I Have No Idea Where I’m Going

Big Timber, MT to Livingston, MT … or Bozeman, MT … or …

August 2, 2019

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As typically happens when I stay in a motel, I stayed up much later than I should have last night. What can I can say, I’m still a night owl. That night-owlness (yeah, not a word) didn’t make getting up this morning any easier. But get up I did.

When I went to bed last night, the goal for today was still very much unknown. I had an intermediate goal but that was it. Not surprisingly, nothing magical happened in the night to change that plan. Last night I had contacted a few Warm Showers hosts in Bozeman, MT but no favourable responses were received. And no new messages were awaiting me this morning – of course, that made sense since it was only 6:30 AM.

Ready to go. If only I knew where!

Regardless of my final route to Salt Lake City, today’s route would have to go through Livingston. So, getting to Livingston became the day’s initial plan. Since changing plans was hardly a new thing, I figured this would just be another one of those “make it up as I go along” days.

The good news re: going to Livingston was that it was only 60 km away. Unfortunately, it was to be an unpleasantly windy 60 km. I can’t say they were brutal winds (although my average speed might disagree) because I’ve certainly pedalled in worse conditions. But the winds were certainly around the 30 km/h range. The biggest comfort I could take was that the wind wasn’t all that gusty so at least I could maintain a somewhat steady pedalling cadence. Yes, these are the little things that get you through days like this. The other upside was that at least it was only a 60 km ride.

It ain’t pretty but it blocks the wind VERY well

In an effort to minimize fatigue – both mental and physical – I pretty much stopped hourly for a little reprieve whenever a practical location presented itself. Much like yesterday’s ride, I once again found myself on frontage roads which offered very limited reprieve from the wind. In fact, the only reprieve available took the form of Interstate bridges. So under one of those bridges is where I had lunch. Or a late second breakfast.

As I enjoyed my second meal of the day, I unexpectedly received a positive Warm Showers response. I officially had accommodation in Bozeman … if I wanted it. The thing is, at that point I was seriously considering selecting a route that would no longer go through Bozeman. But I would wait until I reached Livingston to make a final decision.

This is why I chose the Interstate over Google’s route

Much like yesterday, I once again found myself back on Interstate 90. It once again offered the most direct and efficient route. Although, unlike yesterday, I was on it for much more than a couple of exits. In fact, most of today’s ride was spent on the Interstate with all the trucks and shoulder debris that go along with it. Fortunately, the trucks passed with a wide berth (when possible) and I did the same with the tire debris (again, when possible).

I arrived in Livingston without incident where I stopped at the Visitor Center/Chamber Office to see if there were any cheap camping options in the vicinity. The problem with stopping at a Visitor Center (especially one that’s shared with the Chamber Office) is the people there don’t REALLY listen to what you’re asking. What I (foolishly) asked was, “Do you know of somewhere in town I can throw my tent for the night?” What they heard was, “What overpriced camping options are there for cyclists?” At which point they gave me a brochure to the local KOA. Ugh. I thanked them for their help and proceeded to make use of their WiFi. As I did so, I overheard something about a music festival in town this weekend which pretty much translated to most accommodation options being booked and/or overpriced. Either way, it was becoming pretty clear that I would not be spending the night in Livingston. Despite the 30 km/h headwinds I’d faced all morning, there would be more cycling to do today.

After much deliberation (and reluctance) I decided not to accept the Warm Showers hosting offer and instead turned my route south towards Gardiner and Yellowstone National Park. I mean, it seemed a bit silly to have biked all this way only to bike AROUND Yellowstone. Plus, some of the campgrounds in this part of Yellowstone had Hiker/Biker campsites for $5. It seemed like it was meant to be. Well, other than adding another 93 km to my day.

My biggest concern wasn’t actually those extra kilometres. It wasn’t the wind either. My biggest concern was being out on the road when another one of those late afternoon storms rolled in. Yes, those storms gave some warning but I didn’t know how many shelter options would be available in those extra 93 km.


I started my way out of Livingston shortly after 1:00 PM. I knew the ride I was facing was mostly uphill but only mildly. Until the end. The final 6 km would have a climb of about 800′. I’d worry about that later. Much later. I figured if I could make it tor Gardiner by 6:00 PM I’d be happy with that.

