Dave rides his bike to school

 

Above: Unfortunately, this house is somewhat typical on the Indian Reservation.  There’s a lot of poverty here.

Sunday, 7/9 5pm
Location: Wolf Point, MT

Coordinates:

Today’s mileage: about 55
Tomorrow’s destination: Culbertson

The difference between yesterday and today was dramatic.  I went about the same distance (a little over 50 miles), but today I could have gone another 30 miles easily.  Yesterday I was crying for mercy by the end, for some reason.  I could have gone farther today, but I wasn’t in the mood to get stabbed.  I’ll explain what I mean in a bit.

Soon after leaving Fort Peck, I entered the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.  I’ve ridden through Indian Reservations on this trip already, but this is the first time that I’ve actually noticed a difference.  I pulled into a dot on the map called Oswego and entered the only establishment there, a small bar called the Horseshoe.  It was 15 minutes after noon, and the place was already fairly busy.  Walking into a bar wearing only  spandex is an awkward endeavor in the first place.  However, walking into a bar wearing only spandex on an Indian Reservation and being the only non-Native American there, now that is a really awkward experience.  There were about 10 guys at the bar, and from the looks of it, they had been there for a while.  Of course, I don’t personally have much experience with getting drunk at bars, but from what I’ve seen on TV, I’d say they were pretty hammered.  The place became noticeably quieter when I walked in, and one of the groups started whispering as I walked by. 

At first, I thought that maybe I wasn’t welcome there.  However, as I drank my 7-Up, I noticed a beer poster on the wall with a picture of a very muscular, shirtless man.  Suddenly, I began to worry that perhaps I’d walked into a bar where I was VERY welcome.  Moments later, a man walked up to me and started asking me questions about my trip.  He introduced himself as DJ, and then he joked that if I ever came through town again, he’d probably be sitting in the very same spot.  I wasn’t sure if he was just joking about being a drunk, or if it was some sort of invitation.  Well, I decided not to stick around long enough to find out. 

The other thing that was strange about the bar was that most of the guys were dressed in Western wear, just as you’d expect to find in a rundown, rural bar.  Why was that funny?  Well, for all of the stories and TV shows about Cowboys and Indians fighting each other, it was strange to walk into a bar full of Indians, who were dressed as cowboys.  Go figure.  (by the way, the people on the Indian Reservation refer to themselves as “Indians”, not “Native Americans”)

About an hour later, I arrived in Wolf Point and saw my first McDonald’s since Great Falls.  I felt a little guilty about eating at McDonald’s, but not much else was open on Sunday, so I acquiesed.  A retired police officer asked me where I was travelling from, and I started inquiring about the road conditions heading east.  He stopped and said, “You’re not thinking about staying in Poplar, are you?”  I paused and replied that yes, I was contemplating doing just that.  He advised against even slowing down in Poplar, saying, “Do NOT stop in Poplar, especially at nighttime.  You might be OK during the day, but don’t sleep there.  It’s the stabbing capital of the country.  My last assignment as a police officer was in Poplar, and I’d say that 40% of the people on the road today in Poplar are drunk.  They won’t even sell glass bottles in bars in Poplar anymore, because too many people were getting stabbed with them.”  After that glowing endorsement, I think I’ll stay in Wolf Point.  Plus, apparently it has a movie theater, and I haven’t seen a movie since I left San Francisco. 
 

 

 Above: I took this before I left the campsite in the morning.  It’s the boatramp down to the non-existent lake.

Above: The Fort Peck Dam.

Above: Ah-ha!  Here’s the lake!

Saturday, 7/8 8pm
Location: Ft. Peck, MT

Coordinates:
couldn’t get a reading for some reason

Today’s mileage: about 55
Tomorrow’s destination: Wolf Point

The best thing about today was walking into the air conditioned lounge in the Ft. Peck Hotel and ordering an ice water! 

Ft. Peck is a remarkable little town;  It was clearly built around a central, well-organized blueprint.  It sits near a river, has perfectly maintained roads, well groomed lawns, attractive buildings, and lots of public areas.  On the other hand, it only has about 200 people.  The entire town owes its existence to one thing: the Fort Peck Dam (which also explains the plentiful street lighting and well watered lawns).

The Ft. Peck Dam was constructed during the Great Depression, primarily as an excuse to employ 10,000 people.  At the time, it was the engineering feat of the region.  Even today, it’s the world largest hydraulic earth-filled dam, whatever that means. 

The hotel where I am staying has the distinct feel of a lodge in one of the national parks, only smaller.  It sports a cozy commons area, with a fire place and a high, wood-beamed ceiling.  On the other hand, the rooms don’t have bathrooms, air conditioning, or wall decorations.  Oh, and they smell like a retirement home.  To use the toilet, you walk down the hall to a door that opens into a small closet-like room.  Afterwards, to wash your hands (assuming you are so inclined), you go to the next door down the hall, which reveals a small room with a sink and a bath tub.  Finally, if you want to take a shower, you walk halfway down the hall to yet another room that has a shower and a sink.  Luckily, I arrived in early afternoon, so I didn’t have to contend with the line which I’m sure develops every night.

Anyhow, I managed to get on the road pretty early this morning, by my standards at least.  After departing at about 8am, it took me about 30 minutes to travel the 5 miles along dirt road back to the main highway.  Dirt roads are considerably harder and slower than paved roads!

I basically groaned and muttered to myself for the next 50 miles.  I don’t know if I was hungrier than I thought, or thirstier, or more tired, but the 50 miles today were harder than the 90 miles yesterday. It felt like a constant uphill.  Granted, I was dealing with a nasty headwind today, but I don’t think the road conditions fully account for how difficult it felt.  In any case, I was estatic to finally reach civilization again. 

If you were to add up the listed populations of the towns which I have passed through since Wednesday afternoon, it would total 938.  That covers a distance of over 200 miles.  Now, I’m sure that there are more than 938 people between Ft. Peck and Lewiston, but they don’t live in any established towns. 
 

  Above: Thirsty?  This is my water bottle the morning that I left Sand Springs.   Above: It's 50 miles in either direction to ANYTHING.   Above: The dirt road to my "lakeside" ... [Continue reading this entry]

Thursday, 7/6 8am Location: Grass Range, MT Coordinates: 47.0251 N 108.7993 W Yesterday's mileage: about 30 (half-day) Today's destination: Sand Springs   Not much to report today.  No good pictures.

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Above: If you've ever wondered what the view is like from the expensive seats, here it is.  That's right folks, in Great Falls you too can have an up-close view of the ump's butt, for only ... [Continue reading this entry]

  Above: There sure are a lot of nice buttes in Montana.   Above: It's all downhill from here.  Isn't it?  [it sure doesn't feel like it]   Above: Kenny, supreme badarse.  He's literally ... [Continue reading this entry]

Above: "Hello World!"  World, meet Karin.  This is Karin's first picture on the Internet.  Karin was camped out at the same KOA in Missoula where I stayed, so we hung out a bunch of times while I ... [Continue reading this entry]

The night before I left Missoula, I went to a Minor League Baseball game.  The contest pitted the Missoula Ospreys against the Billings Mustangs.  Billings won.  It was "Ride Your Bike to the Game" day, which was quite convenient under ... [Continue reading this entry]

Here are some additional photos of Missoula, for your viewing pleasure...

Above: The sky above Missoula, MT at 10pm last night.

Above: The University of Montana

Above: This ... [Continue reading this entry]