July 19

Day 42:

Having ridden our first century yesterday, we had planned for a shorter ride today. In fact, we needed to log just 50 miles, only half of yesterday’s milage, in order to reach our destination. Sounds easier, doesn’t it? Well, let’s just say the wind and the weather can turn an easier ride into a difficult one. We woke up after a great sleep and headed back to the Old Town Restaurant for breakfast…the motel’s continental doesn’t quite cut it! From there it was back to highway two once again (bustling with RV’s today). The further we got, the stronger the headwinds grew and the more the temperature rose. Counting down the mile markers was a slow process process today. With temperatures pushing 100, it was definitely our hottest day. After about 15 miles we knew it wasn’t going to be the “easy” 50 miles we anticipated/hoped for. We took a break on the roadside and made a reservation at a motel in Glasgow, MT. The next 18 miles to lunch were most definitely a struggle. I honestly expected to look behind me and see Mom lying on the side of the road. At the very trying 2 week point she is surviving some tough days, rides that are certainly testing the rest of us! Hot, dehydrated, and hungry we battled the wind until finally arriving at Bergie’s Cafe in Nashua, MT. Upon arrival Mom said, “If I had seen a trough at one of those farms, I would not have thought twice about jumping in.” It was hot! Straggling in, we grabbed cold drinks from the cooler before finding a seat. Our meal got interesting after this as our waitress was, well, not very pleasant. I don’t think she said more than 10 words the whole time. It was good for some laughs, that’s for sure! While there we ran into two guys from NH/VT heading east and enjoying that tailwind. Finally, we got up the energy to head back into the blistering sun for the remaining 14 miles. Though slowly, we rode along beside the bypassing trains, and stopped frequently to get everyone back together. Finishing with a slow climb, and finally a long downhill, we rode into Glasgow towards the nearest gas station for cold drinks. One block down we found the La Casa Motel and headed inside for some cool air. Though riding only 50 miles, we finished only two hours earlier than yesterday; I think we all agreed that we would rather have ridden another hundred miles in yesterday’s conditions than today’s 50. Dinner across the street at Eugene’s Pizza (Mom said she would’t walk more than 200 yards) put life back into everyone pretty quickly. The good news is that tomorrow should be less windy and much cooler! Not surprisingly, we will be in bed early tonight and up early to avoid the worst of the wind.

Maggie

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