Bishop Bike Adventure Day 25 July 25, 2010

The Sabbath is always sacred to us, whether we supplement our rest with any biking or not! Finding a church in the towns we spend Saturday nights has been an answer to prayer each week we have been on the road. Malta was our destination Saturday and we asked about services when we checked into the Maltana Motel. We knew we needed to put some miles in today so we wanted to find an early service. Most churches are on summer schedules but we did find a wonderful Lutheran Church that started at 9am. Most of the folks there were older and therefore full of wisdom which we tapped into regarding the Eastern Montana territory, its roads, services, etc. They had a fellowship after the service where we enjoyed lots of breakfast goodies before we had to check out and hit the road.

We left around 11 am and the temperature at that point registered at 88 degrees. As we traveled east and stopped in the small town of Saco around 2:30 the temperature was obviously sizzling. Further east in Hinsdale, where we stopped for supper at 5:30, the temperature on the bank marquis showed 100 degrees, reminiscent of a few weeks ago in Idaho. Although that sounds hot, we’ve found that the western heat lacks humidity and is more tolerable as long as we are hydrating well. We were happy with the tail wind and the flat road, leaving us calm, cool and collected!

At one stop, we caught the newspaper headline about the killer grasshoppers that were destroying crops in Eastern Montana. We found that hard to believe since all we saw on the road were grasshoppers! If they were eating the crops, they must have taken a road trip on Sunday because they hopped around us all day long! We did our part to eradiate a few with our bike tires.

Throughout the day, we heard trains rolling by, mostly east to west. One conductor tooted his horn at both of us as we rode alongside the tracks. There is something comforting about the chug of the train, the predictability of the train tracks and the long, steady transit of cargo across the country. We’ve noticed that the railroad is alive and well in the west, unlike what we see back east. When we biked along the Columbia River gorge in Oregon and Washington, the freight trains were a regular feature and moved in rapid secession. In Montana, Route 2, the ‘hi-line,” parallels the railroad. Here we’ve also noticed Amtrak trains interspersed amongst the longer freight trains. Not only do the trains bring a sense of nostalgia, there is also something sad about the many small towns that they now pass by on their way west. Once vibrant towns are now marked by old buildings in disrepair, some boarded up, and dwindling populations. And by the way, Route 2 mentioned above is the same U.S. Route 2 that ends in Tim’s hometown of Houlton, Maine!

As we neared the end of our riding today, we came upon this reminder of our nation’s history: the slaughter of buffalos that roamed the high plains we’ve been riding upon. These plains offer seemingly endless views. As we were riding, we both agreed that it would be difficult to explain to someone else what these looked like. The saying “you had to be there” seems most relevant.