Yesterday AM I waited @ Bracket TH at the N end of Bangtail divide trail awaiting a hitch hike shuttle ride to S end of trail. 26 degrees @ wake up so cold that doubled down blanket didn’t cut the cold that i turned on the heater. I waited geared up and ready to go if a ride should appear. No such happening. The sun warmed things up. No ride @ 10:00AM which was cut off time for me to pedal up the 4 miles to the high spot of the Bangtail as an out and back then ride down. I pedaled up. Took 58 mins to pedal 1752′ and 20 mins to fly back down. I encountered more hikers than bikers. Great hump up to the fly back down. I read Better Ride web site article about body position that I adjusted my position to which made an improvement in my bike handling ability.

At the TH I prepared for drive to Helena first stopping @ Rosauers for groceries. I Googled bike shops in Helena as I needed and open shop to buy the local trail map. I found Big Sky who is a Turner dealer. The GPS put me in front of the store before closing. I walked in. I bought the local trail map. I used their rest room. On the toilet tank I found 2 mags, one was the MBA issue 12/ 2010 that had my Riders who inspire article. Almost as if the shop was expecting me. I shared the mag w/ the shop personnel.

No camping in town. I drove W on US 12 to MacDonald Pass to Cromwell Dixon XG. I stayed here years ago on an earlier trip when I had my VW Westie. Today I sought out that camp site. It was occupied but the site across the road was empty which is where the guy who told me about living on the road for 33 years was camped. Our conversation that night planted the idea of my present odyssey. Thank you.

Today I drove back down to Helena to ride local trails that are right out of historic downtown. I drove up Davis road. As I was getting ready a truck stopped behind me. A guy greeted me. It was Eric from Hailey who remembered me. As he talked my memory recalled our events @ Sun Summit South. Eric rebuilt my headset and worked on my fork. He makes custom made frames. Eric gave me a ride idea outside of Boulder, MT that I will hit Tues. Smoke from forest fires have blanketed Sun Valley such that the air is bad to exercise in which is why Eric drove up here.

So I rode a bit of the trails climbing Ascension peak which offered a peak view of Helena. More better trails here. My solar shower was propped on the dashboard to soak up solar warmth. I took a tepid shower @ the TH.

I enjoyed a pint of beer @ Blackfoot River brew pub. I parked under a tree for shade and internet access.

I plan on returning to same XG which is almost 2,000′ above town. I am acclimating to altitude sleeping high and playing low.

I bought a plastic self stowing white wine glass @ a local shop. Some day when I enjoy a white wine I have the proper vessel to drink it from instead of a coffee mug.

Eric laid out a ride that I will do tomorrow.

 

Working my way west to Spokane.

Sunday was a drive and rest day. Watford city in the oil fields and no beer sales before noon on Sunday. I caught the tailend of the MDH 100 breakfast. I congratulated Nick on his event.  I noticed almost all rigs were dirty from driving dirt roads, lots of oil extraction rigs. If there were car washes they did not stand out. Maybe even the paved city streets turned muddy from the dirt washing off the rigs. My van fit in w/ my smashed grasshoppers.

Western ND and eastern MT lacked usfs land and I did not want to city camp so i sought out public xgs. I picked Hell Creek XG on  FT Peck lake in eastern MT. Drove 26 miles on a gravel road for a shower and open door camping. Dry land looks like central WA.

Mon I continued west to Big Timber and Boulder river. I remembered that Jerry Tate from Spokane and work had a cabin up the river somewhere. Also FS land was available for camping. The town also had internet coverage that I needed to download an antivirus update that took most o0f my town time. I drove upriver some 20 miles out of town on pavement until FS boundary the road turned to stutter bump gravel. I drove 5 miles shaking @ 15 mph to first place to camp which was Falls Creek XG. Finally off the bumpy road. And back in the mountains. The Absaroka mtns swelled well above the river. Back in big mountains and clear running rivers. Ah, the west.

Tues my plan was to road ride upstream searching for Jerry’s place and to check out my body’s performance. I followed the massage therapist’s recommendation of icing and stretching my left leg. My right knee was only rested. I rode about 60 mins upriver 8 1/2 miles coping w/ 5000′ elevation. Left leg OK. Right knee doesn’t seem to hurt while pedaling. Took less than 30mins to coast back to van. I didn’t find Jerry’s place, maybe I was up the wrong creek?

Tues then I finished my drive to Bozeman which is where I am now. I just finished doing my wash and doing dishes. Today I will test my knee out some more on Bangtail divide trail up near Bridger Bowl ski area. I will update this more if I have internet @ TH where I plan to stay the night.

Update: No internet coverage @ Bracket TH.

