July 1, 2006
Whitehall, MT - Dillon, MT: Thump, thump, kabloey!
I enjoy cycling early mornings before other people are out and about. I rode slowly through Whitehall, checking out the old buildings.
The map showed today's profile as a long gradual climb. Oregon John soon caught and passed me. We both stopped at the old fashioned general store in Silver Star. It was exactly as I imagined an old time mercantile building, including housing the third oldest post office in Montana.
We rode close to the river. Everything was a lush green with mountains close enough for me to spend my time wondering how difficult the ride would be over them.
My tire was holding up, but thumping and bouncing with every revolution. Tom, Bob,Robert, and I stopped for a long break in a huge, grassy park outside of Twin Bridges. We tried to have a nap in the shade, but some kids getting an early start on their Fourth of July Fireworks made that difficult.
The guys decided to head back into town to scope it out. I continued on. I wasn't even outside of town yet when the thumping of my tire got worse and worse. Recumbent John stopped with me to look at it. We didn't have a solution, other than to hope it held. I was only a couple more miles down the road when it blew bigtime. I walked to the nearest crossroad to get off of the main highway. I called my emergency road service number for help. Joe, the bicycle shop owner from Dillon, said he'd be there within the hour. He was a bit surprised I didn't want a ride to Dillon, but just a new tire and tube. I took my old one off to help speed the process. While I waited I took a nap next to my bike. It was quite warm just lying down. The shade was refreshing every time a cloud passed over the sun. Joe arrived soon. Emergency road service Joe's style included his replacing the tire, pumping it up and installing it on the bike. Wow, I could get used to this. I've never heard of bicycling road service before, how lucky I was to be in need right where Joe lived. He soon had me on the way for a very reasonable price - $40. included the tire and everything. I gave him a nice tip and was happy to do so.
I had a slight casualty to my mechanical problems. At some point while the bicycle was on the ground, one of my mirrors got cracked.Another problem was that the new tire was a slick with tread on the sides. It wouldn't fit under my rear fender. We had to remove the fender and I bungeed it to the top of the BOB. It was pretty annoying to deal with the fender every time I packed and unpacked the bag. I didn't get to another bike shop until Missoula to buy a slick tire.
I was happy to be back on the road. The remaining miles went fairly fast, despite the ever increasing headwind. I was a bit concerned as I got closer to town as Ryan didn't know where we would be spending the night. We were supposed to call the ACA hotline and listen to his message. I hadn't called the hotline before and couldn't get through. I thought I'd keep riding through town and I'd find a campground. That idea went by the wayside quickly. Jacinto and I had driven through Dillon on our way to Great Falls. We had made a quick stop at Taco Johns. My impression was that Dillon was fairly small. The closer to town I got, the more town I saw. Finally I figured out the answering system and discovered we were at the Dillon KOA.
I was happy to arrive and set up my tent. The next day was a rest day and I was ready for one. As much as I enjoy the early mornings for cycling, I love sleeping in. Doesn't quite make sense, I know. I was looking forward to not breaking camp and doing a bunch of nothing. Maybe I'd stir myself to wash clothes. Just the life!
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Today's ride: 56 miles (90 km)
Total: 247 miles (398 km)
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