Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Woes

Last time I posted we were at the University of Montana in Missoula. It has been many rides since, and now I'm still in the great state of Montana at Montana State University-Billings. This is what I have learned about this large state thus far.

"Oh yeah, it's all downhill to (blank)," means lots of rolling hills and a good climb is up ahead.
"It's just a couple miles down the road," means it's actually at least 7, it will probably rain, and you should really ride your bike or take a taxi.
THERE IS NO SALES TAX AND SPEED LIMIT IS PRETTY MUCH NON-EXISTENT. They have the signs, but no one follows them AT ALL.

OK, so onto Big Ride stories...

From Missoula, we had a 98 mile ride to Avon, Montana. Letty and I were riding together for most of the day. She was only slightly behind me talking to another rider, and next thing I know, I go down a hill never to see her again. Turns out she got ANOTHER flat (number 3) and had to fix it up before going on her way. ON getting to Avon, there was ONE cafe on the side of the road, so most of the bikers stopped.

While we were at the cafe, one of the riders from last year swung by. He was wearing his shirt from last year and started sharing his journey across America. It's always nice hearing about what we have in store and what will stick with us after the ride. He loved the ride so much, he decided to pay for all of our food! Can't say a broke college graduate didn't enjoy getting a free meal out of the deal...SWEET.

Upon getting to our stop, we find we are staying at a church camp that has bunkhouses. With that kind of option, this gal took full advantage of not having to stake down a tent for a night. Dinner was catered by the cafe we went to a couple hours before and they brought PIE! Chocolate creme, coconut cream, apple, blueberry, etc...more pie than I've ever seen before at one time. It was AWESOME!

Oh, sleeping in a bunkhouse - haven't done that since sleep away camp. I forgot how much can happen in such a short period of time simply by someone shifting there weight on their plastic covered mattress. I eventually got some shut eye and my top bunk didn't break to crush the guy below, so all lived to see another day.

Avon to Townsend was a ride of only 60 miles. The first part was a big climb up to the Continental Divide! Upon reaching the top of the 11 mile climb (which wasn't quite as bad as I expected, but then again, I keep expecting vertical climbs with massive headwinds, a log truck going 100 miles/hr right next to me, and my tire going flat), there was a turn off to a Vista Point to the top of the Divide. Many riders decided they had no desire to keep climbing, but with only 50 miles left at 9AM, a group of us decided to push on up. WHAT A SIGHT! There were mountains all around us and one could see for miles! It was sooooooooooo cool! There was an information tower at the top, so Letty, Rachel, and I decided to climb up it a little (Rachel all the way to the top; she's nuts and I love it!). Two of the guys needed to use the restroom, so they dispersed to either side of the peak, so one would be relieving himself in the Pacific and the other would be relieving himself in the Atlantic. Oh, the things we entertain ourselves with!

At Townsend, we set up camp at their local high school - on their football field to be exact. Everything was running pretty smoothly until about 5 minutes after I fell asleep; A THUNDERSTORM HIT. The ride leader made all of us evacuate our tents and head into the gym for cover. While we were inside, several of the riders' tents collapsed and a few of their rain flies did just that - flew away. Those of us who were lucky enough to keep our tents and flies were instructed to head back to "our homes" after the rain died down a little. Needless to say, the wind kept up, it kept on raining, and no one really had a good night's sleep.

The terror of Townsend to Harlowtown, another century ride on trip. Not an easy one either.

