There are still no trees but the hills are starting to roll and the mountains are starting to show themselves in the far distance. We came over a hill 3 miles out of Culbertson this afternoon and the landscape transformed. It looked like Ireland on a smaller scale but with rocky ridges and red rock. It was beautiful. A man at the church says we still have 400 miles of very flat land, but it's good to know the mountains will greet us at the end.
This morning at the campsite we woke up at 7:30, a luxury we have not experienced yet (it was 8:30 our time since we just crossed time zones). The winds were so fierce our tents were going crazy. Luckily they were tailwinds. Once we got on our main road we flew with no effort at all. It was incredible and so quiet because the wind was not blowing in our ears. I could coast at 20 mph.
Unfortunately we couldn't continue to enjoy the wind because our road turned, but we never had to face it head on. Today was a 50 mile day, piece of cake, so lunch was early in a small town. One thing we've learned to do well is spot water towers. When you see a water tower, you know civilization must be nearing. Today a water tower marked lunch for us.
After lunch we had 25 miles to go. The land here is so open that you can see for miles and miles. We watched rain clouds start to approach and could even see it raining in the distance. Finally we were sprinkled on a bit, but it felt great and smelled great too.
Our host is so sweet. We walked into an array of snacks, which included homegrown red plums and cherries. They were to die for. The plums were teeny and I ate probably 20. I just couldn't stop. Before dinner a bunch of us went to the local museum, which was a flashback for me to all our family trips to historical villages. There were tons of rooms set up like different buildings around town and the musuem was full of old collections of things of days gone by. I particularly enjoyed the case packed full of spurs and horse bits. There were so many different designs.
Dinner was superb...lasagna, Texas golash, salad with real greens and veggies, bean salad, pasta salad, sticky buns and other dessert, and lots of fruit. I am now thoroughly stuffed and looking forward to sleep.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Camping in Montana
Yesterday morning we had perfect weather, a bit chilly and no winds. Tyce and I knocked out 35 miles pretty quickly, which took us to lunch. The rode was nice and the truckers that passed us were very kind. They got way over and slowed for us.
After lunch I started out with Tyce, Aaron, and Erica but dropped back to ride slightly slower. I rode about 20 miles alone and had a great time. I thought about being a lone cowboy in this land on my horse, except that I was on a bike. We have been in such remote areas, there are hardly any houses and signs of human development, which is incredible. There is so much open space out here.
I eventually caught up with my group and we ended up at a cafe in a teeny town. Since we were headed into a night of camping with little food, we needed to load up. I enjoyed some sweet potato fries and cottage cheese with fruit. I also bought two Naked smoothies that have a ton of veggies and fruit.
We crossed the Montana stateline 2.3 miles from our host. It was fun entering a new state but eastern Montana pretty much looks like North Dakota. Our campsite has no trees anywhere and you can see for miles in every direction. It's definitely not my kind of camping. I want trees.
Upon getting into the camp everybody went swimming in the 200ish acre lake that is so full of calcium there are no fish (it clogs their gills). It was so refreshing and great for relaxing our muscles and moving in a different way. We spent the afternoon and night hanging out, making dinner, putting up tents, and trying to find shade. The tent I stayed in had a screened roof so we could see the stars. It was beautiful.
After lunch I started out with Tyce, Aaron, and Erica but dropped back to ride slightly slower. I rode about 20 miles alone and had a great time. I thought about being a lone cowboy in this land on my horse, except that I was on a bike. We have been in such remote areas, there are hardly any houses and signs of human development, which is incredible. There is so much open space out here.
I eventually caught up with my group and we ended up at a cafe in a teeny town. Since we were headed into a night of camping with little food, we needed to load up. I enjoyed some sweet potato fries and cottage cheese with fruit. I also bought two Naked smoothies that have a ton of veggies and fruit.
We crossed the Montana stateline 2.3 miles from our host. It was fun entering a new state but eastern Montana pretty much looks like North Dakota. Our campsite has no trees anywhere and you can see for miles in every direction. It's definitely not my kind of camping. I want trees.
Upon getting into the camp everybody went swimming in the 200ish acre lake that is so full of calcium there are no fish (it clogs their gills). It was so refreshing and great for relaxing our muscles and moving in a different way. We spent the afternoon and night hanging out, making dinner, putting up tents, and trying to find shade. The tent I stayed in had a screened roof so we could see the stars. It was beautiful.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Winter to Summer
We began our morning in 50 degree weather, bundled in arm warmers and wind breakers. I'm sure this is different than the weather Ohioans are experiencing right now. As the day moved on the temp warmes up to the mid 80s.
Our route took us through the flood zone again, which was unbelievable to see up close. So many homes have been destroyed but people are rebuilding and returning.
Just out of Minot we rode through a gorgeous valley with big fields and rolling hills. We haven't seen scenery like this yet in North Dakota. The greatest part about the route was that is only took us on route 2 for four miles...a pleasant and welcome surprise for everybody.
After lunch we rose out of the valley. I rode alone for the rest of the afternoon so that I could take my own pace, which was incredibly slow because of the headwinds. I wasn't in the mood to draft today, I just wanted to enjoy my surroundings. I took lots of breaks, watched two deer for a bit, tried to imagine what it was like coming to this land as a settler, and enjoyed myself. The road was very low traffic. Once in awhile there was a truck going to the oil rigs we were passing.
The landscape was marvelous. I could see for miles down the road and the fields are either side stretched forever. It's amazing how vast this land is.
The last 10 miles I started to really struggle with the wind. Finally Tyce came up behind me and pulled me the rest of the way, blocking the wind with his height. It saved me.
The town tonight is so small. There are about 250 people, though it has to draw from the nearby farms. Main St looks like an empty movie set. The total square mileage is 1.2 and .2 of that is the lake.
We had dinner in a park and two of our riders gave a safety bike clinic to tons of kids from the town. It was a relaxing evening and the food was filling. Tonight bedtime will be early because we have 10 more days of straight biking. At least our mileage really drops a lot.
Our route took us through the flood zone again, which was unbelievable to see up close. So many homes have been destroyed but people are rebuilding and returning.
Just out of Minot we rode through a gorgeous valley with big fields and rolling hills. We haven't seen scenery like this yet in North Dakota. The greatest part about the route was that is only took us on route 2 for four miles...a pleasant and welcome surprise for everybody.
After lunch we rose out of the valley. I rode alone for the rest of the afternoon so that I could take my own pace, which was incredibly slow because of the headwinds. I wasn't in the mood to draft today, I just wanted to enjoy my surroundings. I took lots of breaks, watched two deer for a bit, tried to imagine what it was like coming to this land as a settler, and enjoyed myself. The road was very low traffic. Once in awhile there was a truck going to the oil rigs we were passing.
The landscape was marvelous. I could see for miles down the road and the fields are either side stretched forever. It's amazing how vast this land is.
The last 10 miles I started to really struggle with the wind. Finally Tyce came up behind me and pulled me the rest of the way, blocking the wind with his height. It saved me.
The town tonight is so small. There are about 250 people, though it has to draw from the nearby farms. Main St looks like an empty movie set. The total square mileage is 1.2 and .2 of that is the lake.
We had dinner in a park and two of our riders gave a safety bike clinic to tons of kids from the town. It was a relaxing evening and the food was filling. Tonight bedtime will be early because we have 10 more days of straight biking. At least our mileage really drops a lot.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Flood Recovery
Our morning began with an amazing breakfast of french toast, egg bake, muffins, and fruit. From there we were shuttled to Hope Village, a non-profit involved in disaster recovery. The area was full of tents and trailers where volunteers stay for a week at a time to help. We split into 5 groups and were taken to various places around Minot to help with flood recovery.
The intern, who was driving my group, gave us a tour of the flood area. It was shocking. Water came up so high in the city, buildings flooded that were guaranteed never to flood. New neighborhoods along the river were destroyed and thousands of homes were lost. FEMA has only minimally assisted and flood insurance is hardly covering anything. It is so sad.
We were working with an AmeriCorp group on a home that had been taken down to the framing. Our job was to pull out junk from all the framing, like extra nails and staples. I spent most of the day trying to pull up flooring in one of the rooms. It was some kind of linoleum and was super tough. We had to use hammers and crowbars to pry it off.
The day was freezing cold and rainy, which was very unpleasant. I was cold most the day except for when I walked to a nearby gas station for some hot chocolate. I felt like it was winter time...I never drink hot chocolate in the summer.
In two days we shall enter Montana, our third to last state of the trip. I look forward to the beautiful landscapes and Glacier National Park, but most of all I look forward to escaping the headwinds we have been experiencing.
The intern, who was driving my group, gave us a tour of the flood area. It was shocking. Water came up so high in the city, buildings flooded that were guaranteed never to flood. New neighborhoods along the river were destroyed and thousands of homes were lost. FEMA has only minimally assisted and flood insurance is hardly covering anything. It is so sad.
We were working with an AmeriCorp group on a home that had been taken down to the framing. Our job was to pull out junk from all the framing, like extra nails and staples. I spent most of the day trying to pull up flooring in one of the rooms. It was some kind of linoleum and was super tough. We had to use hammers and crowbars to pry it off.
The day was freezing cold and rainy, which was very unpleasant. I was cold most the day except for when I walked to a nearby gas station for some hot chocolate. I felt like it was winter time...I never drink hot chocolate in the summer.
In two days we shall enter Montana, our third to last state of the trip. I look forward to the beautiful landscapes and Glacier National Park, but most of all I look forward to escaping the headwinds we have been experiencing.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Sweepy Day
Kate and I were sweep today, which meant starting our day at a cafe for breakfast with a bunch of other riders. I enjoyed two fried eggs and a delicious waffle (I've been craving waffles for weeks). The cafe, interestingly, is located at the monument that marks the geographical center of North America. Since it's erection it has been proven to be several miles off, but it's still pretty neat.
