The Middle of the Northern Tier 2018

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2796470971?share_unique_id=68 Short day today.  After a night of rain, we packed up and headed to our destination in Sandpoint, ID.  It was a beautiful ride in along the shores of Lake Ponderay. We arrived at the motel by 11 am.  Derald is taking apart his bike and we are awaiting the arrival of our ride home, Julie. Our total for the ride is 1877 miles.  We averaged over 60 miles a day, met a lot of nice folks, got in a lot of exercise, lost a few pounds and had a wonderful time.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2796453502?share_unique_id=60 Today was a beautiful ride of 63 miles.  About 11 miles into the ride we passes Kootenai Falls.  This was the falls that Leonardo DiCaprio floated down in the movie Revenant. Next we rode down the Bull river valley.  The wind was negligible, traffic light, roads good, climbing moderate and scenery fantastic.  I can't remember a more beautiful place to ride. We topped off the day entering the state of Idaho.  Our initial plan was to ride to Whitefish, MT.  We have exceeded our goal by getting to Idaho. 

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2792199162?share_unique_id=56 Another 70 mile day today. The weather was good, the road was wonderful and the traffic was minimal.  We cycled along a beautiful lake for most of the day.  It was actually a reservoir created by the Libby Dam.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2789729154?share_unique_id=54 With only 50 miles to ride today, we slept in until 6:30 a.m. . We started the ride through the beautiful countryside surrounding Whitefish Montana. We passed beautiful homes nestled in the valleys and horses grazing in the pasture. After 15 miles or so, we rejoined Highway 93 with the lumber trucks, fuel trucks, RV's and grain trucks and headed north towards Eureka. It was a nice ride, but a slight headwind in addition to the traffic, kept us from enjoying the forward progress we were expecting. Despite the headwind, we did get a slight rest day with only 4 and 1/2 hours of cycling, compared to the normal 6 plus. We arrived at our campsite, the Town Campground in Eureka, at about 2:30 p.m. . We were happy to arrive then, because the showers are only open until 4 p.m. Derald had a tough day, also.  I took a photo of him journaling/sleeping.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2787370813?share_unique_id=52 For the first time in the trip, we woke up to rain. It was a big day for us, cycling nearly 87 miles and crossing the Continental Divide. It had to be done in the rain and with rain gear. Despite the adversity, the day went very well. We were assisted, buy a nice tail wind and a drop of over 4000 feet. We arrived in Whitefish by 4 p.m. after putting in I nearly 7 hour day of cycling. We cycled around the southern border of Glacier National Park. We were treated to many beautiful views, despite the low clouds and rain. We stopped for second breakfast at the Izaak Walton Hotel. We learn that this was a very famous railroad stop, and to this day Amtrak stops there. Whitefish, was like being back in the city. There were brew pubs, coffee shops, good restaurants and a natural food store. We took advantage of all these amenities including a motel for the night.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2784977479?share_unique_id=50 Another 70 mile day today, assisted by a nice tailwind and a big finish.  The arrival in Glacier National Park was a highlight of the day.  After nearly 1600 miles, we have gone from the prairie to the mountains. Tomorrow we go over the continental divide at Marias Pass.  Our first choice would have been Going to the sun road, but it is buried in feet of snow for at least another two weeks.  It is a good reason to come back.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2782229226?share_unique_id=48 After a good night sleep, we're up early and hit the road. Today's weather forecast called for indirect tailwinds and the high probability of rain. The winds were not exactly a tail wind, but definitely were not a headwind. We packed our rain gear on the top of our bags so we could get to it quickly. After a stop in the town of Chester, and Spud's Cafe, we continued on. The big challenge today was 9 miles of road construction. The road had been dug up and it was 9 miles of loose gravel in dirt. We were very lucky that the rain held off and the wind came around to our backs. We sailed through the construction zone with few problems and then into the town of Shelby. Because of the forecast of rain we decided to stay in a motel. We are in a brand new Best Western and enjoying the luxury of a hot tub, pool and pillow topped bed. Our progress to date, has brought us over 1500 miles. Tomorrow we anticipa...

