July 22, 2008 by Harry.

       The team continued its voyage across the eastern plains of Montana today. The ride went from the Sleeping Buffalo Campground to Glasgow, Mt. The temperature hit the low 90’s, with low humidity, and the winds were from the east with speeds of 15 to 20 mph. This meant tough riding conditions for Captain Eugenia and Harry. The 55 miles they covered today would have been a century with the wind blowing the other way. Eric and Steve missed the picture of a windsock in one town which was blowing the right way if you were a bird looking to soar or an airplane taking off. They did get a picture of the structure where they cooked the world’s largest hamburger (over 3 tons or 6,000 pounds). The man at the desk in the campground last night, LeRoy Baublitz, also is running for office in Montana House District #35, who Harry and Steve met in returning the horseshoes from their weekly battle. Eric ran into Dale at the grocery store, so we are looking forward to seeing him on the road tomorrow. We are indulging ourselves in the Campbell Lodge to beat the heat and mosquitoes for the night. Harry got a flat on his front tire and Eric had the presence of a swarm of mosquitoes to aid in a quick change. The team took breaks in Hinsdale and the Buggy Creek rest station, where we were not bothered by any bugs coincidentially. After another windy night in camp, it is a blessing to be in a hotel with all the comforts of home. There was some interesting animal and dinosaur metal sculptures along the side of the road which reminded Steve of some of Mr. Damon’s work at MercyFirst graduation day. A shout out to Kevin Peyton, one of Steve’s brother-in-laws, for a quick and healthy recovery after his surgery today.  The team sends its prayers and well wishes to Kevin and family.

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July 22, 2008 by Harry.

       Today’s ride was from Harlem to the Sleeping Buffalo Campground 1.5 miles north and 10 miles west of Saco. The team said their  goodbyes to Dale as we were not sure when we might see him again. We had a loose or stray dog visit us as we broke camp early in the morning. The dog appeared to be a little undernourished and a little too playful. He kept trying to take off Dale’s socks as he put them on and  would jump on you without prompting. Harry and Eric took their turns with dogtraining 101, but we really needed one of the ECAD trainers or MercyFirst puppy trainers to get him in program. On the 70-mile ride today, we saw a beauty of another kind! The colors in the fields (green, gold, and brown) were a sharp contrast to the puffy white clouds dotting a blue sky. Simply Amazing! Eric and Steve got the answer to that hated math question of where the two trains meet starting out in Portland and Chicago. They meet in Dodson, MT where the team stopped for a delicious breakfast over a stretch with little services for 50 miles and saw two trains meet. We read the logs of numerous bikers crossing the country with most of them along a similar route to ours. There was another cyclist with the name of Eric from New York who got the spare tire we had on hold in Havre. We stopped for a nap at lunch in Malta and got to watch girls of every age compete on their horses over a designed course. The people in the campground claim it to be the mosquito capital of the world and they are not lieing. The temperature hit the high 80’s today and the children in the water park beside the campground seem to have figured out the best way to beat the heat and mosquitoes as well! We can always learn from the children!

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