Date: 2007-06-29
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Miles today: 0.0

6-26-07Wolf Point, MT121 miles today1134 Northern Tier miles5219 total milesI started the day off with a pot of Starbuck's. :-))We walked over to the motel office here in Malta and had a few donuts at 7am. We were already packed and ready to roll, so we were on the road by 7:15am.We had the wind at our backs for the second day in a row. That's the first time that's happened to us and....I, I, I don't know what to say. It's unknown territory. :-))We flew to Saco, 20 miles away and stopped at OB's Cafe for breakfast. The breakfast part was a mistake because that was the worst breakfast I've had, but it ended up good because while we were inside, Ethan pulled up and came in. We haven't seen him in about a week.He asked about what was good and Mrs Gorp tried to warn him, but he ordered breakfast anyway.We rode on and Ethan caught up in a while. He said he's had 6 flats in just over 1000 miles. Just one more and he'll have caught up to us.It was great seeing him again and he seems to be having a great time out here.We all stopped at Hinsdale for a soda, then when we were leaving, I saw a PO and pulled in to mail a bill that needed to be paid.We didn't see Ethan anymore after that. He had showed us a picture he took of a wolf he saw yesterday. That was real luck!! I really would love to see one of those buggers.I did get to see 2 mule deer, 2 antelope and 1 whitetail deer today though.Our original plan was to stay at Glasgow which was a 70 mile ride. We were there at 12 noon. We were really moving with the tailwinds. :-))We ate at McDonald's and decided to keep going anothoer 50 miles to Wolf Point. We had been warned to keep an eye on our stuff in Wolf Point. It's in a reservation and we were told it was a depressed area.We kept riding east. We stopped for 2 short breaks before we got to Wolf Point. I almost got run over by a tumbling tumbleweed. I was riding along and not really paying too much attention, when I saw a tumblingtumbleweed just as it was about to hit the rear of my bike. Luckily it went just behind me and miss the bike. :-))We stopped by a grocery at Wolf Point, hoping to get a rotisseri chicken for dinner. The manager walked by as we were getting off our bikes and she said to keep an eye on the bikes.What a sad place to have that kind of a reputation.We got enough stuff for dinner, then rode to the east side of town and got a room...and ate dinner.I looked at my bike computer and saw that this was the fastest average speed we've rode in all the days we've been out here...19.4mph average for the 121 miles we rode today. That was fun!!! :-))I got something sticky on my rear wheel yesterday and my brake was squeeking, so I tried getting all that off with some light oil.We were also told that the mosquitos are so bad in this area that they'd carry us away if it wasn't so windy.I did have a few bite me while I was riding. I guess I rode into them or something because I don't think they could have caught me at the speed I was riding. :-))Chief called me late in the day to let me know that he's posted over 100 photos on my 2007 journal. Thanks Chief!! Now go pull some weeds in your yard so I'm not so embarassed next time I visit you. Ha!! :-))Another great day on the Northern Tier Bicycle Trail. :-))6-27-07Culbertson, MT55 miles today1189 Northern Tier miles5274 total milesWe waited till 7am for the continental breakfast at the motel in Wolf Point.I had a couple bowls of cereal and some donuts along with some coffee.We were talking to an older couple who were telling us that they were in the Guiness Book of World Records.They had been a part of 640 accordians that played a melody together for 30 minutes.They were very proud of that fact. :-))We packed up and headed east...into a headwind. :-(( That's right, the headwinds are back and are supposed to be around for a while again. At least I feel like I have for the last 3 months...riding into the wind.We rode into Poplar and stopped at a Tastee Freeze. Ethan rode up while we were eating.When we were done, the 3 of us rode together the rest of the day.Ethan told us about seeing a mountain lion yesterday. He was pretty sure that's what it was. He said he only got a quick glimpse of it.We stopped at Brockton for a soda. A couple native Americans came over and started hanging around when we pulled up.I hung around the bikes because we had been warned to watch our stuff around this reservation.When they couldn't bum any money from me, they left.We rode on and got to Culbertson. It's off the reservation and looks like a nice town. The reservation towns were more like slums with bars on all the windows of the businesses.We all stopped for a late lunch, then Ethan headed on. Mrs Gorp went and did laundry after we got a room and I took a nap. :-))When she got back, we went out to dinner.I could tell that I needed a couple shorter days because I was feeling tired. Today was a short day and tomorrow will be a few miles shorter. The ol' body will be ready to go again after that. :-))It was a beautiful day...even with the headwinds. It got up to the mid 60's and was nice and sunny out.I guess they double up on businesses out here. I saw two different businesses that caught my eye...1- a place that said it was a laundromat and had broasted chicken. 2- a place that said it was the local winery and car wash. :-))Another great day on the Northern Tier Bicycle Trail. :-))6-28-07Williston, ND45 miles today1234 Northern Tier miles5320 total milesWe're in North Dakota!!!The word for today is headwinds. :-((That's 2 days in a row of headwinds and the weather report is calling for at least 2 or 3 more days...with winds in our faces at about 30mph.We started off slower than expected. The cafe opened at 6am and our plans were to be there by then, but it was almost 7am before we finally made it there.We had breakfast and got to listen to a table with 5 ranchers talking about...umm, ranching stuff. :-))I heard one guy saying that he got 130 large bails of hay off one field last year and he bailed up 250 bails off that same field yesterday.The waitress was giving Butch a hard time, saying that he's worn the same shirt in there for breakfast for a week.That same waitress asked which way we were riding. We told her east. She said that's good...we already got through THAT reservation.We went back to the motel and checked out.It was a cool morning in the lower 40's. That felt great but didn't stay cool very long.It was very windy when we started and it stayed very windy all day long.We got to a small store in Bainville and had a soda.When we started riding again, Mrs Gorp stopped to take a picture just at the base of a small climb. I kept riding and about half way up I stopped because I saw two large somethings off to my left. I watched and realized I was seeing two wolves. They were huge!!Mrs Gorp came up and watched them. Those buggers stood over half way up a fence they came to in the field.We watched them running along a shallow ridge. The one kept stopping and looking back at us.Now if I could only see a mountain lion.......We were pedaling along and saw two vehicles coming up very slowly behind us. They kept blocking any cars and trucks because they were in the regular roadway.It was the group of bicyclists for the Jimmy Fund. The 2 sag vehicles were blocking the wind for the 7 bike riders. That was OK, but they weren't riding on the shoulder, they were right in the road...a 70mph speed limit road and cars were having to almost stop to get around them.Wish they could be more considerate and ride the shoulder instead of making all the drivers mad.We got to the top of a small hill and saw the "Welcome To North Dakota" sign....woohoo!!!...another state!! :-))We took a few pictures, then headed another 20 miles to Williston.I knew there was a Wal-Mart there. I went into a book store in Sandpoint, ID to get an atlas because we are going to make our own route around the Great Lakes. The book store wanted $15.00 for and atlas, so I decided to wait till we got to a Wal-Mart. I knew they were only $6.00 there.I love Wal-Mart!! :-))Mrs Gorp had a CD made of her photos there.I had watched the bikes while she did that, then I went in and bought some chicken, a card for my daughter-in-law and a coffee maker. That's right, I bought a coffee maker and plan on carrying it the rest of the way to Maine. :-))I didn't buy the cheapest one either...I bought one that I can pre-set at night, so I wake up to a 4 cup pot of Starbuck's each morning.Life just got better out here on the Northern Tier Bicycle Trail. :-))