The good news to start phase two of my ride was that the wind had diminished significantly. And because I had turned south, it wasn’t impeding my progress all that much. As I pedalled I kept close watch on the horizon for any cloud development – and overdevelopment. In that regard, there was one cloud formation that was a bit of a concern but it wasn’t all that big and it looked like I’d be able to get passed it before it unleashed any fury upon me.

I made my first stop of the afternoon at a gas station for a quick snack and water top up. As I did, I continued to watch that one dark cloud. As I stood there watching the cloud, two things happened. I started to feel a few drops starting to fall. And the flags across the street were clearly showing a wind from the north. A STRONG wind from the north. It had to be related to the dark cloud above. I considered my options and decided that north wind was an anomaly that wouldn’t be around long. I jumped back on my bike and decided to see how far that anomaly would push me.

Sure enough, the strong wind from the north only lasted about 20 minutes but it was 20 wonderful minutes of pedalling – especially considering how much work the first three hours of today’s ride were. And when that north wind eventually passed me by it left me in pretty calm conditions for the rest of the day.

Considering the ride to Gardiner was a slight uphill grade the entire way, I was pretty pleased to arrive shortly after 5:00 PM – especially factoring in a couple of stops along the way. From there I had about 8 km to the Mammoth Campground in Yellowstone National Park.

It was at about that time that I started to consider how much food I was carrying (or wasn’t carrying as the case may be). As such, I decided to make a quick stop at the grocery store to get a few extras. Based on my experience in the Bighorn Mountains, I wasn’t sure what sort of provisions would be available within the park.

Now THAT’s a welcome sign

Despite the lack of signs welcoming me to most states along my route, Yellowstone isn’t lacking in that regard. There’s a sign. And it’s a pretty big one. Of course, I stopped for a photo. In the process, I met some people who were curious about (and impressed by) my loaded bike and trip we were on together. Turns out they were also camping at the Mammoth Campground and said I could set up my tent at their site if the Hiker/Biker site was either a myth or just full. The kindness of strangers strikes again. Admittedly, I MAY have prompted the notion of stowing away on part of their site but they were happy to oblige.

After paying the $20 park entry fee (it’s $35 if you’re in a car), I started the final 8 km of my day. Of course, it was all uphill. And the final climb was definitely tough but manageable. That said, I did concede and used my granny gear for the first time in, well … a LONG time. I think I’ve only used it one other time on this trip and, quite frankly, I’m pretty confident this climb wasn’t any steeper than the Bighorn mountains but I think I was just tired from an unexpectedly long ride. Side note: As would be expected, the journey to the campground also meant that I once again found myself crossing back into Wyoming.

When I arrived at the Mammoth Campground, it was indeed full. However, the Hiker/Biker site was not. And it was in fact $5. As ways to end a ride go, that’s a pretty good one. Not as good as ice cream, but I knew that wasn’t going to be an option tonight.

Hiker/Biker site.

Given the limited number of cycle tourists I’ve seen of late, I was a bit surprised to see that I was not the only cyclist at the Hiker/Biker site. While the actual cyclists weren’t around, there were two bikes and one tent already there. I took up residence on the neighbouring tent site. A couple of hours later I met Nate and Anna. They were doing a “short” loop around Yellowstone and this was night number two of their weeklong tour.

As would be expected, the campground had a plethora of food storage compartments to keep the bears at bay but upon talking to the park ranger, bears aren’t the real threat – although, they’re not to be disregarded either. It turns out rodents and elk are a bigger problem. While I didn’t see much of the former, I did see two elk wandering around the tent across the road. And later in the evening (i.e., after dark) I apparently startled an elk as I was leaving the washrooms. I’m not sure who was more startled, actually. To be clear, I never actually saw it but I could hear it dart away … and if sounded much too big to be a rodent – not a usual sized one, anyway. I returned to my tent without incident and concluded my longer than anticipated – but still good – day.

