2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 18 - Sandpoint, ID Rest Day

OK, lots of interesting things happened today but the thing you really want to know about is axe throwing, so let’s get to it. Is it fun? Hell, yes it is. There’s something primal about hurling a hand axe into a wooden board. Am I any good at it? Well, I came in second on the team, behind only Nick A who got 9/10 because he is some kind of robot. Also, the tavern we did the axe throwing at is 101 years old and is an awesome dive-y place where we met the owner, a guy named Russ who goes around saving dive bars. He only charges $5 (!) for a whole group of folks to throw axes, just to cover his costs. (I checked: in Berkeley it’s $29/person). I’m definitely going to do it when I get back, though. It’s fun. I may even buy my own axe, which is not something I ever would have thought before.

Sandpoint is much more touristy than I realized. I spent a portion of the day out at the beach - an actual tourist beach with families and beach balls and suntan lotion. The water was amazing. I also spent a good deal of time in my hammock, reading a new book by one of my favorite authors Jack McDevitt. It was good. And then more philosophical conversations with Ted about being a teacher and a dad. All in all, a good day.

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 17 - Sandpoint, ID

Well, we left Montana! Idaho seems nice; the country has gone back to being a bit more farmland and not quite so wild, and Sandpoint definitely seems a bit touristy. I can’t say I like it quite as much, but that’s OK. I’m a mountain-pine-tree-wild-country-rivers-and-lakes kind of guy, I suppose. Today we rode 94 miles. Sometimes when I write that, I forget that to other people that might seem kind of crazy, like the kind of thing they do once in their lives. To us it was just Thursday. My body is holding up OK; I’m tired but I can handle it. I’m really glad today is a day off though, and tomorrow is apparently only 36 miles. Had a good conversation about the meaning of life with Ted last night over a fantastic burger and homemade Idaho potato chips and a beer at this local brewery. I asked the waitress to tell me something about Idaho other than potatoes and all she came up with was kayaking. So, Idaho: It’s potatoes and kayaking.

Oh, and we got to go see the Kootenai falls, which were very nice - but even cooler was the swinging bridge across the river, which must’ve been 100 feet long and was newly rebuilt. Very fun. Makes me want to go explore the jungle.

Oh, and note for the future: the guy who takes the awesome photos is Nick Angelidis. He’s very cool.

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 16 - Libby, MT

The story of today is the story of Forest Development Road 288, which we rode for a good 50-55 miles of our 75 today. I’ve never been on a lonelier road; for the first 40 miles we saw a total of 3 cars, one of which was a Forest Service car and one of which was our van. It wasn’t the most remote place I’ve ever ridden; the Lifetime Achievement Award for that goes to Middlegate, NV forever. But even in Middlegate we saw occasional cars. This was literally the middle of nowhere. A beautiful ride along the dammed Kokanee River which reminded me a little bit of Lake Tahoe. My body is exhausted; the regular riding is leaving me a bit more exhausted every day, and tomorrow is a cool 94 miles which to be honest I’m a bit scared of.

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 15 - Eureka, MT

The highlight of today was riding up into Canada. We rode about 60 miles to Eureka; they were nice miles, pretty easy riding, a good bit of nonsense riding on route 93 with semis going right past us (one came within about 10 inches of my face, which was a bit terrifying) but largely uneventful. I had pegged this day from the beginning as the best place for me to make my escape into Canada if I was ever going to; we came within about 7 or 8 miles of the border, and I had brought along my passport card just in case I got the chance. There was a really nice back road right through the country that went all the way up to the border. And when I say “all the way up” I really mean it; I rode within about 6-8 feet of the border, the only thing stopping me being a broken down barbed wire fence that looked like it was put up by the Canadian farmer that owned the land just north of it to keep his horses in. Such a contrast from the San Diego border. I took a picture of it that you can see below. Then we stayed overnight in a high school, and they had hilarious photos of their old classes up on the walls of the hallway we stayed in. A good day.

