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Row versus Wade September 4, 2008Leave a comment  View More Images Given the heightened political season, the first thing on the mind of everyone in Montana is.... "Row versus Wade?" For those of you that don't understand the political satire behind this joke, my apologies. I just couldn't resist! When Don told me this after having taken a photo of three guys in a row boat and two guys in waders fishing, I was cracking up! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time! Row versus Wade.... I left the RV park this morning around 7:30 am and made my way over to Adventure Cycling Association's headquarters. Once there I met Aaron, who was taking pictures for a story about Rocketrek he would like to write for their magazine. He also brought his kids along so they could meet me. I gave them a couple of stickers, took some pictures and then one of his sons kept saying, "Come on dad. I want to get to school so I can do some math!" Yea!!! This bike ride might be working after all!! One of the co-founders of Adventure Cycling, Greg Siple, took some black and white photos for a art project that he has which has documented hundreds of cyclists that have come by his office over the years. It is a very fine art exhibit that spans decades of cycling. Greg was one of four people back in the 1970's that rode from Anchorage, AK to the tip of South America, Tierra del Fuego! Over 18,000 miles! Wow! It was called Hemistour and was documented by National Geographic. If you have any of the old magazines lying around the house, take a look and see what they endured. Adventure Cycling Association (formerly Bikecentennial) is an outgrowth of that amazing adventure! From downtown Missoula, Don Lange and I headed up Hwy 200 for Lincoln. Don rode with me for 40 miles before reluctantly turning for home. I really value his company and sense of purpose. Kindred spirits we are, that's for sure! I took some parting shots of him as he headed back down the road. I'll be back in the near future, of that I am sure! Thanks bunches Don, to you and your family! So, here's a math problem that will probably make you cringe... If two guys leave Missoula and pedal 40 miles before one turns back and the other continues on, how long will it take one of the riders to reach 80 miles if traveling at 12 mph? If the other rider is pedaling at 10 mph, how far will he have traveled when the first rider reaches 80 miles? The ride along the Big Blackfoot River was outstanding. Nice even grades and beautiful vistas. The Bob Marshall Wilderness came up on my left and provided a stunning backdrop with passing rain and snow showers hugging the tops of the peaks along the Continental Divide. The wind starting picking up the closer I came to the mountains and was pretty steady around 10 knots or so. I made a smart move back in Missoula and picked up a Mountain Hardware Windstopper jacket and breathable rain jacket from REI. Together they cut the wind to nothing and I stayed warm and toasty the remainder of the afternoon. I know I am not the only one, so don't anyone start off by saying John is crazy, but we all have a little voice in the back of our heads that chimes in once and awhile when we start to do something that might not be in our best interests. Right? Work with me here.... Anyway, even if you don't, I do! That little voice has followed me through the better part of 40 years and is usually right about 99.999999999999% of the time. For those times that I chose to ignore that little voice, I have regretted it 99.999999999999% of the time. So, today when it started to chime in, I naturally paid attention. I was headed up the road, just starting to pass a side road that led down to a small town called Ovando, MT (pronounced like, 'O 1969 Chevy "van" do') when I made a u-turn and wandered into the small town. I came upon "The Stray Bullet" cafe and gift shop, nestled on the south side of the main street. I doffed (astronaut term for took off) my riding helmet and gloves and went inside for coffee. Two gentleman sat near the front window, deeply immersed in conversation. A older woman sat against the far wall, nursing the final bites of a noon meal. And Nancy, the owner and resident barista sat behind the counter at the far end of the shop. The walls were adorned with classic western art, chaps, rope and saddle. Framed pictures of old Hollywood western movie stars dotted the log framed walls. I grabbed my coffee and sat back in an oak chair and looked through the front window at the mountain range in the distance and the dark clouds rolling by. Nancy walked up and asked how far I was riding. "Today or eventually?" Came my standard reply. I told her I was headed to Lincoln to meet my folks, but eventually on to Florida. She asked how long it might take me and I told her probably November. I also mentioned I had a few stops along the way to speak at schools and some reservations. She thought for a moment, then said, "Were you in the newspaper today?" "Maybe." She grabbed a copy of The Missoulian, section B and there I was. A patriotic picture against a backdrop of the Stars and Stripes. The article covered my talk at Hellgate Elementary and was fun to read. The writer obviously enjoyed the subject matter. I signed the paper for Nancy and gave her card to my website. We chatted a bit more and she graciously ran across the street to get the last remaining copy at the post office. She gave me section B to give to my folks and we chatted some more before I rode out of town. I turned when I reached the highway and took an awesome photo back down the road I came and the mountains in the distance. This is truly a spectacular place and I am grateful I listened to that little voice. I could have kept me head down and continued up the road, leaving Ovando for someone else, but I would have missed something very special. It is a lot like spaceflight, riding a bike. You can spend all of your time working incredibly hard to accomplish the task and not take the time to look around. If you do, you will most certainly miss something and come to regret you didn't stop to smell the roses. A lot of folks that ride cross-country seem intent on high mileage. 