A Bygone Era

We've been fighting the wind now for three days.  It doesn't seem to matter whether we go east or south, the wind seems to figure out which way we're going and push back.  So that means we spend a lot of time in the saddle watching the scenery and ranches go by VERY slow(LY!).
One thing that makes me wonder is all of the old buildings we see.

I wonder if kids grew up there, what the parents were like, what they did for a living, and what finally finished them off.  I see the schools, and wonder who taught the kids, what games they played on the playground, and where the kids (now grown, or possibly even deceased) are.

 

We crossed this bridge over the Missouri River, now fenced off, but at one time, the longest bridge in Montana.  What people and enterprises powered the economy then and what vehicles crossed it?  Will it ever be appreciated again as a footbridge, perhaps?

 

And lastly, this pair of juxtaposed images, separated in time by decades, but in distance, just by Highway 13.

 

The abandoned homestead with overgrown fields, tattered outbuildings, and broken antenna tower, with the modern machines (spray rig and tanker truck) that likely contributed to the small farm's demise.  But life goes on.....Global economic forces drive the enterprises that thrive and in the end, some people thrive and others must move on, like us grinding along against the wind on the shoulder of Highway 13 in eastern Montana. 

 

 

 



Day 19 - Another windy day - in our face! Wolf Pooint, Montana to Circle, Montana.

Day 19.  So, does anyone know a wind-changing program?  I would be happy to download it.  Today we are staying in Circle, Montana - only half way to where we wanted to be.  56.7 miles and 2,660 foot elevation gain.  We had an even stronger headwind than the other two days and at times I had to work to go five miles per hour.  They were a 6 long hours too.  Still, the rolling prairie was beautiful, as were the people.
So, starting out crossed the Missouri river for the first time.  Even up here it is a wide river.  The old bridge was put up in 1930 and still is standing - but they won't let us walk across it let alone ride our bikes.  Hate to see it fall down.

The next interesting sign we saw was this one.  I have the feeling this sign might mean something different in the big city, but out here it's all about hunting - for rocks and racks.

On thing we have seen along the way are the old school houses.  They are of various sizes and shapes, but here are two we saw along the way.  Quite a bit of history here.  The last year these were used was 1967!

Finally, we camp out wherever we can and are allowed to.  Some of the locals told us to stay at the county fairgrounds, and here we are in the livestock section.  Appropriate.  As is common out here, after we had set up our tents another fellow offered to let us stay at his shop - bathroom, shower and beds.  We thanked him and told him we were already set up, but next time we would call ahead.  Very nice fellow.

Tomorrow we hope the winds either let down a bit or blow to the east.  We shall see!

Day 18 Another day of BIG headwind! Glasgow, Montana to Wolf Point, Montana.

I must not have paid my taxes since the wind has been blowing in my face ALL DAY!  Strong wind too.  We made 56.2 hard won miles and gained 772 feet to Wolf Point, Montana.  I thought I paid my dues yesterday!?
Well, we started out the day with a smiling old car - to a car buff this is a "Happy Face".

As for signs, here is another interesting one.  The bridges out here are interesting, but "Skewed"!?  I will pay more attention!
Next, Paul P seems to attract extraterrestrial farm vehicles.  Very interesting machines indeed.  Paul P. wanted to see if he could  bike under one, but I told him with the vehicle going 60 MPH if his calculations are wrong he could be in real trouble indeed!

Another interesting thing we saw was the mating of full-size televisions!  Very rare these days what with the evolution of flat-screen TV's.  I don't know what the mating ritual is, but there were lots of ads for hot-pots and hair tonics.

The harvest of grain has become quite an industrial process and the machines are huge!  As you enjoy your morning toast, think that here is where it starts!

Tomorrow we head south, and again I hope not into a headwind.  The traffic on highway 2 has been growing, both in numbers of vehicles, the speed, and the narrowness of the roads.  I can certainly understand why they send us south. 

Miles From Nowhere

Montana's far northeast corner is pretty unpopulated.  It got me thinking that we've made friends near and far in our first three weeks of riding.  Today we did meet Fred Nettle, a guy biking the Lewis and Clark trail starting in Missouri, finishing near Portland, Oregon. 

Last Monday from near Whitefish, we met Vonda & Michelle, friendly nomads, out for a day's ride.

 

 

As we were riding in to Avalanche camp in Glacier Park, we met this couple, married from nineteen sixty nine until now. 

 

Peggy, cycling east to bury her father's ashes in Michigan, felt no qualms about advising us to ride Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier Park, which we did.

 

And just before Newport, feeling nice, Paul C gave this little boy a cookie.

 

 

So as the days slip by and the miles fade nicely into the past, we'll think about these times when we were in the middle of Montana, faraway, needing pleasant thoughts to keep us going.



 









Day 17 - a STRONG wind in our faces. Malta, Montana to Glasgow, Montana.

Day 17.  71.6 miles and only 964 feet climb to Glasgow, Montana - but a STRONG headwind the whole way!  It was quite a trip.  Still, it was a good day - when we were done.  A nice dinner in Glasgow and soon to bed.  The start of the day was cool, and this breakfast place looked good, but I had already eaten.  I can only hold so much after all!

