7/11-Prepare for a Bunch of Campstool Photos!

At last! A short day! I still left at about 6:30 from New Haven B&B. Sadly, I didn’t get to see Lesa or Gary this morning. I should have gotten a photo last night. 

They had both told Ben and I to take Barlow Canyon Rd instead of going to Hulett. We had no reason to go to Hulett. Barlow Canyon would cut off a little more than 7 miles, and be more gravel and less highway. We weren’t sure, but when Ben pulled it up on Google Maps, even it said to take Barlow Canyon. Ben left before me, but he had been convinced. 

Barlow Canyon was awesome!

Look! Way off in the distance! It’s a campstool!

Can just see the top of the campstool. 

I understand why the route goes to Hulett because of the camping option. But, if you are doing this route, and you don’t need to go to Hulett, Barlow Canyon is the way to go!

I worked my way toward Hwy 24. Getting ever closer to the campstool. 

At the Hwy, I just had about 3 miles to go. I was heading toward the KOA. 

Campstool

Me and the campstool

Heading down to the KOA

Campstool KOA (aka Devils Tower)

I got checked in at about 9:00. They have a cafe here that serves breakfast. It was a perfect day for second breakfast. I had the “Fancy Like”…French toast, bacon, and tator tots. Then I went to the tent area and set up. 

Red rocks along the Belle Fouche River

The campstool from my tent

It was really heating up, and I wanted to go up to the Tower before it got too much warmer. I unloaded most of the stuff off Wanda. 

It was a three mile climb to the parking lot and visitor center. Two miles up there was a traffic light because the parking lot was full. I just rode by all the stopped cars. I noticed when 5 cars came down, the traffic light let 5 cars go up. Clever way of keeping too much congestion at the top. 

I parked Wanda at the Visitor Center.

In the VC

I found a small magnet of the Devils Tower. I decided I would do the 1.6 mile Tower Trail that goes around the base.  Stupidly, I forgot to bring my hat, so I wore my helmet to shade my face. Only had one person comment on the fact that I was walking the trail with a bike helmet on. I told him, safety first!

The Tower Trail is a paved path

Boulder field

Prayer bundles on several of the trees

See the climber?

The gravel road angling toward the upper left corner is what I will do tomorrow.

As I made my way around, I came upon a big man in a motorized mobility scooter. The trail was going up, and his scooter was having trouble making the grade. There wasn’t anyone with him. I asked him if it would help if I pushed. He looked at me and said, “I’m awfully big!” I said let’s give it a go. I handed him my water bottle so I could use both hands on the back of his chair. We made it up a ways more, but then it wouldn’t do it. He got out, and then he could throttle it while I pushed from behind. We did it! He was very grateful.

Away he goes!

I made it back to Wanda, and headed back down. Now, that was a fun descent! I stopped at the Prairie Dog Town at the bottom. There were signs everywhere saying “Dont’t feed the prairie dogs!”

They are everywhere!

This is not zoomed in!

I went to the Trading Post for some ice cream, then back to my campsite. There’s a pool here, so I decided a soak would feel good. Of course it was mostly kids, but I didn’t care.

Tonight they will show Close Encounters of the Third Kind at 8:00. Well, they show it every night. I’m going to take my chair. Even though the Devils Tower was the first National Monument, it is the movie that made it famous. Everything around here is alien themed. 

Vivian and Ken showed up to ride to the Tower. When they get back, we will meet for dinner in the KOA cafe. 

7/10-Windoming and Curtis Saves Me!

I got going my earliest so far at 5:50, and I still didn’t manage to ride the whole thing…but I’ll get to that.

Today was going to be yet another long scorcher of a day at 74 miles and over 4000 feet of elevation gain. Hence the early start. It was not quite as cool as yesterday, but I enjoyed it while it lasted. The big factor (besides the heat) was the wind. It was going to a headwind for the majority of the route. Also, similar to yesterday, it was 25 miles of pavement, then the rest on gravel. Unlike yesterday, there were not really any major descents. 

Find the antelope (hint: look for the white butt)

About the same distance as yesterday, Ben caught up to me. We were going uphill, so he said hi, and see ya later. 

Another See ya, Ben photo. 

The pavement was very big rollers. The climb pro initiated three times just on the pavement. 

One other difference today was that we had a service stop in Biddle. It was less than a mile off route. 

Funny sign that Ben took this photo of

Coming into Biddle. 

I got to the store just as Ben was heading out. I took this photo of him because his face was so white with sunscreen!

“Kibuki Ben”

Yesterday, Ben lost his sunscreen on the gravel. Unfortunately, I never saw it, otherwise I would have surmised it was his, and picked it up, knowing we would be in the same town. So, he had to replace it in Broadus. This stuff definitely did the job, but he said it never soaked in!

I had a strawberry and cream pie, a bottle of juice, and a Dr. Pepper in Biddle. I talked with an older lady who had lived there (ranching) since 1977 with her husband. She half heartedly offered to give me a ride, but it would have just been about 7 miles before I would turn to a different road. 

At least going back to the route, it was a tailwind. Ranch creek Road was the beginning of the gravel. It was not great. It was washboarded, and too thick in places. 

