Finally Out of Montana

Total so far: 1442.3 miles

In case there was any doubt, I can confirm to you that eastern Montana contains vast stretches of nothingness, dotted every 40 miles or so with a town of 300. Miles and miles and miles of nothing but yellow can get, frankly, boring. So last week as I rolled along on a 65-mile day with only one town (containing little more than a church), I began desperately plotting ways to keep myself entertained in the long, dull stretches of Montana I was crossing.

My solution came that evening in Fort Benton in the form of David. He is the second cyclist I have come across on the Lewis and Clark trail, and we decided to bike together the next day. That day has extended into a week, though that time will soon end when we part ways and he heads towards Minnesota and I go down to South Dakota. But then I will have moved on from long, dull stretches of Montana to long, dull stretches in the Dakotas. At least I am hoping for some bison along the way to keep things interesting.

We have had a few charming experiences these past few days, notably in the form of the really friendly Native Americans in Poplar in the Fort Peck Indian Reservation (before arriving, everyone had told us to watch out on the res'), and the kind couple who let us sleep in their basement last night in Williston, ND. There aren't many places to stay in Williston due to the oil boom that has doubled the town's population in a year, so this couple allows cyclists to camp out in their yard or sleep in their basement. They've had some 80 cyclists already this summer.

A few photos:

Enjoying my 1000-mile ice cream. I was hoping for a sundae, but this was the best Geraldine, Montana, had to offer.



David, my current cycling partner, in Circle, Montana (where we enjoyed pie - pi - and plenty of puns).



The most interesting scenery in Eastern Montana.

After perhaps 700 miles in Montana, I was very glad to leave.

And on to North Dakota!