Idaho rides--Part 1

Monday's 61 mile route took us through a beautiful rocky valley. The group headed out at a strong pace and I had to ask to make sure that my new bike computer was displaying the correct speed. I usually feel like I'm working a lot harder when it tells me I'm going 19 mph. I suppose the gradual downhill had a lot to do with it. I had a flat tire about 45 minutes into the ride and it was a few minutes before Gerry and Mike, the sweeps of the day, came up. Gerry was glad someone finally slowed down. "We couldn't keep up." It was above 100˚ in the afternoon but we were indoors and the church we stayed in had A/C.

One adventure on Monday was doing laundry. The local laundromat in Superior, MT was closed on Mondays which sent the laundry team 15 miles down the road. Long story short, the machines didn't work real well and there wasn't enough time to dry everything before it closed. After we got back from a great supper served by the Methodist church, we hung all the still wet laundry on the outfield fence across the street. A special treat later in the evening was the refreshing all fruit smoothies provided by Paul and Mary. They live near Superior and we had met them the day before at a church in Missoula.

Tuesday we rode from Superior MT to Kellogg ID. There aren't many route options in Montana and the locals had told us there was some serious road construction along I-90. Paul and Mary called around for us but weren't able to get specific information about the condition/width of the shoulder. After we all headed to bed, they took Melissa, our great leader, to see the route for herself. When she got back to the church, she redid part of the route. It involved more climbing, but no one minded as the new route led us through a thick forest and we had the road basically to ourselves.

The second climb of the day was on the shoulder of I-90 but was fairly short. At the top we crossed over into Idaho and I looked forward to the descent. The cement road, however, was in poor condition with plenty of holes. I did hit 40 mph and actually passed an RV.

At the bottom of the descent we got on a bike path that ran the rest of the way to Kellogg. It followed the Coeur d'Alene river and about 5 miles from our final destination I found a nice spot to dip my feet in to cool off. Others soon joined me.

We made our home in Kellogg in the middle school for two nights since Wednesday was a build day. The Fuller Center Covenant Partner there took good care of us and made sure we had plenty to eat and drink.

Townsend to Missoula, MT

Thursday we left Townsend for a short 36 mile ride to Helena. We were all looking forward to this short day which included getting to sleep in until 7 or 7:30. The church in Townsend made us a magnificent breakfast of pancakes and sausage. There were numerous comments about how glad we were that it was a short ride because we all felt like we had too much in our stomaches as we headed out about 9. I rode sweep with Michael. As sweeps, we were to keep everyone in front of us, and if we got to a rest stop or the end without everyone else going by first, someone was lost. With short mileage, it should have been an easy day. In reality, it was a hard slog into a strong headwind. Whether at the front of the pack or the back, it was a hard ride and I averaged a whopping 10.4 mph. The only pictures I took were at the one rest stop of the day.

I missed seeing the event of the day. Michael and I did see a couple of deer bound across the road, but we didn't see one that collided with a car quite close to a couple of our riders. We are thankful for that, but it was a rather traumatic event for those who saw it or were hit by small pieces of plastic from the car.

Once we had arrived in Helena, Brett bought a kite and throughly enjoyed flying it in the church parking lot in the evening. Helena is a beautiful little city spread out across a broad valley. I climbed up the hill above the church where we stayed and found a place to get a panoramic view.

Friday morning, we were treated to a hot breakfast of bacon and eggs. By the time that was ready, I had helped my chore team load the trailer. Lightweight sleeping mats and sleeping bags go in the back, the heavy bags over the axel and after breakfast the tubs of food and coolers are loaded in the front. As we worked, we enjoyed the early morning sun on Mount Helena.

Our ride on Friday from Helena to Deer Lodge took us over the Continental Divide. While it may not have been the most climbing we will do in a day, we did reach our highest point in elevation at just over 6300 ft. To get to that point we had a 6 mile climb. We had about 8 miles of warm up before the climb started in earnest.

