Greetings from Billings, MT

Hi, All,

The 2011 Big Ride Across America continues to roll along. We're enjoying a day off in Billings after a tiring four-day trek covering 350 miles from Missoula. From the ride's start, then, we've covered 940 miles over the first two weeks, leaving five weeks and 2360 miles to go. Overall the conditions have been nearly ideal, although there have been a few hitches over the past few days - an afternoon rainstorm with strong wind gusts and some hail, some rough patches of road, and on our final afternoon a mix of unpleasant elements: a headwind; heat; a flat, barren landscape; sporadic, fast-moving traffic (speed limit 70); and an uninterrupted rumble strip trapping us in the shoulder, which was debris-filled and had a chip and seal surface. Really, though, there has been little to complain about. Temperatures have been cool, we've had mostly tailwinds thus far, and our support staff has been taking excellent care of us. The ride has been so much easier than when I did it five years ago, when daily temps were 10-20 degrees hotter and we didn't have half the amenities the Lung Association has been providing, that I feel twinges of guilt reporting the details to my fellow veterans of the Big Ride of '06.

I've also been amazed, given the far better conditions this year, that we in 2006 had as much fun as we did. Each day, feeling depleted as I ride to the finish, I wonder how I withstood it back in '06, when the same afternoon storm between Ovando and Avon lasted longer, was even more intense, and I wasn't dressed as well; or when the temperature on the ride into Billings was in the high-90s instead of the mid-80s. Am I finding the ride just as hard simply because I'm five years older? And what's going to happen over the next week and a half, between here and Pierre, South Dakota, when the ride gets even harder? In '06, on the 100-mile day through the Badlands, between Rapid City and Kadoka, the temperature reached 111 degrees. If it happens again, I worry that enduring it will be harder because we won't be as acclimated to the heat ...

Another humbling aspect of repeating the journey has been confronting my faulty memory, especially over the past day and a half, as I've traveled back over landscape that I only experienced in 2006. (Until midday on Friday, when we reached White Sulphur Springs, I'd ridden most of the route multiple times over my many summer journeys.) What I remembered about the ride between White Sulphur Springs and Harlowton, for instance, was the huge tailwind we benefitted from and a vision of windmills along a flat stretch of high plains. This time we again had the tailwind, and the windmills were still there, but they were merely a snapshot along a stretch of fifty miles; the route was actually very hilly and included several stiff climbs, none of which I remotely remembered. Likewise the route yesterday between Lavina and Billings I recalled as being dead flat and paralleling railroad tracks. That stretch was about fifteen miles out of fifty, and the other 35 miles were nearly all uphill! The fact that I have no memory of all that hard work makes me think that either (a) I'm a naturally positive person who focuses on the good or (b) five years ago I was in much better shape.

I'll interrupt my fretting to summarize the latest leg of the journey. Wednesday, June 29 - Missoula to Avon, MT, 99 miles. Like every morning thus far, we began riding at about 7:00 a.m. with the temperature about 50, i.e., nice and cool, with lots of clouds and strips of fog amid the mountains. We traveled east on Rt. 200, upstream along the Blackfeet River, and then cut south on Rt. 141 toward Avon. The forecast called for an afternoon storm, so I was better prepared than I had been when the same thing happened in '06: clouds rolled in from over the Continental Divide and within minutes the storm hit - wind, hard rain, and light, slightly stinging hail. It started when I was 18 miles from Avon, stopped at milepost 11, started again at milepost 8, and ended for good at milepost 5, when the sky then turned bright blue, bathing me in sunshine, and the temperature climbed back into the low 70s. By the time I reached the Avon Cafe, I was nearly dry and enjoyed a cup of coffee with a warm slice of caramel apple walnut pie. (Gabe, who was behind me, rode through the same storm, and he enjoyed the challenge of it; it was exciting, he reported, and as conditions worsened, he yelled at it, "Is this all you got?" "Bring it on!" etc. That used to be my attitude also, long ago ...)


Traveling east from Missoula - cloudy morning ...

... with fog

The Garnet Range

The Swan Range

Beyond is the southern edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness

Sunset in Avon

Thursday, June 30 - a much easier day from Avon to Townsend, MT, only 62 miles. In the morning we rode over the Continental Divide at MacDonald Pass (elevation 6320) and then descended 2200 feet over 12 miles to reach Helena. From there it was only another 35 or so over relatively flat terrain - high plains - to Townsend. A tailwind sped us along, and Gabe and I were both done for the day by 12:30 p.m.


View from MacDonald Pass, east toward Helena

Outdated billboard in Helena (the state capitol)

Between Helena and Townsend

Friday, July 1 - Townsend to Harlowton, MT, 99 miles. This had been my favorite day in '06, and was equally satisfying this time, with bright sun and significantly cooler temperatures. We rode east through the Big Belt Mountains, ascending in a shaded canyon, fast-moving Deep Creek rushing beside us, and then rising above the tree line into high plains. After 40 miles, at the lunch stop in White Sulphur Springs, I took a 20-minute break to soak in the hot springs. (Gabe, who again rode behind me, skipped it; his loss.) Then the 60-mile ride to Harlowton, while very hilly most of the way, was eased by the huge tailwind, just as it was in '06. My speed on flat stretches ranged between 18-22 mph, and since the road was so quiet - cars few and far apart - the loudest sound was the whishing of the tall grass.

Cresting the pass in the Big Belt Mountains (U.S. 12 east of Townsend)

View of the Big Belts from White Sulphur Springs

Saturday, July 2 - Harlowton to Billings, 92 miles. The first half of the day, between Harlowton and Lavina, was exceptionally pretty, following the valley along the Musselshell River. We sped along, again benefiting from a tailwind, and saw lots of sheep herds, rim rock, and evidence of flooding from when earlier this year the river rose above its banks. The last fifty miles, south of Lavina were less scenic and harder, as we climbed onto higher plains, the day grew hotter, and the wind shifted against us for the first time in days. I got my first flat tire, spent 20 minutes fixing it, and by the time I reached Billings was ready for a rest. This afternoon Gabe and I have tickets to a AAA-league baseball game: the Billings Mustangs against the Missoula Osprey.


Rim rock (Musselshell River valley) between Harlowton and Ryegate


Evidence of flooding (between Ryegate and Lavina)

I remembered this flat stretch between Lavina and Billings ...

... and the freight trains alongside it.

Okay, so back to my fretting. As a postscript I ought to report my concerns about Gabe, who has run afoul with our ride leader, Charlton DuRant, and has been on the verge of being sent home. This issues are mainly ones of safety: Gabe has broken several rules, beginning with being caught riding with earphones, listening to his iPod. In orientation, Charlton emphatically prohibited such use, saying that impaired hearing can lead to accidents. Gabe has also been guilty several times of riding too far out in the road, as opposed to staying close to the road's edge or within the shoulder. And finally he's been slow to rise and pack in the morning. The truck that carries the group's equipment is an important support vehicle during the day (it carries provisions for our lunch stop, for instance), so it must be fully loaded in the morning before the riders eat breakfast. One of the biggest challenges of the Big Ride is conforming to the extreme discipline such an arduous trip requires, and Gabe is going to have to make the adjustments. He's done a great job over the past two days: he's riding better and improving his attitude, treating Charlton (who is terrific) with more respect. I really hope Gabe can keep it up and make it all the way to Washington, DC. It will be tragic if he doesn't, especially since he's proved he has the physical ability and toughness to make it. The biggest challenges that remain for him are mental.


Gabe enjoying himself (Note: properly, in the shoulder ...)


Riding straight as an arrow ...


... with Kenny Maruyama (of Chicago, IL) behind him.