Day 15

6/29

Mon

Today was a rest day and that's exactly what I did. The morning was occupied with finishing the last of the referee reports that I owed various journals, and catching up on postcards. The afternoon was devoted to tracking down a coffee place (and it had an internet connection so that I could see what a wonderful job Barry has done in keeping the site current!) and a microbrewery. Lunch involved several beers and a huge burger. Late in the afternoon I stumbled onto an American Legion baseball tournament at the local AA field. What a fine ending to the day - baseball, peanuts and beer.

6/30

Tue

Today was an easy ride. We only had 52 miles to cover. Just outside of Billings we came through a 10 mile canyon that had gorgeous rock outcroppings, sage brush, a scattered handful of pine trees, short grass and sweet clover. The latter is all in bloom and its sweet odor blankets the road. Once out of the canyon we made it onto the plains. The next 10 days will look much like what we are going through now. The road seems as if it goes on forever, disappearing to a point in the distance. Houses are rarely seen out here, with no one living very close to one another. It reminds me a great deal of where I grew up in western South Dakota. We got in early enough today that I'll have plenty of time to explore Hardin. I hear there is a very nice local museum. Hardin is within 15 miles of the Custer Battlefield, but I don't think I'll ride over to it. I've already been there. Tomorrow we head into Wyoming. No surprise, but now that we're past the mountains, the weather is turning hot. Shade is hard to find around here.

That's all gang. Pictures will come if I get a chance to upload them tonight.

7/1

Wed

Yea! It's July 1 (and as we were told, it's Canada's Independence Day). We're finally out of the state of Montana and into Wyoming. Strangely enough, the scenery did not change when we crossed the border. However, it was gorgeous. We came through rolling hills with little grass, sage brush, and plenty of hot weather. I love this kind of country. To our right, as we were riding, were high, snow capped mountains in the background. There is very little out here. Fortunately we have plenty of water and are provided with lots of food. Tonight we have large thunderstorms coming down out of the mountains and dancing around us. We'll see if we are lucky and the worst of the storm misses us. Tomorrow's ride is over 110 miles of long, straight road. Everyone seems to be turning in early tonight.

That's all folks. It was pretty uneventful today.

Day 17 . . . . . . Day 18 .

7/2

Thu

Today was a very long ride - I totaled about 115 miles, but the wind and heat made it feel much longer. I was expecting some boring scenery, but I was fooled. I've forgotten how pretty this countryside is in north eastern Wyoming. For the first 50 miles today we wended our way through a series of canyons. There are no trees, but the outcroppings of rocks, the shale banks and the shrubs dotting the hillsides are almost as pretty as the mountains. The remainder of the day was along a rolling road that stayed on the high prairie. The grass was still green and quite tall (at least where cattle haven't yet grazed). The road stretched forever. It was always easy when a hill was crested to see the road 15 miles ahead. Along the way two farm families set up lemonade/water stops for us. As one mother put it, the kids never get much exposure and this looked like something fun for them to do. A great time was had by all. We're having to close down at this end because a hail storm is headed this way.

7/3

Fri

We were lucky to get here today. Last night when I signed off a severe thunderstorm was coming through Gillette. It had golf-ball size hail and there were reports of funnel clouds. We were all herded into the Agricultural Exhibition Hall, where we weathered the storm. At one point I was in my tent, but we were all told to abandon our tents and head for shelter. Instead of the storm passing, it hung over the city and dumped about 3 inches of rain. We were finally able to return to our tents at 10:30 pm. Thank goodness I have my new tent - no leaks. Others didn't fare so well. In fact, quite a few people slept in the Exhibition Hall.

After a short night's sleep, it was back on the road. Today was a short day (only 75 miles) and most were thankful after yesterday. Once we bypassed the open mining pits and the oil rigs, the scenery again became beautiful. For about 50 miles everything resembled yesterday - clear blue skies and sage brush filled hill sides. At one point we came over a ridge and it was possible to simultaneously see Devil's Tower and the Black Hills. The view seemed to go on forever. By the time we arrived for lunch we began to see pine trees on the left and emptiness on the right. We had turned south (into a headwind) and started skirting the Black Hills. The change in scenery was welcome. Tomorrow we head through the Black Hills and arrive in Rapid City. There I'll be meeting my parents and hope to spend at least one night in their RV - it'll be a change from the tent.

Okay - that's it. Thanks Barry & Cathy.

Day 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Day 20 .

7/4

Sat

The ride today, on July 4th, was pretty tough. The first 35 miles were mainly uphill as we crossed into South Dakota and into the Black Hills. On top of being uphill, there was a fierce headwind, so we were working awfully hard. Yet the scenery was gorgeous as we crawled into the pine trees and the unique smell of the Black Hills. The smell is very heavily scented with pine and has a dry, prairie-like smell. We were rewarded with a glorious downhill ride through Custer State Park. While we didn't see any buffalo, the trees and rocks were a marvelous set of color combinations. While it had been overcast all day, as we started coming downhill, the sun broke out and provided delightful shadings.

Before I reached Rapid City, I connected with my parents. They were camping nearby (if you can call a giant motor home parked in a fancy RV Park, "camping") and there was a birthday party of sorts for my father. A large number of relatives were present and I rested for several hours before heading into town. One of the highlights when arriving in Rapid City was to see Dinosaur Hill with all of the statues of dinosaurs looking down on the city. I loved going to visit there when I was a kid. It was nice to be back in my old stomping grounds.

Day 21: Rick Connects With His Mom and Dad!

7/5

Sun

Today was a rest day and that's exactly what I did. I spent the day with my folks and we stayed out at the camp ground doing nothing. My aunt and uncle, Betty and Marion, came for lunch and we spent four hours visiting and catching up. It was a nice day and necessary to prepare for a long day tomorrow.

Postcards!Postcards!Postcards!

Postmarked 6/27, Helena, MT

Dan --

I think we busted. Yesterday was snow. Today is a cold rain (almost sleet) with a 25 mph wind. Other than that, the scenery could be beautiful. I'll be happy when I get to hot weather.

-- Rick

Postcards!Postcards!Postcards!

Postmarked 6/28 (illegible postmark)

Barry --

Day 14 & here I am in Shawmut, MT. Find that on your map! I think I saw this farmhouse on my way in. All's well at my end. Thanks for keeping the website up! You've done a great job.

--Rick

So far....