Road Warriors (July 3, 2010)

It's a nasty battle out here on the road. The enemy attacks unceasingly ... dawn and dusk are the favorite times to attack, but daytime random attacks also occur on a regular basis. The marks left on my body are clear evidence of these blood-sucking attacks. But I fight back ... swinging both arms and hands, and most effectively, spraying on the bug repellent. Damn mosquitoes are everywhere.

The last three days have been "scenically" somewhat unexciting, but that is not to say there is no beauty ... it is just much more subtle. The 48 miles from Havre to Harlem, 51 miles on to Malta and 72 miles to Glasgow have all been heavily affected by the winds. The ride to Malta was highlighted by a change in weather/wind direction with 20 miles remaining. Prior to the change, there was a slight side wind, but within a few seconds, the temperature dropped about ten degrees, and a very powerful tailwind developed. These last 20 miles took about 45 minutes ... flying and smiling.

Yesterday's 72 mile ride also had a strong tailwind. I averaged almost 15 mph for the entire ride ... again, flying and smiling.

The past several nights I have been camping in city parks, which allows one to meet other cycling tourists. It is odd, there is this small community of riders out here ... riders that ride at different paces and take rest days at different towns. Because of this, we all tend to meet one another along the road. Tonight, there are five different groups/individuals camping in an RV campground here in Glasgow. The conversations have been lively and very entertaining. My social experience on this year's ride is much improved over last year's ride.

I have met riders from New Zealand, Belgium, France, England, Czech Republic, Alaska, Washington, California, Utah, Minnesota, Michigan, New York and Massachusetts (not necessarily in that order). Great people all.

The two guys in the adjacent photo I first met back in Sandpoint, ID, then again this evening. They are heading to Madison, Wisconsin for the national "transplant" games. Sean (on the right), had a kidney transplant last year. Dave is a dialysis technician who worked with Sean prior to the operation. They are riding the Northern Tier to promote Cycling for Organ Donation ... learn more at www.cyclefororgandonation.com. I am fortunate to have met these two guys ... it has been a joy sharing time with them.

Lots of different stories and lots of different life views ... most entertaining and educational.

Two thoughts come to mind: 1) Life is good, and 2) hope the wind is at our back tomorrow.