Today’s totals:
Distance: 154.30 km
Ride time: 7:42:02
Average speed: 20.03 km/h
Maximum speed: 38.00 km/h

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Short Day, Lonnnnng Update

Columbus, MT to Big Timber, MT

August 1, 2019

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Columbus, MT to Big Timber, MT

Once again, my early slumber of the night before resulted in an early wake up call. Well, there wasn’t really a call but I did wake up early. And I decided to officially start my day shortly thereafter. Fortunately, the rain that fell through the night stopped early enough to give my tent time to dry by the time I was ready to pack up. Well, the ground sheet was still wet but that wasn’t a big deal.

Despite my leisurely pace to the morning, I was still on the road by 7:30 AM. The question was, “To where?” Well, I really wasn’t sure. Essentially I had two reasonable options. Big Timber or Livingston. Both in Montana. The former was about 65 km away. The latter was about 100 km away. Typically my preference is to lean towards 100 km days but on this day I was leaning towards the shorter day. I had some more editing to do on my most recent work project so a short day would greatly assist in that regard. And so, I set forth towards Big Timber.

Google didn’t endorse what I was about to do.
The state of Montana had no problems with it.

As rides go, this one was very easy. Especially when I opted to ignore Google’s route and jumped back on the Interstate. Not only would Google’s route have added several kilometres to the ride, it would also have added a sizeable climb. Neither of which I felt were necessary. Side note: While Google’s route was bad, Garmin’s proposed route for my 65 km destination would’ve been about 280 km. I laughed when I saw that and gave my Garmin the day off.

I wasn’t on the Interstate for long but it definitely was the more efficient route. Plus, I actually don’t mind riding on the Interstate save for the debris from blown tires that one far too frequently encounters. The tiny metal fragments tend not to react well with bicycle tires. Other than that, the route is direct and the grades of the climbs are often significantly more moderate than the other options.

See, the Interstate isn’t so bad


Interstate travel notwithstanding, perhaps the biggest upside to my route was that most of it was spent on frontage roads (essentially what would be called service access roads back in Ontario). It ran alongside the Interstate but without all the noise, traffic, and shoulder debris. There was actually no shoulder at all but there was also VERY little traffic. At one point I went about 20 km with only two cars having passed me. It actually felt like I was on a really wide bike lane. Side note: In addition to paralleling the Interstate, the route also paralleled train tracks and two trains passed me along the way. I waved to both and both responded with the whistle/horn being blown. I don’t know why I get a kick out of that but I do.

My easy journey had me arriving in Big Timber shortly before noon. The plan was to get a motel room but I suspected I was WAY too early for an early check-in. But I figured there would be no harm in asking.

The motel in question was the Lazy J Motel and they had vacancies. However, as suspected, I was a bit early for an early check-in. That said, they were VERY accommodating and said they would clean my room next and it would be ready within the hour. Perfect! On the way to the motel, I had passed a Tasty Freez restaurant which I could only assume would have ice cream. Considering said establishment was less than 1 km away, I figured it would be an ideal place to pass the time. Spoiler Alert: It was.

Happiness is needing to shoot in portrait to get all of the ice cream in the frame.

The Tasty Freez did in fact have soft serve ice cream in chocolate and vanilla. I opted for a twist of the two … well, in this case the “twist” was actually alternating stacks but I was perfectly okay with that. I couldn’t help think that this could be the most enjoyable ice cream of the trip but then I quickly remembered David and Becky in Woodbury, MN. Their banana split offering is still far and away the best ice cream experience thus far.

Anyway, as I raced against the heat to consume my stacks of ice cream, my phone rang. Odd, since my phone never rings. But I recognized the number as that of the Lazy J. It turns out they got the rooms mixed up and mine was already good to go.

Much of the rest of the afternoon was spent editing so I’ll spare you the details on that. Suffice it to say, it went well and I finished the next draft of the video. What was more notable was that as I worked I occasionally looked out the window and noticed some dark clouds moving in. And the wind was picking up. The sky was very reminiscent of when I was at Assumption Abbey in North Dakota. Well, to make a long story short (I know, I know … WAY too late for that), the storm that eventually blew in was VERY similar minus the hail. Once again, I was very happy not to be in my tent.

The storm in question started to roll in around 3:50 PM and by 4:30 PM the full force of the storm had arrived. It lasted about 30 minutes before settling down and leaving a very nice late afternoon behind. Calm winds. Blue sky. It’s incredible how much the weather changes here. And how quickly. It’s actually one of the reasons I don’t like to stop too much along the way when conditions are good because you just never know how much things will change in just a few hours.


