Day 35 – July 17, 2015
Miles City MT to Glendive MT – 82.89 miles
Bumble Bee – Audrey:
Yes, it was a very long day. The motivating factor to push us along was at the end of the day we could rest, and have a day off on Saturday. After 8 days of non stop riding we need to rest. Our destination was nothing to look forward to, a east Montana town of about 5000 people half way between Billings MT and Bismarck ND. We had to make it there since Gregg ordered rain covers for his panniers to replace the set he left behind in Billings. We think his ditty bad rolled under the bed and we missed it on our routine “idiot check”. The post office is only open from 9-12pm on Saturday, and, of course closed on Sunday.
Gregg is off picking up the package this morning at the post office. We both set out to pick up the covers but just out of the unpaved driveway of our hotel I got a flat! Wow the famous Schwable Marathon tires, that shouldn’t get flats, got a flat after 1300 miles. Luckily it happened on our day off. We will have plenty of time to check the tire and change the tube. I cleaned the bike and tire for Gregg’s return. It’s always a messy job, especially the rear tire. I was thinking of doing it by myself but thought maybe Gregg would want to inspect the tire to find potential weakness.
I know it happened on one of the 30 miles we did on the Interstate yesterday. The Interstate is the worst possible road for tire issues since there is so much debris on the shoulders. As you know from previous posts, steel belted tire bits, glass from shattered bottles, rubber bungie cords from the 18 wheelers, bolts, nails, fragments of cars like fenders, hubcaps etc…. And yesterday we had rolling hills, which meant climbing for a mile and descending for a mile at speeds of up to 20 mph where checking the road ahead is tough, so I may have missed something. Yep, these bikes take a licking. The country roads are filled with weather cracks that also pose problems. Bump bump bump down the road. Oh yes, there are also the cattle guards we have to cross everything we enter or exit a freeways. I was happily surprised to not have had a flat so far. I was even hopeful that I would never have one after hearing from the young Swiss couple that he had biked across Europe and now almost all the way across America without a flat with the same tires.
Our day started with rain. It wasn’t a thunder storm, that which we fear most, but just a steady rain for the first 1 1/2 hrs of riding. It was fine for me, I had all of my covers. Gregg improvised by putting all of his stuff in large garbage bags and then into the panniers. But in general we faired well. The front handle bar cover didn’t really work too well so I had to put my cameras in waterproof bags that seemed to help.
So we made it down the road to another “whistle stop” town called Terry. There we stopped for lunch at the Dizzy Diner. We tried something different, it was either the bar/tavern, where we had friendly bartenders and OK food, or the “cafes” which are usually frequented by the “descent folk” in town. The pure self righteous folk don’t go to the bars. Sure enough an elderly lady stopped us before we entered and interrogated us. Where we were from? LA….face change. Where were we headed? DC/Annapolis. At least this time we didn’t get the question “are you going to visit Mr Obama?”. Usually get offended by this question simply because of its phrasing. It is not Mr Obama, it’s President Obama, whether you like it or not! This lady was more politically neutral, but still probing. “Why on earth would you do something like this?!” I just looked at her and said “Why not?” Woowoo – she laughed and walked into the diner.
She sat near us and I overheard her conversation with her lunch partners, one of them the local minister, blaming the world’s problems on Muslims and Mexicans. Yep, that is where we are. We had an awful lunch and a mediocre butterscotch malted, figured we could try something like that on our 80 mile day. And then we were on our way. Distancing ourselves from these people who are so far from our tribe, it is hard to imagine.
Got to Glendive where the only hotels were lining the Instate off ramp and no campsites within 10 miles. There is a nice one about 9 1/2 miles outside of town at the badlands state park at Makoshika , but too far for us. We are staying in the Astoria Hotel which was recently built to accommodate the rush of people coming to town for the oil field jobs. The hotel must not be more than a year old. It was most likely owned by the East Indian man who was at the front desk when we checked in, he was probably here to cash in on the gold rush mentality pervasive in these parts. The strange thing is that we didn’t see any oil men/women. No big pickups like in Miles City, mostly just families passing thru form East to West or West to East.
