Northern Tier Day #41 Wilbaux, MT to Circle, MT
Northern Tier Day #41
June 30, 2019
Wilbaux, MT to Circle, MT 81 Miles
Ride Time 7:06
Tour Total 3269 Miles
There was a noisy yappy puppy in the trailer next to me last night, which was really irritating. But I was so tired I knew I’d fall asleep, and I soon did. That is until some ungodly hour when it started raining. I realized my laundry was hanging outside. It had almost been dry when I returned from the bar. The sky had been crystal clear and the stars were twinkling when I turned in. But weather changes quickly around here. I get the routine. I had to quickly put on my headlamp run out into the cold rain, unclip and gather all my clothing, and get back inside my tent. Once back inside I did a quick accounting and realized my underwear didn’t make it. Damn! I had to make another dash. My underwear had fallen under the clothes line. I was covered with drops of cold rain but was able to fall back asleep. A freight train blasted it’s horn in the middle of the night, not too far for me.
Yesterday afternoon the RV proprietor and her daughter suggested that I go to the Shamrock Club for dinner. They said the Gem was too fancy. Either way, I was absolutely not having pizza for a fourth night in a row. I was interested in the Beaver Creek Brewery, which Kirt had told me about. I had sampled their amber ale in Medora. It was adjacent to the Gem and they were connected inside. It was somewhat confusing, because I had two separate tabs running. The brewery closed early and my last beer came from the Gem. Before leaving I talked with the friendly bartender about my route, and she told me about places of interest and things to watch out for. I would be riding on the Hi-Line, which locals call Highway 2, the east-west route closest to the Canadian border.
After the Gem / Brewery I went across the street to the Shamrock Club, which was a fantastic cowboy bar. There was a giant stuffed bull’s head, slot machines, and every surface of the ceiling was covered with names of local businesses and cattle brands. The walls were papered with signed dollar bills. It felt like a truly western bar. I regret that my phone battery died and that I don’t have any photos.
This morning I woke up early to the sunlight and birds chirping. It was a slow methodical start. I rolled up my wet soggy tent and tried not to get bitten by the mosquitoes. My soaking wet tent got strapped to the top of my rear bag. I went to the Cenex station and got a Monster Cafe 100% Arabica Energy Coffee and an orange juice. The total came to $4.98 and the clerk joked about my having to carry the two pennies.
I got back onto I-94 which I’d be taking to the next exit, 5 miles down the road. I had a 14 foot wide asphalt shoulder with a rumble strip all the way over left to the white line. I rode on a narrow strip near the gravel and the tall grass. I could hear a freight train to the south but couldn’t see it. There was much less traffic than yesterday. The winds were out of the southeast, which meant that I had a tail wind, at least as far as Glendive.
The scenery from the expressway seemed more removed. When I was off the expressway I felt like I was in it. I exited I-94 and got on County Road 106 that had zero traffic. It began running alongside I-94, but later veered south. I had it to myself and was surrounded by grass, birds, a mostly blue sky, and some small puffy clouds on the horizon. I’ve been doing this tour for six weeks now. I’m tired, achy, and full of sores. But I’m in the groove, and I feel like a cycling cowboy! I’m living the dream!
My Montana State border photo caused a stir on social media, so let me take a moment to explain. The nude photo state border ritual is an essential part of a cross country tour. It was Kyle and Brian who inspired me last year on the TransAm. For me, it’s an initiation to the west. The gesture captures the true western spirit. I feel free and unrestrained here. In the west you can do anything you want. After having pedaled 3000 miles I’m entitled to do any silly thing I desire. I’m pretty much naked out here anyway. I travel bare-bones, and I’m exposed to the elements 24-7.
I was timid yesterday when I crossed the grazing animal prevention rails at the Painted Canyon. Now I’m cruising across them with no second thought. They’re essentially steel rails that run across the road separated every 6 inches. The crossing is 8 feet long, preventing deer or any large animal from entering. I crossed several today to get on and off the Interstate.
I spotted a deer in the grass and stopped to take it’s picture. I got a couple of photos before it hopped away. The boing-boing hopping made me chuckle. I was riding through a wide shallow valley filled with grass and sagebrush, and rimmed by buttes on both sides. I had it all to myself and it was extraordinary. After that special experience I climbed up the other side and met the Interstate at exit 224. I'd been riding in the sun, so I pulled over to lather myself with sunscreen. The Interstate was fine. There wasn’t too much traffic, and the shoulder was gravelly. The striped Badland panorama was superb.
I spotted a pair of eastbound cyclists in the distance on the other side of the Interstate. I stopped and ran across the median to meet them. Richard and Alberta were on a tandem pulling a trailer. They were riding the TransAm from Florence to Missoula, the Lewis and Clark to Wilbaux, at which point they would take the Northern Tier to the Great Lakes Connector, and would then finish with the Allegheny Trail to Washington DC, where they expected to arrive in September. Their tandem came apart and was capable of adding more seats, and it used to be a four-seater. They used to travel on it with their kids. Alberta had the shifting capability and drag brake in the stoker position. She complained that she couldn’t look forward, whereas Richard was getting hit with all the bugs. They also got caught in the rain last night and had to run out and pull in their laundry. They hailed from Santa Cruz California.
On my way into Glendive, I regretted not stopping at the cafe up near the Interstate. I was on a stupid call with the security department from my bank to explain my ATM withdraws in Dickinson. I never bothered to tell them I was traveling because it’s always such a pain to call them. I hope my card isn't cancelled. There was no way I was going to ride back up that hill to the cafe.
