July 18th, 2009 Wolfpoint, MT to Culbertson, MT

The Big Sky Motel served us well. We did have to chase the proprietor's kids out of our room however. It was quiet and relaxing at the motel, the big event was the judging of the road treasures contest. Lately we have taken to an Oz Bike Club activity where you pickup items along the road and compete with your fellow bikers with a story in the evening about your find. I think this was the night I won with a pair of women's leopard skin print panties. The winner receives and gets to carry the coveted Flaming Mountain award for the day. I held the prize for several days with "Michael Jackson's glove", the panties, Blood Sweat and Tears, possibly something else can't recall. We leave Wolfpoint after a MacDonald's breakfast on a mission to get to Culbertson which will take us close to the Montana State Line, we are all ready for a new state. The ride to Culbertson was another mostly headwind day, we had some warm temps too, high 80's could have hit 90. We all cooled off in the local swimming pool, visited the market bought steaks and chicken. Braden did a great grilling job at our campsite in the city park so the day turned out nice. While at the camp we were joined by a biking couple who have been on the road for 12 years-William and Alexandra. The couple sing and play for schools, churches, assisted living facilities, etc to fund their on going adventure. The couple has ridden across Europe and the US. I dubbed them the Wandering Musical Missionary Minstrels. They played a few songs that evening including a Chech folks song but their efforts were hindered by mosquitoes and we all headed for our tents to avoid them. Tomorrow the ND line.

Unedited photo download see link below

By popular demand photos to date of the trip starting with the Pike Street Market in Seattle.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Kansasjack/BikeAcrossAmerica?authkey=Gv1sRgCIO0jfLJqPesIw#slideshow/5360340668505928402


Also check out this blog from Jon our riding companion from Maine also known as Spokemon.

http://ridingacrossamericawa-me.vox.com/

No Country for Old Men

Joplin, MT to Havre, MT July 13, 2009 - We departed from the tiny town of Joplin and proceeded to Havre. This was a quick ride we had a good tail wind and a lot of flat terrain. As we proceeded down Highway 2 we stopped at a few small towns for drinks and eats. The best place I saw was Blackie's Bar but it was closed on Mondays. Art, Jon and I ended up stopping there for a rest and noted that there was a big rain storm approaching from the Bear's Paw Mountains. The rest of the day involved some great tailwinds from the storm and pedaling fast to beat the rain into Havre. We beat the rain but a recurring issue hit us again, Jon breaking spokes, it looks like he may need a new wheel. Once we got to the Northern Montana State University campus dorms Art's dorm room turned into a bike repair shop in an effort to get Jon's wheel repaired and trued. The dorm stay was nice, 10 dollars a night with Internet, showers, cooking and laundry available. Jon's wheel was repaired, tents dried from the night before, food at a local casino and a trip to Wal Mart ended the night.

Havre, MT to Harlem, MT July 14, 2009 - The day started with a lot of rain. Braden, Lynda, Don, Mary, Roger and I waited out the rain in Char's Restaurant in beautiful downtown Havre. Jim, Jon and Art stayed at the dormitory and left from there. Around 9 or so the rain subsided and it turned out to be a good Day for riding fast. We left Havre in a light drizzle, cool temps and proceeded to Harlem. With a nice west wind we were hitting 15-20 mph which is good for a loaded bike. The half way point of the ride was Chinook which we made in around an hour or so. After a rest and some food at a convenience store in Chinook we rolled into Harlem. Harlem was a small town with a good pizza place and Deb's Diner. Our camp site was next to the Harlem City Hall and we had access to the restrooms at city hall and the showers and swimming pool adjacent. The pool water was heated to around 90 degrees and quite relaxing. We had a lot of time for bike tune ups, naps, and relaxing in Harlem. Tomorrow on to a camp area east of the town of Malta, MT. We had been warned by previous westbound bikers about mosquitoes so it was decided for various reasons we stay inside somewhere, Sleeping Buffalo would be our destination. Good night from Harlem.

