Days #57 & #58 – Bike Across America

Day #57 was a rest day. I had finished riding the last nine days straight, and felt that I needed a rest. I had made good progress in those nine days – covering 720 miles. Today’s winds would have been a 10 to 15 mph headwind, which also helped me make the decision to rest.

Since entering Wyoming , I’ve been struggling more on the emotional side of the adventure. It is lonely to ride this adventure by yourself. I have truly enjoyed meeting so many people, but I do spend a lot of time alone. That’s becoming a harder part for me. I’m thinking more about getting to Seattle and seeing Elizabeth again, then finishing this adventure at the Pacific ocean. I’ve had fewer conversations with other people since Nebraska, and that doesn’t help. I’m still confident that I’ll complete this adventure, it’s just not going as well emotionally. It actually helps me to be riding my bike and staying in the moment. The routine of the road is starting to wear on me. Also, the anxiety of riding on busier roads is emotionally draining. I’m doing fine, and I don’t want anyone to worry about me. It’s just part of my daily struggle that I’m processing. I’m growing through the struggle.

I spent a lot of time today looking at routes for the rest of the trip. Trying to ride on paved roads that aren’t too busy and that have a good amount of services. I usually don’t look too far ahead, but I did today. I decided to not ride the first half of the rail trails in Washington, because of how desolate they are and how bad the trail conditions seem to be. I found a highway route to bypass that section.

The rest of the day I relaxed. Did laundry. Caught up on Tour de France highlights. Exercised. I finished reading the book, “The Four Agreements”, which was a recommendation from my friend Dan. Then, I started reading, “Autobiography of a Yogi”.

I went to bed early, as I plan on an early start tomorrow.

Day #58 (7/3/24)

I woke up before my alarm at 4:15. I got ready and was biking before 5:30.

A little side note. I’ve found that since I crossed into Nebraska, most hotels don’t have elevators. I always ask for a first floor room, because of my bike. But, for the first time this trip, the hotel in Hardin didn’t have a first floor room available. When I checked into the hotel, I was able to get the receptionist at the hotel to help me carry my bike up the stairs, and it was hard work (even with two of us). When I was leaving the hotel, I didn’t want to ask the elderly lady at the front desk to help me, so I decided to get my gear down the stairs myself. I took my panniers off my bike and carried them downstairs, then rolled my bike downstairs. It took me three trips down the stairs, but I didn’t damage anything.

The temperature to start was 53 degrees, and the high temperature was forecast to be in the low 70’s. There was a small chance of rain throughout the day, but nothing that was going to keep me from riding.

At the start, the radar showed a small amount of light rain that I was going to pass through. So, I kept my rain jacket accessible. The day started with a beautiful rainbow.

The rain near Hardin turned out to be just a few sprinkles.

The route I was taking today started with 50 miles of desolate roads. There are no services once you leave Hardin, until you get to Billings. This is the last desolate stretch of road in Montana, and I was looking forward to putting it behind me. The terrain was very flat and there was lots of pastures and fields.

You could see for miles in every direction. Including several rainstorms in the area. The winds were light in the morning, and I was making good time.

About 20 miles in, I could see a big black rainstorm in the distance. I could only pray that it would miss me, because there wasn’t many buildings around to shelter from a storm.

I kept peddling. The storm got closer. I kept peddling. The storm got closer. 20 minutes go by. It starts to sprinkle. Another five minutes, and it is raining. I stopped to put my rain jacket on and stow my cell phone. There was no place to shelter, so I just had to keep riding.

I started thinking of a quote from Paul Suchecki, who is a YouTuber that I follow who does bike touring. Paul said in one of his videos, “If you go out looking for adventure, don’t complain when you find it.” So, I kept positive and kept peddling.

After ten minutes of riding in the rain, I saw a building in the distance. It still took me ten minutes to bike to it. But it was a granary that had its doors open. So, I was able to ride my bike inside where the trucks unload. There was no one else around.

I hung out there for about 25 minutes for the rain to stop. Then, I was back on the bike. Here is a good picture of the scenery at that point.

As I approached Billings, I had to climb a big hill. About 700 feet. Fortunately, the grade wasn’t too steep. I caught a few sprinkles of rain on my way up this hill. This is the view from the top with Billings in the distance.

It was only 10:00, and I had ridden almost 50 miles. I rode through Billings on a combination of roads, bike lanes and bike paths. I also stopped for lunch at the west end of town at a new Chipotle restaurant.

As I was eating lunch, I had to make a decision about how far I was going to ride today. It was only 11:30 and I had ridden 60 miles. I could either ride 15 more, or 40 more (based on where the towns with hotels were). I was still feeling good, so I decided to do the 40 more, which would put me into the town of Columbus.

On the way to Columbus, I was able to dodge several rainstorms. The wind really started to blow in my face for the last 15 miles. I had to go down several gears, and just keep pedaling. I got into Columbus a little after 3:00. Here is some scenery from this part of the ride.

For the day, I biked 100 miles, and climbed 3,200 feet.

It seems to be a pattern in this part of the country that the wind picks up in the afternoon. So, I m sticking to an early start each day, so I don’t have to battle the wind as much in the afternoon.