Sunday, June 23, 2013
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Ride Day 111
Today I rode from the Longbranch Saloon to Forsyth Montana 82 miles and 2800’ of climbing in a light headwind that still slowed me way down even though it was a just light breeze. My biggest problem today was that there were tons of dead dear along the road stinking it up big time. The dead dear started appearing yesterday in big numbers but this morning there were just too many. I needed a breathing device or something to keep me from gagging on all the carnage. There were a lot of long slow rollers for hills that I did not expect to see. The hills combined with the headwind made the day very tiring. Then there were thundershowers hanging in the sky all day too. I timed it perfectly with just some dumb luck when the skies opened up I was just pulling into a café for another breakfast. It poured outside while I ate. I had a great hashbrowns, eggs, bacon and toast with coffee at the café while I waited for the cell to blow over. The rest of the day there was a light rain falling that did not even get me wet but there were threatening black clouds overhead all day long. When I finally arrived at Forsyth for the night I put my tent up at the Wagon Wheel Campground then went exploring around town. I stopped at a café and had a chicken dinner while I chatted with the owners. They helped me find the tire I need for my bike by calling around up the road for me. She arranged for me to call and meet a bike shop owner that is normally closed on Sunday but he is going to come down to the shop when I call him to help me with the tire. They were all very nice friendly helpful people. Then she told me about some murals that were in town that are painted by a guy using a crowbar. I went to check out the murals and I ran into the artist himself, Bob Watts and took a pic of him in front of one of his murals. He was also very nice and friendly. He was telling me his style and how he arrived at it when the skies decided to tell me it was time to make a quick dash back to the campground or get soaked. So now I am sitting at the campground charging my electronics and catching up with all my other stuff. The wifi just went out though so pics might have to wait until later…
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…
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Ride Day 108
The title is a bit misleading because I skipped that I left Missoula by hitch hiking and got a ride most of the way to Butte so I did not count that as a day of riding. The ride to Butte was entertaining though. The older man that gave me a ride was just lonely and depressed and trying to ride around the country to help him cope with the recent deaths of his wife and son. We talked about it. He was also just rejected by his remaining family and he felt bad about that too. I understand his family issues. We talked about our similar problems and coping with depression. I told him how riding the bike has basically saved my life and he liked that. When we got to Butte he checked into a hotel but I was totally bust for money so I hitched a ride up to the top of the pass and guerrilla camped for the night. I ended up liking my camp spot so much that I took the next day off. The guy that gave me a ride up there was also camping so I camped with him. He was a nice guy a bit down on his luck homeless but enjoying his camping in the woods from what I could see. He also was just offered a job that day so he was excited to finally get some money coming in. We talked a lot about his problems but I still enjoyed the company. The next morning he drove me around the forest and down to the lake. We were planning on watching animals but did not see jack. The scenery was great. Montana just has so much great outdoor type scenery with all the mountains and trees and stuff. Then the next morning I packed up and rode to Bozeman about 90 miles away. My friend Mitch drove me the mile to the freeway from where we camped. The ride to Bozeman was another tough one with headwinds coming and going and a few big long grades but I can handle those conditions unless the headwinds get too strong. I only took a few pics because this is backtracking on the same road that I was just on a few days ago. I just pushed on and was in Bozeman before noon. I caught up on my internet junk and got my haircut. Since then I have been doing nothing but eating. I had a pound of hamburger with cheese and made six cheeseburgers. Then I had my orange, apple and banana and some apple cider to wash it all down. I am off for ice cream as soon as I finish this post. It is getting dark and threatening out there so I might end up missing the ice cream but I bought a bunch of candy just in case. No pics because the wifi is too slow. Life is good.
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