Late yesterday was shocking when I discovered all the new terrain that I would have to cover. A heavy load rested on my shoulders as I tried to figure out the best places to eat and to stay. Then I reminded myself that I am not alone. God is not my co-pilot, He is the pilot. So after some earnest prayer, the burden lifted.

Today was another early start, on the road by 7:45 AM. It took a while to get out of Great Falls, but once out of town things went smoothly. Not easily, but smoothly. Morning had its fair share of climbing. Often, the climbing is to get out of a Coulee  (I called them canyons earlier). Typically you drop into a Coulee at a high speed, then it is level for a while. Then the climbing starts. Several times this morning, the climbs lasted from 20 to 30 minutes. One has to think about something other the fatigue building in the legs. For the first time this trip, the Department of Highways decided that some of the steeper parts would be better with gravel, not asphalt. It must help give cars better traction in the winter, but was not a plus to a bicycler.

All in all, the body felt okay by lunch, despite the climbing. There was only one more climb in the afternoon, then a gentle downhill grade to my projected stop, Fort Benton.   

Today's 60 miles was just preparation for some challenging days ahead. Tomorrow will have more mileage and climbing, and will end with me camping in a city park. Woe to those shopkeepers who have this smelly bicycler entering their business.😊

Fort Benton is a beautiful little town, featuring five museums. At one time it was a trading post for trappers, then became a military post, then a major trade center when gold was discovered. It has a fascinating history, all because the Missouri River flows through it. The federally protected Missouri Breaks are a wonderland for sightseeing and exploring in the river. Much of this area has not changed since Lewis and Clark came through in the early 1800s.

The good news is that the weather forecast of rain for tomorrow has been dropped to only a 20% chance. Temperatures are still moderate, with highs around 80 degrees. 

Blessings. 

This day started so great. Nine hours of restful sleep. Modest breakfast next door. Sunday School and Service with wonderful people.  Getting supplies, then lunch. Chatting with Karen and friends on the cell phone. Maybe this might be a good time to go over my schedule for next week.

Whoops!

Did I ever make a whopper of a mistake! Somehow I got the idea that I could boat from Fort Benton to Fort Beck, bicycle and all. Before leaving home I realized that that would not happen, but I forgot to adjust my itinerary. Daily mileages are a function of terrain, and availability of food and camping/lodging. This terrain will be very tiring. Food and shelter will be scarce.

My best guess is that I will be in North Dakota , not the four days I earlier announced, but in ten days, including a rest day somewhere. Oh, Lord be with me.

ESTHER IS IN TROUBLE: If you have been reading this journal, you may recall that Karen's friend, Esther Harmon, joined us for the first three and one half days before she and Karen peeled off for home. She commented on how she liked the drawstrings on the legs of my shorts. I asked "Why?" She said "So that a bee couldn't fly up the shorts."  Having ridden over 7,000 miles without the drawstring pulled tight, I kept my mouth shut, but thought it interesting what some can find to worry about. The last day, I had put on clean shorts, on which the drawstrings were pulled tight. I had tightened them on a photo shoot before I left home. After the girls left for home, as I was pedaling along, I realized that I had forgotten to unloosen the drawstrings. Temperatures were around 90, and the extra cool air would feel good.

They hadn't been loosened for even a minute, when a bee flew up the shorts, found itself trapped, and started stinging me. it did not survive long, but the memory of how Esther jinxed me still lives. If she had just kept her mouth shut it probably never would have happened.😊 

Last night I got my tent set up, all the gear inside, the mattress pad and sleeping bag laid out, and food in the tummy. What is next? I need to write my daily journal.

The moment I finished, it started to rain and blow with fury. I scurried into the bar at the motel, and, along with the other patrons, watched sheets of rain turn into hail, then back into sheets of rain again. I wondered how well I had pegged down the tent. Ten minutes later, I found out. It was still there. I also discoveed that the tent leaks. The panniers were wet, but by laying tomorrow's bicycle clothing on top of my shoes, they were dry. A small amount of water had pooled on the floor, but my chamois "bath towel" quickly soaked it up. The mattress pad was wet, but the sleeping bag was dry.☺

Unfortunately, that was just the first act to this thunderstorm, which acted up all night.

But not when I got up! Up at 6 AM, packed (albeit wet) by 7 AM, breakfast at Mel's Diner (i'm not kidding), and on the road a few minutes before 8 AM. I did not sleep well last night, but a motel room and bed would be in Great Falls, so that was good motivation.

For the first time, I donned my rain jacket and rain pants first thing, and wore them all day, even though it did not rain. It was cold, in the 50s, with a breeze.

The only thing that kept today's ride from being perfect was the lack of eating establishments for lunch. 42 miles after breakfast, I had some deep fried foods at a bar.

