Friday, May 22, 2009

Day 42 - Wolf Point to Glasgow, MT


Miles for the day: 60

Miles to date: 2158

Comment of the day: I called a campground to obtain some information and I explained I am cycling into town and would like information on their tent sites. The woman on the other end of the phone asked, "Will you need an RV hookup?" I can look again, but last time I checked Charlie and Bob did not come equipped with a water, electric or sewage outlet.

I learned a serious lesson today. I thought according to weather.com I would have mild tailwinds today. I doddled in the morning with JJ because I thought my 60 mile day would go by quickly. I took so much pleasure in the first 10 miles with the boost of wind behind my back....and then the winds changed. The next 50 miles did not treat me as well. I do not regret the time I spent with JJ in the morning though because we had great a chat, I had a relaxing morning and I even got to ride his sweet three wheeler.


At one point during the ride I had nearly ran out of water because I thought I would be moving quicker and 25 miles split the towns in a very desolate area on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. I saw some teenager boys picking up trash on the side of the road and as I drew closer they waved and one boy shouted, "Are you thirsty?" I responded, "As a matter of fact I am!" I gladly accepted the bottle of water and thanked them for their generosity.


I was not paying attention to the road at one point today and when I looked down at the last minute I saw barbed wire just as my front tire, back tire and Bob's tire rolled over a nasty enemy. The cycling gods had my back and somehow protected me from a serious problem and I escaped with air in all three tires.


I arrived to my town with no official place to stay for the evening. I should be shamed because for a moment I gave up on the magic of cycle touring (perhaps out of my hunger and exhaustion) and I became frustrated when the "perfect" place to stay did not present itself immediately. I made it to the library by 5:15 only to find the doors had closed at 5:00. I biked two miles outside of town to find an RV camp about as dumpy as they come. I made a tough choice to back track and ride into town (at least I had 2 miles of some sweet tailwinds!). I found a hotel/campground and for only $18 I received a great tent site with showers, hot tub, lounge, a 24 hour restaurant and Internet. The 4 mile detour proved well worth the lodging find!

I enjoyed the hot tub, cooked dinner on my stove, and even had time for a couple of drinks and met some interesting people. By the end of the night I even received an invitation to a wedding for the following evening but I had to decline in order to stay on schedule.

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