The remainder of the day was spent updating my blog, trying to come up with a route for the coming days, and searching for possible Warm Showers hosts along my yet to be determined route. And between all of that, dinner had to be made. Tonight, that dinner consisted of my first ever Ramen noodle experience (at least, I THINK it was my first ever Ramen noodle experience). Of course, that experience was a bit challenging since I didn’t think it would be wise to fire up my alcohol stove in the motel room and there wasn’t really a convenient place to do so outside. The room had a microwave but the only bowl I have is metal and, as such, not microwave-friendly. However, my well-equipped room also had a single-serving coffee maker. Since all I needed was hot water, well … I figured that should work nicely. It did. My main concern was that it would add a coffee flavour (ugh) to the water but fortunately, that didn’t happen.

While dinner was a success (well, as much as Ramen noodles can be deemed a success), both making a decision regarding my upcoming route and finding an available host were not going well. It was now getting pretty late into the evening so I figured any Warm Showers reply would likely not come until morning. I decided I would sleep on the routing decision until then. Just to be clear, the availability of a Warm Showers host wasn’t dictating my route it was just another factor in the decision. The biggest factor was timing things correctly so that I would arrive in Salt Lake City on the 12th.

I’d deal with that in the morning.

Today’s totals:
Distance: 68.04 km
Ride time: 2:59:46
Average speed: 22.71 km/h
Maximum speed: 37.87 km/h

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A (Mostly) Downhill Day

Red Lodge, MT to Columbus, MT

July 31, 2019

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Red Lodge, MT to Columbus, MT

I don’t know if it was my early slumber due to last night’s storm or eagerness to leave Red Lodge behind, but I woke up pretty early this morning. No, I don’t know at what point 5:30 AM became “pretty early” – probably about the same time that 100 km became “only a 100 km”. Either way, I was packed up and on the road by 7:20 AM. Destination: Columbus, MT. A mere 80 km away.

Fine campground just not particularly cycle-friendly

With the exception of a fairly steep hill to start the ride, today was looking to be a somewhat easy ride. Sure, there would be a few modest climbs along the way but more in the rolling hills sort of way than mountainous two hour challenges. And the last half was to be mostly downhill … although, only VERY modestly.

For the most part the day went as anticipated. The ride was was a good mix of climbs and descents with some mountainous scenery to admire along the way. I even opted to try another drone shot at one point. It was marginally successful. I think it could’ve been entirely successful but my attempts were interrupted when a rancher in an ATV approached. And that’s how I met J.O.

He slowed down and then stopped when he saw me and then the drone. Clearly a conversation was inevitable so I brought the drone in for a landing. Just to be clear, the conversation wasn’t in any way negative. He was just very interested in the drone. Anyway, we chatted for a bit about the drone, my trip, his ranch, his cattle (there are – or should be – 80 cattle in the photos), the $12 million under-construction bridge that I would see in about eight miles (a bridge he thought was sort of overkill), and other such things. He was a super nice guy and interesting to talk with but, as always, we both had places to be so we wished each other well and carried on our respective ways.

Not long after we departed, I did in fact see the new bridge and saw what J.O. meant by the bridge. The bridge was replacing an older bridge which spanned a river. A river that apparently hasn’t changed in 100 years. Yet this new bridge was about six times as long as the old bridge. I could see why J.O. thought it was overkill.

The rough road on either side of the new bridge lasted for about 3 km in total before I returned to smooth riding again. And much to my surprise there was a gas station (aka. The Rocking J) shortly thereafter. At around the 50 km mark to be exact. And said gas station had a covered picnic table. Clearly I had to stop for lunch. And I did.

Fan of peanut butter

As is typically the case, lunch was pretty uneventful … I mean, bagels, peanut butter and pseudo-jam can only get so exciting. However, I did have a visitor as I started on bagel number two. Said visitor somehow managed to sneak up on me but when I happened to look over my shoulder, there he was. A somewhat aged but still very cute golden retriever. He may have been the most passive golden retriever I’d ever met. And clearly he was there for one reason – the peanut butter. Seriously, I don’t think he looked at me once. The same can’t be said for my peanut butter covered bagel which had his undivided attention. Unfortunately for him, there would be no peanut butter coming his way. Not that I wasn’t tempted but that’s as far as it went.

