Author: jpetesd

Today was kind of semi-OK. Definitely better than yesterday…minus 50 miles.

I was probably on the verge of heat exhaustion yesterday. Hopefully I remember the lessons learned. Thanks to all for your concern and advice. Pickle juice was a big winner!

My legs were still a bit tired today. I was not anxious to start peddling this AM.

Didn’t take many pictures because everything kind of looks the same and I was totally grinding to make Jordan. Head down and follow the white line.

On the East coast “farms” are measured in acres. Midwest by quarters (160 acres). In MT it’s by sections (640 acres). BIG ranches. 10 sections or more. They’ve been struggling with lack of moisture even before this ridiculous heat. Causing many ranchers to have to sell their cattle because they can’t feed them.

I’ve noticed “Save the Cowboy” signs since Lewistown. Finally asked what that was about. Out of state billionaires buying up ranches to turn back the clock and free range buffalo. Sounds nice, until you hear how it affects the locals. Buffalo spread disease to cattle plus rich people glamping (glamorous camping) don’t spend money in the small towns.

I made it to Jordan about 3PM and rented a room at these fancy digs! Living large. Definitely not glamping!!

After a short nap and an interview with the Aberdeen American News, I headed up to the local saloon. Jordan’s population is about 250 so it wasn’t hard to figure out where to go. Place with the most pick-up trucks.

At Rancher’s bar I met Steve (and a few other interesting characters). Within 5 minutes Steve asked me if I was on a bike. He had seen me stopped along the road. Said I looked like crap and wasn’t sure if I needed help. He was running late so didn’t stop to check on me but did think about it for a minute.

Of course, I made him feel a little guilty. Had a great steak and several free Buds from the locals. Really good time and fun conversations.

I’m hoping that a rather short day serves me well tomorrow. Temps will still be close to, or above, 100 again. Always thought I could handle heat…until yesterday.

I’ll do what I can.

Ride on.

Just Pete

Don’t get too excited about the miles. It’s a lot but at a price. I’m OK. Details later.

Got rolling out of Hobson at 6:30AM. Made quick work of 24 miles to Lewistown. Didn’t have breakfast until then (Mistake #1). Didn’t have option in Hobson.

I felt pretty good while I had breakfast. So good that I made a reservation at a B&B in Mosby. 81 miles from Lewistown. (Mistake #2)

It is so dry in this area that the grasshoppers are thick. I try to help control the population by running over as many as I can.

Grass Range was the next town. 33 miles away. Little further than I’d like but…The heat really kicked in on that stretch. I made it but extremely hot and tired. Sat in an air conditioned restaurant for an hour and had some lunch. Much better after the hour.

If you think I’m nuts, the guy below makes me look totally sane. He’s walking from Anacortes to Washington, DC. He started early April and thinks he’ll get there sometime in November. I think his walk is called March for Freedom. Not sure because my brain went dead a bit later.

The next possible stopping point was Winnett. 24 miles. After my lunch break that seemed reasonable. Only problem was that it was into the wind and the temperature was 103.

So that was really hard. I was totally exhausted when I got there at 5PM. Had something to eat and sat for an hour. During that time I wiped my hand across my forehead. Felt dirty. Weird.

I then noticed my arms, jersey, and shorts were white with salt. Houston we may have a problem. No Gatorade where I was and I was too brain dead to walk over to grocery store to see if they had some (Mistake #3).

Things got bad on my last 24 miles. What would normally take 2 hours took 3.5.

I did OK the first 8 miles but then my legs started cramping. First happened to right calf as I was getting off bike for a rest. You can’t imagine how solidly that muscle cramped. Hurt so bad that I screamed and had to sit and massage it for 10 minutes

It was still pretty sore when I went to get back on and then the left calf cramped. Not nearly as bad but it hurt. Now I’m pedaling with 2 sore calfs. You use your thighs more biking so suck it up. No choice but to make 16 more miles.

Those 16 miles were horrendous. Now my thighs were getting weird pains. Not really cramping but random shooting pains. Total and complete misery. Had to walk my bike up a couple hills that there is no way I should have to. Pedaling was no fun and neither was pushing a bike up hill.

I made it. Not sure exactly how. Kind of a blur.

I’m staying tonight at Hill Ranch Oasis. Terry and Donna are the proprietors. Super nice people and great accommodations. Even got to do laundry.

One of the other guests got me a giant glass of vitamin water as soon he heard my saga. That must have helped because I feel much better now.

Lessons learned: (1) Don’t go more than 70 miles in this heat (hotter next 2 days). (2) Have breakfast as early as possible in the day. Start carrying peanut butter. Eat some bananas. (3) Drink more Gatorade or be adding electrolytes to water.