Tomorrow is a rest day. My motel, in Great Falls, is across the street from a Methodist Church, perfect for worship tomorrow. Believe it or not, there is a laundromat next door, and an abundance of eating establishments within walking distance.

After doing laundry, it will be a good time to study scripture. In Everett, my fellow Children Leaders from Men's Bible Study Fellowship, are doing homiletics from selected scriptures in John, our study the Fall. So I have been doing them, at the same time, while on the road.

The last 6 days of riding covered 368 miles. If my calculations are correct (not something you should bet money on) I should be in North Dakota before next weekend. There is supposed to be lots of hill climbing in eastern Montana, and probably in North Dakota, also. Minnesota, however should be flat. 

God bless you all. 

Part of today's plan went well, then it started going downhill faster than a Montana thunderstom. 

Studying today's route last night, I realized that there were no services between Lincoln, where I stayed last night, and tonight's stop, Augusta, MT. That meant I would have to pack lunch, snacks and extra water. Temperatures were supposed to be 6-8 degrees warmer today than yesterday. This put my total bike weight over the 100 pound mark😊.  

Roger's Pass was on my mind. I did not think it would be daunting. Lincoln, my starting point was already at 4,600 feet. The first 13 miles brought me up to over 5,300 feet. The final climb was not steep, and I had descended 500 feet before deciding to have lunch.

The entire trip today was scheduled to be 56 miles, and it looked like today was going to be just as good as yesterday was. Unfortunately that ended up not being the case.

There were several times that the road dropped sharply down into a canyon, then I had to slowly crawl back out again. My map showed two of these, but I am sure there were more. The climbs out of these canyons were longer and steeper than Roger's Pass. After a while, this began to take its toll. I had no more food, and I was going through the water and Gatorade fast.

Partway through the descent off the Pass, the vegetation changed. It probably changed much earlier, but this is when I noticed it. The conifer trees were gone, and the land looked like cattle country. This is the way it wI'll be the rest of the trip through Montana, I expect.

Making a turn to Augusta, I was able to see the mountain range, very majestic and pretty. It was hard to imagine that I had been winding through them for days.

Only 20 miles to Augusta, and I was starting to tire. But 20 miles should't take too long. Then I noticed the darkening clouds, quickly obscuring the mountains, and dropping rain. Lots of it. We appeared to be on a collision course. Oh well, I'd either get rained on or not. It will not be the first time, and will happen often on this sojourn.

Although it was dumping hard to the west, north and northeast, it was sunny overhead, and this lasted all the way into town. Now I just need to get a room.

There were no rooms available. Not anywhere. Apparently farm equipment auctions are big draws in these parts. So, for the first time this trip, I am camping. There is plenty of space behind the motel, and I could use the showers.

Walking back my tent, the heavens opened up with thunder and it finally started to rain. Hmm, stay in tent and wait for the rain to stop, or throw on a rain coat and go find some grub! My stomach prevailed and I was none the worse for walking in the rain.

Tomorrow, is a 49-60 mile day, depending on the source. Then I will have reached Great Falls and a day of rest and recuperation.

This bicycle journey is a lot like life. It is good or not so good, depending on the choices I make. Choices such as: the route taken; the daily mileage; where to eat; when to rest. The dynamics may be different for than for you, but all of us make decisions (choices) all day, every day.

My itinerary showed me riding 52 miles today, and camping. Then tomorrow was to be a 84 miler, including going over Roger's Pass. Unfortunately, the Pass would be late in the afternoon, when I would be tired. What else might work better?

Studying my map, I discovered that if I went 28 additional miles today, giving me 80 miles total, I would reduce Friday's mileage to 56. Additionally, I would be summiting Roger's Pass 17 miles into the day. As a bonus, there would be a motel to stay in.

The question is: How would the body hold up? The answer, besides "Who knows?", is "What does it matter?" I am either doing 80 miles today or 84 tomorrow. Let's get it over with today.  

Another 5 AM MST wake up. Finishing prayers and devotions by 6 AM, I was on the road before 7 AM. 

The road was nice, and the scenery was flat out gorgeous. Had breakfast an hour onto the ride. Something was different. It was cooler outside. It even sprinkled a little. This, the 9th day of riding, was the first day when the temperature did not get into the 80s. In fact, I do not think it got above 75 degrees.

The ride was typical: Lots of climbing then lots of descending. But the day went smoothly, and, for the first time, I was not tired when, at 4 PM, I checked in to a motel. Strange, huh? The fourth consecutive day of riding, the longest day so far, and I feel great! It might have been the weather. It might have been the fact that I filled my water bottle up with Gatorade instead of water. Or maybe the body is starting to get inured to bike travel. Or maybe God decided to specially bless this day of cycling. Or maybe all of them, but I look forward to more like it.

