Day 22 – June 25 – Hingham, MT to Chinook, MT 57 Miles

Today was supposed to be a rest day.  We decided to ride to Havre, MT then reassess whether we want to stay there or put in a few more miles.  The ride to Havre was easy and we made good time.  The headwinds from the east eased a bit making riding more productive.  We decided to keep going another 22 miles to Chinook.  Our maps indicated that the town had “Full Services” which include lodging.

We had lunch in Havre, stopped by the local bike shop to pick up an extra tube, did laundry and picked up a few things at the local IGA. During our time in Havre the clouds gave way to clear skies, temperatures in the 90s and the headwinds from the east picked up as well.

Just outside of Havre, Joe had another flat on his rear tire.  We pulled into a driveway entrance to make the repair.  We were just a couple minutes when the owner of the property pulled up in his jeep and greeted us.  Greg Shubert was a retired engineer on the Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railroad in the area.  He stood out in the sun talking with us and asking about our trip the entire time we were there.  Just as we were finishing up he offered to get us a couple bottles of water.  He returned a few minutes later with two ice-cold bottles of water each.  What a wonderful act of kindness!

Less than a ¼ mile from where we finished the repair we encountered a westbound cyclist.  We stopped to talk.  It turns out Adam was from Chicago, and lives just a short distance from where Meg lives in the Andersonville neighborhood.  His stop today was to be Havre.  He was cycling to Glacier Park from Chicago where he was to meet his parents who would drive him back home.

The remainder of the trip to Chinook was flat but road surfaces varied.  The first five miles had a wide shoulder with smooth pavement.  The last 15 miles or so was rough with no shoulder.  Traffic was rather heavy.  We located the hotel in Chinook and checked in, the temperature was 94.  It was a good call even though we did not rest all day we arrived early enough to enjoy an nice afternoon in some AC.

I wonder if those westerly winds will kick in tomorrow?