With this heat, there is little chance I can make Bristol on the 8th. I think I can make South Dakota. How far? I haven’t a clue and I’m not going to guess.

I’m a bit disappointed but I know Gerty and I can make some big miles. I can’t control the weather and to ride far in this heat is really stupid.

Tomorrow I’m planning on taking it fairly easy. 50 some miles to Jordan. Then we’ll go from there.

Ride on.

Just Pete

I started pedaling at 7AM and stopped at 7PM. Long day but lots of stops along the way.

Left Great Falls on a nice bike path along the Missouri River.

Pretty serene ride to start the day.

Went through Belt where I had hoped to get to last night. Real nice town down in a valley. One of the more “booming” small MT towns I’ve been through.

Lots more grain crops and hay than the corn/soybeans you typically see around Bristol, SD.

Stopped in Geyser (population 100) and Stanford (pop 250). Both still have K-12 schools. Stanford will have 1 senior this fall. He should put on his resume…graduated Stanford #1 in class.

Struggled to make last 22 miles to Hobson but am super happy that I did. Population of about 500 with one of the best bar/restaurants I have been to…and, trust me, I’ve been to a few.

Hope you can read that. Great steakhouse. I didn’t have one because I had already had breakfast and 3 lunches. I did have a few Buds and some Rocky Mountain Oysters. If you’re not familiar with them, Google it. Probably been 40 years since I’ve had ‘em. Didn’t disappoint.

If you’re ever near Hobson, make sure to check out Tall Boys. Place is large and was packed.

I pitched my tent by the Little League baseball field. Hoping the sprinklers don’t come on during night.

It will be a few degrees warmer tomorrow. Upper 90’s. I’ll try to do what I did today. Stop in a town every 25 miles or so and soak in some AC. I also stop quite frequently alongside the road but just long enough to stretch my legs and drink some water. There are no trees so no shade.

All in all a pretty good day. If I can have 9 more days like this, I’ll make Bristol on time. That’s pretty optimistic but Gerty and I are both pretty optimistic.

Ride on.

Just Pete

You know you’re in the right breakfast spot when there are a dozen farmers in there discussing moisture (or lack there of), the heat, and commodity prices. Home Cafe. Jackpot!!

The terrain is really taxing my limited photography skills. It’s kind of the same view for miles and miles and more miles.

I met my first west-bound rider. Rick left Bar Harbor, Maine on 4/30 heading to Anacortes, WA. We had a 10 minute chat alongside the road about what’s ahead for each of us. Since we’re heading in opposite directions, what was easy for him won’t be for me and vice versa.

The major heat wave has officially caught up with me. Mid-90’s in the afternoon.

Here is a sample of road today. I-15 north and south to the left and I-Just Pete on the right. Very little traffic on our road.

I had hoped to make it about 20 miles further than I did today. The heat really drained me in the afternoon. Sun beating down at 95 degrees and then radiating up from pavement. Not good. It’s a plus that everywhere I stop has let me fill water bottles with ice.

The heat is going to get more intense for the next 3-4 days. Really not good.

To make Bristol on 7/8, I’m going to have to average about 80 miles per day. Questioning the possibility of that tonight.

Worst case scenario, I get picked up somewhere short of Bristol and deposited back wherever that is after Reunion. I’ll be trying my hardest but, with this heat wave, it will be difficult.

I’ll keep pedaling and you keep the positive vibes coming. Deal?

Ride on.

Just Pete

I needed a little bit of rest today. 53 miles might sound like a lot but, after the past 2 weeks, it really wasn’t.

A short day was decided upon last night. I didn’t start pedaling until 10:30. Basically a lazy morning watching ESPN.

If you, like I, thought the plains would be relatively flat…wrong!

Those rumble strips along the shoulder suck. There’s not much traffic on the roads I’m traveling so most of the time I’m on the left side of the white stripe. Especially when going fast. When I hear traffic coming, I get over and am radically vibrated by those strips.

If the rumble strip is in the middle of the road, it’s awesome. I can hear vehicles behind me move over for me which is quite comforting.

I don’t think I’m paranoid but those mountains seem to be stalking me. I can’t get away from them.

Gerty likes to hum. The faster we go, the louder she hums. She hummed a lot today.

We finished the 53 miles in 4.5 hours with an hour stop for lunch. That’s basically 15mph for a long time. In my FL training rides, I couldn’t go that fast for an hour. I may actually be becoming a cyclist. Who’d a thunk it?!!

