Driving through this very diverse and amazing state, I can't help but think about the people who make this their home. The land is a patchwork quilt of the colors of the earth. The farmers are as detailed in their crop spacing as any quilter. The ranchers with fencing as intricate as threads in a quilt. Each landscape a story of life in this place.
Canine encounter - our encounter today was a little different. Today, a little herding dog came out to greet us as we were crossing the Missouri River. This pup apparantly felt the need to keep us together in a group - then follow Tom and Jerry (15 mph) to round them up. When that didn't work, he doubled back and laid along the side of the road and tried to herd the car as I drove by. Having had his fun, he left us to continue our trip and went off looking for some other group to "round up".
From the Prairie
Notes from Jerry: We knew the ride today would be a long one, but had no idea it would be this difficult. The fact that we had headwinds was bad enough, but on this leg we took a jog south (to avoid the North Dakota fracking operations), and suddenly we were going up and down mile long hills in what turned out to be a long, steady climb over 35 miles! After what seemed like thirty of these we were exhausted and only half way done. Luckily we turned east again in the town of Circle and after climbing a few more hills that added another 800 ft of elevation we finally got to a fairly flat road for the last 30 miles which felt like a downhill after what we had been doing. Ugh ! Our motel was in the back end of Glendive which added a few more miles to total 103 miles and we ended up in 95 degree heat. What a day!
One of our fraternity brothers is named Lindsay so we had to stop and take a picture of this very small town which had about two houses and a grainery by the railroad tracks. We think our good buddy should be banished there - he would fit in well.
(By the way the vistas were spectacular but mostly the same endless expanse of grain, ranchland and hills with blue sky and puffy white clouds. Of course we were looking more at pavement, the seemingly endless cracks in the road that caused a numbing bump, bump bump etc.)
Notes from Tom: The wind in Montana blows (you can interpret that anyway you wish to). We had the trifecta of bad cycling conditions--hills, heat, and headwinds. First thing this morning we left our long-time friend US Hwy 2, and headed south, crossing the Missouri River. One thing I've noticed about riding into the wind for so long is that my neck and shoulders get as tired as my legs--must be from spending so much time on the drop bars to try to avoid the wind.
Tomorrow we'll leave Montana and start our ride across North Dakota. Due to the fracking that Jerry mentioned, we had some trouble booking hotels--the oil field people are even filling up hotels as far south as I-94. Hopefully after we pass Bismark, we will have an easier time with less crowded conditions.
I have enjoyed your blog. It has been fun following along. I impressed with your accomplishments. The Sunnyside school you posted is where I went to first grade. We lived on a farm about a mile west of the school. Also many picnics in the campground by the old bridge. Duane from the pork shop in Kalispell.
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