Damn cattle waking me up trying to come through my camp again! Once I had those shooed off was able to get about another hour worth of sleep. Fixing breakfast noticed I my rear tire was flat. It pumped up ok but how long will that last? Has got to be that fricken valve stem again, but thought I had that fixed in Helena.
Was a little nervous setting out this morning because I’d be doing it without the GPS track. What this means is that I’ll be relying solely on the cue sheets to find my way, which I can not read without my glasses. If I make a wrong turn I won’t know until the next cue doesn’t arrive at the mileage it should. Sometimes it can be miles between cues.
Cue sheet printed on the map, providing directions when to turn.
20 miles into today’s ride I stopped at a picnic site for some lunch. Figured too I’d take a closer look at that tire to see whats up. My bright idea was to remove the rear wheel and take it down to the lake, dip it in the water to see where it was leaking. Yep, still dealing with that darn valve stem leaking. Pumped up the tire, did a couple of things and dipped it in the lake again. Looks like I have it taken care of for now so it’s back on the route.
Eating lunch and later fixing a tire
1.5 miles up the road come to an intersection, stop, put on the glasses and review the cue sheet. The map says I need to take a right. Tire looks a little low so I’ll add some air just to make sure, but wait! Where is my tire pump? SHIT!!! Left it back at the lunch spot. Peddled back to find it right by the lake where I last used it. However, there is now something wrong with the damn pump. Performed minor surgery on it to get it working right. Ughhh!
Back to covering those 1.5 miles AGAIN! The killer about all these misdirections are; if I didn’t peddle uphill going the wrong way, I have to peddle uphill to correct the situation.
Back on track and onto Divide crossing #5 and then into Butte. The Divide crossing was uneventful and so was the ride into Butte. Although I did think I was going to get wet as I could see rain off in the distance. Just about when I thought I was going to get wet, I either peddled out of the path of the rain or it decided not to rain.
Rain in the distance. Looks like I may get wet.
The first thing to take care upon arriving in Butte was finding the post office to pick up a package from home, that ‘should’ be waiting for me. There was a long line at the post office but I had only been standing there for a minute when a woman behind the counter asks if anybody is here to pick up packages, that would be me so to her window I go. Tell her I have package for general delivery and what my name is. I watch as she goes over and shuffles through some letters. I tell her it’s a small package so she disappears around the corner, only to return to say it’s not here. Crap! Mom sent the package days ago so I give her a quick call and have her text me a pic of the receipt. Want to look up the tracking number to see just how long I will have to wait in Butte for this thing to show up.
Using my phone I use the USPS site to ‘track’ the package and says the tracking number is not valid so back in line I go to have them look it up. 20 minutes later I’m at the window of the only guy working the front counter now. He looks up the tracking number, gives me a funny look and say’s what’s the last name. I spell it out for him, he, goes over the same spot the woman did to shuffle the letters and comes back with my package. Good God!!!! Glad to see the Butte Post Office is able to employ the unemployable.
Time for something to eat so I use the phone again to look up the nearest Subway. Within a block of arriving at Subway, I spy a Taco Bell. Heck, haven’t had TB in a long time. After finishing my Taco Bell dinner I called next door to the Super 8 to see if they had a room and how much. They did have a vacancy but a little more than I was hoping to spend. Then I call the only campground listed on the map, a KOA. They have tent camping available but it’s $36 for tent camping. Just about the time I get that stunning revelation I see a bolt of lighting in the distance and decide right there I’m going the extra $ to sleep in a real bed tonight under a real roof.
