July 10 - Havre to Chester, MT

Sunrise

Mountains in the distance

Bicycled 60 miles from Havre to Chester, Montana today in less than favorable conditions. Monte Cherry and I were on the road by 4:30 this morning. We immediately were confronted with a steep hill and a strong wind blowing directly in our face. We took turns taking the lead so the other might draft and have some relief from the wind. We struggled through this for the first 25 miles until we got some relief. The winds abated and we had perhaps another 20 miles with pretty good conditions. Shortly thereafter the wind picked up again and we struggled until we reached Chester, Montana. We passed through Kremlin, then Guilford, Hingham, Rudyard, Inverness, Joplin, until we reached Chester at about three in the afternoon. Along the way we met and conversed with a number of really charming people. Most were farmers and a few were ranchers. Wheat and barley are the main crops and raising cattle is a significant enterprise as well. The terrain we found to be generally flat along with rolling hills. Highway 20, our main route, followed the railroad and each little town we passed through was coupled closely to railroad history. All in all it was a good but exhausting day.

Havre, MT

We rose early in order to beat the heat when bicycling from Harlem to Havre, Montana. Mosquitoes, misplaced items that required backtracking to fetch, a flat tire, and bypassing around construction kept us on our toes and limited our ride to 45 miles. As it turned out, this was fortuitous as it allowed us to delve deeper into Havre's rich and varied history and avoid an oppressively hot day.

The shortcut to Havre, Montana

 With less than 80 miles under his belt Monte managed to get his first flat tire!







Originally named Bull Hook Siding, a name derived from Indian folklore, it was not until later that the town was renamed Havre.  With the coming of the railroad, Bull Hook Siding prospered and a group of citizens took it upon themselves to rename the city.  Since most of the citizens were French they chose a French name: Le Havre (the harbor) after the name of a city in France from which one of the members came.

Famous for its "underworld," the result of a fire, much activity occurred and resided beneath the streets of Havre.

 
 Early day photo of Havre before the town burned to the ground. Apparently some cowboys, upset with one of the saloons, threw a Molotov cocktail into the saloon but fire spread and consume 60 other buildings. Only the basements were left and this is how the underground city got its start. In many respects it was described as a den of iniquity with quite a list of colorful characters and exploits beyond imagination.

  There was even an underground house of ill repute. Each bed had a number above it. I would suspect the clients would comment to the effect of something like "I'll have a number three today. "



 In amongst all of the illegal activities there were legal activities as well. Meat markets, bakeries, and even a pharmacy and barbershop.

 Underground dentist office

 Long bone and fracture operating table

bakery

meat market

Part of the railroad display

Monte Cherry, my new riding partner, and I took advantage of this lull in activity to take a tour "Havre Under the Streets."  It was here that we met a group of young ladies visiting from Australia and partaking in the tour.



 These three ladies were on the tour with us as we visited Havre Beneath The Streets. Two of the ladies are visiting from Australia; one of the ladies, originally from Australia, ended up marrying a Yank and resides here now.




 


 

 It was here that the 10th Cavalry Regiment...Buffalo Soldiers first appeared and became famous for their skirmishes with the indigenous natives. Led by Lieutenant Blackjack Pershing, this unit was composed of African-American soldiers under white officers. Gen. Pershing later went on to command all US forces during World War I.

Margie Deppmei

 The daughter of Frank DeRosa, who was instrumental in getting "Havre Beneath the Streets" spotlighted as a point of interest and establishing the Railroad Museum in Havre, Montana. A bit shy about having her picture taken but very proud of the work that her father did. From a railroad family, she grew up in Havre, Montana, and said it was indeed a wonderful place to reside.

Harlem, MT

Another beautiful sunrise

Awoke at 4:00 AM and was on the road by 4:45 AM.  Bicycled another 75 miles through the Ft. Belknap Indian Reservation.  Passed through  Malta, Dodson, Ft. Belknap Agency, before arriving in Harlem, Montana.  Ran into virtually no one...shared my space with a few head of cattle and an unlimited number of mosquitoes. 