The remainder of the ride after lunch went as smoothly as I could’ve wanted. Yes, there was a slight headwind but the road was slightly downhill so those factors pretty much cancelled each other out.

Unlike last night, my home for the night was much easier to come by. And MUCH different than my Red Lodge experience although very similar to my Lovell, WY experience.

Itch-Kep-Pe City Park

My day’s destination was the Itch-Kep-Pe City Park and Campground complete with washrooms and water. I don’t know how many actual campsites it has but it seemed like quite a few. While many were already taken, there were still many to choose from.

One of the other reasons I wanted to get started early today was in the hopes that I could find somewhere to work on another video project that a client had contacted me about. I originally considered getting a motel again but then opted to set up at Itch-Kep-Pe and then head over to the local library. To say that plan worked out perfectly would be an understatement.

I staked my claim (and my tent) to one of the campsites before pedalling into town to find the library – a pretty easy task considering the size of Columbus. Three hours later, I had finished the project (well, the first draft anyway) and was ready to move on to the next errand. Groceries. A task I was originally going to do in Red Lodge but opted to wait until Columbus. I was running low on rations but I knew I’d have sufficient sustenance to get me through the day. I did.

Great library


Admittedly, I may have bought a BIT too much as it was a bit of a struggle to get everything into my bags. I figured that was an okay problem as I could just eat the surplus at dinner – it’s always nice to have an excuse to be a little bit gluttonous.

As I prepared dinner, the dark clouds once again were preparing for their daily show. And once again, they waited until I had eaten and cleaned up first. I was very appreciative.

The only other excitement of the evening came much later. As in after midnight. I had drifted off a couple of times during the storm and woke at midnight with the realizations that I hadn’t brushed my teeth and I kind of needed to use the facilities. Reluctantly, I found my headlamp and strolled over to the washrooms. As I returned to my tent there were two glowing eyes very intensely staring back at me. I’m not sure who was more puzzled by the situation. As best as I could tell it was a small raccoon … it was actually probably just a NORMAL sized raccoon but I’m just comparing it the Raccoons of Unusual Size back in Ontario. Anyway, we kept our eyes on each other as I made my way back to my tent. I was reasonably confident the raccoon was only interested in the leftover chicken carcass that the previous campers had irresponsibly left in the fire pit. I’d take a look in the morning.


Today’s totals:
Distance: 84.19 km
Ride time: 3:20:30
Average speed: 24.22 km/h
Maximum speed: 70.87 km/h (new high for this tour)

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Not One of My Favourite Places

Powell, WY to Red Lodge, MT

July 30, 2019

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Powell, WY to Red Lodge, MT

After spending two nights with Jan and Lucinda, it was time to load up the bike again and make some progress towards the Grand Canyon. So, as one would expect, today’s course would take me northwest. The goal for the day was about 93 km away in the town of Red Lodge and, if successful, it would be a somewhat big day in terms of generally arbitrary milestones. More on that later.

I emerged from my bedroom once again donning, as Jan called it, my uniform of black shorts and red shirt, ready to take on the road again. But first there was breakfast and more banter. Jan and Lucinda were so easy and fun to talk with – I’m SO glad I got to spend an extra day with them. Hopefully the feeling was mutual! All that was left to do was get a quick photo with my hosts and then I would be on my way.

In terms of navigation, today was very easy. Actually, it WOULD’VE started on a gravel road had Google had its way but I opted to follow Jan and Lucinda’s directions and, as such, navigation was a non-factor. There would only be a handful of turns required.

As the distance between me and Powell, WY increased, it was interesting to see the landscape change. And suddenly. It was like you could see a line where irrigation ended and desert and rock formations began. And it was pretty spectacular. As I approached a curve and what appeared to be an upcoming descent amid stunning views, I was tempted to bring out the drone for what I hoped could be an incredible aerial shot of me hurtling my way through these incredible landscapes. And while I still think it could’ve been a great shot, I’m glad I didn’t make the attempt.

