Home again! 810 bike miles later... Next time, we'll...

build in some rest days or shorter days.

Sometimes we didn't have a choice because the towns are far apart or we had a deadline to meet.

Renting a one-way car worked well. We used a Prius, so we were able to throw all our stuff on the back with the seat folded down. It also eliminated finding a bike shop, bike box, packing the bikes, getting the bikes to the bus, meeting the schedules for the bike shop and the bus, then getting the biles to our hotel and unpacking the bikes for our drive home.

The rental car cost about the same as one person's bus fare. But, we had to finish in a big city to be able to rent the car.

The drive from Bismarck to Missoula was about 12 hours, followed by a 16 1/2 hour drive home. It's hard to sit that long!

Stuff we wish we had, that we didn't bring: 

1. sleeping bag liners - our bags were  too warm, so we slept under them, not in them. 

2. Camp shoes - Frank's were too hot. 

3. A platypus to strap on the rear rack for making sun tea. I used a 1/2 liter water bottle with tea bags stuffed in the opening. No matter how snuggly I strapped it on, It slipped loose most days and skittered down the road behind me.

4. Inflatable pillows 

5. Ear plugs

6. Refillable squeeze tubes for peanut butter, jelly, and lotions

Stuff we wish we didn't have:

Frank brought a few too many layers of clothing. Three bike water bottles, plus the sun tea added quite a bit of weight, but was reassuring on days when it was hot and far between towns. 

Trudy was pretty happy with what she brought - she brought 2 too many pairs of socks...

Bike repairs:

We brought an extra foldable tire, but it probably wouldn't have worked on Frank's bike, with wider rims.

Trudy's shifting problems were caused by the handlebar bag settling down between the cables and stretching them - we thought that might be the case, but didn't have the tools or know-how to fix it.

Aches and pains: 

Trudy had an accident 3 weeks before we started, with 3 fractured ribs and a pulled groin muscle. She was OK pedaling, but couldn't stand up to pedal and get some "seat relief." That makes long days realllllly long!

We both had "hot foot" later in the day, but stopped to loosen our shoes.

We both used SPF 50 sun screen, but still have "biker tans."

Frank had some pain between the shoulders the second day that was probably due to the different geometry of the bike.

We're talking about what tour to do next year!!!!

Day 12 - Hebron to Bismarck

75 miles -1600 ft elevation 

Today we made it to Bismarck, our goal for the trip.

Cross country Mike waited until we were ready, so we could finish the trip together. We've become good friends as we've gotten together at the end of the day since our second day out. He'll keep going on to Maine tomorrow. We'll be on the road back to Missoula. What took us 12 days riding will take about 12 hours driving...

Day 11 Medora to Hebron

75 miles of beautiful, rolling hills with vast open views... as we read on a poster "North Dakota, life in the vast lane!"

We're able to continue on to Bismarck because we found a one-way rental car to drive back to Missoula.

So, no bike boxes, no buses! So much less fuss. Yeah, baby!

We're camping in a city park with pool where we can shower and clean up again. I think that makes 6 nights in city parks with pools.

There is a terrific fireworks display going on right now. It seems like one side of town is trying to out do the other side of town, and we're in the middle, enjoying it all.

Earlier today, we met a couple of cyclists who are riding across the country. One was from Lincoln, CA and the other from Maine. They started on June 1st from Oregon. Later, we met a couple from Washington, D.C. They are going to Santa Barbara and shipped all their stuff about three months ago. She's going to grad school and he's looking for a new job there.

Dickinson, ND is near the Bakken oil fields, so there were a lot more heavy trucks and equipment. It wasn't that nice sharing the road, but most gave us plenty of room and it didn't last long.

Tomorrow, onward to Bismarck!

Day 10 - Glendive, MT to Medora, NORTH DAKOTA!

Yeah!

We made it to North Dakota!

It was a wonderful day of bicycling, 67 miles, 2100 ft of climbing, light breezes (to keep us cool), although it was only in the mid 80s.

We were on a freeway for 12 miles, but the shoulder was a lane wide and the traffic, what there was of it, moved into the far lane as they passed us.

Later, we followed an old highway that meandered along a railroad track through  beautiful countryside. Three, maybe four, vehicles passed us.

Medora is a lively, touristy, little town with lots of restaurants, shops, and a bike shop!

Trudy was able to get her rear derailleur adjusted, but it looks like our journey may end tomorrow because we have to coordinate getting bike boxes with getting a bus back to Missoula. There aren't many bike shops in little towns.

We're sitting at a picnic table with Mike trying to figure out what our options are.

Bismarck, the next big city, is about 150 miles away, so we'll have to average 50 miles a day and arrive in time to get a bike box, pack the bikes, and get them to the bus station...

To be continued...

Day 9 - Circle to Glendive, a short day...

Only 48 miles, so we finished well before noon- one very gradual climb followed by one gradual descent. I think the whole ride had two curves, so nothing photo worthy. There was a gravel and sand company near Glendive... and about a half mile of rail cars. We talked a minute or two about whether they were for gravel or grain... Exciting! 

It was a hunker down and go day, so we could get to a hotel, swim, clean up, nap and go out to dinner.

Trudy's still snoozing...

We met up with "cross country Mike" again a couple of nights ago and have been having a good time hanging out together in the evenings. He's an early riser, and doesn't have breakfast, so he gets a good head start. He's become our advance scout, finding campgrounds, restaurants and hotels before we hit town. He sends me a text, so I turn on the phone when we reach town, so we know where to go! We'll be going out for dinner together a little later.

There have been a lot of "wide load" vehicles... About 1/2 are agricultural, the other 1/2 are heavy construction equipment, maybe for the oil fields? We had dinner last night in a big, new restaurant in Circle, a town of 615. I asked the waitress about it... she told us the oil is about 30 miles away... Boom times in eastern Montana?

Today is Trudy and my 2nd anniversary!!

Day 8 Jordan to Circle MORE rolly, rolly, rolly!!!

67 miles, up the hill, down the hill, up the hill, down the hill...

Where we came from...

Where we are going...

No kidding...

Tomorrow will be a shorter day.