Fairly early on in the climb, I passed John, who normally powers away from me on the climbs. He told me later, that he felt like his legs couldn't turn until I came by him and he was able to grab my wheel and settle into a faster cadence. Together we climbed to the top, stopping only briefly at a scenic outlook, which was definitely worth the stop.

Back on our bikes, I struggled to get going again. It was very windy and the closer we got to the top, the stronger it became -- and the colder it got. The first rest stop was at the top of the hill and I was eager to put my jacket on and we huddled on the downwind side of the trailer as we ate. The much-looked-forward-to downhill was work as we headed into the wind. I needed a firm grip on the handlebars to make sure the bike stayed upright in the gusts of wind. Gravity however did help and I hit the top speed of 29.1 mph. In the next section, John and I gained some companions and we settled into a reasonable paceline so we could get a break from the wind. It seemed the further we got into the valley the more beautiful it became and just before the second rest stop, we caught a glimpse of bigger mountains in the distance.

Eventually our route turned south and we had our first tailwind of the past two days. It was wonderful to feel like we were hardly working and look down and see we were going 17 mph.

We were well taken care of in Deer Lodge. Theresa, from the Presbyterian church, organized everything for us. We stayed in a Catholic school, ate a wonderful supper at the Assembly of God church that consisted of pork loin, baked potatoes, and a wonderful assortment of potluck dishes which had been brought by members of several churches. We got our 3rd hot breakfast in a row when the Lutherans fixed several egg bakes, biscuits and gravy, and some fruit.

Saturday morning dawned crisp and "chilly" according to one local. It was downright COLD to those in our group from the south. Joe, from Florida, doesn't own any cooler weather cycling gear so his only defense against the just above 40˚ temps was a long sleeved shirt. Almost everyone else in our group donned leg warmers, arm warmers and jackets. We even had our regular morning route meeting and devotions inside. Actually getting out on the road and cycling along with the early morning sun helped warm our bodies and the air.

Our 85.3 mile trip to Missoula was pretty much downhill all the way. There were a few bumps in the road just to keep us honest, but for the most part we flew along without too much effort. Actually, I didn't know how fast we were going. I went to reset my odometer and it refused to respond, so I had nothing to go on but the sensations of my legs and the speed of those around me. It was nice to have only a light breeze and we all made good time. Monica was excited to have set a new record for her average speed.

Our home for the weekend is the gym of a Catholic school. Other than not having much of a kitchen, it's been a great location, about a mile from the center of town. One of the first things we noticed in Missoula was all the bikes. They seem to be everywhere and there are numerous bike paths and bike lanes. Adventure Cycling has its headquarters here and most of their routes go through Missoula so we saw self-supported cyclists making their way through town.

This morning a group of us walked about 1.5 miles to Sovereign Hope church. I got there a few minutes after the rest of the group and the greeter handed me a bulletin and pointed me in the direction of the others. He must have thought that we were together since we were all wearing the same orange t-shirt. After the service we were invited to the all-church picnic at the park and we were told the bring the whole group. About half of us got on our bikes rode about 4 miles to join them. It was an enjoyable afternoon getting to know some of the people of the area. Once again, we enjoyed the generosity of God's people.

Week 5 of my trip will take us into Idaho with stops in Superior MT, Kellogg, St Marries, and Lewiston ID. We've been told the best climbing is yet to come, and we have two build days as well. So far I've ridden 1666.7 miles with around 123 hours and 40 minutes of saddle time.

Harlowton to Townsend MT

Today (Wednesday) was the most beautiful of the ride so far.  As we set out, we were on the high plains and could see the mountains off in the distance.  The air was crisp (about 55˚), but under my lightweight jacket I quickly worked up a sweat even as I enjoyed the beauty of this little corner of the universe.

Just before the first rest stop (at approximately the 20 mile mark) I had fallen behind the group I was with. As I caught a glimpse of this beast just on the other side of the fence, I wondered if it was a buffalo. A closer look revealed that it was a really a big bull. When I stopped to take a picture, he kept walking and bellowed rather loudly.

