Monday, August 19, 2013

And the trains came!  Not quite as many as in Chester.  Maybe 12 or so.  They were really, really loud.  I woke up for good about 4 a.m.  Up until then it seemed like most of them were headed west.  At 4, they changed directions and came fast.  About every 10 minutes a  train came rumbling through going east.  Then at 5:15 or so, they stopped.  Made for a peaceful breakfast.  The Whiporwhills(sp) started serenading, and the night was clear, starting to show the morning light.

Today was the first day of school.  Now I know for really, truly that I am retired.  Feels good.

Animals for the day included mosquitoes that swarmed when I stopped for a drink or rest,  cows that bellowed a lot, and a fairly good sized herd of sheep.  I also ran over a snake.
The bike was going downhill at a good clip.  I thought I saw a normal tar squiggle ahead, but when I was on top of it, it moved.  It gave me a start.

Another wind aided day.  I discovered the benefit of flip-up sunglasses.  Most mornings I am looking directly  into the sun, so sun glasses come in handy.  Sometimes that makes it hard to see the pavement in front of me.  If I put the slip-ups half way up, it blocks the sun and I can also see the pavement at the same time.  It looks dorky, but works.  At this point in the trip, the looking dorky doesn't  seem to matter much.

20 days in and 1,000 miles behind me.  About 1/4 of the way to the goal.  Feels fine, and just about what I had estimated.

Thought of my Scottish friend,Michael, as we  got into Glasgow, MT.

Many thanks to the Nicol family.  They were gracious enough to host me in Glasgow.  They were great company, fine hosts, and saved me from the mosquito swarms.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Got out early.  Great for the cool of the day and light traffic.  Today was a light day.  About 50 miles.  It seems strange to refer to 50 miles as a light day.  But it feels that way.  The next few will be the same.  It is just the way it goes for places to stay.  I'm not up for 100 miles of loaded biking just yet.   So we will stay with 50 until North Dakota and see what happens after that.

Feeling great!!  In Wolf Point MT.