Long and FUN descent ahead

The descent in question was much longer and steeper than expected which I only discovered as I rounded the curve. Plus, after said curve, it was straight so there was no need for braking which made for great cycling. However, there’s no way the drone would’ve been able to keep up so it was best that I left it in my pannier. There would surely be other opportunities.

The terrain very much worked in my favour for the bulk of the day and my average speed was over 25 km/h for first 70 km. That would change after lunch. I knew I had a sizeable 2,000′ climb before I would reach Red Lodge. I also knew that the further I went with minimal elevation gains the steeper was the climb I would be facing… eventually.

Lunch was a leisurely stop at the town of Belfry. I suspected that somewhere in town there would be a covered picnic table or two. There was. One upside to really small towns is it makes finding such things pretty easy when there’s really only one main road.

With lunch over, I only had about 30 km left to go. That was the good news. The bad (or perhaps more accurately “challenging”) news was that there was still the 2,000′ climb in front of me. It turns out, said climb started about 8 km from my destination. And it was certainly not to be taken lightly.

I don’t know what time I started the climb or what time I finished but it was on par with my previous 1,000′ per hour pace. Probably more like 1,000′ per 45-50 minutes. Either way, it kept me busy for a while. Perhaps the happiest moment came when I rounded a corner and off in the distance I could see a cell tower. No, I wasn’t concerned about having cell service. But I do know that they don’t put those things at the BOTTOM of big hills. The top was clearly in sight. And not long after, the top was officially behind me.

Ask for Andy

My arrival in Red Lodge didn’t quite mark the end of my day as I still had to figure out my accommodations. I was unsuccessful at making arrangements with any of the three Warm Showers hosts in town so I was going to have to fend for myself. One of the hosts suggested I talk with Andy at the The Spoke Wrench (i.e, local bike shop) so that became my first stop. Initially, this seemed to go well as he told me of the Alpine Motel down the road that allowed cyclists to camp for $10 … plus it included breakfast. It almost seemed too good to be true. Except for the “almost” part.

Further investigation at the Alpine revealed that the camping offer I had heard about was a one-time thing for a special event. There would be no camping at the Alpine tonight. Not that the guy I was talking to didn’t WANT to let me camp but apparently the city was pretty strict about such things. One might argue TOO strict.

I ended up speaking with numerous people in town about camping options including the woman at the Visitor Center, two clerks at City Hall and the Police Chief. All were very nice. But none were about to let me camp in town. It was actually pretty remarkable. It’s like I was in the town from Footloose except dancing was camping. As the one clerk said, it’s a very conservative town and “people like to complain”. I can only imagine.

Bureaucratic silliness in full force


It was actually kind of amusing listening to the clerks and Police Chief essentially say, “You can camp anywhere you want so long as it isn’t in our town.” Strange for a tourist town. Seriously, they were making suggestions of places I could go that were 10-12 miles out of town. I could go on and on about the ridiculousness of the situation but there would be no point.

Ok, maybe a bit more … the funny thing is that any of the people that I talked to all seemed to agree that it was all very ridiculous. And also futile to resist. It almost seems like the laws of the town are greatly influenced by a vocal minority. But I digress. Maybe it’s a great town … I mean, as I initially pedalled through town it did seem like a cool, fun spot to visit. Apparently, so long as you don’t want to camp.

So, instead of spending money at local vendors in town, I pedalled my way 2.5 km out of town to be violated at Perry’s RV Park and Campground for $25 for a tent site. Personally, I think Red Lodge could learn a LOT from Wenona, IL and their approach to encouraging cyclists. Yes, I realize I’m a bit biased. That said, I actually seriously considered continuing on to the next town but said town was about 80 km away and it was already after 4:00 PM.

Brief delay while heading to my campsite

In hindsight I should’ve gone with one of the other rougher camping options but, well … I didn’t. Live and learn. I’ve already spent too much time writing about it. Bottom line, Red Lodge seems to be a nice little town but a very conservative little town. VERY. And I’ll be happy to leave it behind. I hope the rest of Montana isn’t like this … that would be more than a little disappointing. And surprising.

