crosswinds and heat!

New Rockford, ND...We're making our way across North Dakota. Riding a bike is the perfect speed to appreciate the prairies. It is not as boring as riding in a car. We have seen some beautiful bright yellow fields...found out they are canola. Also some blue/purple fields which are flax. We've moved from range land to farms. There is still a lot of wide open spaces here. After Williston, we rode 77 miles to Stanley and camped in the city park. We were able to go to the city pool to take showers and swim. Next day we rode 81 miles to Granville, stayed in another city park, which was nice with the worst bathrooms. Then we rode 79 miles in high heat to Esmond. Yesterday, after nearly 100 degrees, we pulled into Esmond, out of water, looking for a cold drink. The cafe was open and we ordered cokes. The food looked good, so we ordered baked potatoes, mushroom swiss burgers, apple pie ala mode and the bill for the two of us was $13! We went back for breakfast...2 eggs, 2 french toast, 2 bacon, coffee, $4.50 each. It also happened to be Esmond Days, so we were treated to a street dance a block from the city campground. They played until 2 am, but we were so tired, we were able to sleep thru it. Today we rode 60 miles.
We are all tired and sore...but hanging in there. We may slow down a bit. We should be in Minnesota by Weds! Maybe we'll be home next Sunday or Monday?? If there are any women out there who want to come ride with us...at least in spirit...I could use some female companionship to get me to the home stretch. ( The guys have been great, very kind, but I miss my friends and family.)
Lots of love,
Therese

more photos

North Dakota

We are in Williston ND and back to Central Time! Only two states to go! Today is our first rest day in two weeks. Yesterday we had a short 44 mile ride from Nashua MT to Williston and we stayed in a motel-only the third time this trip. It's crazy, but Doug and I feel we sleep better in a tent now! We have found the cure to insomnia...just bike 10 hours a day and you will sleep like a baby...through trains, wind, fireworks...
Rita and Erik joined us last night and will camp with us in the city park tonight before we head East and they head to Bozeman to visit friends. It has been fun being with them and having a car to run some errands. Erik is enjoying talking with all of the guys in our group and he would like to join them!
We should be home in two weeks! We have been lucky with tailwinds and cool temps.
I'll try to post some more photos.
Love,
Therese and Doug

Culbertson, MT

Today we biked 92 miles in 7 hours including breaks, We had an awesome tailwind...we were riding 22 mph easily. We biked through the Fort Peck Reservation. Everyone warned us not to stop there, but the people we met were very friendly. The landscape was open but beautiful. It is greener than usual according to the locals. Lots of birds. We are 22 miles from the North Dakota border.
Tomorrow we meet up with Rita and Erik who are headed to Bozeman. We will do an exchange of gear...give away the warm stuff and they are bringing us more gear for hot weather.
We are camped at another city park for free...lots of other cyclists are here too. It's fun meeting other people. We feel sorry for those who are headed west into the wind. We are lucky!
We plan to take a short day to Willeston---40 miles.
All the best...love, Therese and Doug

photos so far

Storm warning

We arrived in Havre, MT about 10:30 a.m. with the intent of getting some food and going to the library. Two people approached us on our bike and told us to take cover...a storm with quarter size hail is approaching. So we're hanging out in the library.
Last night we stayed in Hingham. The highlight yesterday was a stop in Rudyard. We went to the dinosaur/depot museum. It was very interesting.
We eat a lot of small meals through-out the day...oatmeal and coffee for breakfast. I highly recommend the Starbucks micro instant packets! We have a Cliff Bar down the road. We stop at a grocery store and get deli chicken, maybe ice cream. Dinner we cook rice or pasta and add a packet of tuna. We also eat peanut butter on sandwich thins. We eat chocolate chips and peanuts and raisins. We drink as much as we can. It's amazing how hungry we are. We crave salt.

from the mountains to the prairies

Tuesday, 6/29 we rode the Going to Sun highway. We camped part way up the road. Bikes aren't allowed on the road between 11 and 4 due to the traffic, so we got up at 4:30 am and we were on the road at 6. It was a great time to be out, before traffic. We watched the sun come up on the peaks and the moon set. We had perfect weather. We were at the top by 9:30 am. We had road construction and had to wait for a pilot car to take us down one lane at a time. While we were waiting for one, we got a flat tire. The six guys got into action and changed the rear tire in less than 5 minutes!
We had a fun 18 mile downhill ride.
The next day we left Glacier and found ourselves in the plains. We camped at a city park in Shelby. It was a beautiful little park until the sprinklers went off at 5:50 am as we were making breakfast. We quickly had to pack everything up.
Today we biked to Hingham and we are in another city park. We walk across the street to the bar to take a shower. There are no paved streets in this town. People have been very friendly.
It is definitely big sky country and no tree country. We can look for 50 miles and not see another tree or building.
I have been writing new lyrics:
To the tune of Cowgirl in the Sand:
Hello biker in the sun...so many miles you have come..from the mountains to the sea...over plains , cross country...old enough now to drive a car..It's the biker in you that makes you want to go so far....
Feel free to add.
Thanks for all of your good wishes! Keep wishing for tailwinds and safe drivers. We had another close call today.
We love you...happy trails,
Therese and Doug