Heat. Headwind. Hills. Just another great day on a bike in Montana.

Saw this deer leaving Jordan this AM. Should have been counting how many I’ve seen in 20 days. Guessing 40-50.

The first stretch of the day was 35 miles to a rest stop. I carry 2 liters of water and, in the heat, that’s stretching as far as I can go so I picked up an extra liter. Had frozen my 2 water bottles the night before so hoping they would stay cold.

Am I getting close to the Badlands? That would be great but this was just a small, isolated Kinda’ Badlands.

The ride to the rest stop was into the wind part of the time crosswinds the rest. Is it to much to ask for 1 day of tailwind? Oh yeah, a couple days in the 80’s vs 100’s would be nice too.

It took me nearly 4 hours to reach the rest stop. Headwinds really slow progress.

I was expecting to see a vending machine where I could get some cold water for the last 32 miles. No such luck. They did have a water fountain with warm water though…and air conditioning.

I must really look like a mess after I’ve been riding a while. As I sat on a bench inside, nearly everyone who came in asked how I was doing. People gave me ice cold water, Powerade, apple sauce, and someone even left trail mix on my bike parked outside. Females were really concerned. It was like I had a half dozen mothers there. Quite amazing. That really boosted my morale.

More of the same on the final 32 miles. Hills. Directly into a 10-15 mile wind. And the heat was really cooking now.

I was pretty much drained as I got close to Circle. Not as bad as the other day but I was starting to not feel good. That’s when I was saved by a Trail Angel, Denzel.

Circle was the opposite direction from where he was headed but he saw me alongside the road. Again, I must have looked pitiful because he offered me a ride the final few miles into town. I quickly accepted.

I felt a little guilty about that for about 10 seconds. Better to accept the ride than get heat exhaustion.

Denzel is a Navy vet who drives vehicles to different drop points across country. He is driving a large van to Kalispell, MT now. Real nice guy who saved me from lots of misery.

Tomorrow is still hot but rumor has it that the wind will be behind me…for once. I’ll believe it when I see it.

Ride on.

Just Pete