Day 32: Great Falls to Dupayre

Note: Not only is internet increasingly scarce, but so is regular access to power. Usually I type up my journals on a laptop and then transfer over, but the laptops die too quickly to do this now. So I will be posting lists of highlights instead and fleshing them out later.]

Woke up a little bit late since we stayed out with the fireworks, and were very careful to be quite so as not to wake up our hosts. Still had to go inside the house to use the restroom, so were a little bit noisy still.

There wasn’t any food around so we went to a local casino for breakfast. The team funds didn’t pay for it, which was slightly disappointing to me since our other option was pretty meager, but it was only four dollars anyway so I was glad to get some good food in me. At the end of the meal, they gave us each tokens for the ‘food slots’ which gives you the chance to win discounts off of your food. I am NOT a gambler, but it was free and such so I gave it a go. And I won the highest discount that the machine gave out. Figure I’ll give up gambling while I’m ahead.

We rode out and it wasn’t too long before I was riding by myself. I was enjoying the ride, but I was going pretty slow. Not too much into it I wasn’t enjoying the ride so much and was still going slow. Typical head winds and such. But I kept pushing anyway and would catch up to the group at the rest stops.

Along the way, we biked through some marshlands. Quite the variety of birds and wildlife. Also some large fields of something vibrantly yellow.

Was feeling very lethargic on the bike and limped into a town called Chateau or something like it. Very nice town in the middle of pretty much nowhere with lots of trees and smalls shops. Oddly, they had an impressive jet (F-14?) on display in the center of town.

Passed a city sponsored rest area, complete with large dinosaurs and grizzly bear displays and I thought about stopping. But I knew the next rest stop was just a little bit up the road so I passed by it at slow speed instead and looked at as many things as I could on the way.

I was biking down the road a couple miles later, wondering where the team was at when Sam drives up to me and tells me that I missed the stop. Apparently it was at the very same rest stop that I had passed up. But an RV had pulled in front of the van, blocking it from view. And the rest of the team had passed out for a siesta under a shady tree so I didn’t see anybody standing around talking as usual. Arghh.

So I grabbed a banana and went on anyway, not really too upset since it was an accident and these things tend to happen. And, plus, instead of lagging behind the team I was now in front of anybody.

Laura (who was biking a half day that day and so didn’t take a nap) did bike past me at a historical marker, but other than that it was just me. The hills got noticeably longer and steeper, but I was starting to feel pretty good.

I started overheating so I was glad when the vehicles caught up to me so that I could get some cold water and shade. Made it into the town, which was about 7 buildings in all, and then to the town park where we were camping.

Turned out that the local eatery had all-you-can-eat tacos for six bucks so about half of us went over to have a little contest. I downed 7 of them but BJ, who had eaten nothing but cereal all day long to prove a point, ate 12 of them and was still hungry. The previous record at the diner was 4.

Went to camp quite full and quite ready for bed.