The day started with a climb (as most of them seem to do) - that was actually the best part of the day. The street ran alongside a little creek so it the running water was pretty peaceful. After the climb, we got an awesome downhill; well, at least for the first part. Halfway through the downhill, the street turned and we were hit with this really strong side wind. My bike started shifting all over the road due the wind, and with double trailered log trucks less than a foot to your side, it's not a comforting situation for anyone involved. Luckily, the road flattened out and turned and we got a really nice tailwind for a good 18 miles. Since we were making pretty good time, we decided to stop at the local diner in White Sulphur Springs while the 4Th of July parade was going on. Didn't think I'd see a mass of Confederate flags at an Independence Day in Montana, but I guess I shouldn't be too shocked with what I see day-to-day anymore. When the parade was over, we began riding only to have to turn to be again the nice tailwind; now a not so nice head and side wind for the next 70 miles. Oh, and did I mention the hills we had to climb and the heat we had to face. Oh, and the fact that because the wind was so strong, we had to peddle really hard DOWNHILL!?!? Not a fun ride AT ALL!

One good thing about the day is Letty, Rachel, and I learned how to draft off of each other. Drafting is when riders ride in a line so the first rider breaks the wind and the rest of the riders reap the benefits of not having to fight so hard. When the lead rider gets tired, she simply waves, and another rider takes the lead. I was feeling pretty exhausted when we had 10 miles left, but the drafting allowed us to finish strong. Letty and Rachel basically saved my life through the draft.

So we get to camp FINALLY, only to find out their is a severe weather warning and the showers are a mile away. In desperate need of some sort of comfort, Letty and I hop on our bikes to head to the showers. We get to the high school (where the showers were supposed to be opened. We checked every door, and NOTHING...all locked. We're thinking no showers. What a great way to spend the holiday right?

Things turned up from that point on. Many riders got hotel rooms and allowed those of us at camp to use their showers. Then a group of boys had a hot dog eating contest. If you think it's gross to watch growing boys stuff their faces with dinner, imagine collegiate and early adults with relish, mustard, ketchup, and hot dog bits all over their faces and diving in for more; not the most pleasant sight. Not that I particularly enjoy them anyway, but I'm pretty certain I will not be having a hot dog for many days to come.

One of the riders decided to buy fireworks (because pretty much everything is legal in Montana) for the whole group, so we spent about an hour setting them off before the town's fireworks show. All in all, we had a really rough day but the evening was festive and a good time - I guess soldiers are not the only ones who have to fight for their freedom on Independence Day. God Bless America.

Harlowtown to Billings..the easiest 91 miles of my life!

After the rough day the day before, the last thing I wanted to do was ride 90 miles. Luckily, someone's looking out for me because we had a nice tailwind all day long. We were going 20 miles/hr. with barely even pedaling. It was the perfect reward for the hard work we put in the day before. Putting just a little trust in the One above really does make everything alright in the end.

We got to Billings and had a catered dinner at 5...and man did the catering company go all out. They had steak and Mahi mahi, tons of sides and fixings, cold beer and soda for all! It was the most fabulous meal we've had to date. They even made us homemade ice cream - who does that???? Only in Montana would we be treated so well.

Since we had an easy day of riding, almost half the riders decided to head to the movies for the evening. When we asked the info desk how far it was, they told us a couple miles. Since we had a big dinner, a few of us decided to walk...bad idea. It rained on us for 20 minutes, and an hour later we weren't even halfway to the theater. We decided to stop at a gas station and hail a cab. We thought we were going to completely miss the movie, but luckily we bought our tickets just in time to see the last preview and enjoy the show. Well, enjoy is a bit of a stretch. Let's just say if someone asks you to see Hancock, tell them there are better ways to spend $8.50.

BILLING REST DAY....NICE

Started the day with mass. The homily was all about how it is important to rest on Sunday in order to enter God's rest. After 4 days of riding, I don't think any of the cyclists had problems with having a full day's rest on Sunday. Rachel, Letty, and I were asked to bring up the gifts and we gladly obliged, although that was a new experience in itself. The priest didn't collect the gifts. Rather, we had to approach the altar and place the bread and wine on the altar ourselves. I guess they do things a little different around here; shocker? I think not.

After mass, there was free coffee and donuts in the hospitality room at church. Gotta love free!

The rest of the day was spent lounging around and taking in a little television. Now I'm rested and ready for another ride.

Still riding, still loving it, still happy.