Day 23 – 100 mile day & hitting 1,500-miles!

Date: Friday, 5 August 2016

Time on Bike: 6:50:07

Total Travel Time: 9:08

Miles Covered Today: 100.94!!!!

Total Trip Miles: 1,512.2

Average Speed: 14.7!!!!!, Maximum Speed: 37.8!!!!!

From: Joplin, MT

To: Blackfoot, MT

(Uploaded from Eureka, MT on 10 Aug 2016, a rain day)

Every cyclist that I know talks about those 100+ mile days on the road. It is a matter of several things coming together. Good physical form, the appropriate terrain, and favorable winds. I felt today might be my day on this trip to pull it off. My greatest concern was knowing that I was maybe two days away from crossing the Continental Divide at Logan Pass at 6,600+ feet in elevation.

I obviously didn’t want to do any damage to my knees (my weakest link) or empty the “tank” today. But at the same time, if I don’t do it today, I also know it won’t happen this trip!

The wind is at my back and will only increase as the day wears on.

Up and out early as I want to check out the waters. I have Bunny run me back up the road to Joplin.

I will bike back to the hotel in Chester before we even pack up and leave our room. If that goes well, I will shoot for 100 miles today. And that will also get me to my 1,500 miles cycled since leaving Chicago some 16 days ago.

I send Bunny & Woz back to the hotel and I start peddling west. It is just a spectacular morning!

The road is surrounded by wheat fields. Most have already been harvested. BTW, a few days ago I thought those mountains in the distance were the start of the Rockies. I am now west of them. Not the Rockies!

I still have time to stop and read the historical markers by the road.

The road essentially follows the train tracks back into Chester.

There is so much grain being harvested now they apparently don’t have enough silo storage and set up large piles (with covers) on the ground.

I officially enter Chester, MT by bike.

Back to the hotel. Eat more food, pack up, and load the Prius up.

Bunny & Woz hang out in town and will catch back up with me soon.

The wind is already up to 7 MPH!

On my way out of town, I stop by the silo to see the process of loading the rail cars. Some trucks offload and it goes right into the rail car. This is some Rube Goldberg contraption for doing just that!

Even though I am pretty sure it is wheat that is being harvested, I find a pile of these grains/seeds on the ground. What is it?? Kim usually chimes in to let this City Slicker boy know what is happening in the country!

My first rest stop is next to some farm equipment that has a For Sale sign on it… I go over to investigate.

Bunny & Woz soon catch up and pull off the road so we can break together.

I am making really good time. The next planned break is in Dunkirk. Nothing there! Just a closed restaurant… but a cool mailbox!

And my first road mileage sign for Glacier National Park!!!!

The wind continues to pick up… still looking good for my 100 mile push!

My first glimpse of the Rockies!!!!! Yeah!! And it is Interstate 15 that passes by Shelby. I misspoke in the video.

I roll into Shelby.

No Micky Ds, but met Bunny & Woz at Subway.

The 22 miles from Shelby to Cut Bank are a roller coaster. My knees are starting to feel the miles now. More grain being harvested.

And here is one you don't see everyday... shrub growth next to the rail line is getting a herbicide treatment today.

And there is a wind farm on the ridge.

I sent Bunny & Woz up ahead to the hotel in Cut Bank. They were already in our room waiting when I arrived. I unloaded all our junk, sat down for a bit, fueled up, replenished my supplies and headed out as I still needed about 20 miles to get to my day’s goals - 100+ miles and my 1,500-mile mark!

The wind is blowing stronger and still basically in my favor…

But I didn’t realize we were this far north, less than 50 miles from Canada!

I headed out of town on good ol’ HW 2 determined to make my goals for the day. Then I hit this huge downhill & uphill. Where did that come from?

From Wikipedia: “Cut Bank is a city in and the county seat of Glacier County, Montana, United States, located just east-south-east of the "cut bank" (gorge) geographical feature which formed canyon-like along the eponymously named Cut Bank Creek river.”

I didn’t expect or know about that. Now my legs aren’t feeling too great. Legs don’t fail me now!!

Things leveled out quickly and I had the Rockies in the distance to dream about…

I soon hit my 1,500 mile mark!! One of two done!

The clock on my bike computer is still on Chicago time, so 6 PM was really 5 PM.

Only another dozen miles or so and I have my 100 mile day in the bag.

The wind died down, and even seemed to change directions into a headwind. Or had I just lost power in my legs? I had to pick my lines carefully as there was a lot of glass on the shoulder.

I got some encouragement from some locals… and then it was done! I did it! 100 miles in a day!

I was wrong about what I said in the video about my previous 100 mile days on a bike. I only did one in 1984, and that was on 27 July into LA... the last day of that trip. But I did another century on 7 Nov 1987 when cycling from Mitzpeh Ramon to Eilat (164.4 km = 102.2 miles) in Israel. So this would be the third 100 mile day on a bike that I have eve done.

Ironically, I hit my century not too far after I passed the historic road marker for Camp Disappointment. But not a disappointment for me!!

I pulled over on a side road and waited for Bunny & Woz to come pick me up… off the ground!!!! My ride soon arrived…

And I shouted out to everyone on the Amtrak train about my great feat! The windows are closed and they are going too quick to hear anyway!

Back to Glacier Gateway Inn and a celebratory dinner from… Subway!! Meatball 12-incher that I polished off in no time flat! It takes a lot of (meat) balls to do 100 miles in a day on a bike!!

Late addition to the blog. Here is the profile of my climb from GPS.

More pics.