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 14 - Whitefish, MT Rest Day

Today was a day off, and lord knows I needed it. I social engineered a shower out of the 5 star spa at the lake, which was amazing, and then had lunch there. I did laundry at the local dinky laundromat. I talked to Jenny on the phone. I took a nap and played some video games. I did some thrift shopping. It was an important day. Whitefish is pleasant, if a bit touristy.

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 13 - Whitefish, MT

Today was “only” a 30 mile ride, which you would think would make it easy. But I got up and went back up on the shuttle bus to Avalanche Creek and hiked out to Avalanche Lake, which ended up being about 7 miles, and so by the time I get on my bike I was already half wiped out. Then we had some tough riding; say what you will about Highway 2 (and I have), but the one thing that is nice is you can’t get lost. This day, in an effort to keep us off Highway 2, the ACA had us on some back roads, including some gravel, and I got a bit lost. By the time I got to Whitefish I was ready to just relax - which is good because tomorrow is a day off!

One thing that’s been nice is that I’ve gotten to spend some time on my own, and just think about things. This first picture sums that up:

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 12 - Apgar Campground, MT

Today we rode the Going-To-The-Sun road. This is an experience few will get to have, and I was grateful for it. Riding the road is a challenge, physically and mentally; it’s about 50 miles long and climbs over 3500 feet before descending down hairpin turns on a road built in the 1920s and considered a miracle of engineering at the time. We got to go on a hike to Hidden Lake up at Logan Pass which was beautiful and saw wild goats that walked right across our path. I saw a marmot, too, scurrying in front of my bike in the lowlands. By the time we got to Apgar I was wiped out but we still had time to go into town and buy firewood, and I bought my first Jet Boil and made oatmeal for breakfast. I finished my Perry Mason book from my hammock. Life is good.

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 11 - St Mary, MT

Today we rode into Glacier National Park. It was 68 miles, the vast majority of which were once again into some stiff wind. But at least there was a reward at the end; the scenery has started to shift. We had a delicious breakfast/brunch at a super cute lodge on the way into the park. We ascended a lot more than I thought we would, and started to see trees and other signs of a different kind of nature that hopefully will accompany us moving forward.

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 10 - Cut Bank, MT

Today, for the first time in my 4 years riding across country, we couldn’t ride. We packed the whole team into the vans, loaded all the bicycles onto the roofs, and made our way across country the old-fashioned American way, by internal combustion engine. Over the last few days the winds have been picking up, and the shoulders have been disappearing. Then, our team found out that there was bad construction along the way and, apparently, that was enough for Cassie and team to pull the plug. It happens, but I’ve been lucky enough to not have it happen on any of our rides. But my - our - luck ran out. So, today was a rest day and we got to explore Cut Bank, which bills itself the gateway to Glacier National Park. It was an above-average town. I got to go to the dollar store and buy some gear for Bike Prom - I got a fake sword and a cowboy hat and a cowboy shirt which I quite liked (not at the dollar store for that one). We ate at a local brewery which was good, hung out at the church, went to a consignment store, and got a good night’s sleep. Then McDonalds in the morning and back on the road!

Things are definitely improving, income-wise. Cut Bank had a lot more green parks and nice houses.

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 9 - Chester, MT

Riding into Chester was all about the wind. I shared the ride with Kelly and I have to admit by the end of it I was pretty grumpy. The terrain is still as dull as all get out. Kelly is great to ride with when things aren’t going well because she is always upbeat - “fake it till you make it” she says. She likes to play music too, some serious 80s and 90s jams with playlists with themes like “wind” or “jump”. One highlight was a tiny town we stopped in about 10 miles from the end - I can’t remember the name - where they had one bar, and we went to that bar, and it was exactly what you might imagine. Bar & Supper Club, it said, but eating there seemed…dangerous. Having a beer went very well, though, and the guy told us about the town dog, then Tim told a story about some other town dog, then I asked about his Syracuse poster, and generally speaking we just had a good ol’ time, until we had to climb back on and ride another 10 miles into the stand-up-in-your-seat wind. Chester, MT had a museum about the old days, where one sad lady turned the lights on for me and then followed me around as I looked at their old dresses (then presumably turned them off when I left). There was also an amazing cafe - Spud’s - where we had to go back behind the counter and serve our own soft drinks and coffee because the poor waitress/cook/owner was overwhelmed. Amazing biscuits, though. Oh! And I had Fry Bread, which was outstanding.