Here's the view to the south from our first rest stop.

Thanks to some local knowledge in Harlowton, we had been forewarned that there would be construction along our route. Because of that, the route was changed from what was originally planned but we still had a mile or so of construction. Once again we waited patiently for the pilot car, but this time we were able to ride across on our own. 

I rode with Gerry, Scottie, and Lindsey from mile 20 to mile 40. We had a bit of a headwind so I was happy to sit behind Scottie most of the way. Add in what the French call a “rising false flat” and we were moving along at a 11 or 12 mph. Despite the slower pace, my legs soon felt heavy and as the foothills got closer and the “rise” became more pronounced, I lagged behind. Along the way there was 360˚ of incredible beauty.

The road rose more sharply after the 2^nd rest stop and my companions rode on ahead. I didn’t mind. Everywhere I looked there was beauty. The rather long descent helped give the legs a break as well and they didn’t feel as heavy for the rest of the ride.

Diane, my host in Sundance, Wyoming, told me that someone in Washington figured that the government could save a lot of money if there were fewer cattle guards out west. ;-) I’ve wanted to get a picture of one every since. Today was the perfect opportunity – and a beautiful location.

After mile 60 we had a couple of longer and steeper climbs. At the top of the second one we entered the Helena National Forest and began a nice descent through what the locals call the Canyon. It was a different world. The wide open spaces of the high plains were replaced with a winding road with a clear mountain stream running along side and trees that somehow grew out of the rocky cliffs on either side.  Instead of feeling small in the vastness of the wide open spaces, I felt small in the confines of the canyon.  It was a different type of beauty and I could have taken hundreds of pictures but I was enjoying the descent too much. 

    

At the edge of the forest the descent became more gradual and the fast moving stream slowed down and became a source of irrigation in a green valley. There was one final short climb and at the top I could see Townsend in the distance, along with the mountains that we will need to go over or around to get to Helena tomorrow. After 94 miles today, the 36 miles on the schedule for tomorrow will seem like a breeze. One of our hosts this evening told us that Helena and Townsend are at the same elevation so it sounds like we’ll be climbing and then having a sweet descent.

Our hosts at the United Methodist Church put on quite a spread for our supper tonight. They cooked up some burgers and chicken and different people from the church brought salads and desserts. We had a feast, and once again, I was pleasantly satisfied. The generosity of the people who let us sleep on their floors and provide food for 30 hungry bikers continues to amaze me – and it allows more of the money raised for the trip to actually go to the work of the Fuller Center to end poverty housing. 

Billings to Harlowton MT

This week has been nice since we have had some shorter days. Monday we rode only 48 miles from Billings to Roundup. A 50-mile ride used to be a long ride for me, but on this trip, it is a short day. I actually got into Roundup before noon – and thanks to the generous people at Heights Baptist Church in Billings there was lots of good leftovers to eat.

It seems that everything in this part of Montana is brown. Wheat harvest is mostly over but everything is beautiful in the early morning sun.

I had noticed on our ride in to Billings that most of the houses didn’t have any trees around them. Surely the wind blows and it does get cold here in the winter, so why not plant a windbreak as we do further east on the prairie. I asked one of our hosts and they said the soil is too rocky and the weather too dry so the trees just don’t grow. About halfway to Roundup the rockiness of the soil became apparent. We passed a cemetery outside of town that demonstrated it is impossible to dig a deep enough grave to bury people completely underground.

I had another flat tire today. Once again, Greg’s eagle eyes found the little piece of wire that had caused it. Near the highest point of the ride, two teenagers were riding their mountain bikes towards us to tell us there was lemonade at the top of the hill. This family usually attends the church we had been at in Billings, so they made some lemonade and had some water ready outside of their home. Another pleasant treat from people all along our route who have been very generous with us.

