June 25, 2005
Great Falls, MT to Craig, MT: Finally, on the road!
Breakfast, packing, and loading the bike were all accomplished - though not as quickly as I would have liked. Oregon John (we had three Johns out of twelve people on this trip) was ready soon after me. He agreed to ride out of town with me. Coming from a small town of 5,000 people I enjoy cycling the most when I can point down the road and pedal. I was sure to get lost in the metropolis of Great Falls.
This was a perfect riding day. Cool, crisp air. There was no traffic on our I-15 frontage road. Everyone with a destination was over on the interstate. We rode down stream along the Missouri River. I think the fly fisherman were just as entertained by us as we were by them. Two of the fellows said they had an offer from a boat full of women to abandon their bicycles and join them. The guys were quite skeptical of the idea. They thought the women only wanted some muscles to row them back to their starting point.
Smoker John and I leap frogged each other most of the morning. I eventually caught up with him at a cigarette break. Hey, I'm not saying anything. Smoker John was a faster cyclist than I. He and I rode together fairly often as we were both early risers. Smoker John had a 'real' SLR camera with several lenses and I frequently caught him while he was snapping a photo.
It was a good thing I was following John or I would have missed the turn to camp. Peggy and Jerry did miss the turn and rode several bonus miles before they turned back.
Our first night camping was not a good example of campsites. We had to set our tents up on gravel. Pit toilets, no showers, we did have water from an old hand style pump. A shower after a long days ride is a real plus.There was a bar and a convenience store and that was about it for Craig, MT. Bob and Robert went down to the river for a bath, but pronounced it too cold.
Usually when there is no store we had to carry our dinner, breakfast, and lunch fixings from the previous town. We got a break this first day. Guy brought our groceries when he delivered Ryan Kaplan, our leader. Guy had picked up Ryan at the airport in Great Falls. Ryan got there just in time to assemble his bicycle in a strong downpour. I dove into my tent and snuggled up in my sleeping bag, grinning like a five year old. I love being in a warm, dry tent listening to the rain. After the rain quit, we stood around shivering and gave our introductions over again to Ryan.
We all retired early with the poor weather.
I usually went to bed after the evening meal and map time and read for awhile. For me lights went out about 9 PM. I set my alarm for 6 AM and was usually on the road at 7 AM, just as the others were starting to stir. Our official breakfast hour was 8 AM, so I ate cold oatmeal. That's a real taste sensation. But it did allow me to get on the road and enjoy the early morning hours. I like to beat the heat, wind, and RV's. I was certainly not the norm on this trip. Most of the people liked to sleep in.
Other than the no shower part, I had an excellent first day.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Today's ride: 50 miles (80 km)
Total: 50 miles (80 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 1 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |