This morning started great! A beautiful day, mostly blue sky. I like early starts because if something goes wrong, then one has more time to adjust before dark. In this case, there was to be an interesting mix of hills, coulees, and the crown was to be a three mile long climb, about 17 miles from my end destination, the town of Denton.

It was warm enough to not need a jacket, but cloudy enough to not overheat.

I can tell that I am away from the big cities, because the meal prices plummet.  When was the last time that I only got charged .50 for a large, refillable iced tea?  The server at lunch wished me well, and hoped that I would miss the big storm that was supposed to arrive this afternoon. That was news, but in conflict with the weather app on my phone. (Note to self:  Do not pay attention to the weather app anymore)

The afternoon went well, and I could see, in the distance, the big climb. I knew I could do it, but it would not be easy. Several miles from the start of the climb, I came up to another road project. Once again, they loaded up my bike in the back of a pickup, and carried me all the way to the top! Thank you, Lord.  A few miles later, a sign said "Denton 14 miles". I'll get into town early, get my tent set up in the park, and relax.

An antelope mother with its fawn, crossed the road in front of me. What a beautiful day. 

In my mirror I could see black clouds behind me. The wind seemed to be blowing a different direction. Maybe, I will not have to deal with it. As the road turned to the right, I realized that this was no ordinary storm. The rain, from the clouds to the ground, was a dark grey, almost black. Instead of getting wet, I might get very, very wet. It looked like the storm was going to bypass me.

About five miles from Denton, it was becoming clear that the storm was coming my way, and doing it quickly. My plan was to keep pedaling, on the chance that I could make it to town before the rain. But if I got caught, I would stop, put my rain coat and pants on, and continue to town.

All of a sudden, this incredibly violent wind whipped me all the way across the road, still upright and rolling. Fortunately, there was little traffic on the road, and none at the moment. But the wind was blowing VERY hard, to the point that I was leaning hard into it to keep from being blown over. I had to get to cover, but where? A hundred yards ahead were some metal granaries, with an open, unfenced driveway to them. I ducked behind the biggest one, in the lee of the wind, put on my rain gear, and hunkered down.  This was no ordinary storm, it felt like the fringe of a tornado, though no funnel could be seen. I thought this might be it. Is this what you had planned, Lord? 

Hmm, where does one hide in the open if a tornado hits. I found an old concrete foundation, sticking 18 inches above the ground, and only 4 feet across that I could dive into if necessary.

Slowly, the winds started to slow down. After 45 minutes, I walked out to the road, and decided I could ride safely to town. Of course, setting up a tent in this wind could be problematic.

Finding the cafe in town, I had several hot chocolates, which warmed me up, and calmed me down. Come to find out, there was a motel in town, with an available room.

In talking to the locals, this was an uncommon storm. The winds were 70 mph.  One lady described how her car started to lift on one side, then the other while driving. One man had two big cottonwood trees completely uprooted. There were lots of trees broken in half, and power lines down because of fallen trees.

If tomorrow is back to normal, then I am back on the road again. The sooner I finish, the sooner I get back with Karen. Boy, I miss her. 

Before leaving home, I pictured headwinds as being the main meteorelogical complication I would face in Montana. Now I am finding all sorts of wild storm cells criss crossing the state. It looks like the whole United States is facing severe weather. It is clear that I will have to use caution and care moving forward. 

If the weather is still bad or unusually windy, there are worse places to be than in Denton, Montana.

God's blessings to you all.