Part of the adventure every day is seeing where we will get to shower. In Billings we got to inaugurate the new showers the church had just put in. There were only two so it took awhile for the 30 of us to get through, but they were wonderful showers with plenty of hot water for the whole crew. In Roundup we headed for the municipal pool. The hot water heater was turned on when the first people arrived so there were some cold showers for the fast ones in the bunch. Being forewarned, I found something to eat and took my time going over and the water was hot when I arrived. Tuesday, we also showered at the pool and I was again, one of the last ones to shower. By that time the water was cold. Everett would say it woke me up. I’d say it was just cause to not linger but I was still thankful to be clean.

Tuesday we rode 69.87 miles from Roundup to Harlowton. The profile for the day was a long gradual incline and we ended up about 1000 feet higher then when we started. I found out after we arrived in Harlowton that this is the windiest part of Montana (usually from the west) and we were blessed with only a light breeze. The windmills we saw weren’t turning – which is always a welcome sight to a cyclist.

Today (Tuesday) was the first day when I felt like I saw the “big sky” Montana is known for. It has either been cloudy or hazy due to smoke from wild fires in Canada. Evidently the smoke has cleared.

Once I had arrived and had showered, I spent my afternoon at the coffee shop working on job applications. As usual, we were told we could sleep anywhere in this little church. I ended up in the back entryway, which was perfect. I could shut the door and open a window to let in the cool breeze after a thunderstorm came through while we were eating a supper prepared by the women of the church. 

Wyoming: Part 2

Thursday turned out to be quite an adventure. 108 miles between Gillette and Sheridan were on the agenda. After watching others change their flat tire over the past few days, I realized I had a flat as I was getting ready to move my bike from it's parking spot in the hallway. The new tube exploded while I was pumping it up. That has to be some kind of record: two flats before even getting on the bike. Somewhere before the 1st rest stop (if my memory is correct), I had a third flat. I was riding by myself at the time but others were close behind and soon there was quite a crowd. Greg's eagle eyes found a small piece of glass and a wire in my tire which me removed and I made it the rest of the day with my tire intact.

The scenery has changed since we got out of the Black Hills. The hills are still there but there is very little vegetation other than different types of grasses and prairie flowers. There were times when I felt like I was in North Africa in the spring minus the cactus. Then during one of my bathroom breaks (over the hill and behind some of those grasses), I did discover a small cactus.

Around mile 38 of our ride we came to a red light with a sign requesting that we wait for the pilot car. We had received a text message from the support van that it would come pick us up and ferry us across the 5 miles of mainly dirt. One of the topics of conversation during supper was how everyone had gotten across. Some of those at the front had asked a man in a pickup pulling a 5th wheel trailer if he could ferry them across. The bikes went in the trailer and the riders in the back of the pickup - which is legal here in Wyoming. One rider with me went across with the pilot car. The support van and trailer came back and transported 4 bikes on the bike rack, 2 in the van, and 1 in the trailer. About the same time a supervisor came with a pickup taking the 4 remaining cyclists. I have been impressed with and grateful for the kindness of the construction workers in Wyoming. A few days before they allowed us to ride on the "closed" side of the interstate and advised us where to ride so we could avoid the nails and here they helped us get across and area that was impassable to road bikes. (And they cut our 108 mile trip down to 103.55.)

After the 3rd rest stop, Melissa had a flat. Once again I asked the question of the day, "How many people dressed in orange does it take to change a flat?" Melissa, however, has the best small pump which actually allows one to get a good amount of pressure into the tire.

By this point, Leah, Melissa, and I were in back with John and John, the sweeps of the day. We came into a valley that was like an oasis. What a difference a creek makes! It was a beautiful valley and as we rode along at a pretty good clip we saw some deer, an osprey watching over its young in a nest on top of a pole, and a hawk that was being attacked by a couple of smaller birds. Along the route we caught glimpses of snow covered mountains through the distant haze. We learned later that the haze is actually smoke from forest fires in Canada. We had plenty of time for good conversations which always make the miles go by more quickly. Before this trip, 100 miles seemed to be a huge undertaking. Now it is just another adventurous day in the saddle which happened to take 9 hours due to all our stops (6:47 actual pedaling time.)

