After a horrible nights sleep, we both had a hard time waking up this morning. Our motel looked innocent enough in the daylight, but at night it turned into a loud crazy place. Around 3 AM, I awoke to a loud banging on our door. I lurched out of bed and I was ready to wake up Marc. Then the banging moved to the next door and then the next. It was followed by some drunk guy yelling profanities and crying out "I just need to use a phone - I don't want to spend no $20 to use the damn pay phone!"
After that rude awakening it was hard to fall back asleep, especially given our meek accommodations. Our motel room left something to be desired. The carpet was at least as old as the motel (circa 1960) and filthy with sticky patches. Needless to say, we did not take off our shoes until we got into bed. The bed seemed comfortable enough but had the thinnest pillows I've ever seen. (About as thin as a pantiliner!)
Luckily, we were able to sleep in a bit as we only had a 50 mile ride for today. After a hearty breakfast at the Denny's, we finally left town around 11:30 AM.
Our ride out of Billings was a climb. (It seems like all towns in the west are in a valley - almost every town we have biked into is a descent into town and then a climb out.) We climbed about 10 miles up a twisty side road south of Billings. As I approached the crest of final hill, I heard Marc whistle for me (our universal signal to stop) and then saw him pulling his bike off the road. Damn, I thought to myself, another flat tire. Oh, it was hard to ride back down to him, I was only seconds from reaching the top of the hill.
His tires must have been a bit low on air, as he got a pinch flat on the back tire. While he patched the tube, I enjoyed the scenic overlook of the Billings skyline. Billings is the largest city in Montana - hard to believe as it seems to be around the size of Kalamazoo, MI.
The rest of our ride was fairly uneventful. We enjoyed gorgeous scenery winding through hilly mesas and ranch lands. Part of ride was through the Crow Indian Reservation. We attempted to stop for lunch under the only shade we could find - there were two trees along the side of the road in an otherwise barren farmland area. As we approached, we could tell it was a popular spot as there were broken beer bottles everywhere and lots of garbage. We stopped under the shade, only to find that the mosquitos were swarming us. I had about 10 mosquitos on me within seconds. I didn't even get my foot out of the pedal, before I was riding away. I shouted back to Marc - "I can't stop - the mosquitos are eating me alive!"
We pedaled on for another 5 miles or so before we stopped again to attempt lunch. The mosquitoes were not as bad as before but still annoying. (Its been years since I've had to deal with mosquitos - they are not around in Boulder at all!)
After a quick snack, we got back on the bikes for a short 12 miles into Hardin, MT. We rode past the Custer's Last Stand Re-enactment Site - Hardin's claim to fame. Every year, around June 27th, the Crow Indians and the townspeople put on a reenactment of the famous Sioux Indian Battle.
The town of Hardin is fairly small with just a few motels. We were able to find the Lariat Motel in the downtown area. I use the downtown term loosely - downtown Hardin consists of a IGA grocery, a few cafe's and a general store.
We ate dinner at 3 Brother's Pizza where I had a slice of Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie. Definitely not a preferred flavor of mine but I ordered it as it was the only pie choice. It was extremely rich with a thick peanut butter base and oreo cookie crust. The saving grace for me was the whipped topping that toned down richness. ( I know that I have to choke down my share of chocolate pies along this trip when the choices get slim, but I wasn't too keen on starting already!)
We were about ready to leave the restaurant when a huge storm blew into town. Literally blew into town - huge dust bowls were rolling down the main street. We watched the skies turn dark grey and the wind whip through the trees. Suddenly the power went out and the town's tornado sirens started up their warning calls. One of the other restaurant patrons looked to us and said, "I hate storms!"
What a storm it was...the skies opened up and it poured rain. I was thankful that we were safe inside the restaurant.. A fellow patron in the restaurant offered us a ride to our motel, but luckily the storm let up and we were able to walk back. On the way back there were magnificent lightening strikes lighting up the skies around us. Hopefully the skies will clear up for our 95 mile ride to Sheridan tomorrow.