Oh, and that spot under the window is notable because that’s where I slept!

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 8 - Havre, MT

Today we rode 91 miles. The first 40 or so were super easy; we had a wind at our backs and made great time. After that, we got a taste of what was to come: stiff wind and a boring highway with a really crappy shoulder. This is apparently what the locals call “West Dakota”; it still has a very conservative, republican feeling, with lots of ranching and farming. I can’t say this is my favorite part of the country nor my favorite ride.

And, apparently, it’s pronounced “Haver”.

Also, I learned that I don’t like a sleeping pad that has too much padding. Nice and firm for me.

My right achilles tendon is starting to really bother me. I have it wrapped now.

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 7 - Malta, MT

Apparently in the last 3 days we have gone through 3 of the top 10 worst towns in America, which seems pretty judgmental, and besides who gets to make these rankings anyway? I’m in Malta, MT, and actually it seems quite nice. I got a free shower at the Conoco Truck stop, and the lady who made me a ham sandwich was very friendly. Today was a tough day of riding; the miles are starting to catch up with me and little things go wrong on about day 7, things like forgetting to charge your Di2 electronic shifters, and my right achilles tendon acting up. But, I had friends to ride with today, and that makes all the difference.

Last night we watched Jumanji at the church, and there’s a major theme of the main character not being brave enough to stand up for himself and his values, and be brave, that for some reason really struck home with me. I think it’s a message that caught me in the right mood to hear it.

I rode today with Kelly. She’s great. She also played music the whole time. That was rad, because the terrain was as boring as all get out.

P.S. The Middle of Nowhere picture is from Glasgow; that is, believe it or not, their marketing slogan because apparently someone did a study and they are the city in the US which is furthest from the closest big city (I don’t know how you define big city, so don’t ask).

Oh! And today we saw a drug bust! We were in a small town along the way - Hendley? something? - at a tiny ice cream shop (really good ice cream) and a cop pulled a couple over and proceeded to start tearing their car apart - the full arrangement, plastic gloves and everything. In the middle of the street. The folks I was with were totally fascinated. I’m sure it wasn’t fun for the folks who got pulled over though.

Also, last but not least, I went to Radio Shack, which was a blast from the past. Still a cool store. Still wish we had one in Oakland.

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 6 - Glasgow, MT

No, not Scotland, though they are apparently the home of the Scotties. Today was, honestly, not one of the more interesting days of our trip per se. We only rode 55 miles, but I was dragging because my head wasn’t in the right space and also it’s just really sunny and hot. The town we’re in is fine, but nothing particularly interesting; they are known as the “Middle of Nowhere” (no joke) because apparently they are the town which is the furthest from any other big town; something like 400 miles to Billings, MT (which isn’t that big!). But this church we’re staying is is very nice, with A/C and good cell phone signal. And we’re going to watch a movie up on their projector. One thing I really love about these trips is the ability to turn any place into a home. The shot below is my little setup; I just took a nap and now I’m blogging by sitting on that sleeping bag. Pretty soon I’ll fart around on my phone a bit before walking out to buy a razor and some food. It’s fun to arrive in these little places and have them become home, even if just for a few hours.