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2781436850?share_unique_id=45 Today we put in a big day, covering 77 miles. As usual, we started with a direct headwind, however, it was at a much lower velocity and it has been for the past 7 days. We got an early start because of the number of miles we needed to ride. Today was a social day on the road. We ran into 5 eastbound cyclist. Like us, they were retired men. They were very chatty and see if she seemed starved for conversation. They were very helpful in giving us their thoughts on road conditions places to stay and places to eat. We arrived in Hingham at about 4 p.m. The town has a population of 118 and the roads were unpaved. We Road 3 blocks to the South and found a beautiful city park. Although there were no showers, the beautiful grass was freshly cut and it was a marvelous camping spot for the night. Dinner was interesting, also. There was no store and there was only one bar in town. As we approach the bar we were warmly gre...

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2776684621?share_unique_id=43 So far, we have cycled 1350 miles.  It looks good for us to complete the ride to at least Glacier National Park. We had an early and short day today. Due to forecasted high head winds, we left the campsite at 6 a.m. . It turned out to be a good idea, because after 20 miles we had a fierce headwind. We called it quits early in Harlem Montana. The city hall sponsors a campsite for cyclist. It is not only free but it is one of the nicest locations we camped. The city hall is next to the local swimming pool, where we were able to shower for the first time in 2 days. It started raining shortly after we arrived, fortunately it set up our tents and wear warm and cozy. Obviously, a front has passed, and the winds are reduced and so very nice evening.  We are looking forward to a day of normal winds tomorrow.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2775147531?share_unique_id=41 Today was a 71 mile day. We started off with two quick hours averaging about 15 miles per hour. Then the winds hit again.  It is somewhat challenging day finishing the last couple miles at 8 to 9 miles per hour. Fortunately, there was a Dairy Queen as we came into town and a mister Misty makes a lot of problems go away. We ran into three other cyclists today. That makes a total of 10 heading eastbound, and one heading westbound. We had a few historical spots today. One was the child hood School of Chet Huntley, in Saco, Montana. Another Roadside display explain the prevalence of Buffalo in the 1880s. Also, there was a display on the decimation of the Indian population with smallpox. Tomorrow is forecasted for when's out of the West, headwinds. We will probably get an early start.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2772233890?share_unique_id=39 Yesterday, we took a well-earned rest day in Wolf Point, Montana. There was not much going on in the small reservation town. However, we did manage to find a Brewpub and a nice hotel room where the wind wasn't blowing. We departed at 5 a.m. this morning with the hope of avoiding the wind. We were successful for the first hour of the ride. As forecasted, the winds begin to blow by 7 a.m.  By the time we arrived at our campsite at noon the winds we're directly in our face at a steady 22 miles per hour, gusting as high as 33. The ride was straight west on US Highway 2, also known asthe High Line.  It is the major highway and rail line across the northern United States. It was not much of a day for pictures or sightseeing, it was just a day of survival. I did take one picture of the Montana pastures, which is about all we saw all day long. I spend most of the day looking at my speedometer and odometer pra...

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2767785639?share_unique_id=37 Tough day out on the road today.  We had what looked like an easy day on paper, but was anything but.  We awoke at our RV- mobile home park-laundromat early, but as we were about to leave, Derald discovered a flat.   That took about 20 minutes to fix.   Unfortunately, he was plagued by a slow leak all day.  He must have pumped it up 10 times, but maintained a positive outlook. The big bugaboo was our old nemesis, the wind.  After a nice 13 miles, the sky darkened, temperature dropped 30 degrees and a wind from hell attacked us from about 10 o'clock.  It was nearly 30 mph, with gusts to 40.  I was happy to see my speed get up to 8 mph. Nevertheless, we survived the day, going only 50 miles, after peddling 7 hours.  I took a screenshot of the weather when we arrived.  With high winds and feeling beaten, we chose to stay in a motel.  After being here ...

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2764601543?share_unique_id=34 Today was an easy ride. We went 50 miles and were favored with a nice tailwind and a long downhill run into town. The town is extremely small and rural. We are camping at a mobile home park, RV park and laundromat all in one. The owner is not in town, so we were instructed to put the $12 camping fee in the cabinet underneath the TV in the laundromat. The shower is not working, so we took a bath in the wash tub inside the laundromat. Fortunately there we're not any customers and don't appear that there will be any. So I guess our afternoon and evening will be spent sitting in the shade in front of the laundromat. I bought a couple books yesterday on my Kindle so I'm well prepared. We would have ridden further today, but there is nothing for 55 miles.  There was only one convenience store in the entire 50 miles it took to get here from Glendive. We are anxiously watching the weather anticipating extreme...

