In Memory of Warmer Summers

A Note About the Teachers

As readers can tell from my journals, we encounter a number of folks on these rides and I try to make note of them, even if it might be a brief passing of a touring cyclist going in the opposite direction.  We’ve seen groups that work well together and we’ve seen groups absolutely disintegrate in front of us.  We know of solo travelers that do not deal well with the loneliness of their experience and they quit their dream to complete their trip.

I’ve often thought that folks we encounter that struggle with the ride or, more often – each other – have difficulty because of mixed goals.  Over and over again it seems this gets demonstrated.  If one person wants to take short-cuts, or another wants to get more miles in every day than another, that’s just not a good mix.

Touring is not easy.  While it is not an athletic contest, it is quite taxing both physically and psychologically.  As noted, the calorie intake requirements are great, rest is essential, and while the human body is incredible at making adjustments to the stress of touring, our societal “filters” get challenged and may (in my case, will) run thin.

The group we refer to as “the Teachers” is a mix of three that are as solid as can be in this trying environment.  They’ve adapted extremely well to the conditions, they have closely matched goals, they’ve worked out their schedules accomodating everyone in their group, and most importantly they maintain a terrific sense of humor about everything they do.

Oh…and they are powerful, competent cyclists too.

It was our pleasure to spend several days in their company.  It brightened up our time, made for hysterical laughter, and gave us an appreciation for an example of “how it is supposed to be done.” 

All this and they work together professionally too.

On July 15 as we were headed into Fargo, Sallie and I left the group after “second breakfast” and each turn in the road, I looked in my mirror expecting them to see them as they overtake us.  I’d look on the long stretches too and they were no longer in view.  It was a powerful reminder of the influence some people can have in our lives.  It had only been a short while, but their absence was felt.

Sallie and I are very shortly going nothwards on the “North Lakes Bicycle Route” as the Teachers continue on the normal Northern Tier so our chances of encountering these wonderful women are now nill – at least in this context.

I offer them this: 

Respect

Godspeed ladies.  In this and all you do.

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Still flying the Maple Leaf in Minnesota

(the land of 10,000 lakes; the lake in the background was number 1,123 that we saw)

By the way, I have a job idea for the border patrol officer that says I can’t display this flag.  I know a tree service company in Idaho he can go to work for.  He’d fit right in.

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July 10th through the 15th

The day after the storms in  Medora there were more violent storms forecast the next evening, so by prior arrangement, the Three Teachers, Greenbriar, Sallie and I made reservations for a motel in Dickinson.  The locals were all in agreement that the prevailing east wind of the last two days was nothing but bad news for violent evening thunderstorms once more.  Having lost a tent fly the night before, we thought it better not to take chances.

Ten miles of bad dirt road and riding into a storm. Sallie says, "The Northern Tier is not for Sissies".

Anne (one of the Teachers) had a huge surprise on the highway approaching Dickinson when her husband Ben (from the Boston area) showed up unannounced.  He was on his way to a ranch he was invited to near Missoula and decided to make a surprise appearance.  He pulled past the Teachers in a rental car, stopped and stood on the side of the road as they approached.Making it all the better, Anne didn’t recognize him and as she rode up and she asked him if he was the keeper for a set of bee hives in a field close by.  Great moments like that are the fabric of legends. 

Ben is an avid sailor and his assistance was greatly appreciated when I stretched out Sallie’s fly in the motel lobby with intentions of repairing the large tears with Gorilla Tape.  We got the job done however, Sallie elected to order a new tent shipped to Fargo and deal with the management of the campground and warranty issues regarding the tent at a later date.

Map strategy session in the motel hallway during a tornado warning

A significant storm did arrive that night complete with tornado sirens and starting the next day the winds changed back to westerly which is the norm for the area.  With the west wind blowing, it was time to lay down some miles and the six of us joined together and did our fair share.  We did 71, 80, 67, and 74 miles in the next four days pretty much finishing North Dakota in a week. 

Although discussed frequently, I got first-hand experience with the style of riding the Teachers do.  As with all touring cyclists, there is a central theme and of course it surrounds food (our calorie intake needs are incredibly high).  They routinely get up early, pack their gear and then have a meal of sandwiches that were prepared the night before.  They will ride for an hour and have a snack.  Another hour and if available, stop at a cafe or eating place for “second breakfast”.  To summarize:  Snacks every hour, two breakfasts, two lunches and sometimes two dinners.  That’s my kind of planning!

Sallie and I about to get overtaken by the Teachers. No checkered flag for me.

As previously stated, these gals are quite capable cyclists with a deadline.  They tend to go with lightweight gear and they are considerably faster riders than Sallie and I (we do not worry about the weight of our gear and tend to travel with luxuries other shun).  What this means is we’ll get passed by them if we start out first and we’ll catch them at their next roadside break.  It was pointed out to me that also means I’ll photograph them only when their eating.  Very true.  Just capturing the facts here – that’s all.

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For a couple of weeks I’d been communicating with my good friend Lin Davenport of Thermopolis, Wyoming.  Lin was in Wisconsin and making plans to perhaps meet up with me should our schedules work out.  I’ve known Lin for…I’m unsure…getting close to 40 years now?  We’ve kept in contact through some tough times in each of our lives and celebrated some good times as well.  Lin had to make a dash for home because her mother was not doing well and while we were on our way to Circle, Montana Lin pulled up in her car for a roadside reunion.

These kinds of meetings are not easy to gauge as our itinerary can change on a moment’s notice.  Good job catching us Lin and it was a pleasure to see you again.

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July 7 through July 9th

The ride is certainly not all about the land, but this is Montana – large farms, huge tracts to work, so this little team was listed for sale.  Are we farming or what?

Meet Cadence.  She camped with us near Wolf Point and is riding solo from Minneapolis to Vancouver Island:

After Wolf Point we overtook John here crossing the Missouri River on an old bridge that was opened only to cyclists on this particular day due to some historical reseachers visiting in the area.  John is from Salem, OR also riding solo on the Northern Tier to Maine.

And last, but not least, meet Katie. Katie camped with us outside of Glendive having started in Virginia and riding the Trans-Am to the Louis and Clark Trail solo on her way to Washington.  She’s a former USAF pilot and she’s an accomplished traveler.

We completed Montana after roughly 800+ miles in the state on July 9th getting to Medora, North Dakota.  We met with the “Three Teachers” once more and tried to get a hotel room due to bad storms expected that night.  The Teachers were succesful, we were not, so off to the campground Sallie and I went. 

While doing a load of laundry, Sallie and I encountered Greenbriar at the same campground.  We had not seen him since Logan Pass in Glacier

Unfortunately, a bad electrical storm settled in with extremely high winds and driving rain.  Sallie’s tent was struck by some loose wire fencing and her rain fly was shredded on one side.  We shifted gear around and both of us shared my tent for the remainder of the night.  The storm took down a number of tents, there were some vehicles damaged by falling limbs and one RV was slammed into by a trampoline that came from an undetermined distance away.

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