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 5 - Wolf Point, MT

Yesterday we rode 104 miles through the heat to Wolf Point, MT, on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. I had been told by friends from the past that this would be one of our hardest days, if not the hardest, so I was mentally prepared for a beast, but it really wasn’t that bad. Wolf Point is rough. Indian reservations are always hard, and this is as remote as it gets. The night we were there there was a rodeo in town, so we went and checked it out, which I think was a real eye opener for a couple of folks on the ride. Rodeos are hard on the animals, and I don’t approve of them, but it was a cultural touchstone so we went and checked it out. On the way back we got hit by a freak windstorm that was actually a bit scary. The wall of dust and wind was so abrupt and specific; I can’t imagine being caught in a really bad one. It gave me a sense of what a tornado might be like. Even the locals were a. little scared. Ted and I checked out a really nice diner and had dinner and breakfast there and chatted up the waitress. I’m enjoying the riding but my body is having difficulty adjusting and man, is it hot!

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 4 - Glendive, MT

The most interesting thing about today was crossing into Montana, and the 3 stories that happened to me almost immediately. But first, the second most interesting thing was the Teddy Roosevelt National Park, which I rode about 8 miles into. I did not see bison, sadly, but I saw a lot of cool wildlife. I love the sounds of nature, especially the prairie dogs, which really go at it if you just stand there and let them go. There must have been a million of them. Anyway, on to Montana things:

1) As I stood in line at the Re-Treat (think: local Dairy Queen) to buy my rolled ice cream (it’s ice cream they make right in front of you in a flavor and color of your choice, and lay out into 4 tortilla-shaped ice cream rolls, see picture below, apparently it’s a thing in Pennsylvania, why they had it here I don’t know) and Bratwurst with sauerkraut, the guy behind me paid for my food and then asked me to sit and eat with him. He was 100% Montana; I wish I could have gotten a picture with him but I felt weird. He had crazy white hair and whiskers and told me all about the housing prices in Bozeman (too high), the weather tomorrow (nice but hot), Palm Springs (nice but hot) and living in Montana (born and raised).

2) As I was riding up to town, on a small county road with nobody around, a red pickup drove past me and then stopped about 1000 yards up ahead on the right. This always sketches me out slightly so I was on edge, and as I rode towards him, I saw a shape come out the window. My first thought was, “that looks like a gun”. My second thought was “how gauche, mr city slicker. not everyone in Montana carries a gun, it’s probably your imagination.” Then he got out, with a very large gun. I”m thinking a rifle, with a wooden stock, straight out of a bad Western movie. Now I’m about 500 feet from him. He raises it and takes aim - not at me, but at some cows off to the side. I freak out and start pedaling about 100 miles an hour. He starts muttering something. I honestly almost shit my pants. I kept waiting for the gun shot behind me as I rode as fast as humanly possible without looking like I was. Now, I look back on it, and it’s obvious; he was using the sight on the gun to look at the cows in more detail. But holy shit. Welcome to Montana.

3) On the way into town I was advised to check out the dinosaur museum, which was brand new and had a very cool dinosaur coming out of the side of the building. A good start. I walked up the door, which had a hand-typed sign: “Find the truth, creation truth.org”. “Huh",” I thought. Then I looked through the double doors. There were some normal museum things at first glance, but there was also a sign: “We are proud to present the facts about dinosaurs through the lens of biblical tradition.”

I did not go into the museum.

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 3 - Medora, ND

Yesterday was relatively uneventful in terms of riding; we did another 70-odd miles; I started to feel better athletically but the pain of repetitive riding started to set in. But the most interesting thing about the day by far was the Medora Musical which we saw at the end of the day. I had some context for this because years ago I had seen something similar in a canyon in Texas; a sort of outdoor wild-west extravaganza of the sort that used to be popular 60-70 years ago and still lives on in a couple of places in the rural parts of the country. They were obviously quite proud of it and everyone said we should go. And I’m glad we did. It was exactly what you would think; kitschy, conservative, occasionally awesome, often a bit…tone deaf. There were jokes about Jesus, a gospel number, a song where all the kids got to get on stage, some horses riding through a canyon, a very funny but oddly out of place comedian from the Conan show who did a quite edgy skit involving kids from the audience, a few off-color jokes, and a heaping helping of Teddy Roosevelt style patriotism. The best joke was as follows: “I’ve been having trouble sleeping through the night; I often wake up 4 or 5 in the morning. Which is a lot of people to have in bed at one time.”

