Highway 93, you suck….

Day 4…. and my last day before a much needed day or two. I only had 60 miles to get to Whitefish Montana, where a potential hot tub, endless food and some rest awaited me. Predictably those 60 miles would be tougher than the near 100 mile days I had earlier.

First, my first formidable headwind. Have you ever had to pedal really hard to go 5 mph DOWNHILL? It’s annoying. The winds kept kicking up around each mountain turn, getting stronger and stronger until finally it starting raining; which wasn’t bad b/c I used it as an excuse to take a break under a roadside tree.

Second, the road itself was in horrible condition. We’re talking a 2 lane highway, with AT BEST a one foot shoulder covered in loose stone. Mainly, I’m actually riding in the lane, which is great for city riding, but not when logging trucks are flying past you at 80 mph. I seriously got a bit nervous, but with about 30 miles ago, Daisy pulls up, her bike unloaded, and she really saved the day. Two riders makes a world of difference, as motorists now realize they have to slow down, instead of trying to squeeze past just one rider. It was a great surprise, so thank you again Daisy.

Once in Whitefish I linked up with my family, ate a bunch of food and retired to the hot tub, where I’ve been ever since. In fact, after this blog, I’m going to eat and get back in. I’ll keep you posted on how that turns out.

Downtown Whitefish

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Eureka!

Day 3 was more heat and even more mountains. I’m really up north in the thick of the Rockies at this point. Plus a lovely 65 mile stretch without any facilities. Needless to say thirst was a serious foe. So much so that I missed my end point looking for a place to fill water (the “towns” get small up here, the one I planned on staying has a population of 100, with no gas station or anything) and ended up in Eureka Montana, a town of 1000 near the Canadian border.

Montana at it’s best. Clear lakes and rivers. Back roads, few people, lots of wildlife, and of course huge mountains all around you. The Libby dam was impressive and the Kootenai wilderness is intense. A light breeze kept changing from headwind to tailwind on me. Can’t beat any of that with a baseball bat.

73 miles. 94 degrees. Peanut butter and banana burritos. Saw another bald eagle. Gil Scott Heron, Bob Marley and Grant Green kept me company like only they can.

Eureka is a nice place with nice people and a cool name. I checked in with the local fuzz and they let me camp in the town park. There I met two other solo bike tourists, Daisy and Brent. Daisy was just finishing up a 4 week trip from the Yukon in Canada, which is absolutely amazing considering the rugged territory. Brent was just starting out a mountain trail ride down to Mexico. Needless to say my trip – tho longer distance-wise – is pretty wimpy compared to them. Being the softcore cyclist in this situation was a nice dose a reality after months of folks thinking and telling me my tour is unbelievable.

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Montana : Back to the Mothership

So I’m back in Big Sky Country. Spending the night camped out in Libby, in the backyard of my hosts Keith and Jan. They are great and hooked up an amazing meal. It’s amazing to be back in Montana. The landscape is breathtaking.The mountains are physically, mentally and spiritually invigorating. Despite being utterly exhausted, I feel the exact opposite of horrible.

I did 96 miles in 96 degree heat. And it was far from flat, they call them “hills” our here but Buffalo doesn’t have hills like these. I rode about 12 hours so figure the low mph if u want. And I probably drank three or four gallons of water. Saw another bald eagle and several now ubiquitous deer. Props go out to The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and A Tribe Called Quest on today’s rotation. Shouts also to Billy Drease for advocating chocolate in the trail mix, it took me a couple years but today I have seen the light.

Mega wilderness coming up so it might be a few days before I get another update in…..

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