We have passed over an imaginary line. In the breakfast room I saw T-shirts of bible study camps, Ohio State National Champs, and Sigma Nu (only the 5th black person we’ve seen since leaving Portland – 1/2 the others were the cops in Missoula – how weird is that) and Akron U. We are moving East, that’s for sure. Leaving the West behind and almost to our 1/2 mark. Only about 400 miles from that! Now it is time to enjoy our O day.
auchandgrog
Wow! Excited that you found us on our journey Blog. I should have written you directly myself. Glad that Felix passed it on. This is a crazy journey. Lots of weird bars and burgers and some fun conversations with the locals along the way. Very very different way to experience this country. Puts a whole new perspective on things. Of course we will stop in DC. It seems a million millions away, but, we are getting closer!! Look forward to seeing you soonish. Welcome back to America!
auchandgrog
Gregg~Bear here,
Hi Mike,
I get your point but there is another dimension to it. The cultural isolation (at least large cities, racial and cultural diversity, and science is vast. Obama is someone they are ill prepared to understand except through the prism of FOX NEWS. They don’t understand how dependent they are federal spending. They keep on telling us they we have nothing to worry about when it comes to theft…this after losing a watch to a tweeker and anti-meth posters in almost every small town. I would hazard to guess that property theft is a as common as in the inner city. The number of houses with flag poles and American flags is astounding. It as if the flag is not the symbol of a country but an integral part of their identity in way that you and I can’t comprehed. I not so sure about the despair bit. I don’t see that. I see a culture different than my own with its own blind spots ad illusions about itself also different than my own. And…that for being one of our most reliable contributers.
auchandgrog
Gregg~Bear here,
Hi Kerstin,
Dirk may have had a hard time finding non-white people but he was much farther south (Kentucky) where there are plenty of Black people. Where we are about the only people we see are white. The only non-white people I can remember talking to were Native American…an only on a reservation. Audrey’s flat may likely be the only one we get — considered almost a fluke with the tires we are using.
Gregg
auchandgrog
Gregg~Bear here
Hi Pete,
The bubble has popped but still lots of activity (drilling) if much less than before. Just after we entered North Dakota today, we got a gander at our first fracking rig on the other side of the Hwy. So, oil still a big deal here abouts.
Pete
No oil guys and gals? I’ve been reading that the fracking bubble in the U.S. has popped.
Ina
You! are! something! Felix sent me the link to this page and now I can’t stop reading. Feels almost like biking myself 😉
Good luck and smooth shoulders! Stop by when you reach DC!!
Kerstin
You are doing great, blog and pictures, thanks for keeping it up through happy moments, time-killing mind games, flat tires, exhausting rides and out-of-your-tribe encounters! I remember thinking that Dirk did not try hard enough to find non-white people to get interview on his bike ride through the Heartland. Guess it is really not that easy! Keeping my fingers crossed for no more flat tires but for pleasant encounters in the future!
Kerstin
Mike Williams
Audrey, I can understand the fear that peope have about about a president who is so different from those past. He is making changes that are monumental. Who else would have had the courage to bring about change in prison sentencing and spending money on trying to help people get over their mental and and emotional problems rather than lock them up and throw away the key. How can some little old lady that lives in a small town relate to what is happening in big cities where most the problems are. From your posts it appears that drugs and dispare are in the small towns as well. We need change
auchandgrog
Hey there. Yep would love to shoot more photos and there are more photos,but we have to choose just a few to let them load and get them up online while we are stationary. Sometimes the energy is just not there. It is an adventure, especially now that we are almost half way. Motivation is a factor.
Lee
Keep up the story telling, make more pictures, loving the tour so far.