Day 21 – June 24 – Shelby, MT to Hingham, MT 70 Miles

…and some random thoughts.

The forecast for change in wind direction did not materialize.  This was the third straight day of confronting the wind.  The weather this morning was cool and cloudy with the wind directly out of the east, our direction of travel.  By the afternoon the clouds had broken and it was mostly sunny, but the easterly winds persisted.

We started late after a hearty breakfast in Shelby.  We finished around 6:30 PM and are camping at the town park in Hingham, MT.  Despite the wind the ride went well.  Heading into a wind takes a lot of patience.  Trying to push for speed into a wind is a waste of energy.  It is much more efficient and comfortable to gear down and spin.  You just don’t get to where you are going fast.  When you get there however, you are not wiped out.

Tomorrow we will see how far we want to go depending on the wind   Havre (pronounced Have-er) is the biggest city until we get to North Dakota, some 400+ miles away.  Monday has been our rest day, but if there is a good tailwind, we may want to take advantage of that.  If the wind continues out of the east, we may make the 35 mile ride to Havre in the morning and take a half-rest day.  Tuesday is when the forecasted westerly winds are really supposed to pick up.

I mentioned earlier that riding into the wind takes a great deal of patience and time.  With that time today, as well as some of the other days, it gives me time to think back over the trip and the different things that stand out but don’t always seem to fit well into the blog so here are some of these random thoughts….

I think a lot about what may be going on at home.  I think a lot about Barb and Meg and what they may be doing.  Today was Sunday, so I thought about what was happening at church.

Other times I pray.  I thank God for this special opportunity as well as the wonderful experiences we are having and the beautiful creation we are experiencing.  Everyday I pray for our safety and for drivers to be attentive.

The most courteous drivers seem to have been in Washington State.  They would, for the most part move entirely into the passing lane, even when we were riding on the shoulder.  I also liked Washington’s centerline rumble strips because you could hear the cars move over before overtaking.  This is especially welcome where shoulders are narrow or non-existent.  For the most part, 75% of drivers move to the passing lane when overtaking us when there is no oncoming traffic.  Some even slow down and wait for oncoming traffic to clear before overtaking.  Yet the are some that truly scare us that neither slow down nor move over whether or not traffic is oncoming and there is no shoulder to ride on.

One person I met just before our climb over Marias Pass was Mr. Jerry Krines.  I was busily putting on rain gear as it started to rain, and he came up to ask about the ride.  I talked to him about the ride and our purpose for the ride.  As our conversation led from one thing to the other we both discovered that the other were retired State Police Officers, Jerry from the Montana Highway Patrol.  I will never forget the smile that came to his face and his hand jutting out to shake mine when I told him what my career had been.

Many times, in the mountains I thought about the civil engineers who designed and built the roads.  Sometime the gradients are deceiving as when a road appears to go down but your legs tell you it is going up. Sometimes that optical illusion is reversed.

I think about what this land may have looked like before it was settled by western Europeans.  I think about the Native American Nations that occupy some of these areas on reservations and what was taken from them.  The vastness of the area is astounding, yet so is the thought of the transformation that took it from what it was, to what it is now.  I can only imagine, what the spectacle was of some of the huge herds of bison that used to exist on these lands.

I think often about the purpose for my ride when I am asked questions about the ride.  I think about those it is my hope to help by bringing them an affordable and sustainable source of safe drinking water.

Finally, I think about the comments to this blog.  I sincerely thank you for them and regret that I may not have responded to all of them.  It seems that by the time we arrive at the end of our day, set up camp, get supper get ready for bed and write the blog it is well after 11:00 PM and I will be getting up at 6:00 AM to start again tomorrow.  Anyway I want you to know that I appreciate hearing from you and am honored that you are reading this.

Thanks