So, I arrived in Bozeman. I googled bike shops and found Bangtail. I parked nearby and walked in. I asked about mtn biking to the young woman at the counter. She rattled off several rides as we looked @ a map. The map looked familiar. It is made by Beartooth Publishing, Will’s company. I met Will in Sedona this spring. I called his number. We made a dinner date for Wed @ The Ale Works where I had dinner Tues. Will told me of a nasty thunderstorm that might hit town per the weather station. I walked back uptown to my van and drove it back to Ale Works and covered my bikes. While hanging inside the wind picked up and a brief shower damped things which really need rain.

Tues night I drove out Hyalite canyon and slept @ a TH. During the night another squall dumped a few more minutes of rain. I decided to make Wed another rest day.

I checked out more bike shops on line and discovered the Chalet that carried POC gear. I wanted to size my helmet thinking that mine is too large. No helmets, classic end of season selection. i did try on other helmets and found the Giro feature to fit the way a helmet should fit.

I had parked on the street while in the store. My phone rang, it was Will. He said that i was parked right outside his office. he invited me in. I parked in his lot.

I do not comprehend the tax implications associated w/ the investment transactions. The IRS apparently does and they have been hounding me to pay up. Their records only capture the sales amount, not the purchase minus the sale price. Per their records I owe a bunch of money. I called the IRS line and waited on hold for maybe 20 mins. I have a form to fill out to account for the transactions.

Will and I went to Ale Works for dinner. We sat at the bar.  This guy sits down beside me, it is Bob Allen, a core member of the Montana State mountain bike alliance and memeber of Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. He has been battling nationally to preserve trails that 3 wilderness groups have striven to close to bikes by making the land a new wilderness. Unfortunately bikers lost to the wilderness advocates who have no desire to partner w/ bikes to make the pie larger. there is much to learn about wheeling and dealing @ a national level. Mind boggling.

Next on the agenda was the Wed night mtn biker gathering @ a local brew pub. There I was introduced to  more of Bozeman’s riders and some more advocacy discussions. 8:00 PM is last beer pour. We left to reajourn at a guys house for ping pong and beer.

I stayed for awhile then left for camping that I found @ the Big M TH just outside of town instead of driving further towards Bridger Bowl. The parking lot was deserted and quiet making it a good sleep spot. Chilly night. I was awakened by car sounds. The TH is extremely popular for hikers and dog walkers. And I was in the midst. I fixed b-fast then drove to the laundromat.

I still had what i thought was enough time to ride Bangtail Divide up across the road from Bridger Ski Bowl. I parked @ Bracket TH at the northern end. I pedaled 8.35 miles of road to the south end of the trail. Elevation is almost 6000′ that is  beating me. Most of the road ride was down hill but against the wind. The trail stated out w/ vicious uphill negotiating a passel of switchbacks. I would sometimes rest after a switch back. Elevation working up to almost 8,000′. Since mid April I had been living under 2,000′. No acclamation. My knees performed w/ minimal protest. I was riding late in the day and I was concerned about finishing in the light. About 4 miles in I finished the brutal climb but my load was mostly shot. I managed my shrinking energy stores by walking some climbs. i actually stopped for a 10 minute break.

Per the ride description the last 4 miles was downhill. I netted out that amount to figure how much pedaling I had to do. The downhill started @ the published mile. What a downhill.  Horses and dirt bikers are other trail users that put their imprint on the trail. Loose rocks mixed in w/ hardpack and switchbacks. just coasted down. What a reward for effort. earned my turns.

I decided to camp @ the TH. This AM @ 6:30 it was 36 degrees. I doubled the down blanket and pulled on a hat. I even ran the heater during b-fast. 3 sets of shuttle rigs pulled in b4 8:30. Where were they yesterday @ my start to avoid the road ride?

I decided to make today another rest day.

I made a knee appointment for Monday the first week in Spokane. I called N Division Bike to order the motion control damper that is leaking on my fork. Bicycle Butler will order and install a Chris King Headset to replace the creaking Cane Creek.

Winds are blowing fire smoke into town. Winds are becoming strong buffeting my van while parked.

Looks like I will stay here for the night. Tomorrow I plan on driving to Helena and ride for a couple days. I might drive to Hamilton on the Bitterroot to ride some of their hundreds of miles of trail. red barn shop.

 

Today I am parked under the ubiquitous Chinese elm shade tree w/ an frozen gel pack wrapped around my upper inner left thigh w/ the purpose of shutting off muscles that are trying to compensate for a past torn rectus muscle. The left knee structurally is also complaining.

Thursday I drove deeper westward in North Dakota. As I neared the intersection of rt 200 and 85 petroleum extract rigs populated the highway. I am over the Bakken oil field that has been producing oil conventionally for years. Activity has jumped because of the introduction of fracking for the oil locked in the rocks. Oil rigs, oil pump pads, oil workers in swarms of pickups, tractor trailers hauling to and from the sites. The workers are so mobile that they are living in their small pull behind campers, no trailer parks, just a small sea of door to door white campers. Place is plugged.