The actual ride was very frustrating. We caught up with Kelsey, Nate, Lucas, and Ellen early on and stuck with them for the rest of the day. This was an excellent choice because the wind today was worse than ever. Finally we reached lunch and ran into a biker headed from Idaho to Duluth. He had everything with him in a little trailer. He told us about the terrors of route 2 closer to Williston, so I hope our detour takes us far around the scary trucks that don't care for bikers.
After lunch we saw the weather change a lot as the sky darkened and multiple layers of cloud cover drifted in. The dark blue was gorgeous with the freshly cut wheat fields. The clouds soon began to pour rain down on us and perhaps even some hail. It was freezing cold and miserable.
We were about 12 miles out from our host and Sean came by with the van and trailer. He said the shoulder got terrible up ahead and Baxter described it as terrifying. He asked if we wanted a ride and without hesitating we agreed. We were so cold and didn't want to ride a road that Baxter actually described as horrible.
Everybody was happy once we were all safe at the church and off the nasty road. There was a wedding at the church so we has to lay low for awhile. We all got into warm clothes and wrapped ourselves in our sleeping bags. In my room Hans set up a movie and we all snacked, watched the movie, and slept. It was super relaxing.
Pizza for dinner topped off the day with an evening of more relaxing and recovery.
The actual ride was very frustrating. We caught up with Kelsey, Nate, Lucas, and Ellen early on and stuck with them for the rest of the day. This was an excellent choice because the wind today was worse than ever. Finally we reached lunch and ran into a biker headed from Idaho to Duluth. He had everything with him in a little trailer. He told us about the terrors of route 2 closer to Williston, so I hope our detour takes us far around the scary trucks that don't care for bikers.
After lunch we saw the weather change a lot as the sky darkened and multiple layers of cloud cover drifted in. The dark blue was gorgeous with the freshly cut wheat fields. The clouds soon began to pour rain down on us and perhaps even some hail. It was freezing cold and miserable.
We were about 12 miles out from our host and Sean came by with the van and trailer. He said the shoulder got terrible up ahead and Baxter described it as terrifying. He asked if we wanted a ride and without hesitating we agreed. We were so cold and didn't want to ride a road that Baxter actually described as horrible.
Everybody was happy once we were all safe at the church and off the nasty road. There was a wedding at the church so we has to lay low for awhile. We all got into warm clothes and wrapped ourselves in our sleeping bags. In my room Hans set up a movie and we all snacked, watched the movie, and slept. It was super relaxing.
Pizza for dinner topped off the day with an evening of more relaxing and recovery.
More biking
Today route 2 got me when we hit some awful bumps, the girl in front of me clipped Ashleys tire and tumbled, and then I ran over her and crashed to the ground. Luckily we all walked away with minimal injury, just some cuts and bruises.
The general ride today was easy as it was half of what we did yesterday. Plus, the sun was shining and the wind had died down a lot. There was actually some beautiful scenery today. For part of the ride I rode with an alumni of our route who also recently rode from Alaska to Aregentina with his brothers. It was neat talking to him about his experiences on the route and about biking in general.
We are staying at an old armory/community center, which was great for prom night. Everybody got dressed in crazy dresses from thrift stores. My date and I dressed at Charlie Brown and Snoopy. It was great. I danced and ate sweets until I got tired and now I'm headed to bed. Even though the night was fun, we still have to bike tomorrow and my body needs to recover from my tumble. Bruises are not fun.
The general ride today was easy as it was half of what we did yesterday. Plus, the sun was shining and the wind had died down a lot. There was actually some beautiful scenery today. For part of the ride I rode with an alumni of our route who also recently rode from Alaska to Aregentina with his brothers. It was neat talking to him about his experiences on the route and about biking in general.
We are staying at an old armory/community center, which was great for prom night. Everybody got dressed in crazy dresses from thrift stores. My date and I dressed at Charlie Brown and Snoopy. It was great. I danced and ate sweets until I got tired and now I'm headed to bed. Even though the night was fun, we still have to bike tomorrow and my body needs to recover from my tumble. Bruises are not fun.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Oh North Dakota
Today I biked 116 miles with a pedal time of 8 hours 15 minutes. My group divided the day into six 20 mile increments to make things easier. We drafted the whole day because the headwinds were ridiculous. I ate so much food today and energy on the road to prevent from tanking...it worked. Route 2 is getting to everybody. It's a terribly hard mental challenge to be on one road for 114 miles. Thinking back on the day I actually have trouble recollecting the ride. It was mind numbing and it sort of drove us crazy. From here on out the mileage drops significantly, though we are stuck on the same road for quite awhile. I am headed off to an 8 o'clock bed time to get lots of recovery rest and prepare for our 59 miler tomorrow, though that will be a piece of cake.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)