Tomorrow will be similar to today, only shorter, 56 miles, and a mountain pass to conquer. One more day of riding on Saturday, then another day of rest, on Sunday, in Great Falls.

The weather has been unusual. The Plains are known for violent rainstorms, and there have been lots of severe thunderstorms in this area, just not where I am.

Yesterday at the Adventure Cycling Association office, I picked up the Fed Ex envelope from Karen. Inside was an object that I forgot to transfer from my clip-on bike shoes to the shoes I am using on this trip. It is intended to be an aid to emergency personnel in the event of an accident. It states my name, my hometown, my home phone number, it notes that I am an organ donor, my blood type, and, perhaps most importantly, the words "Lord watch over me."

Blessings to you all. 

Today's production, as in many days, was a function of the decisions made. Uppermost on my mind was to make it to the Adventure Cycling Association office in Missoula before it closed at 5 PM. Choosing to stay in Superior, MT, meant a 60 miles ride. Had I gone to the next town, 20 miles closers to Missoula, today might have been a lot easier.

Hmm. If I want to leave Superior by 7 AM (6 AM PST), what time do I need to get up? Which is more important, extra sleep, or devotions? I opted for devotions, and set the alarm clock for 5 AM (4 AM PST).

Everything went smoothly, and I was on the road by 6:40 AM MST.  If things went well, I might be under cover before the thunderstorms hit in the afternoon.  The first thing I noticed when I got onto I-90 was a sign indicating 27 miles to the next town with a motel. This means that had I decided to get a room at the next town, yesterday's 53 miles would have become an 80 miler. Good grief, I am glad I stayed in Superior last night.

Temperatures were expected to be in the low 90's again, but the sun conveniently hid behind clouds most of the morning.

I had forgotten just how darned beautiful western Montana is. As I wove my way through the Bitterroot Mountains, the beauty was striking.

As usual there were lots of construction projects on I--90, lasting from 2-8 miles. It reminds me of the old joke: What are the 4 seasons in Montana called?  Pre-snow, snow, snow, and road construction.

By early afternoon, I pulled up in front of the American Cycling Association (ACA) office. This is the mecca for touring bicyclists. For drop in tourers, they have free ice cream, sodas, juices and water. They also have large tire pumps which would come in handy. I was given a tour of the building. It was unusual to be the only visitor, as there were a half dozen visitors 8 years ago.  A bunch arrived as I was leaving.

Before leaving, I was airing up my tires when a man walked up. He said "I understand that you had your photo taken here 8 years ago. I am the photographer." I acknowledged the photo, but did not remember him. He said "I want to take another one." I agreed to allow him to do it as long as I could get a copy. We went behind the building where his backdrop is. In every issue of Adventure Cycling magazine there is a photo of a touring bicyclers in front of the backdrop. I am not expecting my photo to make the cut.

After we were done, he said that the ACA has added something new, weighing the bikes and gear, if the owner was interested. I was!!  You see, I knew it was around 85 pounds, and it always interested me on how people, without cargo, talk about there long rides, or the ease of summiting mountain passas, when their bikes weigh less than 25 pounds. My upright bicycle at home weighs 18 pounds and Steven's Pass was a lot easier on it than the one I am on now.

We tied a cloth band around my bike, then lifted it high enough so that the tires were off the ground when I let go. It weighed 97 pounds!!! Yikes. Small wonder that it is slow and difficult going uphill.

Tomorrow starts a new page on this journey. Up to now, I had been familiar with almost all of the route over the last 9 days. Thursday will be all new territory. I have not been this way before, and tomorrow will be my first night of camping. Day #2 will have my last mountain pass, Roger's Pass. At the end of the third day, I hope to be in Great Falls, then another day of rest.

I don't know when the next journal entry will be made.  It may be two or three days.

Good night all. 

Today looked to be a mixture of slow, grinding climbing, and downhill descents. Wallace, Idaho is not far from Lookout Pass, the border between Idaho and Montana.  The Coeur d'Alene Trail continues through Wallace and goes to the next town, Mullan. Then one gets on I-90 to the summit. I was calculating 8 miles on I-90 before the summit, but I think I overestimated the mileage. Regardless, I did not have to ride it.

As I started onto the on ramp to I-90, a pick up, with a flashing light, pulled alongside. There was a bunch of road work being done eastbound, and bicyclers were not allowed to ride it. Instead we loaded the bike into the back of his truck, and he carried me five miles over the pass. As we were driving, I noticed how narrow the lane was. I would have gotten squashed like a bug on a windshield.

The driver asked about the flag on the end of my antenna, which says "Body and Soul" . It gave me an opportunity to explain the Good News about Christ's death, burial, resurrection and assension to sit on the right hand of the Father. Believing this, and opening one'side heart to the Lord is a transformative experience.