At least there was this very brief respite going over the Little Powder River

After awhile it wasn’t as bad, but it didn’t get better until I turned to a different road. 

This red gravel usually seems to be better. 

Today was the end of Montana, and the beginning of a relatively short time in Windoming (aka Wyoming). 

State #4!

The sign that actually says Wyoming

The actual border.

It was getting pretty warm, but the wind was alternately a friend in that it kept me cooler, and a foe in that it slowed me down. 

I came to a place called Bliss Ranch. It was some shooting place. I stopped an ATV, and asked the two young women if they had any water. I wasn’t out, but I really needed to drink a bunch. They gave me a nice cold bottle. I drank some, and put the rest in my electrolyte bottle. 

The road just continued on and on. I saw the odd vehicle, and several antelope, but that about it. 

I was really struggling with my mouth being so dry. I tried to eat a peanut butter and jelly filled date. I could barely get it down. I knew I needed to eat, but I just couldn’t. As I was riding along, I was beginning to worry that I wasn’t going to make it. I had 18 miles to go when a truck came up behind me. I flagged it down. It was a kid. He jumped out. I told him I was supposed to get to the New Haven B&B, but I didn’t think I could make it. The truck he was driving was a flat bed with a big tank on the back. Lucky for me, he was going home, and home was about 100 yards up the road. He said to follow him, and we’d figure something out.

There were several vehicles at his house. We put Wanda on a flatbed, and tied her down. Curtis was a 20 year old recent graduate from college. He lived at the house with his parents and sister. They are cattle ranchers. 

Curtis! My hero!

We passed Ben. He was looking pretty worn out too, but still pedaling. There were so many more hills that I’m sure I would still be out there if it weren’t for Curtis!

Ben arrived just a short time after me at the B&B. Gary (his wife, Lisa was still at work) had shown me the ropes. It’s $100, and more than worth it! Ben and I did our laundry in one load. We had some time to debrief about the last few difficult days, then dinner was ready. 

Dinner was delicious pasta with Alfredo, sautéed mushrooms, scallops, prawns, and zucchini. Best meal I’ve had this whole trip!

Lisa works in health care, so it was interesting chatting with her. We are both in our 60s, so have that in common. 

Tomorrow, I will finally have a much needed short day to Devils Tower. I just did 56 of the 74 miles today, but they were some of the hardest miles I’ve done. 

My room

The common space (it’s the basement of Gary and Lisa’s house)

7/9-Naming the Rocks

Today was going to be another big mile day, only this one had about 3/4 of the ride on gravel. I left as early as I could at 6:15. It was nice and cool. I embraced it!

Enjoying the cool shade!

Oh, and there’s my shadow!

The first 24 miles were on pavement. I was carrying an extra two liters of water, so it seemed slow. I got an early deer sighting. 

I actually saw more deer/antelope today than any other day. 

My Garmin bleeped telling me I had reached about the 1/3 route completion mark. That means I’m still on track for an end of August finish.

1/3rd done!

I’ve been averaging 46.6 miles per day. 

Shortly after, Ben caught up to me. We chatted for a moment, then he jetted ahead. 

See ya!

I went by Stag Rock. I didn’t name this one. 

Also this forest of “hay trees”.

Funny way to set hay bales!

At the turn for the beginning of the gravel, I stopped for a mid morning banana cream pie and a Bai Coconut drink. Chocolate milk wouldn’t have made it (don’t worry, I had it for breakfast). 

Ben and I had been talking about the condition of the road, hoping it wouldn’t be muddy after last night’s thunderstorm. 

It was just fine!

There were a few short climbs, but mostly it was just gradually going up. The rock formations were very cool! I started naming them. 

I called these “Teepee Rocks”

This is “Squirrel and friend”

It was very scenic going up through forest and meadows. 

I thought I heard a cow. It was this windmill. 

Such a variety of greens!

I called these humps “The Jugs” (my Olympia gravel riding friends will understand).

The top was Diamond Butte. 

Diamond Butte

Then it was down (more so than the up had been)

The colors were really this vibrant!

Sadly, the red rock gravel came to an end, and I turned on to a plain ol’ gravel road. Actually, for awhile, it was horrible. I followed Ben’s tracks back and forth, looking for the smoothest part. Weirdly, after crossing a cattle grate, the gravel improved. I was in a valley with red and white striped hills on both sides.

for awhile it was cool to see. But then, the road just seemed to go on and on and on. It was 23 miles of this endless road. There was a decent breeze which sometimes was in my favor, but if nothing else, kept me cooler. 

I finally started coming to some civilization. I thought this mailbox was creative. 

I had done the last short climbs, but that wasn’t the end of the hills. It was a rollercoaster. In the last 4 miles before town, I went up and down 6 times! 

Finally I came to 212. Yes, I could have gone straight to Broadus on 212 in 44 miles instead of 72 on the gravel long way around, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as beautiful. 

Once again, there was a bike path. 

Looks pretty new. 

I’m in a motel again tonight (stupid expensive for what it is). I went to the Montana Bar and Cafe for a burger. Tonight I’m going to bed early. Two big mile days back to back have me wanting a bit more sleep tonight. I haven’t looked yet to see where I’ll go tomorrow. Hopefully there is something of a reasonable distance!