Day 12 – Holy hotness.
Thompson, Montana to Harlowton, Montana
It was a bit of a tense morning this morning: we had yet another century today, we were anticipating temperatures over 100 degrees, and everyone wanted to get out early to beat the heat and get some miles in. Within a couple of miles our crew smacked right into some unavoidable construction. And by construction, I mean that the road was actually just rock and sand for a couple of miles stretch. It would have been fun with a mountain bike, but I’m pretty sure that my bike isn’t made to ride that. Most of us got through alright, but we had some falls with bikes, including the tandem, and I believe that some people got driven through because of safety. Right off the bat from there, we began again with a climb that was an 11-mile climb that ascended about 1200 feet. It was long, but honestly, I loved it. It was through a beautiful forest, the gradient was shallow enough to be manageable, and it felt really good to reach the top. Not to mention there were leftover cupcakes at the top :)
From there the rest of the day was up and down, but overall a gradual decline. But it was hot, hot, hot. 105 degrees. Holy hotness. So it begins. I rode with Sean and Ben the whole day, and we were a great team. We didn’t even make a paceline today, but we were going a perfect pace that was fast enough to cover the miles without over-exerting ourselves, and at a speed where we could carry conversation and keep ourselves entertained. For the last 40 miles we played some great games that I used to play on canoe trips: Boddacheli (spelling?), the Band Game, the Number Game, etc. etc. We also got some creative brainstorming going for how we can play cards if they were sticky, how we need those velcro balls/gloves to play catch with, etc. etc.
When finally we rolled into Harlowton, my sighs sounded like hallelujahs. It was a long, hot day, but I offer so much credit and respect for those who came after me – people who are working just as hard as me on the bike but had to be out there in the heat for hours longer. It’s going to be a trying week ahead of us. Thank goodness we have a rest day in Billings after tomorrow.
We are staying in a youth center tonight, next to the high school football field where a few brave souls are setting up their tents in the heat. The rest of us will deal with each other’s coughs, sniffles, rustling, zippering, etc. etc. in the name of (hopefully) a cool night’s rest. We’re getting used to these slumber parties. Beyond Basil is a restaurant from Billings that came all the way here to feed us, and it was INCREDIBLE. Best food by far. Not only did they offer the biggest pieces of (so I was told) delicious meat to the meat-eaters, their vegetarian food was more than adequate with protein and green leafies. I can’t imagine how much that meal costs in a restaurant, but it was delicious.
It was a bit of a tense morning this morning: we had yet another century today, we were anticipating temperatures over 100 degrees, and everyone wanted to get out early to beat the heat and get some miles in. Within a couple of miles our crew smacked right into some unavoidable construction. And by construction, I mean that the road was actually just rock and sand for a couple of miles stretch. It would have been fun with a mountain bike, but I’m pretty sure that my bike isn’t made to ride that. Most of us got through alright, but we had some falls with bikes, including the tandem, and I believe that some people got driven through because of safety. Right off the bat from there, we began again with a climb that was an 11-mile climb that ascended about 1200 feet. It was long, but honestly, I loved it. It was through a beautiful forest, the gradient was shallow enough to be manageable, and it felt really good to reach the top. Not to mention there were leftover cupcakes at the top :)
From there the rest of the day was up and down, but overall a gradual decline. But it was hot, hot, hot. 105 degrees. Holy hotness. So it begins. I rode with Sean and Ben the whole day, and we were a great team. We didn’t even make a paceline today, but we were going a perfect pace that was fast enough to cover the miles without over-exerting ourselves, and at a speed where we could carry conversation and keep ourselves entertained. For the last 40 miles we played some great games that I used to play on canoe trips: Boddacheli (spelling?), the Band Game, the Number Game, etc. etc. We also got some creative brainstorming going for how we can play cards if they were sticky, how we need those velcro balls/gloves to play catch with, etc. etc.
When finally we rolled into Harlowton, my sighs sounded like hallelujahs. It was a long, hot day, but I offer so much credit and respect for those who came after me – people who are working just as hard as me on the bike but had to be out there in the heat for hours longer. It’s going to be a trying week ahead of us. Thank goodness we have a rest day in Billings after tomorrow.
We are staying in a youth center tonight, next to the high school football field where a few brave souls are setting up their tents in the heat. The rest of us will deal with each other’s coughs, sniffles, rustling, zippering, etc. etc. in the name of (hopefully) a cool night’s rest. We’re getting used to these slumber parties. Beyond Basil is a restaurant from Billings that came all the way here to feed us, and it was INCREDIBLE. Best food by far. Not only did they offer the biggest pieces of (so I was told) delicious meat to the meat-eaters, their vegetarian food was more than adequate with protein and green leafies. I can’t imagine how much that meal costs in a restaurant, but it was delicious.
posted by elizabeth at 7:34 PM
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