100 to 120 miles per day! But what does that get you? It gets you to the end more quickly than you should. And you miss out on the little and spectacular things along the way. Never take for granted that there is a world around you waiting to be discovered. It's the small things in life that add to the joy of being alive! I pressed on and eventually came to the intersection of 141 and 200. I stayed to the left and found the road becoming more narrow. The wind picked up as it was funneled through the canyon that bordered the river. I stopped the bike and put on my rain jacket just as the drops started to get bigger. Painted on the ground by a previous well meaning cyclist (I think) were the words, "Watch" "For" "Mean" "Trucks" I looked up again at the narrow road and how the guardrail now appeared to be more ominous than before. No shoulder, just a huge metallic guardrail holding me in check for the next "Mean Truck." Great! Sixteen miles to Lincoln and mean trucks on the loose. This will be fun! No problem whatsoever! Everyone gave me ample room and the ride was gentle and relaxing. The river was beautiful and meandered slowly along my right side. I kept looking for signs of moose in the tall brush, but no joy. The most wildlife I had seen all day were numerous grasshoppers inhabiting the shoulder of the road. They seemed to wait until just before my tire came within striking distance to jump to the side. I bet they have to deal with the "Mean Trucks" too! The road wandered back and forth until finally leveling out for a straight shot into Lincoln. The sun was obscured by the cloud cover and the temperature had dropped into the low 50's. I gave my folks a call and found them half way through town at an empty campground. I climbed off the bike after putting about 84 miles on the wheels in my first day back in the saddle. After taking a week off of the bike, it was obvious my legs and behind only had about 80 miles worth of endurance today. It was nice to be greeted by fire baked potatoes and BBQ. My day ended with a deer wandering up to the side of the RV and looking longingly into the window. I grabbed some grapes and sat on the step, coaxing the deer closer. After tossing a few at her feet she came forward and starting eating out of my hand. Nice finishing touch to a splendid journey! Some of you may wonder why you do not see my entire route on Google Earth, only the remaining 40 miles or so into Lincoln. I changed the data recording parameter to every second, since my previous routes were a lot of straight line segments and did not exactly follow the road. By changing it to every second, I record more data and the route actually comes out more precise, except the Garmin overwrites data because there is so much. It just doesn't let you know it's doing it. I have an additional 2GB micro flash card on the Garmin, but that doesn't seem to help. I will investigate it tomorrow. I would prefer to have the exact route plotted out, so I will find some way to write the data to the flash card. My apologies.... More Images:                          4 Comments
Sep 5, 2008 5:40 pm - Penny wrote : John, Here is the link to the article in the local tribal paper with a story about you: http://www.charkoosta.com/2008/2008_09_04/Native_Amer_astronaut_visits_TERS.html Let me know an email so that I can send the video footage to you with the Chief Cliff Singers. Happy Pedaling! - EEK, I hope you are not in the snow!! It's cold and rainy!
Sep 5, 2008 3:05 pm - Aaron Teasdale wrote : Great to meet you in Missoula John. Very exciting for my boys Silas and Jonah. I talked about you, your journey, and this website at Silas's school after we left you and the kids got a big kick out of it. Especially the photo of you in space on the back of your business card! Good luck on the rest of your ride. Glad you found the Stray Bullet. I'll let you know when we run the article on your trip in Adventure Cyclist.
Sep 5, 2008 10:16 am - Don Lange wrote : John Thanks so much for all you are doing for kids, they are the future. It was hard to turn around but at 42.5 miles out I knew exactly how far I had go to get home. If not for family I would have ridden cross Montana or as far as the Florida Coast. Of course my trip back was all down hill, sunshine and a tailwind. Headwind, some rain and up and down hills. "No one ever expects the Spanish Inquisition. Good thing I turned when I did as Kevin and Chris ran in a cross country meet that evening. Thank you my friend for the time we have shared together. So my math question is. If one cyclist rides 42.5 miles then turns around and heads back to where he started, what do you get? Answer, One very tired cyclist! Keep smelling the roses and enjoy each day. Bike touring, like life, is not about the goal or the end but about the journey. Add a comment: |
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John. To quote Frost, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." Good move stopping in Ovando. BTW, have I mentioned that I LOVE modern technology. We I and my boys are following your every twist and turn on Google Earth while at the same time my laptop is reading your article to us while I'm sitting on my deck drinking tea . This is the life! Glad you are out there living life for me! -- Joe