Our home for the night was in the Presbyterian church. We were given the run of the place, and since I was on the dinner crew, I helped fix some tacos to feed this bunch. There were very few left overs. My mat was laid out in a corner of the sanctuary, and I was asleep a few minutes after laying my head on the pillow despite much laughter coming from the hallway.

This morning we rolled out of Sheridan about 7:00. I ended up in a group with Gerry, John and Everett and for the first 20 miles, it seemed like it might be a long day. The crosswinds weren't strong but they were enough to slow us down and we all seemed to be feeling the effects of the 100+ miles covered the previous day. At the first rest stop I heard Everett encouraging his legs to wake up and telling his saddle, "Stop hurting my butt". Shortly after we started up again he declared his legs awake and he was happy to be up front for awhile. A decent climb took us up to the Montana border and the obligatory photo op. By the time we left there the group had grown to 9 people. The climb continued leaving Everett and I lagging behind. We fought hard to catch back on the tail of the group and the rest of the ride was very enjoyable. We rode at a comfortable 17-19 mph in a pace line. That meant that I was actually in the front taking the wind for about 5 minutes every 20-22 miles. Everett, Lydia and Gerry can manage to cycle and sing at the same time and they belted out some tunes along the way.

We arrived in Hardin, MT about 1:15, given plenty of time to shower, take a nap, and catch up on these posts. We are staying at the high school. The wrestling mats will get the prize for being the softest floor we sleep on and the home-ec classroom is a great kitchen to use to make our supper.

Wyoming: Part 1

After an extra rest day in Rapid City, we headed toward Sundance, WY, 82 miles away. It was one of the most enjoyable rides we've had yet. It seemed downhill most of the time and we had a nice tailwind that added to our speed. In addition we enjoyed the beauty of the Black Hills. By the time we got to Wyoming the soil had changed from the black dirt found in Pine Ridge to red. Though I saw a few fields of corn that had been planted quite late, most fields were hay. 

 

Sundance is not a place we will soon forget. Our hosts for the night were members of St Paul's Catholic church. It's a small parish that shares a priest with 3 other churches, and one woman told me that the 16 pews in the church are filled each Sunday. These generous people welcomed us as we arrived throughout the afternoon and took us to their homes. It was a special treat to shower in a real bathroom, using a real towel (as opposed to the quick dry towel most of us have). Getting to sleep in a real bed was also wonderful even though I'd been on the road for only 18 days. You can imagine how much it was appreciated by those who have been at this since June 5. Diane was my host and seemed delighted to have guests. She gave us a brief tour of the town where she has lived for over 25 years before supper, which was generous portions of beef and/or ham along with an assortment of potluck dishes. No one went away hungry. After we finished, Diane drove us up into the hills so we could get a close up view of Devil's Tower. 

Wednesday we rode the 61 miles from Sundance to Gillette. As we circled up that morning, Dan promised 100% chance of rain. "There is a green blob between here and Gillette." We ended up riding in the rain for about an hour. When I stopped briefly at the first rest stop it seemed to be more of mist and the 59˚ was more chilling than the rain. Though my legs didn't feel so good on the first uphill, once I got going I did fine. Rain is a good motivator to just keep pedaling. As the rain stopped I pulled into a gas station along the route for a bathroom break. Gerry, who was close behind, followed. We both wrung the water out of our socks, much to the delight of the motorcyclists looking on. As we set off, Gerry discovered a flat, so for the third time in three riding days, I "helped" someone change their tube. By the time we got going we were just in front of the "sweeps," the two people designated to make sure everyone stays in front of them. 

In Gillette we stayed at a Catholic school. One of the main events of the afternoon was the bike washing party on the front lawn. 

One of the women who helped prepare our supper that night brought along her 4 year old son. Little boys are always fascinated by the bikes and "Papa John" who is missing his own grandchildren, was delighted to teach him some things about the bike.