June 20, 2022
The Early Bird
Absolutely no reason to hang around the Funkytown motel.
On the road by 6:15a and glad of it. Gonna be hot today - -
and I only have one gear. (Well, to be honest, sometimes two.)
Thankfully, I have only one steep hill to climb.
(After I Walked the Bike Up the Hill)
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For the first half of the ride, Old Highway 10 stayed away from I-90.
Light traffic and not a bad way to get into Billings.
The last half was service roads - tolerable, even when limping along.
And the 6th St. railroad underpass is a real nice access.
I like underpasses way more than overpasses.
Kinda down because I'm calling it quits in Billings.
The snapped derailleur cable was just the icing on the cake.
I'm worried and feeling guity because Rayma hardly sees the boys.
Beazy and Elbie took off just after I left - and I feel it's my fault.
| Heart | 3 | Comment | 0 | Link |
I'm glad I saw so many friends along the way.
Without a doubt, that was the high point of this tour.
The weather sucked - cold, wet, and windy.
The late, storm systems produced a lot of easterly headwinds, too.
And the traffic - everybody and their cousin were out there.
Pulling RVs, going fast, and giving me little room.
Gallatin Canyon was a death trap, but other roads were almost as bad.
Yellowstone campgrounds and many other campgrounds were closed -
which made planning where to stay extra hard.
There will be other tours.
Contemplating a Cottonwood Tree and the Blue Sky
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My WarmShowers host, Patience, told me to come on by at 2:00.
She has a 4 year-old and works from home.
There is no better host out there. Huge, generous spirit.
Played all afternoon with her son -
inclusing chalking out a bike race course on the back dtiveway.
She has a one-bedroom apartmen and a kid -
and yet, she hosted me and another rider, Eli, who arrived later.
And the food. Gourmet vegan. Vegetables, vegetables.
(She wanted me to mention the vegetables.) Vegetables, vegetables.
Roasted potatoes and brussels sprouts with salad and chick-peas.
Cyclists - whether vegan or not - desperately crave fresh veggies.
A certain 4 year-old didn't want to take a bath,
so while Patience used all her wiles, Eli and I talked bike stuff.
Still, I wasn't long for this world - dead tired.
Eli got the air mattress, I got the pad on the floor.
He's only 20 and needed it. Plus he did 100 miles from Cody.
I am, amazingly, perfectly comfortable on the floor.
A surprising, delightful ending to the day and to the tour.
Totally unexpected.
So grateful.
Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 1,090 miles (1,754 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 12 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 6 |
2 years ago
If I make it as far as Buffalo, you might hear from me on Warm Showers in about a month, perhaps a little longer.
Whetyher you do or whether you don't, good luck and thanks for sharing your journey. I've really enjoyed reading it.
2 years ago
2 years ago