Nothing was open in town so I settled on the Holiday Station, where I got an egg sausage biscuit sandwich, a blueberry muffin, a Starbucks Frappuccino, and an orange juice. Glendive was a train depot town. It was a long strip with a huge trainyard and the BNSF Railway Montana Division Headquarters. All of the freight trains carrying coal stop through here. Montana has the largest coal reserves in the U.S. and 75% of the mined coal leaves the state. Other states get about 45% and the remaining 30% is shipped to Canada or Asia. Coal is a major industrial polluter of air toxins and greenhouse gases, damages our water quality during mining, and puts undue strain on Montana communities as the volume of coal train traffic steadily increases. I can’t imagine Glendive being a very healthy place to live. At one point this was a bustling town, but everything has pretty much shut down. The downtown hotel and movie theater were closed for good.
I had a downhill and a tailwind into Glendive but the ride to Circle would be an uphill with a headwind. I‘d have to climb out of the Yellowstone Valley and then do some climbing to 3,000 feet. I would end the day in Circle at 2,500 feet. I got to cross the Old Bell Street Bridge over the Yellowstone River. The National Landmark steel truss bridge was closed to motorized traffic. The Yellowstone below was wide and flowing.
I passed dozens of fireworks stalls on my way out of town. I would be parting ways with I-94 which headed southwest from here. I would be taking State Highway 200S northwest, and would be following freight train tracks to my destination in Circle, which indicated a mellow grade. The sun was shining, and it was starting to get hot. I was following the Old West Trail. The speed limit was 70 during the day and 65 at night. For trucks it was 60 and 55. I was doing 10.
I passed a huge gravel operation on my left, alongside the railroad tracks. I saw hundreds of large green sections of pipe. Surely they were for petroleum. The economy here is based on mining and cattle.
I ran into east-bounders Christian and Brent who were doing a modified Lewis and Clark and Northern Tier. They started in Astoria, Oregon and will end in Portland, Maine. They started their day in Circle, where they spent the night in the city campground. They told me to contact the town sheriff, and that showers were $3 at the city pool. Their goal for the day was Wilbaux, but they were enjoying a tailwind and thought they might get further. They were behind schedule because of all the headwinds they’d been having.
Back up on the plateau I had a long phone call with my mom. The headwinds got crazy. The wind was out of the north and I was headed west. It was either blowing straight at me, or at a 45° angle. I was giving it everything I had for 7mph.
I could spot Lindsay from several miles in the distance. It was a collection of buildings, with no water tower, radio or cell phone tower, or grain elevator. The town was so small that my map didn’t indicate a population. My maps hinted there might be a store there, but it was Sunday. I kept my fingers crossed. I still had another 30 miles to my destination.
Just as I expected, there were no services in Lindsay which was disappointing. I had 24 miles to Circle. It was a long stretch of tough going. The headwind had mellowed out a little bit. It was overcast and a perfect cool temperature for cycling. I pedaled through fields of grass and yellow wildflowers. There were buttes far away on the horizon.
I stopped to take a break and a motorist pulled over to ask if I needed ice. I was down to a liter of water but I was good. They warned me about Wolf Point and said that the dry goods store would be a good place to stay there.
There was a large weather system to the south and I could hear thunder. I could feel drops but they were light, and I didn’t believe that I was going to hit. My rain jacket was close at hand, and Circle was 16 miles away. Since the incident in Medora, I’ve taken to routinely checking to make sure that my phone is secure. I need my communication and navigation equipment, and I also need my banking capabilities.
The wind must have turned around because I was doing 18 miles an hour. I was headed northwest passing tall grass, occasional trees, barbwire fences, a high voltage line, rolling hills, beautiful clouds, purple skies, yellow wildflowers, rolling buttes, and eroded Badlands.
There was no cell phone service for a good long stretch. I passed a line of trees along with a sign that read Living Snow Fence. Seven miles out of Circle, I noticed that the sky to the northwest was dark. It seemed to be pouring rain. I kept my fingers crossed that I could dodge this one. I had made it around the last one.
A motorcyclist passed me going east. He was wearing a lime green rain suit and gave me the thumbs up! The shoulder was 2 feet wide with no rumble strips. There were numerous drivers that weren’t giving me my 3 feet. The weather system to the north passed me. Woohoo! The first one had passed to the south. It’s like threading a needle folks!
Four miles out of Circle I got a ridiculous crosswind from the weather system to the north. The storms suck air in and then blow it out. Two miles out of town the headwind was insane crazy ridiculous. Thank goodness I didn’t have to put up with that all day.
At long last Circle came into view. I could see a bunch of buildings crammed into a dense valley. A mile outside of town I went 'round a huge bend and everything came into view- the water tower, the cell tower, and several large tanks that were probably grain elevators. I crossed the Red Water River that was flowing north towards the Missouri.
I spotted the sheriff, and stopped to talk with him about camping. I then went to the Circle Country Market and got 2 Butterfinger ice cream bars, a container of cashews, a banana, 2 Gatorades, and 2 bottles of water.
I rode over to the swimming pool and took a shower. Even though it was freezing cold, it was totally worth $3. I washed my clothes in the sink, and then set up my tent in the picnic pavilion at the park and strung a laundry line. It was so windy that most of my clothing dried quickly. I went to the Corner Bar for a couple of Big Sky IPA’s. The bartender was shit-faced and it was borderline scary. Since it was Sunday I didn’t have any other options.
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