July 22, 2008
Day 71: Glasgow, MT to Malta, MT
73.72 Miles, 4:36:55 Ride Time, 15.97 Average Speed, 34.49 Maximum Speed
This was the day the beautiful dream died - the dream of riding my bike across the country without a flat tire, I mean.
I woke up this morning to find my rear tire sadly deflated. All of my ill-advised bragging the last month - "I've ridden all the way from Florida without a flat!" - finally paid off, I suppose.
Surprisingly, I did remember how to change the tire. Of course, I was working under ideal conditions - in an air-conditioned motel room - and not on the side of the road with mosquitoes swarming all over me.
The culprit was, as usual, a small piece of wire. Ahh... the little pieces of wire from shredded truck tires - how I hate them. Despite my aversion to glass on the road, I don't think glass has ever caused me to have a flat tire. It's the wire. Always the wire...
After the leisurely indoor repair job, I got everything together and walked to the motel lobby, where the lady there cheerfully informed me that "It's going to be another scorcher!" That kind of thing is never really helpful.
It was then back onto US 2, for a boring thirty miles to the next town, tiny Hinsdale (home of Willie Nelson American Legion Post #45!). I stopped at the little cafe, but eventually got up and left - the older lady running the place was moving at a glacially slow pace, and I just didn't feel like waiting this morning.
I did stop at a gas station a few blocks up the street for chocolate milk and Grandma's Cookies - an excellent combination. While I was sitting at a table inside eating, a dog came up to the front door, and I asked the lady running the store if I should let him in. "Yes, that's my dog - I don't live far from here, and he knows where the air conditioning is." I like these casual businesses where people bring their pets to work.
I rode quickly through Saco, a town notorious for its mosquito infestation, and not long after saw three Eastbounders. They made no attempt to stop or even slow down, so I looked away and refused to even acknowledge their waves. Pretty childish on my part, and I felt bad about it later.
I had a slight tailwind most of the day, but decided to stop in Malta (pop. 2,120), after only about 70 miles. I would have liked to have ridden more today, but it was a long stretch through the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation before the next camping opportunity, in Harlem (pop. 848), and the description of the accommodations ("Behind City Hall - Check in with patrol officer") didn't sound appealing on such a hot day. So, I checked into the Maltana Motel, which was actually one of the good mom-and-pop motels.
(Most of these small Montana towns allow camping in their town parks, but because US 2 and the train tracks run right through the towns, the noise is problematic, at least for a super-light sleeper like me. That, as well as my inherent laziness, is why I haven't been camping in Montana).
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Today's ride: 74 miles (119 km)
Total: 5,241 miles (8,435 km)
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