We expect tomorrow's ride to be particularly tough as there are no services between here and Sheridan. If we do not make it all the way, we'll definitely be camping.
Showing posts with label MT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MT. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Day 10: Philipsburg, MT to Whitehall, MT
Oh, I did not want to get out of bed this morning. The bed at our B&B was so cozy with its pillow top mattress and handmade quilts. (It also could have been the few beers I had the night before at the White Front Bar.) Either way, it was tough to get moving this morning.
We finally left the B&B around 9 am only to find that Marc had a flat tire. It was about time that he change out his tires, so no time like the present. After the tire change out and a short 1/4 mile ride into town for breakfast, we were off on our 80 mile ride to Whitehall. I was a bit apprehensive about today's ride. All the locals we met in town warned us about climbing "the grade". They were referring to the mountain pass that loomed about 10 miles out of Philipsburg. Neither one of us were in the shape to climb today. I was still tired and dreaming of the cozy bed that I had to leave, and Marc was in pain with his inflamed Achilles Tendons.
I was pleasantly surprised by "the grade". It really wasn't that bad - only about a 3 mile twisting climb at about a 7-9% grade. We were rewarded at the top with a gorgeous waterfall and large mountain lake. Unfortunately the skies were so gray with rain clouds that the lake looked more ominous than pristine. The true reward of the climb was the 25 mile straightaway downhill into Anaconda with a stellar tailwind.
The town of Anaconda had a 25 mile speed limit through the downtown area and we were close to exceeding it. Marc said that he was running the same speed as a car full of kids and they were all making faces at him. I'd take that ride over mine. I experienced more of a Frogger Video Game scenario - dodging obstacles all the way through town. First there was the Border Collie that ran out in the middle of the busy lunchtime traffic. Luckily, I slowed down enough avoid the dog and the old lady with the walker that suddenly decided to dart out in front of me.
Once through town, we picked up the Interstate again for the rest of our ride through Butte and onto Whitehall. We were warned that the second mountain pass out of Butte would be a big one - 6400 ft. This can be harrowing, especially after riding 55+ miles.
I was feeling good today and though the pass would be a breeze, well until about 15 pedal strokes into the climb when I felt a shooting pain in my Achilles tendon. Ouch! (What the #$#%@! I must be getting sympathy pains for Marc's aches/pains - no that's real - Oh a burning, shooting pain in my right heel!) I contemplated my options - stop and walk the 5 miles up the pass? No that would take forever. Stop and hitch a ride to the top? No, we just passed a hitchhiker that was having absolutely no luck getting a ride. I am just stuck climbing the hill with the pain. So for the next 5 miles up the pass, I did a one legged pedal rotation with the other leg just limping along through the motions. Luckily once we reached the top, it was only 10 miles to Whitehall and mostly downhill. We made our first Continential Divide crossing today at the top of the pass. We are curious to see if this will be the only Divide Crossing or if we'll cross it again in Wyoming.
We made good time to our final destination of Whitehall and rolled into town about 4:45 PM (not bad for a 10 AM start). We chose the Chief Motel for our nightly accommodations and got the "Bicycle Discount" according to the motel clerk. (I think he just raised the rate $10 and then told us we got a discount of $10 - sneaky!) Our room is rustic and comfortable with a large King Bed.
We walked down to the Two Bit Saloon for dinner. For such a sleepy town, the saloon was surprisingly modern with great food. I had the chicken fingers and they were the moistest, most delicious fried chicken fingers that I have ever had. Hand battered and cooked to absolute perfection! (Either I'm getting hungrier or the food is getting progressively better as we journey!) Oh - I almost forgot my pie of the day! I had a surprisingly good mini pecan pie at the Conoco convenience store in Anaconda. It had a delicious caramelly center and roasted pecan top with a tart like crust. Not bad for packaged food. (The pies are getting scarce again - hopefully Joe will know of a good pie stop in Bozeman.)
