Start: 7:40 AM
Finish: 11:50 AM
Saddle Time: 3:03
Ascent: 474 feet
Descent: 1,441 feet
Miles: 49 miles
Total Miles: 869
Highlight: A tailwind!
Lowlight: Like yesterday, finishing up earlier than I would like.
Cyclemeter: Follow this link to see the data I’m collecting with the cyclemeter app. You can see GPS information, speed, elevation, distance, cadence and heart rate. Better viewed on a computer where it’s easier to play around with the graphs.
I woke up to a howling wind outside, certainly hoped it was blowing in a favorable direction. Had a really nice night in this cabin, quiet and comfortable, I feel rested. For breakfast I had a sandwich I bought last night along with coffee made in my room. I was in no rush to get moving since I knew the ride was all downhill.
I eventually made it out by 8:00 and found I had a tailwind! For the first time! Maybe there’s something to what I heard about the predominant winds blowing easterly east of the continental divide, let’s hope this holds up. With very little peddling I was cruising along at 15-20mph, so much better than climbing up a mountain. The sky was very overcast, also for the first time on this trip. So far I’ve seen no rain while riding or at night but there are few sprinkles in the air. I debated making my rain jacket more accessible but decided against it, the weather is calling for sunny skies.
I’m still on highway 2 which I despised near Glacier but here although still two lanes the shoulder was very wide and in good condition. Traffic was regular but not all a problem. My only issue was debris on the shoulder, bits of sand and gravel from the chip seal, not heavy but I was constantly concerned my tires would loose traction. Made it to the small town of Browning in about an hour and stopped in a gas stations for a breakfast sandwich. I had two people honk and wave at me as I entered town. Maybe cyclists live here.
Out of Browning I stopped at a Lewis and Clark Memorial. Apparently it was the furthest point north they ventured. A sign on the road explained the historical significants with a memorial a few hundreds yards down a dirt road. I noticed a cyclist at the memorial so I rode up to see if it was someone I had met. The memorial clearly had been vandalized, maybe putting a Lewis and Clark memorial in Blackfeet country is a bad idea. The cyclist was a west bounder from Minneapolis who also recently retired but is a good 15 years older than me. We talked for a long time about our trips. Throughout Montana he stayed at town parks. Most towns have parks with pools which include showers. They don’t officially allow camping but he hasn’t had any problems. I’d rather just stay in a motel but I’ll keep that in mind, maybe I will need to some day.
Glad I went up to the monument because it sat on top of a hill and gave me a good view of the surrounding are. I’m clearly out of the mountains and descending into the plains. Very few trees in sight, everything is grass. A little while further I started seeing silos surrounded by wheat farms. Very much in wheat country. For a long while the road was straight as an arrow. This will likely be my scenery for the next 2-3 weeks. Maybe I’ll eventually miss the mountains.
Made it in to Cut Bank a little before noon. There’s a Super 8 and an RV park in town. I tried booking the Super 8 online but there was no vacancy. I called their number but it went to a central Super 8 booking agency who said they were only booking two night stays over the weekend. My plan was to show up at the desk, maybe there was a cancellation, someone checked out early, or perhaps they have rooms not listed online or over the phone.
Sure enough they had space. In fact I heard the manager talking behind the desk saying they were no where near full for the night. I mentioned how I couldn’t book online or over the phone. He said it was the Super 8 mothership who sets such stupid policies. I had a similar experience last night in West Glacier where all that was listed online were expensive cabins while the couple I met called the day before and got a cheap room. So that’s a travel lesson for you. If you see no vacancy or pricey digs online either call the location directly or if you can show up in person.
I couldn’t checkin until 3:00 so I went over to a local diner for lunch, used their very good wifi to make a couple instagram posts. Finally checked in to my room, took a shower, did laundry, and went next door to the supermarket to buy some food for dinner. I’m sick of eating is restaurants so I’ll see what I can round up at the market: 0.5 lb shredded chicken, bag of salad, an avocado, and a slice of cheesecake. Perfect. Also restocked my emergency supply of sardines and rice and refilled my dwindling oatmeal. And of course a can of wine. Seriously, it’s not bad.
Spent the evening working on this and other blog posts and was ready for bed by 9:30. I think I’m getting too comfortable in motels, not sure when I’ll camp again. The plan for tomorrow is similar to today, show up in Conrad, look for a motel, and fallback to an RV park if necessary.
