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Some sights along my journey.

Happy 4th of July.

Ride on.

Just Pete

I didn’t sleep well last night thinking about the miles I missed with Denzel’s ride. Went over to the local Cenex and got a ride back about 3 miles. Wasn’t sure where exact spot Denzel picked me up but close enough to make me feel good. Slack packed that and then had breakfast.

Gerty crushed the 47 miles to Glendive. 3 hrs 20 minutes. That’s booking. Was in Glendive, where I had expected to spend the night shortly after 11!

Along the way I saw these wooden things with green stuff on them. Hadn’t seen them since East Glacier. I think they called them trees.

I have met or passed quite a few cyclists. They are all carrying lots of stuff. Almost all have bags on front wheel as well. I can’t figure out what they could be carrying. If there’s one thing I learned from hiking it’s that…if you’re not using it, get rid of it. The weight on a bike doesn’t make as much difference as when you’re carrying it on your back but holy crap. I carry half as much as most people.

I left Glendive about 12:30 by then the heat was cooking.

Leaving Glendive, we got on I-94. LOVE riding on interstate. Wide shoulders, hills are more gradual. Plus I’d rather have traffic moving at 80 mph 15 feet away than at 60 5 feet away.

The last 25 miles to Wibaux was really hot. Somebody told me 107. All I know is that I left Glendive with ice water and in a half hour it was very warm.

Another benefit of interstate…shade.

Made it to Wibaux shortly after 3. Had a tailwind for most of PM so that helped. Very tired so that was enough for today.

Wibaux is having their All School reunion this weekend so there was lots happening in town. Wibaux’s wobble but they don’t fall down!

Started having problems with my phone today. Not charging well. Usually can get a full charge inside an hour. Now 10% in 6 hours. Big problem. Any suggestions? Pretty sure it’s phone and not charger. Hoping there’s a Verizon store in Bismarck. Should be there Monday. If you don’t hear from me for a couple days, that’s why.

8 more miles of MT. Whoohoo!

Ride on.

Just Pete

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

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