Ride Day 110

Today I rode from Columbus MT to a bar called the Longbranch 65 miles with a couple thousand ft of climbing. I camped the night before in the free campsite at Columbus and I met another biker there. We talked a long time about riding and routes then went to bed after eating a bunch of food. There was a big commotion after I went to bed with sirens and police cars and ambulances racing around in the campground and people yelling and screaming. I understand that there was a fight between two guys and one got hurt somehow so the police were looking for him and the injured guy had to be taken to the hospital. Just a quiet night in Columbus. I had my morning coffee today at McDs so I could use the wifi then I hit the road planning on getting a new tire in Billings. My trip to Yellowstone Nat Park destroyed my tires because the roads were covered with a thick layer of sharp sandy gravel that just chewed my tires down. The gravel is spread on the road in the winter to improve traction for vehicles. I spent a long time trying to find a touring tire but all the bike shops had were racing style tires. Who would have thought that Billings Montana was a hotbed for bike racing. I ended up giving up on my search and am currently riding on a tire that will blow out if I hit a hole or rock so I need to be careful. I stopped for lunch at a bar called the Longbranch intending to eat and ride some more. Instead I had a pizza and a beer then someone bought me another beer and then someone bought some shots and another beer and the next thing I knew my plans to ride were shot too. I had a good time drinking talking and playing pool. Then a guy bought me a double cheeseburger that was good. I ended up putting my tent in the backyard of the bar for the night. I did not lose much riding time though because the thunderstorms started in the early afternoon and went on most of the night but I slept right through them…