On a more positive note, I got settled into my campsite and was able to make and consume supper before the nightly thunderstorms rolled in. It’s been pretty remarkable how consistent the weather has been in that regard. It’s one of the reasons I’m trying to get started (and finished) riding earlier in the day. By mid-afternoon the dark clouds start forming after which a downpour is inevitable.

Tonight’s downpour started around 7:00 PM with some fantastic rolling thunder and big lightning flashes. But the actual rain portion of the storm only lasted about 15 minutes. While I wasn’t thrilled about paying $25 for the campsite, the fact that I was well sheltered among the trees wasn’t such a bad thing. Did I mention the howling wind? Fortunately, the wind moved on with the rain and left significantly cooler temperatures behind. I noticed (but forgot to mention) that about my morning at Prune Creek. The elevation really has a noticeable effect on the temperature. My morning at Prune Creek began at a mere 9°C. It was mid-teens for most of the ride to the summit but it was high-20s at the bottom of the descent.

As for the aforementioned arbitrary milestones of the day … today I passed both the 4,000 km and 2,500 mile thresholds and entered State #11 (aka. Montana) in the process. I was pleased with all of those achievements.

As I sit in my tent attempting to write, I can’t help but notice that my legs are really tight tonight. Well, not really tight but I had numerous muscle cramps/grabs when I was in various sitting positions in the tent. When I straightened my legs they felt MUCH better. Sitting cross-legged in a tent was much easier a few years ago. Sigh.

Today’s totals:
Distance: 102.04 km
Ride time: 4:49:27
Average speed: 21.15 km/h
Maximum speed: 53.84 km/h

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Slacking Off

Powell, WY

July 29, 2019

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Powell, WY

After a gruelling day on the bike yesterday, I decided to make today a rest day. Ok, yeah … none of that sentence is true. Yesterday’s meagre ride of 40.51 km hardly warranted a rest day today. However, I did have a work project to finish and my original plan was to make today another short day by riding just down the road to Cody, WY and then spending the rest of the day working. However, Jan and Lucinda very generously offered to host (or put up with) me for a second night. I accepted their offer.

With that backstory/disclaimer out of the way, today was a very productive day – just not on the bike.

The morning started by heading into town with Jan for a visit to a local coffee shop where we met up with a couple of Jan’s friends – including Scott from the previous night and Morgan … a fellow drone pilot – although his experience is significantly more vast than mine. But as he said so accurately said, “every drone pilot has a story” – and those stories typically don’t end well for the drone. Oh, and no, I haven’t become a coffee drinker … at all. I had hot chocolate. And it was delicious. I mean, it’s chocolate. And it’s hot.

My home for TWO nights. Thanks Jan and Lucinda.

Anyway, there were good times talking cycling, routing, drones, routing, grizzly bears, routing, grizzly bears. Oh, and there may have also been a delicious chocolate torte. Thanks Morgan!

After our morning outing, we returned to the house where I endeavoured to finish my work project and do some writing. I’d call both efforts a success as I finished the former and temporarily got caught up again on the latter. Inevitably, only very temporarily.

With business taken care of, leisure took over. Jan and I sat outside enjoying both the weather and a beer. Oh, and Jan was interested in seeing the drone in action so we did that too. Fortunately, no new drone horror stories were created.

Later on, there was another delicious dinner and more fun times talking with Jan and Lucinda – so many fun stories. I have to say that Jan and Lucinda have really gone above and beyond. Not just in allowing me to stay with them for two nights, but they’re just such generous and fun people. And they’ve been incredibly helpful in route planning, too. In fact, my route has changed dramatically as a result. “How?”, you may ask. Well, I’d never actually heard the phrase “hard-sided camping” but apparently it’s a thing. And it’s a thing that was very relevant to my situation. Essentially, if you’re going to camp in Yellowstone then your domicile needs to have actual hard walls due to the presence of grizzly bears. Who knew? Well, apparently Jan (and many others other than me). So, my original plan of cycling through Yellowstone faced a bit of a hiccup given the lack of hard walls on my tent. Jan helped come up with an alternate route that would not only limit my exposure to grizzlies (which I deemed to be a good thing), but would also get me into another state AND should keep me on schedule to get to Salt Lake City on August 12th. Both of which I also deemed to be good things.

Yup, all things considered, I’d call that a successful day.

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