Tomorrow we are going to venture off the highway and take backroads to Bozeman. Its about 65 miles and should feel like a light day compared to the 80-90 mile days that we've been logging. We are both excited to see our friend Joe in Bozeman.
We finally left the B&B around 9 am only to find that Marc had a flat tire. It was about time that he change out his tires, so no time like the present. After the tire change out and a short 1/4 mile ride into town for breakfast, we were off on our 80 mile ride to Whitehall. I was a bit apprehensive about today's ride. All the locals we met in town warned us about climbing "the grade". They were referring to the mountain pass that loomed about 10 miles out of Philipsburg. Neither one of us were in the shape to climb today. I was still tired and dreaming of the cozy bed that I had to leave, and Marc was in pain with his inflamed Achilles Tendons.
I was pleasantly surprised by "the grade". It really wasn't that bad - only about a 3 mile twisting climb at about a 7-9% grade. We were rewarded at the top with a gorgeous waterfall and large mountain lake. Unfortunately the skies were so gray with rain clouds that the lake looked more ominous than pristine. The true reward of the climb was the 25 mile straightaway downhill into Anaconda with a stellar tailwind.
The town of Anaconda had a 25 mile speed limit through the downtown area and we were close to exceeding it. Marc said that he was running the same speed as a car full of kids and they were all making faces at him. I'd take that ride over mine. I experienced more of a Frogger Video Game scenario - dodging obstacles all the way through town. First there was the Border Collie that ran out in the middle of the busy lunchtime traffic. Luckily, I slowed down enough avoid the dog and the old lady with the walker that suddenly decided to dart out in front of me.
Once through town, we picked up the Interstate again for the rest of our ride through Butte and onto Whitehall. We were warned that the second mountain pass out of Butte would be a big one - 6400 ft. This can be harrowing, especially after riding 55+ miles.
I was feeling good today and though the pass would be a breeze, well until about 15 pedal strokes into the climb when I felt a shooting pain in my Achilles tendon. Ouch! (What the #$#%@! I must be getting sympathy pains for Marc's aches/pains - no that's real - Oh a burning, shooting pain in my right heel!) I contemplated my options - stop and walk the 5 miles up the pass? No that would take forever. Stop and hitch a ride to the top? No, we just passed a hitchhiker that was having absolutely no luck getting a ride. I am just stuck climbing the hill with the pain. So for the next 5 miles up the pass, I did a one legged pedal rotation with the other leg just limping along through the motions. Luckily once we reached the top, it was only 10 miles to Whitehall and mostly downhill. We made our first Continential Divide crossing today at the top of the pass. We are curious to see if this will be the only Divide Crossing or if we'll cross it again in Wyoming.
We made good time to our final destination of Whitehall and rolled into town about 4:45 PM (not bad for a 10 AM start). We chose the Chief Motel for our nightly accommodations and got the "Bicycle Discount" according to the motel clerk. (I think he just raised the rate $10 and then told us we got a discount of $10 - sneaky!) Our room is rustic and comfortable with a large King Bed.
We walked down to the Two Bit Saloon for dinner. For such a sleepy town, the saloon was surprisingly modern with great food. I had the chicken fingers and they were the moistest, most delicious fried chicken fingers that I have ever had. Hand battered and cooked to absolute perfection! (Either I'm getting hungrier or the food is getting progressively better as we journey!) Oh - I almost forgot my pie of the day! I had a surprisingly good mini pecan pie at the Conoco convenience store in Anaconda. It had a delicious caramelly center and roasted pecan top with a tart like crust. Not bad for packaged food. (The pies are getting scarce again - hopefully Joe will know of a good pie stop in Bozeman.)
Tomorrow we are going to venture off the highway and take backroads to Bozeman. Its about 65 miles and should feel like a light day compared to the 80-90 mile days that we've been logging. We are both excited to see our friend Joe in Bozeman.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
