Cycle Across America
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Day 60 of 7331 July 2010

Day 60: Marvellous Montana

Day 60: Marvellous Montana
View route map — see where this day sits on the trail
Route overview

73 days, one line across the country

67 riding days · 6 rest days · 4,227 miles · Yorktown, Virginia → the Oregon coast

Start — Yorktown (Atlantic start), VADay 1 — Chickahominy Riverfront Park, VADay 2 — Ashland, VADay 3 — Ashland, VADay 4 — Mineral, VADay 5 — Charlottesville, VADay 6 — Afton, VADay 7 — Lexington, VADay 8 — Lexington, VA — rest dayDay 9 — Daleville, VADay 10 — Radford, VADay 11 — Rural Retreat, VADay 12 — Damascus, VADay 13 — Rosedale, VADay 14 — Breaks Interstate Park, VADay 15 — Hindman, KYDay 16 — Hindman, KY — rest dayDay 17 — Booneville, KYDay 18 — Berea, KYDay 19 — Bardstown area, KYDay 20 — Hodgenville, KYDay 21 — Rough River Dam State Park, KYDay 22 — Sebree, KYDay 23 — Cave-In-Rock, ILDay 24 — Eddyville, KYDay 25 — Carbondale, ILDay 26 — Carbondale, IL — rest dayDay 27 — Chester, ILDay 28 — Pilot Knob, MODay 29 — Eminence, MODay 30 — Houston, MODay 31 — Fair Grove, MODay 32 — Golden City, MODay 33 — Chanute, KSDay 34 — Eureka, KSDay 35 — Newton, KSDay 36 — Larned, KSDay 37 — Ness City, KSDay 38 — Scott City, KSDay 39 — Sheridan Lake, CODay 40 — Haswell, CODay 41 — Pueblo, CODay 42 — Pueblo, CO — rest dayDay 43 — Cañon City, CODay 44 — Fairplay, CODay 45 — Silverthorne, CODay 46 — Hot Sulphur Springs, CODay 47 — Walden, CODay 48 — Saratoga, WYDay 49 — Rawlins, WYDay 50 — Jeffrey City, WYDay 51 — Lander, WYDay 52 — Lander, WY — rest dayDay 53 — Dubois, WYDay 54 — Colter Bay, Grand Teton NP, WYDay 55 — Grant Village, Yellowstone NP, WYDay 56 — West Yellowstone, MTDay 57 — Ennis, MTDay 58 — Twin Bridges, MTDay 59 — Jackson, MTDay 60 — Darby, MT (you are here)Day 61 — Missoula, MTDay 62 — Missoula, MT — rest dayDay 63 — Powell, IDDay 64 — Kooskia, IDDay 65 — Riggins, IDDay 66 — Cambridge, IDDay 67 — Richland, ORDay 68 — Baker City, ORDay 69 — Mount Vernon, ORDay 70 — Mitchell, ORDay 71 — Redmond, ORDay 72 — Eugene, ORDay 73 — Florence (Pacific Ocean), ORYachats, ORLincoln City, ORPortland, OR

Every dot is a real day on the trail, placed from the towns named in that day's post — click one to jump straight to it. Hollow-ringed dots are rest days along the way. The lighter branch up the coast is the post-ride detour to Portland. A few days without a clearly named stop are interpolated between the nearest confirmed ones. The highlighted dot is where you are right now.

OriginalStorytelling

75.74 miles (Total: 3321.78) Avg Speed: 12.2mph Max Speed: 36.5mph

Leaving the tent this morning I was attacked by mosquito’s, they are intense around here. One woman at the lodge this morning mentioned she has lived in Alaska but they are worse here! I give my tyres a morning squeeze and found the rear was flat. I left it till after breakfast to change but on doing so discovered the tyre itself had a slight buldge and was severely worn at one point. I felt like Joe Meyer, www.ryanandersonneedsatyre.com, I’ve had these schwalbe marathons since Carbondale. I switched the healthy looking front tyre to the back and put a few strips of duct tape on the underside of the other, it should hold until Missoula.

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The ride to Wisdom was beautiful and similar to Wyoming I have been surprised by how much colour there is out here. Montana is doing its best to become my favourite state so far, changing wild flowers on the sides of the road set against a mountainous backdrop not mention the people are the friendliest yet.

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At the pit-stop in Wisdom I checked on the tyres, feeling good. From here it was about 25 miles to the start of a climb on another pass, which is becoming the story of each day. Lengthy flats, then a gradual climb to a pass most of them aren’t to severe in Montana as we ride through valleys between the mountains and just get to gaze at the surroundings.

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Nice roads Montana.

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Usual scene at top of a pass.

Once at the top we saw the usual fat people drive up, get out (some just wind the window down) snap a picture of the sign and fly away leaving a dust cloud behind them. The descent which followed was scary as hell but exhilarating. The sights were incredible but unfortunately its not suitable to take pictures whilst bolting down a mountain at 40 mph, breaking isn’t even an option because by the time you stop the photo op would have passed. The descent actually carried on for the rest of the day. We stopped for dinner just short of Darby where the locals were all watching a big foot documentary which seemed to just show the 5 second footage of him over and over. We left into the early evening to reach the campground in Darby and saw a heard of Bighorn sheep along the way. Stefaan had been there several hours after he set out early this morning but had gone into town. The campground owner came out briefly but returned to his trailer to sleep, he said “If you need anything come over by the window there and hit reeeeeal hard ’cos I sleep good”. I was going to sleep reeeeeal hard too after another good day on the mileage front.

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Bighorn Sheep

1 comment from 2010

EVFD3 Aug 2010

8/10 for tyre maintenence, hope you have string with you aswell. Jackie

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