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2762208769?share_unique_id=32 Last night, we were able to experience a thunderstorm in a tent. We both kept nice and dry and from all appearances slept through the majority of it. Throughout the day, everyone who met that's how we did in the storm last night. There was standing water just about everywhere we went, as evidence of quite a downpour. We finished our journey through North Dakota, after about 20 miles. We're halfway done with the trip and the rest of it will probably still all be in Montana. We had a little challenge finding a place to sleep tonight. We went to the state campground, but learned that there was no water or electricity available in the camping area. After calling several more campgrounds, we ended up in a motel.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2760008209?share_unique_id=30 Today we cycled to the resort town of Medora, South Dakota.  As we have come to expect from North Dakota, the roads were nice,  there was a little traffic and the drivers were courteous.  We ended the ride with our arrival in the Badlands and Teddy Roosevelt National Park. We feasted on a pizza, beer and ice cream. The three essential foods for cycling. Our camping spot for the night was nice, but at $25 per tent, overpriced. Nevertheless, we got a shower and a good nights sleep.

Today's recap, includes two days of fine cyclingin North Dakota. Yesterday, we woke up to a thunderstorm, which fortunately past quickly. We hit the road at about 7:30, our normal departure time. Assisted buy a tail wind and find roads we made our way into Bismarck by noon. Our first stop was the FedEx Office. I had to pick up my passport, which will be needed when we pass into Canada later in the trip. I saw the name of the FedEx manager posted and Bismarck station. It was someone I had work with 25 years ago.  Unfortunately, he was out of the office, so I had to leave a note. Next stop was a bike shop. I needed a slight derailleur adjustment and Derald needed oil for his chain. We accomplished the mission quickly and had a nice chat with the owners the shop. Do to the 90 degree heat, the forecast for Thunder storms and the lack of any camping options, we stayed in a motel. We had dinner at a local family restaurant. In honor of the germanic tradition of the local people, I ha...

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2752271071?share_unique_id=28 We had a nice 66 mile ride today.  At about noon, the wind relented and for the first time in 3 days, we did not have to hang on to the bikes for dear life and we could hear more than the wind in our ears. The ride was nice (strait) rolling hills through massive farm fields, with the occasional car, pickup truck, or farm implement.  I took a couple of pictures.  One is of an artwork called "dinosaurs of the prairie" which was interesting.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2750351636?share_unique_id=26 Today was another very interesting day on the road. Like yesterday ended,  today started with strong headwinds.  Fortunately, instead of low overcast it was a bright sunny day with perfect temperatures for cycling at 70 degrees. The headwinds were not as direct as yesterday, coming at us at about 1 o'clock.    Although stong at 20 mpg, with gusts of 30, that was better than yesterday. The route was 61 miles.  Due to the headwinds, we averaged only 8 mph, compared to our normal 12.  Our riding time was nearly seven and a half hours, which is a long time in the saddle. I've included a map of our route for the day which is one straight line. The fields wheat, corn,  and soy beans were beautiful but consistently the same mile after mile. In all the distance we rode we never went through one town. 10 miles into the ride we went by a convenience store which were the only services...

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2747075130?share_unique_id=24 It was an interesting day.  We started out from our campsite after a night of rain, with wet roads a low overcast sky.  After the first couple of miles, we got to use our rainsuits when the sky opened up in a downpour. After the 45 minute rain, we continued our progress east and south of Fargo.  When we committed to our westword leg (strait on a road for 45 miles), the wind began to blow directly in our faces.  It blew consistently at 25 mph, with gusts nearing 40.  This did affect our speed and spirits.  Our normal cruising speed of mph was reduced to 6 mph and even less in a gust.  Our panniers catch the wind, virtually bring us to a halt at times. The best part of the day is where we're staying tonight.  My Bicycling partner Derald, has a friend he taught with in Arizona, who lives in this part of the country. He and his mom were kind enough to put us up and feed us a w...

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2743900895?share_unique_id=22 After a good night's sleep, we had breakfast with all the other senior citizens at the Viking Cafe and headed up to Fargo.  The ride was quick and easy with a 25 mph tailwind.  We averaged 15 miles per hour with very little effort. There was not a welcome to North Dakota sign at the small bridge we crossed into the state. We called yesterday and got a reservation at the Fargo municipal camp ground, which was a good thing, because when we arrived at a little before 1 pm, they were full.  So here we are in a RV site tonight. So, we have cycled 10 days and 618 miles in three states.  We still have no idea where we will finish, but are feeling good about getting through most of Montana. Also, I got a picture of a rare giant prairie chicken on the way to Fargo.