Glendive

To Glendive, Montana -- 61.8 miles, 12.5 mph, 1200 ft -- Tues-Wed, June 13-14

The forecast called for continued easterly winds at least until 12:00. That was good news, so there was only one thing to do -- pack up the tent and ride, baby, ride!

 

Although our first acquaintance with interstate 94 was not very enjoyable, we’ve grown to quite like it over the last two days. The traffic has been light, the pavement smooth, and the shoulder wide. What's not to like? The cool weather and the continuing tailwind this morning made the 62 miles speed by. With eight days of riding behind us since Fergus Falls -- where my sore bum/hip put an unexpected two-day halt to the proceedings -- we were ready for a day off.  Tomorrow would be a bike free day.  Here’s Meg’s take on it:

Breakfast stop in Wibaux, Montana

My rest day started off early with a very serendipitous run-in with Bruce & Bob from Vashon, whom we met at the Honey Hub in Gackle, ND.  I was surprised to see them wheeling their bikes into the cafe next door, (I was up early and checking on the weather conditions).  Both Dean and I figured they'd already be days ahead of us.

As they ate, I got a soda and we got caught up on the last few days.  They had indeed made it to Bismarck on my "Melt Down" day, though Bob was incredibly grateful for the first gas station in Bismarck as he hadn't filled up with water when leaving Hazelton. I can only imagine!  With the wind and heat that they were facing, I'm glad they made it ok.  They were both lamenting the fact that they hadn't had many opportunities to paint, so they had started riding fewer miles and painting more. After all, it's the journey, not the destination.  

So, with the winds cranking up, I bid a fond farewell to our biking friends, and I did not envy them having to go 50 miles to Circle.  When I returned to the room, everyone was still a'snooze, though Dean was disappointed he had missed Bruce and Bob.  

Once the kids were up, we discussed the plan for the day -- check out the dinosaur museum, send a box of items home, grab lunch, and then go bowling. It sounded great to Dean and me... the kids took some cajoling for the museum. The box going home had some toys that the kids no longer played with and some warmer clothes that we'd been carrying since Boston. Hopefully, fewer items will alleviate some of the kids' angst from trying to cram everything into their panniers each morning.

First up, the Dinosaur Museum... a la Creationism.  Suffice it to say, we were not converted nor convinced.  While it was interesting to understand the creationist viewpoint where the earth is believed only to be 6000 years old, we had a hard time accepting it.  The staff was kind, some of the exhibits were neat, but it was not for us.

Noah's Ark

Creation -- 4004 BC

Next up, the post office, lunch, and bowling.  Since the bowling alley was 6 miles from the hotel, we took the bikes, and I was grateful all over again to not be riding in the wind all day.  We had taken all the bags and gear off our bikes, and it was still difficult.  My thoughts turned to Bruce and Bob, and I hoped they were managing ok.  

After a quick trip to the post office and a tasty pizza lunch, we made our way, into the wind, to the bowling alley.  The trip seemed to take a long time as we were buffeted to and fro.  When we finally pulled up to the bowling alley, I was a little concerned as there were no cars in the parking lot, but the doors were open so in ran Dex & Kylie.  As I was maneuvering our trusty steed, Dex stormed out saying that the place was closed as the owner was doing maintenance on the alleys and that we should just leave. I went in to confirm the details.  Apparently, the lanes would open up at 5 p.m. Dex was nearly inconsolable.  He had really been looking forward to this, and for all the effort we put into getting out there, he was beside himself with anger and disappointment -- not a good combo for him. I tried to explain that we could take a cab and come back in a few hours, though he didn't seem to care and pretty much just wanted to be angry.  The only decent thing about the return trip home was that it was twice as fast as getting there.

An angry and dejected Dex

Back at the hotel, everyone simmered down, and when 5 p.m. hit, we called the Glendive Cab Co and Singh got us to the bowling alley very simply and without any huffing and puffing.  It was a neat, small little spot that even had bumpers.  It was worth the wait. Dex genuinely apologized for his impatience earlier and explained how he had really been looking forward to bowling as they've not had a chance to "do much of anything" lately.... In the end, he bested Dad, but couldn't get past BigMo (a.k.a. Meg). Good job, Dex.