Harlem, MT to Sleeping Buffalo Campground west of Saco, MT July 15, 2009 -Got a good start around 8 a..m. for Sleeping Buffalo. Our route headed into the Fort Belknap Reservation toward the town of Malta. It was fairly long day, some wind and heat, rolling hills. The day ended with our stop at Sleeping Buffalo. We anticipated cabins but the sleeping accommodations were more like a bunch of double wides hooked together. The place also had a gift shop and hot springs pools. The place was rough, nothing was in good repair and the food selection was at the bar and consisted of frozen pizza. The two married couples shared a room and 4 of us "singles" shared the adjacent room. Jim from Detroit was presumed missing in action but turned up at a Motel in Malta, a good decision for him in terms of lodging. The water was undrinkable and when you showered the room filled with rotten egg smell from the shower water. The good side of things was that we were protected from mosquitoes by being inside otherwise I would not recommend the Sleeping Buffalo campground at all. The room did have a TV and we all watched Lethal Weapon 2.

Sleeping Buffalo Campground to Glascow, MT July 16, 2009 - We blasted out of Sleeping Buffalo and headed 15 mile down the road to Saco for breakfast. Saco was supposed to have the worst mosquito problem in the area but we didn't notice it so much. From Saco we continued east on Highway 2. The terrain was rolling hills and took us southeasterly through Hinsdale toward the town of Glascow. We camped for the night at an RV park that was very nice particularly in contrast to the previous night. The water was odor free and drinkable much to our delight. Somewhere in past two days we saw an historical marker that noted one of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid's train robberies. I believe they also had a third gang member Deaf Charlie. Speaking of trains the freight and passenger trains that go along Highway 2 are frequent and we are constantly hoping to find accommodations away from the noise of the railroad.

Glascow, MT to Wolfpoint, MT July 17, 2009 - Many locals have warned us of staying at Wolfpoint. They indicate that there are crime issues and that bikers would be vulnerable. Nonetheless we are staying in Wolfpoint and moteling for the night just be safe in case there is any validity to these warnings. The ride to Wolfpoint was tough for some reason heat and headwinds mostly. On our way we stopped for breakfast in Nashua. We had a great breakfast and the waitress challenged us to eat their big meal. Two 16 inch pancakes, 3 eggs, sausage and hash browns. We declined but the waitress did bring out the pan the pancakes fit on, it was like a large pizza pan and full 16 inches. According to the waitress no one has ever been able to eat the big cake meal under her watch. After Nashua things got tough, heat and head winds again. We took a back road that we thought would wind along the Missouri River. It did not. To make matters worse Jon and I had to fight off some nasty black dogs and we started to run out of water. We got of the back road through the little town of Frazer. A lot of the locals along the way have indicated the water is bad and needs to be treated. In Frazer we met a missionary who gave us a gallon of bottled water, it was a godsend. Jon and I got back on Highway 2 and proceeded into Wolfpoint. After cooling down, meeting up with the rest of our group we ate and proceeded to our motel for the night. I picked up some money from Western Union at the local Radio Shack and all was well again. Our motel was not bad and pretty cheap the 5 single guys all roomed together and most of us slept on the floor. All the negative things said about Wolfpoint proved to be false and we did not encounter any problems. As of July 17 we have completed 1342 miles.

Heading East to North Dakota

Shelby, MT to Joplin, MT June 12, 2009 - The prevailing west winds have decided to come from the east so we have a head wind all the way to Joplin. It was a moderately tough day with the winds and our time slowed until we arrived in Chester. Chester was a nice stop and we all took advantage of the cafe, Subway and grocery store. We will have a group meal in Joplin as there are no restaurants. The plan is for chicken bomb sandwiches, creation from out Maine friends. The chicken bombs were great and a welcome meal after a windy day. Favorable winds took us from Chester on in to Joplin. There was not much town in Joplin but a great city park that we were allowed to camp free. There was a bar and cafe in Joplin that was open, Karl's or Ken's can't recall. Several locals were sipping beer and playing darts-not much action. Several of us did not set up tents and slept in the pavilion. A big rain and wind right after some set up tents, no damage but some wet tents. During the night after the storm the park irrigation system came on and there was more water for the tenters. I was happy I chose the pavilion for the night. Havre tomorrow and we will stay in the dorms at Northern Montana State University known for its nursing and diesel mechanic schools! We found out about the dorm deal from an east bound biker, Fred, on his way to Washington from Virginia suburbs of Washington DC. Havre here we come, North Dakota by July 19th or 20th.