Conrad, MT is a typical small farming community. Population of 2500. High School classes of 30. Lots of retirees and struggling to have jobs for young people. Agriculture just takes far fewer people/acre than it used to. Kind of sad.

I’m considering this a “Nero” day. Somewhere in between a zero day and a “real” day. Expecting to be well rested tomorrow.

Just a friendly reminder, we are riding for charity. If you’ve already pledged or donated, thanks so much. If you’re a procrastinator like me, get on it. If you can’t donate, that’s cool too. I just appreciate the support each of you give me every day.

Couldn’t do this without each of you. Thanks so much.

Ride on.

Just Pete

I finally made it over Marias Pass. It is a bit different from the 4 passes we crossed in WA. More gradual climb and no long descent on the other side. Truthfully, I was a bit disappointed that the Continental Divide wasn’t a bigger deal.

12 miles or so after the pass you roll into East Glacier. Totally different from the much more rugged and forested West Glacier which we passed through yesterday.

The rivers are now flowing the same direction as I’m riding. Water flows downhill so I’ve got that going for me…which is nice.

Bison are really big critters.

This type of geography is what I’ll be seeing for the next 1000 miles or so. Long straight stretches with rolling hills.

Less than 24 hrs ago we were on the other side of those mountains. A bit difficult to comprehend.

We’ll be crisscrossing the Lewis & Clark Trail many times over the next couple weeks. If you’re interested in Lewis & Clark, I would highly recommend reading Undaunted Courage. Great book.

Rolled into Cut Bank mid-afternoon. It was not as easy riding on the plains as I expected. Crosswind most of the afternoon. Felt like it was trying to blow my tires out from under me.

I really have no idea what to expect now. It definitely won’t be as easy as I had hoped/imagined.

There’s only one way to find out and that’s to…

Ride on.

Just Pete

I am tenting at an RV park 7 miles short of the summit of the pass. Normally it would really bother me that I didn’t get over the top today when that was my goal. The logistics of where to stay got a bit complicated so I kind of had to stop short.

Kris gave me a little talk about smelling the roses along the way. Not usually my specialty but there was lots to see today so kind of easy to do.

Had a great breakfast and was on the road by 8:30, heading to Glacier National Park.

Gerty and I were in peak form this morning. We were so locked in that I missed a turn and went 2.5 miles out of way and then had to retrace those miles. Didn’t even phase me!

We rode up to the West entrance to Glacier and then followed Hwy 2 on the southern edge of the park for 50 miles.

The scenery was so incredible it almost makes me sad to be leaving the mountains. Emphasis on the almost!

It was a pretty steady climb most of the day. Usually not inhumanly steep.

I realized that once I crossed the pass I would have 13 miles to East Glacier. People had told me that rooms are scarce and very expensive if available.

I decided the smart thing to do would be to get as close to summit as I could and cross in AM so I could ride right through East Glacier.

I knew what I was looking for. Small bar/restaurant that would let me pitch my tent in the back.

After 61 miles, I found the perfect spot. Went in the bar and bartender immediately asked if I’d like a water. Was it that obvious?

Chatted with a couple sitting at the bar who were from Fargo and asked bartender if I could pitch my tent in back. No go. They are having a big outdoor party tomorrow and setting up tonight. Bummer!

He told me about RV Park a mile up the road and here we are.

I want to thank everyone for your continuous support. This has been hard enough. It makes it so much more enjoyable knowing that I have a large group of people wishing me nothing but the best and pulling for me every day. I really can’t thank you enough.

I feel really good. Fingers are slightly better. Legs are strong. And Gerty is in great shape. Now let’s just hope for no big headwinds when I get out of mountains.

I think I’m pretty close to being on schedule to make Bristol, SD on July 8. It’s 13 days and a bit over 1,000 miles. I think I can…I think I can!

Ride on.

Just Pete

Rainy and cool this AM. Got to my breakfast spot 2 miles down the road at 8:30. Of course they didn’t open until 9. Learned my lesson yesterday so I sat on step and waited. They must have felt sorry for me because they let me in and took my order 10 minutes early.

Saw this family of turkeys. It’s much more difficult to take pics biking vs hiking. Gotta stop. Get phone out of holder on handlebars. Takes enough time that I missed father of family, Tom, a hundred yards later.

Over the last 10 days I’ve met 7 people riding the Northern Tier to Maine or Connecticut. I have been playing leap frog with 3 young ladies (Gus, Alex, and June). Today we stopped for a break at same place and had a good conversation about numb fingers, etc. Gus is riding to Maine. Alex and June have to be in CT to start med school at UConn in late August. Good luck, ladies!!

I got “smoked” twice today. Truck pulls up alongside and then steps on gas leaving me wallowing in a cloud of black smoke. Pretty sure one was unintentional but the other was flat out mean.

