Day 58: Steely Dumb Faces like Teenage Supermodels

Tuesay, Septemer 18th

I wake up at 7:00am because Anna and Doug work at public schools and have to be at work pretty early. I say goodbye and head off to Hardees. In this Hardees they have transformed their playroom into another dining area and labeled the partition glass “Meeting Room”. There were 4 very serious old men actually holding a meeting at the Wiliston, ND Hardees. Can’t imagine what they were discussing.

I hit the road… and am a bit daunted by the scope of the day… I need to ride 100 miles in order to hit Wolf Point. I will be riding along a reservation for most of the day and thus can’t really stop part-way… unless I want to camp ON the reservation (which I don’t). Wolf Point is the first respectable town on the reservation. Or maybe just the first town without a reputation for violence.

I am riding along and the terrain is mostly rolling hills and black skies. Apparently the sky will be apocalyptically gray all day, keeping the air cool and wind light. It also makes for a pretty surreal backdrop. It’s hard to explain… but it’s sort of a cross between Of Mice and Men… and The Moon. Oil refineries dot the landscape like space stations and the black skies add to the other-worldly effect. It’s quite a trip; Jane’s Addiction, Interpol, and Sufjan on the Ipod until I reach the Montana Border. Yeah, you read that right… I am leaving North Dakota!

Let me take a minute to say: North Dakota I won’t miss you. Your cows have steely dumb faces like teenage supermodels. Your emptiness boasts of your lack of accomplishments. I won’t miss you for a second. Sure, we had some good times, and your inhabitants were awesome… but frankly my dear, I don’t really give a shit. Grow some ambition and then we’ll talk. Montana… I’m yours.

The hills continue to roll in Montana and I roll right into a small town not too far from the border: Bainville. I break my newly purchased rear view mirror, and thus make a pit stop for food, water and Krazy Glue. The weather is pretty frigid, but I’m making good time.

10 miles later, I am in Culbertson… and… I don’t really have anything to say about that town… it seems nice though. From here… I roll into The Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Have I already mentioned how absolutely beautiful it is up here in Montana? Well, the reservation is even better. I get off the busy Hwy 2 for a few miles and get to travel through some back roads. Unbelievable, really. It continues like this all day. I pass through a dilapidated Brockton, and stop at a Conoco for lunch in Poplar (“Stab City”). The stretch between Poplar and Wolf Point feels like an eternity. The sun comes out and warms everything up for the last 10 miles of the 100 mile ride.

When I get to Wolf Point, guess who I run into:

It’s great to see Matt again, and tonight we are staying with the same woman from Warmshowers. She is supposed to be amazing: Over 70 years old and still touring long distances on her bicycle. Matt and I grab some food/groceries and hang out in an empty field next to The Big Sky Motel to steal Wifi, and then we go to meet Mary, our host for the evening. She is pretty amazing. She hooks us up with a space to work on our bikes, and lets me take a dip in her Hot Tub. I spend most of the night on the internet.

Tomorrow is going to be amazing. We are supposed to get 23mph tailwinds all day. Also… we are supposed to stop at Bergies, home of the GIANT (24inches?) pancakes. Matt and I have decided to make the most of the tailwinds and ride all the way to Malta tomorrow, 120 miles in total. It’s a tall order, but hopefully we can do it. I go to sleep at midnight, anticipating an amazing day of riding tomorrow.