Also on the way I saw an old milk truck resting along an old store.  It was even old enough to have a three-digit phone number!

Along the way, I found a Montana license plate, but I guess I don't need one for the bike.  Still, it shows where I was!

Talk about where I was!  This is certainly open country.  There were antelope running around and the view of the wide open places.  This hopefully gives you some idea about this.

We have met some of the locals though.  The little turtle was trying to "run" across the road and as it would certainly be squashed by a megaload or whatever, we helped it's "flight".  It just kept waving it's legs.

The rattlesnake sadly (or maybe not for us!) had kissed a truck or something, but it could still wag it's tail.  I didn't pick it up to see how it was doing!

On the way we met a fellow going west - and a happy one with the 20+ knot tailwind we were fighting.  Look at the smile on his face!

Finally, when we pulled into a Historical Sign place to try and learn something - and to rest - we met an Indian fellow letting his truck cool down.  I was chatting with him and told him how much effort the wind was causing.  He brought things into perspective by pointing out that without the wind we would be suffering from "The White Man's Fly" - mosquitoes!!  See, there is always an upside to almost all downsides - Ying and Yang!!

So, tomorrow we head to Wolf Point and then turn south.  We hope the wind goes somewhere else.

The New Top Predator

Back before human domination of America, animals like cougars, bears, wolves, coyotes, lynxes, bobcats, wolverines, eagles, and hawks preyed upon the hapless creatures here.  While that still happens to a limited extent, none of those animals take anywhere close to what the new top predator takes.  That honor now goes to the ubiquitous motor vehicles that streak along our highways.  It takes a cyclist like me, plodding along at 20 mph to bring this into sharp focus.  It's a pretty morbid topic today, but sometimes we have to bring attention to that.  Today we rode across north-central Montana, a state where rural daytime speed limits are 70 mph on secondary roads and 80 mph or more on Interstates.  The defenses that many animals have developed over the eons no longer work.  It doesn't matter if you stink...

if you're fast....

 







if you can hide underground.....

 

if you can slither through the grass...

if you can climb trees...

 

 if you're cuddly....

 

if you have spines and spikes....

if you wear a mask...

if you're really small....

if you can fly...or anything.  It will get you.



 

Day 16 - a "short" day. Havre, Montana to Malta, Montana.

On we go over the plains.  We did 89.4 miles and about 230 foot climb to Malta, Montana - almost nothing!  We had a favorable wind too, at least not in our faces.  Now, we seem to be following the Milk river and there are more trees - at least along the river.  We did go through the Assinibione Indian Territory and a fellow there told us the beavers were coming back in spades - and chewing the trees down.  He also had a coffee machine on his property, but he didn't use it.  He said it scares the deer away.  Go figure?  Here is the machine.

Next, we met Gayle in Harlem, Mt.  She had been chatting with some of the locals (there are not very many) and they gave her some milk type stuff.  She was proud of the acquisition.  They were impressed by the shirt too.

As we have been barreling along, dodging the trucks and cars, it is very nice how friendly the locals are - just like with Gayle.  Here is one such place.  We didn't drop anything though.

One of the interesting things is how they name the high school teams.  When we were in Chinook, Mt., we saw this sign.  The sugar plant looks closed and I did not see any sugar beet fields, but history is history.

As we are following the railroad (BNSF) it is great to see the trains go by.  We even saw the Amtrak train flying along.  Track maintenance seems to be an ongoing process, and we have talked with some of the workers at lunch, etc.  Here is a picture of one of the repair trains and the neat thing it still has a caboose.

Finally, there are a lot of abandoned farms, houses, stores, and it appears even a church.  This one probably has a real history indeed.  We did not have time to stop and investigate.  The door was locked.

Tomorrow on we go.  We hope to find a bike shop where are can get some things and then off into the eastern wilderness!

Cool Old Cars

Montanans must have something for old cars.  It seems like the long winters give them time to spend in a garage making something old new again.  Today we came across a guy, Dick Gephardt of Chester, Montana, not to be confused with US Representative Dick Gephardt of Missouri, who had done several immaculate automobile restorations.  The first one we noticed was this Ford pickup, probably around 1938, that looked like it had just come off the showroom floor. 

I rode my bike over for a closer look and the owner/restorer (Dick) came out to see if I wanted to buy any of them.  I said I'd have a hard time carrying any of them on my back bike rack, but he was undeterred.  Paul C. had ridden on, but when he saw me chatting with Dick, he came back.  The first thing he noticed was the 1958 Edsel, also for sale.  He actually talked Dick into letting him sit in the driver's seat! 

 

Dick also had a 1958 Thunderbird on display.

This reminds me of several other photos I'd taken of cars from a show in Libby, this one of a mid 30's Ford (anyone out there know for sure?).

And lastly, this '66 Mustang, for sale on Highway 56 near Noxon, MT.

Once again, it was great to be cycling through these towns.  In a car, we'd probably have never noticed what was off to the side.  And it sure was a nice tailwind today!