Day #56 (7/1/24) – Bike Across America

I woke up to my alarm at 5:30 and was on the bike a little after 6:30. I wanted an early start to avoid the winds that were going to be in my face and building during the day to 10+ mph.

It was 60 degrees to start the day and cloudy. As I left Ashland, I entered the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. I started the day with a 12 mile, 1,300 foot climb. This was the range of mountains that I had to bike over.

It took me about two hours to complete the climb. On my way up, I saw this group of beautiful horses in a field next to the road.

At the top of the climb there was road construction.

They were paving one side of the road. One lane was closed and they were using a pilot vehicle to lead a group of vehicles through the construction while the vehicles going the opposite direction waited for their turn. I biked up to the worker who was directing traffic and asked him if I was going to be able to get through this construction on my bike. He just looked at me like I was an alien. He said he had never been asked that question before. He didn’t know what to do with me and walked over to the guy in the pilot vehicle to ask him. I could tell that they got on the radio to ask the guy in charge. I honestly thought they were going to have me put my bike in the back of the pilot vehicle, since it was a full sized pickup truck. But he came back and said I could ride my bike through. He just asked that I keep up with the vehicles. I told him that I could, since I was at the top of the hill and I knew it was a steep downhill from there.

The pilot vehicle took off, followed by all of the vehicles that had been waiting. I went last. And no, I couldn’t keep up. Even peddling in my biggest gear, the pilot vehicle was going too fast. But I wasn’t too far behind. After three miles, I got to the end of the construction. The construction workers knew I was coming and held up the uphill traffic for me. Most of them waved as I zoomed by.

The nice thing about being last was that there weren’t going to be any vehicles passing me for a while. I was able to bike the remaining five miles into the town of Lame Deer without any vehicles passing me.

I searched for a restaurant in Lame Deer for a second breakfast, but there wasn’t any. Lame. 🤣. So I biked on with my hopes for food in the town of Busby – 15 miles away.

As I was biking towards Busby, the sky started to darken. The weather forecast only called for a 15% chance of rain. I pulled over to check the radar and saw that I was likely to be rained on. I kept going to see how far I could get before the rain started.

About six miles away from Busby, it started to rain. There were a few houses around, but many didn’t have a good place outside to shelter from the rain. Then, I spotted a house that had a covered breezeway between the house and garage. I biked up their driveway and rang the doorbell to see if I could shelter there. No answer. So, I pulled my bike into the breezeway and sat on a stool that was there and waited for the rain to end.

After I settled in, the worst guard dogs in the world (after my dog, Petey) came by to check me out and get some attention.

Eventually, the owners of the house came home with their son. They were very gracious, and were happy to have me there and help me stay dry. Their names were Lujuana & Lafe. I really enjoyed getting to know them. We talked about their lives and that area of Montana. I shared about myself and my bike adventure. Lujuana gave me a little gift to take with me that she made.

They had to leave to run an errand, and left me in the breezeway with their permission to stay as long as I needed to. Miraculously, they passed me in their truck later that day in the town of Hardin, where I finished today’s ride.

Eventually, the rain stopped and I was able to get back on my bike. I think I was sheltered for a couple of hours. I biked the remaining miles to Busby and stopped at the only store in town for some lunch. It was slim pickings, but I managed. I talked with the cashier, who owned the store with her husband, while I ate my lunch. It was nice to hear more about the area and a little about how the reservations work.

From Busby, it was 25 miles into a headwind to get to my next stop, which was the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. A mile outside of Busby, I entered the Crow Reservation. Here are some pictures of the pretty scenery from that stretch of road.

I got to the battlefield and had to climb up a steep hill to get to the ticket booth. When I got there, I saw a sign that said the museum was closed. I asked the attendant, what was open, and he said only the hiking trails. I wasn’t up for a hike. I had really wanted to see the museum. I kind of felt like the Griswolds in the movie, National Lampoon’s Vacation, when they got to Wallyworld and it was closed.

I coasted back down the hill and crossed the highway to a Native American restaurant that was recommended by the store owner in Busby. They had a sign at the restaurant that said they made the best Indian Taco in the West. So, I ordered that, because I didn’t want to miss out. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as an Indian Taco. It turned out to be okay, but not something that I would order again.

While I was waiting for my taco, I made a hotel reservation in the town of Hardin, which was 16 miles away.

The 16 miles to Hardin were hard. :). There was a 15 mph headwind, which made it slow going. It’s especially frustrating when you just want to be done for the day. But, there are no hotels between Ashland and Hardin.

I got into my hotel in Hardin at 5:30. It was a long day. I biked 80 miles and climbed 3,200 feet.

I decided to take a rest day tomorrow to give my body a break. I have biked nine days in a row and biked 720 miles in those days. My last rest day was in O’Neill, Nebraska. So, looking forward to a recovery day.