Here are some photos from my ride from Chester to Chinook.
Tuesday September 4th
And some photos from my ride from Chinook to Malta.
I spent the morning at the campground repacking the bags and doing some laundry. The library opened at 1pm and I spent a few hours there catching up on emails. Sue came and talked to me while I was in the library. She and Ken were staying in Malta that evening. Around 5pm I departed after having a late lunch and arrived at the Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge just before 6pm. I really enjoyed my 30 minute stay there. It was very peaceful. I saw a cottontail rabbit, a hawk, many birds, and some pronghorn antelope. The road to Saco was very rough and by the time I reached highway 2 again it was almost dusk. I felt a little hesitation about riding to Saco because of the rumors I'd heard the Saco is the mosquito capital of Montana! As I began to ride I saw signs to Sleeping Buffalo Hot Springs. Yes! That was where I'd head for the night. I paid for the tent site and a soak in the hot springs. The pool I liked the most was 11o degrees. I felt very relaxed after the soak and quickly made my way to the tent to avoid being eaten by the mosquitos.
Thursday September 6th
I stopped in Saco at the supermarket and discovered Ken and Sue's bikes parked outside a cafe. I joined them at a table and we talked for a while. I then rode with Ken and Sue until we reached Glasgow where they would be staying the night.
Wednesday September 5th
I spent the morning at the campground repacking the bags and doing some laundry. The library opened at 1pm and I spent a few hours there catching up on emails. Sue came and talked to me while I was in the library. She and Ken were staying in Malta that evening. Around 5pm I departed after having a late lunch and arrived at the Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge just before 6pm. I really enjoyed my 30 minute stay there. It was very peaceful. I saw a cottontail rabbit, a hawk, many birds, and some pronghorn antelope. The road to Saco was very rough and by the time I reached highway 2 again it was almost dusk. I felt a little hesitation about riding to Saco because of the rumors I'd heard the Saco is the mosquito capital of Montana! As I began to ride I saw signs to Sleeping Buffalo Hot Springs. Yes! That was where I'd head for the night. I paid for the tent site and a soak in the hot springs. The pool I liked the most was 11o degrees. I felt very relaxed after the soak and quickly made my way to the tent to avoid being eaten by the mosquitos.
Mileage today was 21 miles.
Thursday September 6th
I stopped in Saco at the supermarket and discovered Ken and Sue's bikes parked outside a cafe. I joined them at a table and we talked for a while. I then rode with Ken and Sue until we reached Glasgow where they would be staying the night.
On the outskirts of Glasgow were these sculptures. Kind of interesting to look at but maybe too big for a front yard.
I rode on towards Nashua.
59 miles today.
Now I remembered that I had a pickup at the Williston post office and I had to get there by Saturday at noon.
I would need to get to Culbertson tonight. I left just before 9am and rode past Frazer, Oswego, Wolf Point, Poplar, and Brockton. I met Fred, an Indian outside a store in Poplar and Jeff Stump, another Indian, outside his reservation in Brockton. They were both very down-to-earth guys and very friendly. I reached Culbertson at 7:30pm. There was a high school football match going on and it was noisy! I ate dinner at a pizza restaurant. My legs were sore so I drank 2 cups full of electrolyte recovery drink I was carrying with me.
It was cold! I saw the temperature flashing somewhere 49 degrees! My legs felt good! I departed Culbertson at 6:15am and had breakfast at Bainville 15 miles away. I didn't realize that there were so many rolling hills to Williston and I arrived a little late at the post office at 12:15pm. I The official hours ended at noon but I heard voices behind the door that was closed and I kept on knocking. Eventually a lady opened the door and I explained I had ridden 40 miles to pick up a general delivery package. She took a look but my package as not there. She gave me a phone number to call the next day. I checked with my friend back home and the package was sent August 31st. She mentioned that there was some delay in mail going out after Labor day.
Friday September 7th
Now I remembered that I had a pickup at the Williston post office and I had to get there by Saturday at noon.
I would need to get to Culbertson tonight. I left just before 9am and rode past Frazer, Oswego, Wolf Point, Poplar, and Brockton. I met Fred, an Indian outside a store in Poplar and Jeff Stump, another Indian, outside his reservation in Brockton. They were both very down-to-earth guys and very friendly. I reached Culbertson at 7:30pm. There was a high school football match going on and it was noisy! I ate dinner at a pizza restaurant. My legs were sore so I drank 2 cups full of electrolyte recovery drink I was carrying with me.
96.9 miles today.
Saturday September 8th
It was cold! I saw the temperature flashing somewhere 49 degrees! My legs felt good! I departed Culbertson at 6:15am and had breakfast at Bainville 15 miles away. I didn't realize that there were so many rolling hills to Williston and I arrived a little late at the post office at 12:15pm. I The official hours ended at noon but I heard voices behind the door that was closed and I kept on knocking. Eventually a lady opened the door and I explained I had ridden 40 miles to pick up a general delivery package. She took a look but my package as not there. She gave me a phone number to call the next day. I checked with my friend back home and the package was sent August 31st. She mentioned that there was some delay in mail going out after Labor day.
So I rode around town, visited the railway station and saw an old train, figured out what the SF in BNSF railroad meant, visited JC Penney looking for warm wool socks (couldn't find any), and started to ride to find a laundromat and the library. As I was riding along a road a guy stopped and got out of his pickup truck. He wanted to talk. His name was Mick O'Brien and he had ridden a similar route across the US on his recumbent bike in 2000. I explained what I was searching for and he suggested I come back to his place. He gave me directions and I followed his truck. I parked the bike in his garage and we went out for lunch which he paid for. We returned to his house and he suggested we go for a visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park which was a mere hour and a quarter drive away (more like a day's bike ride for me!)
We saw amazing badland scenery along the Little Missouri River which Teddy Roosevelt ranched here. We also saw Prickly Pear Cactus, Buffalo, Mule and Whitetail deer, Prairie Dogs (about an hours walk to the Prairie Dog City), a Cottontail Rabbit, Quails, and Ring Necked Pheasants.
We saw amazing badland scenery along the Little Missouri River which Teddy Roosevelt ranched here. We also saw Prickly Pear Cactus, Buffalo, Mule and Whitetail deer, Prairie Dogs (about an hours walk to the Prairie Dog City), a Cottontail Rabbit, Quails, and Ring Necked Pheasants.
Williston is sitting on an active oil field. I learned on the drive back that landowners own the mineral rights so it is up to the farmers to remove the disused oil rigs.
Back in Williston Mick treated me to some burritos from Taco Johns and we watched some university football. I laundered my clothes, dried my tent, showed Mick my photos on the laptop and he showed me his trip photos. I read his log of the trip which he incorporated into a book about his life. Very interesting reading...thank you Mick for your generous hospitality!
Back in Williston Mick treated me to some burritos from Taco Johns and we watched some university football. I laundered my clothes, dried my tent, showed Mick my photos on the laptop and he showed me his trip photos. I read his log of the trip which he incorporated into a book about his life. Very interesting reading...thank you Mick for your generous hospitality!
I couldn't get to sleep probably because of the one hour difference between Mountain time and Central Time which I was now on since crossing the border into North Dakota.
Sunday September 9th
Now that I'm fully refreshed I've decided to camp along Lake Sakakawea on the western side of New Town tonight and ride to Minot on Monday.
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