Day 15
Day By Day Notes From The Road
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This document updated July 17th, 2004
Billings to Hardin Montana - 54 Miles
By Erwin:
Even though we had just had a rest day, today was a really short day - only 55 miles. The reason for the short distance is not hilly terrain or other "obvious" explanations, but rather that there are so few towns here that going to the next town on the route would give us a 135 mile day. I'm glad we chose 55 miles instead.
The ride started out with a rough ride through Billings, a medium-sized mining town and then a pretty steep climb out of the valley in which the city is situated. When we end a day with a descent, the ease last 10 miles are a welcome gift, but, as you might expect, ending the previous day with a descent usually means starting the day with a climb. So, I got to turn my my raisin bran breakfast into forward momentum right away.
After the climb, we rode over a vast plateau with very little in terms of people, no towns or services. The checkpoint at 35 miles (see picture below) made use of the literally the only tree on the route outside of Billings. Because the distance was short and the landscape desolate, the ride very relaxing; no rush, no pressure to go fast, no fear of getting caught in the heat or strong afternoon winds - just great!
During the afternoon, I took the time to give my bike some loving: changed the tires, cleaned the chain and gears, and patched some tubes. Unfortunately, I found a crack in the rim of my back wheel, just where one of the spokes is attached. Allen, the mechanic, will try to get a new one delivered (it's still under warranty) to the next rest day in Rapid City. Meanwhile, I'll keep monitoring it.
By Lucija:
Today was an easy day of riding for most people, but not for me. Go figure. I caught a fever the night before - I'm guessing from the heat and the hard riding the previous two days. After drinking A LOT of water and a lot of sleep, I felt much better in the morning but I still didn't really have the energy to ride properly. So rode slowly and wondered why it had to be so damn hot... Thank goodness it was a short day!
Photos:
The one tree between Billings and Hardin makes for a welcome rest stop!
And after the ride, nothing restores the blood sugar level like a big bowl of ice cream! (which, by the way, I couldn't finish).