Day 80 - 8/26/16 Deer Lodge to Drummond, MT

Today was a nice ride, nice and easy, just over 35 miles and my legs are feeling good.  Drummond's city park includes a baseball field, playground, and a campground for tents and RVs with water and electric hookups – it's always a nice surprise to come across a park like this where you know no one will bother you throughout the night and you don't have to dig a hole to shit in.  

I ride to Missoula tomorrow and I plan on taking I-90 for nearly half of the 55 mile ride.  I checked with the highway department and they told me it's fine as long as I don't interfere with traffic; I do not plan on interfering with cara moving 70 mph faster than me.  I haven't had to ride on the interstates yet but I don't feel like riding 30 miles on some neglected dirt road, I've been there and did that and fell off a bridge in the process.  

After Missoula the rest of my ride will most likely be on paved roads which is an exciting thought.  I'm really looking forward to upgrading my bicycle, I'm finally beginning to hate riding with a backpack.  To all the people that have questioned my decision to wear this thing on my ride, you were right, it sucks – the extra sweat, the added weight pushing down on my ass, it's just another handle for gravity to grab onto and pull while I'm going uphill.  I am living and learning quite a bit.  

I'm glad today went so smoothly, the last 2 days were rather bleak, having to get a ride and rest for an extra day.  I'm not going to let the pressures of the weather effect this trip anymore, I just gotta take it day by day and if I need a day of rest, I'm gonna take it.

Day 75 - 8/21/16 Yellowstone National Park, WY to West Yellowstone, MT

As nice as it is being away from towns for a few days, it's kind of nice to be back in town.  I think I just needed some hot pizza and a cold, sugary drink.  Well I got that, plus some groceries and now it's back to the outskirts of town.  

West Yellowstone is made up of motels, gift shops and restaurants, I guess for all the people about to abandon civilization and head into the park.  I guessed right that this place wouldn't be so friendly to the stealth camper, West Yellowstone just wants to take your money.  So I headed for the rangers station just North of town;

 

a very nice woman, who's also done her fair share of bike touring, knew exactly what I was looking for.  On a big wall map she pointed to a small service road just off the main highway 10 miles North, exactly where I was heading anyway.  The road was just opposite from a beautiful blue lake surrounded by mountains and I found the perfect patch of dirt to set up my tent looking out on the water.  It's amazing what sort of sleeping arrangements you can scrounge up for free.  

So I sat down and watched the sunset, I got everything set up just in time to crawl in my tent once the sun dipped behind the distant mountains and the air got cold.