Havre to Logan State Park

I had a great sleep and lots of it, and I was looking forward to my ride today. I knew it was going to be hot, and I had many miles of prairie to get through before I got to the mountains. I felt rested and ready for the challenges ahead.

The evening before, I was so tired I didn't even feel like going to a restaurant. Instead, I walked over to a nearby grocery store and bought a salad kit and a sandwich. I also bought some blueberries and yogurt which I ate for my breakfast. The only thing missing was coffee. I decided to just get on the road and get some along the way.

I wasn't thinking about the fact that I was in the prairies and there isn't anywhere to stop between towns. It took a while, but eventually, I found coffee and was on my way again. At the next town, I sailed through, and this turned out to be a serious tactical error. Not long after this town, I realized I needed to pee. I was on a road with no shoulder in a land without out trees or even bushes. Finally, just as things were getting serious, bushes appeared. And, of course, not two minutes after my pit stop, I came to the town of Shelby.

After a quick stop for gas, I was on my way again. As I left town, there was a sign warning of wind gusts for the next 35 miles. There had already been a strong wind blowing all day, and now the ante was upped. In addition, the air quickly became very hot and very smokey. The ride from Shelby to Cut Bank was not fun, but things improved a bit by Browning, and then I was in the mountains.

Eventually, I came to Logan State Park and got my tent set up. After a break, I set off to Happy's Inn for supper. About halfway to the Inn, I heard a loud noise and my bike started jiggling. I thought I had blown a tire. I grabbed the clutch and the brakes and eased over to the shoulder. Luckily, I hadn't blown a tire. Instead, I had forgotten to close my saddle bags, and a jacket had flown out and wrapped itself around my axle, chain, and sprocket. It was lucky I grabbed the clutch, or I might have had a tumble. It took me an hour to cut it out, scrape all the debris out of each sprocket, and then oil the chain.

Back at the campground, I had a shower and wandered around for a bit. I was hoping things would cool off when the sun went down, but I think it's going to be a warm night.Read more