregon after a long 91 miles in the high desert heat. I got a hotel room and shower and went to a local pizza joint down the street. it was just me the owner and the cook. the owner had a tough Harley guy image. once we started talking about old cars he warmed up and turned out to be one of the nicest guys I’ve met. after I was half done with the most delicious pizza that I’ve ever had another guy walked in. he also looked like he’d been rode hard and put away wet. the owner asked him what he was doing out of jail. he responded by saying he got out on early release as long as he took anger management classes. he didn’t seem too angry to me, but he told us the story about how he landed in jail. turns out his girlfriend kept turning up the thermostat in the trailer last winter and wasting heat. one night after coming home to a warm trailer and a few too many beers he commenced to hook a chain around the furnace and then around his pickup truck axle. he didn’t have to tell me the end of that story. we all laughed until were tears in our eyes. Later he said he was thinking about going to AA, and then ordered another shot and a beer. Maybe he should go on the road to comedy clubs and tell that story.

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