Thurs I camped @ the CCC XG which is the northern terminus of the Maah Daah Hey trail, the southern end is outside Medora 100 miles away. My purpose of being here was to ride the 100 miles in 1 day, ride, not race although the event was all about the race. I secured a campsite ahead of the Friday night crowd of campers.

Friday i drove the 48 miles south on rt 85 sharing pace w/ all kinds of oil associated rigs. Jennifer @ Dakota Cyclery ordered a pair of Ardents for me that I needed to put on my bike b4 the race. They would not snap onto the beads w/ floor pump pressure like the Continentals did, I used shop air. new meat is impressive. I ate a single serving of ice cream for carbo loading.

Tires on drove 60 miles to Watford City past the CCC XG for the pasta supper and racer meeting. Great spaghetti feed. Nick the young organizer, addressed the crowd. 80 riders signed up, 60 actually rode. Great organization that he did w/ help of a small army or relatives that he could ask favors of.

Prior to the dinner I parked in the shade @ a ranger station. I walked in to use the rest room. No one was at the desk. I walked thru the bldg to the rest room. I saw no one as I exited the building. Outside I heard a voice asking me if I needed any help. I said I was good. He saw my rig and bike and asked me if I was racing tomorrow. we chatted about that for a few sentences. i asked him his connection to the USFS, he is the district ranger. I then bombarded him w/ questions seeking to understand the USFS role.

After dinner it was high tail back to XG for sleep in preparation of the 4:00AM meeting and 5:00AM dark thirty start.

Alarm went off @ 3:45. Comfortable sleep escaped me as I thought about the tomorrow’s ride. How would I rdie? how far could I push myself?

Race start @ 5AM. Yesterday i set the alarm for 5 to learn how dark it was and what time light would be bright enough to not need lights. About an hour. I thought about starting @ first light and not need a light because I was only riding for FUN(!?). I put on my low lumen light I carry in my pack for unplanned after dark rides back. I started my ride moments after the racers took off. My light just wasn’t bright enough. I had no perception of depth. I had trouble finding the orange pin flags and surveyor ribbon used to mark the trail as it competed w/ cow paths. Nick copiously marked the trail w/ said items only to have cows graze them away, he learned from a rancher that cows dig the plastic. For a short while a rider rode behind me w/ brighter lights that really confused me as his lights created a shadow of me and my light was not bright enough to light what his didn’t. Glad when he pulled over.

I wanted to do this ride to ride the entire trail. Previous rides netted me 2 rides this side of the Little Missouri river and 1 closer to Medora. I missed viewing scenery for an hour. I ride it because my GPS says so. After daylight and miles later I recognized what i had ridden previously. I made aid station 1, 23 miles in, that was staffed by volunteers. Great support. I have been on both sides of the table as a aid station support and as a consumer. Life is good both sides.

Maybe 10 miles before aid station 2 the above muscles started cramping in spite of consuming electrolytes and 2 shots of mustard. I raised my seat hoping a different leg stroke would eliminate the cramps. No such benefit. At the bottom of each left leg pedal the muscles teased me w/ full on cramping. I was getting toasted.

I pushed my bike up a switchbacked hill arriving @ Aid station 2. I was done. Fortuitously a massage therapist was waiting for her husband. She diagnosed what was happening and suggested treatment, hence the ice pack.

Now the 3 other riders who bailed waited for several hours in the shadeless sun for the shuttle to take us back to CCC. We were so far back off paved road, how far?  way back. maybe 45 mins of gravel road driving.

Dinner time drop off @ CCC. The 3 riders dashed, I remained as the only rider in the camp ground. I went to bed just after 10:00 and the first shuttle from the finish line had not arrived. temps @ night have been cold enough for my favorite down blanket. I dropped like a rock; I fell asleep listening to the Mariners baseball game.

Today most of the riders packed up and left almost b4 i got out of bed. I did B-fast then drove back to Watford City for a final race event and to claim my drop bag stuff. I chatted w/ Nick complimenting him on his event. This event will rise up there w/ the super ultra endurance races.

I rode 51.13 miles in 6 hrs 53 mins, climbing 5943 feet in in the Badlands burning 3,234 calories.

This part of the Badlands is spectacular. There are places on the roads and trails were you are higher than the jumbled peaks below you. You can be on top or be be @ the bottom. View to the horizon.

My plan now is to dilly dally across Montana for some rest days traveling the I-90 corridor.

The midwest has the scads of like black house flies. My van is a moving haven for them. Some bite my bare legs right @ shoe height. I wore socks that some bit thru. When the sun goes down they cease activity and start back up when the sun is up and the temp is warm enough.

While driving west of rt 200 I drove thru several swarms of flying insects. My van was a lean mean killing machine clear cutting the air of whatever these insects were, leaving their wet remains smeared on my windshield. I stopped @ a gas station to clean my windshield. I found crusted remains of the unknown insects which turned out to be grasshoppers.