Felt much better today. My fast twitch muscles must be in good shape because I can go far and fast on flats. Slow twitch muscles (uphill) still need some work.

I was still feeling good through Whitefish (56 miles). This is Whitefish ski area.

After that…not so great. I had heard thunder behind me for about a half hour and it was gaining on me.

See the rain in left hand side of pic? Yeah, that caught me. Road 6 miles in cold, pouring rain. Rain was like needles. Hit my phone hard enough that it was manipulating screen. Thought it was hailing for a while.

By the time I got to outskirts of Columbia Falls I was drenched and really cold. Stopped in a small tavern to try to warm up a bit.

Big rodeo in town this weekend so I was lucky to get a room. Hot shower felt really good.

Tomorrow is a big day. 62 miles to get over pass at Continental Divide. Wish me luck!

Ride on.

Just Pete

Some days ya got it. Some days ya don’t. Today was definitely a don’t.

I had a not great breakfast at hotel. Couple bagels. Someone had told me there was a good breakfast spot 6 or 7 miles up the road. Unfortunately I didn’t see it or a miscommunication on road I would be on.

We headed north following Lake Koocanusa.

Most of the time we were in the foothills a couple hundred feet above the lake.

Rolling ups and downs. Nothing too steep but some long ups.

After about 20 miles I was already getting tired and I needed something to eat…besides beef jerky and protein bars.

Fortunately I came to a marina with a restaurant 5 miles later. Unfortunately it was a mile off the road and all downhill. I didn’t have much choice so I coasted down.

Restaurant didn’t open until 30 minutes after I got there so I took a little nap on their deck. Got something to eat, sat around for a bit, and then had to pedal back up to road.

I left there at 1PM. Felt a bit stronger and started pedaling. Unsure of how far/where I would get to.

If you think these pics all look like the same body of water, it’s because they are. Followed Lake Koocanusa for 55 miles. The lake is scenic but I was pretty tired of it!

The last 15-20 miles, I was toast. I could hardly pedal in low gear on the flats. Lots of stops to get enough energy/strength to make it another mile or 2.

I must have looked pretty bad as I stopped near top of last hill before Eureka. 2 vehicles stopped to make sure I was OK. Probably wasn’t but told them I was.

I coasted down and struggled up a small hill to town. As good as I felt yesterday at the end of the day was how bad I felt today. Physically drained.

Tomorrow I will get close to Glacier National Park. One more pass (Continental Divide) on Friday, then it’s all downhill.

Ride on.

Just Pete

Either the day off yesterday was huge or the terrain today was pretty easy. Truth is somewhere in between. I felt great and it was a long stretch of rolling hills.

Dennis and I left Sandpoint at about 8:15AM.

We followed Lake Pend Oreille to the Clark Fork River.

We had made plans to meet friends of Dennis and Cindy for lunch about 1:00. They were 40 miles away so I had some doubt as to whether we could make it that far. That doubt was erased when we finished the first 27 miles in an hour and 45 minutes.

State #3. Pretty sure it will be quite a while in Montana!

When Cindy met up with us at 1PM, we were nearly 15 miles past the original meeting spot for lunch. 53 miles in less than 4 hours…that’s progress!

I decided it would be too much of a hassle to shuttle back 15 miles for lunch and then get shuttled back.

So…it was time to bid adieu to my riding partner of 510 miles. I can’t tell you how important and helpful it was for me to have Dennis along. I’d probably still be puttsing along through those passes right now if not for him. Thanks Dennis and Cindy for your hospitality, support, and companionship the past 10 days

Just Gerty and me now. There were a couple camping spots around the 60-65 mile point but I still felt good so I pushed past there.

Figured I could make the next town, Troy, and have nearly 80 miles done. Troy turned out to be a couple miles (uphill) off the route. Heck, I could probably make it to Libby. Go for it!

I can’t say the last 15 miles were easy but I can say this is the best I’ve felt at the end of a day. Hoping I feel that way in the AM!

Ride on.

Just Pete

P.S. from Dennis…

“Pete” thanks for allowing me to tag along with you for the first 500 miles of your awesome adventure! Very inspirational that you would attempt 4800 miles and was impressive how hard you worked to get over those passes! As your very unofficial nutritional coach I will allow you to continue drinking your Coke, Mountain Dew and Buds as long as you drink a lot of water and eat good meals, protein and complex carbs so you don’t “Bonk” part way through the day! We saw some beautiful scenery, you missed some of it with your head down grinding and we kept each other safe! It was a great 10 days.
Thanks Again, Dennis 😎