The next decision was whether to still stop in Superior, MT, or try to go further. I decided, rightly or wrongly, to stop. 53 miles was enough, and I didn't feel like going another 20 miles. It seems like the right choice. What could go wrong?

Well, for starters, I have to be in Missoula, 60 miles away, before 5 PM. Karen Fed Ex-ed a letter to me that I need.  No problem, I will just leave early, say 7 AM, that should solve it! Did I mention that I am in a new time zone now? Leaving at 7 AM, is, to my body clock, like leaving at 6 AM.  Did I mention that thunderstorms are predicted tomorrow afternoon?   It appears that grinding through that extra 20 miles today, would have made tomorrow a lot easier. 

I will let you know how tomorrow goes. If you have not seen my Facebook page, there is a funny photo from this morning. Take a look.

Blessings on you all.  

Today's trip was, from a bicycling perspective, the best day so far. 

Temperatures were expected to be in the 90's, so an early start seemed wise. At 7:45 AM, I was on the way.

The first task was to ride over the 4th of July Pass. As passes go, this was not as difficult as Steven's Pass or the Orondo Grade. It was not as steep or as long, but it still feels punitive when riding up its slope.  Yet, it only took an hour and one half to the top. The descent could have been much faster, but I braked to keep the speed close to 30 mph. After several miles of descending, I left I-90, to have an early lunch. It was then that I discovered a new trailhead onto the Coeur d'Alene Trail, so I took it.

The advantage of most rail trails is that the slope tends to be much more gradual than are found on highways. Trains just could not pull heavy loads up anything except gradual slopes. So these are great for bicyclers, and this trail was no exception. It was flat out gorgeous. A moose decided to move away from the trail when I approached. I did not know that moose were common here.

At any rate, I was able go fairly fast, for this bike, 12-13 mph, uphill, for extended periods of time.

There was even time to take a side trip to the Catalog Mission, the oldest building in Idaho, and still one of the most interesting.

On the trail again, I approached the back of a large concrete building. It was a Walmart. Not exactly what or where I expected, but I took advantage of this opportunity. Several days earlier, my lips got sunburned . I had forgotten sunblock lip chapstick, and could not  find it in any store until this Walmart.

The arm that was so badly sunburned was still red but the pain had subsided from the aloe vera lotion applications. Though it seemed better, I did the same thing that I did on Saturday. After noon, when things really started to heat up, I would let the left arm drop to the side, resting on a pannier, and using my body to shade it from the sun. It seems to have helped.

65 miles today. 

Tomorrow I cross my third mountain pass, Lookout Pass. It has two other distinctions:  It is the state line between Idaho and Montana; It also puts me onto Mountain Standard Time, the first of three time zone changes as I head east.

Getting sleepy. Good night all. 

Today is a day of rest, both literally and figuratively.  After 9 hours of sleep, I awoke to get ready for church. Getting ready did not take long since I wore the exact same clothes that i slept in, to church. I only have one non-bicycling shirt and one non-bicycling pants. They are multi-functional.

The church service was vibrant, and the pastor's message, on Fear, had many thoughts that resonated with what I am doing.

Did I mention that I got a severe sunburn on my left arm? It was shocking to see the intensity of the burn, but I have been putting aloe vera lotion on it consistently all day, and multiple times during the night. 

Tomorrow, I ride to Wallace, Idaho. 

The owner of the motel in Davenport had a great idea. Instead of taking Hwy 2, with all its traffic, why not take a side road, which will have little traffic? I would need to leave early to avoid the closing of Hwy 2 at 10 AM in Reardon, the next town east, 10 miles down the road. If I could leave the motel by 7 AM, then I should get to Reardon early enough to have breakfast there. My stomach has been queasy in the morning, so maybe it will calm down after bicycling for an hour.

Rising at 5 AM, I spent an hour in prayer and devotions, then packed everything up, and was on the road (the side road) by 6:45 AM. The side road started out great, then became rough,  bumpy, and hilly. I was relieved to get finished with it. Hwy 2 would have been better and faster. Uh oh, the highway is closing early, so I cannot stop to eat. There will be something down the road.  And there was........at 10 AM.  Finding the Centennial Trail between Spokane and Coeur d'Alene was comical, but finally, I was on it and headed to my destination.  Once again, I had misjudged the distance, and did not arrive at my motel until after 5 PM. It was 76 miles, and made for a very long and tiring day.   

Tomorrow will be a day of rest (and laundry). Tuesday, I will be summiting Lookout Pass, and will be entering Montana.   

It is hard to describe how I feel, physically. 336 miles in 5 days. I am very tired. Hopefully tomorrow's inactivity will help. I am looking forward to worship tomorrow morning.