Updates and Observations

Cut Bank, MT to Shelby, MT June 11, 2009 - We have had spotty, limited or no internet service for some time so hopefully I can update the ride today or tomorrow. Riverview RV was our home for the night in Cut Bank. We had a great host and nice accommodations. After we set up camp we all went to the local Pizza Hut for dinner and to MacDonald's for desert. It was a bit windy and cool in Cut Bank and we all went to bed early after watching some TV in office. Breakfast at MacDonald's started our day and we were all out on the road early, somewhere I lost my debit card. On the plus side the winds were out of the west and the road was rolling hills with lots of flat stretches. With the wind at our back we flew to Shelby and camped at a city park on the outskirts of Shelby. Most of the group checked out the festivities and music associated with a local festival of some kind and many of us including myself lazed around the camp taking it easy and going through all my gear to find the lost debit card with no success. I checked out the Amtrak schedule for future use when Dana comes to visit in Minnesota. All went well in Shelby and look forward to westerly winds, flat terrain and Montana in our rear view mirrors. On to Joplin, MT tomorrow...

Oh Canada

Cardston, Alberta, Canada to Cut Bank, MT July 10, 2009 - Back in the USA, you don't know how lucky you are boy. We left Cardston from Lee Creek Campsite in cool, rainy weather today. After climbing out of Cardston we had some relatively flat highway, Highway 2 I believe. We had some nice distant views of the Rockies that we just crossed over Continental Divide on. The ride today was excellent, the rain cleared, the temperature stayed moderate and we had very favorable winds pushing us along. Despite some pretty daunting climbs the ride was reminiscent of the Flint Hills and looked somewhat like that part of Kansas except for the Rockies looming in the distance. By the half way mark we had only seen 6 cars and by the end of the day probably no more than 20, Art was keeping track of the traffic count. We were in a very rural area of Alberta so no towns, just farms for 35 miles until we reached Del Bonita, Alberta population maybe 5. We had lunch at Del Bonita at the General Store and Post Office. The lady who ran the operation said she had 50 mail boxes at the DB Post Office. We all had some Gatorade and drinks at the general store, Art and I had some tasty Ukrainian sausages. At one time we thought about staying at DB and the postmistress said it would be fine to camp there but it was such a nice day we moved on. We left DB and it was two miles to the Canada/USA border. Our group moved through customs in fine shape but our support vehicle was inspected. After crossing back into the USA conditions remained ideal. We climbed a few hills but mostly had rolling or flat terrain all the way to Cut Bank. During the ride I thought of Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road, although this experience and Kerouac's are vastly different I sort of struck by some of the spontaneity and freedom of the road maybe more about that in future blogs. We are camped at the Riverview Campground in Cut Bank and have enjoyed nice showers and friendly staff. Tomorrow is a short day to Shelby as we continue through Montana. Our ride today since we decided not to camp in Del Bonita was around 71 miles.

Cruising through Canada

We left Waterton this morning after Braden's pancake and sausage breakfast. Brandon, the vintage Honda rider came over to join us. We took group photos to post on our respective blogs. After saying good bye to Brandon we looked around Waterton as Brandon rode off to Vancouver, BC. Today we were not on a very tight schedule for our ride to Cardston. Lynda and Roger left first, followed by Don and Mary, Braden drove the pickup, Art and I headed up to see the Prince of Wales Hotel which overlooks Waterton. It is a grand old hotel that was built in the 20's. After our tour of the lobby and a quick look around we departed for Cardston. The ride was a good one but still had a few hills to climb, got a little rain and made it in to the Lee Creek campsite. Unique to Cardston is that in the late 1800's Brigham Young sent some missionaries to Mexico and Canada to establish Mormon churches. As a result Cardston and the surrounding area is heavily populated by Mormons and there is a beautiful tabernacle in the city that was built by the Mormons. Tomorrow it will be back in the USA and on our way to Cutbank, MT.