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 2 - Hebron, ND

Today I rode 70 miles. It was a nice day. The End.

OK, OK, just kidding. But basically, yeah, it was a great day of riding. I rode with Ted - who I rode England and Scotland with - and Sarah, who I met briefly on the Pacific Coast in 2017. North Dakota gets a solid “meets expectations”; the green is appropriately green, the rural is very rural, the barns are red or aluminum, and the cows all stand huddled together. We had to get on the Interstate for about 10 miles but there was a very wide shoulder and it was all good. We had a nice conversation about life, physical therapy school, and riding a bike, and Ted and I swapped some stories from England. Ted told me about some charity rides he arranges which sound awesome, including one from DC to Pittsburgh that I really should do sometime. We’re in one of those classic middle America towns I like, with a diner, a coffee shop, a pool with outdoor showers, and a community center, where I currently sit and type this on a Walmart plastic folding table and folding chair using their free community Wi-Fi.

All in all: a good day.

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 1 - Bismarck, ND

No riding yet today, except for a short jaunt up to check out the river, the bike shop, and a used video game store that I found in town. Traveling was relatively uneventful. I ended up in a Lyft XL coming from the AirPort to the house we’re staying, and the driver and I slowly realized that he had given a ride just a couple of weeks ago to a friend of mine Matt who is doing his own personal ride from here out to Miami. One of the things that I love about these rides is that sense of community, of feeling that there are many of us all over the place.

There’s a beautiful bike path here along the Missouri River. The weather is slightly overcast which is very nice for riding. It’s funny to be here in the same exact place I was two years ago!

Tomorrow is the first day of riding!

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - T Minus One - Pacific Grove, CA

Hooray! And we’re off! Today was a big traveling day. I woke up this morning in the cottage that my girlfriend Jenny is renting in Pacific Grove down on the coast at 5am, and the two of us drove in the dawn light up to San Francisco, before taking a nap, and then I continued on to Oakland, hung out with my brother, then packed up the bike and back over to San Francisco before heading to the airport - which is where I am now - en route to Denver, then Bismarck, then a bike ride back to where I left off last time!

Today was a great day, and also a symbol of what my life has become. I got to wake up in a beautiful spot with someone I care about, head up to the city I live in, hang out with my brother, play some video games, swing by our office where he gave me a cool present, then on to the airport! Like I said in the last blog post, it’s fun to go on these trips but even more fun to know that my life isn’t something I want to escape from. Next time I post it will be from North Dakota!

2019 - Northern Tier Part 2 - Day 0 - Practicing

Hi blog! It’s been a while. I thought I would whip out the ol’ keyboard and make sure the blog was still ticking and I knew how to log into it and all, and I figured, while I was at it, why not actually make a blog post.

The last year has been really intense and interesting. There’s probably more than I can really write about here in this space. It’s been a roller coaster ride with a lot of pretty serious ups and downs - for myself, and even more so for the people around me. Cancer, death, birth, new jobs, old jobs, a new office, a new home, a new relationship.

But what I’m focused on today, as I get ready for another trip, is the change in me. Put simply, whenever I came to these trips in the past, I was super ready to just hop on that bike and race away from my life. I wanted to escape. And this time, don’t get me wrong, I really want to go, but it’s a bit more wistful. I don’t honestly feel like I want to escape from my life. I’m actually a little bit sad to get away from my new adopted home, my new relationship, my brother, my new office. It’ll be great to get out on the open road again, but it doesn’t have that feeling of urgency that it used to.

I think this is a good thing. Welcome home, me.