My only company today

  Harlem offered a real treat...free camping at the city park, showers for $1.00 and use of the pool for $1.00!  What a treat...I feel like a new man.
While bicycling I had glimpses of the Big Snowy Mountains and the Big Belt mountains...I'm getting closer to "God's Country."

Robe Walker and Monte Cherry

 Robe is the artist who did the sculpture "Batesdane" that resides at Montana Northern University.  Literally translated it means "Iron Man."

 Between Saco and Malta

Saco, MT

Near Saco, Montana. The winds are horrendous!

Yesterday, after a brutal 75 mile ride, the last 10 miles in brutal wind and heat, I found myself totally spent and too exhausted to even eat.  During that leg of the trip I consumed 56 ounces of water and 8 ounces of Gatoraid and still felt dehydrated. Jim Born and I pulled into Hinsdale, hydrated as best we could and recuperated.  It was here that Mr. Knudsen introduced himself.  Among other endeavors, he and his wife own an ice cream shop that is open every day but Sunday and Monday...it was Sunday.  Even so, the kind Mr. Knudsen opened the shop up to us, allowed us to set up our tents in the park next to the store, made a shower available and even served us coffee the next morning...THANK YOU MR. AND MRS. KNUDSEN!!!

 Dave Martus and Loren Bach traveling in style.  Traveling east as I travel west.

One of the casualties of the road to Saco

Magnificent brown Angus thriving on sweetgrass before being introduced to their ladies in waiting. 

Woke up at 3:30 AM in order to get an early start to beat the wind...unfortunately it started to rain, then pour, then thunder and then blow.  Had planned to ride to Malta, Montana, a distance of 41 miles but the wind was so brutal that I stopped in Saco AFTER ONLY 14 MILES!  So what is noteworthy about Saco?  It has a population of only 197 living souls. There are several theories on how it got its name, as a contraction of Sacajawea who helped guide the Lewis and Clark expedition. Another theory is that one of the engineers with the Great Northern Railroad spun the globe and when his finger landed on Saco, Maine, they decided that was the name...Saco.  In 1999 it held the Guinness world record for the largest hamburger ever made at 6040 pounds and made from 17 head of beef cattle.

Wolf Point to Hinsdale, Montana

These wide-open spaces are lean on trees and rich in head winds...

Departed Wolf Point, Montana at 4:30 this morning. Bicycled through Oswego and connected with Jim Born in Nashua.  He is bicycling to Calgary, Alberta. Together we rode to Glasgow. Upon arrival conditions were good so we decided to ride together to Hinsdale. About halfway there we encountered strong headwinds which made the trip brutal.  I was completely spent! Need to really stick to my plan of bicycling no longer than two in the afternoon. We expected to arrive long before that but conditions were such that it was really slow going. My traveling companion was a much stronger rider than I so between trying to keep up with him and dealing with conditions, I was pretty well spent upon arrival.

 
My traveling companion since Nashua, Montana. Jim Born has crossed the United States by bicycle 11 times since 1976. Presently he is traveling to Calgary, Alberta, where he will meet a client whom he will take across the great divide, ending in New Mexico. It was good to have some company especially on a day as hot and windy as this.

 Jim is traveling on a dirt bike and still managed to kick my butt on this leg of the trip. If he owned a road bike he would probably be in Phoenix by now.

The unofficial Chamber of Commerce meeting in the unofficial City Hall... the local bar.

Wolf Point, MT

Sunrise on the road to Wolf Point, Montana

Known as the "Granddaddy of Montana Rodeos," Wolf Point is the home of the annual Wild Horse Stampede, held during the second weekend of July. Wolf Point is the largest community in the Ft. Peck Indian Reservation. Sitting in the Missouri River Valley, it is a quaint and lovely little town. Population during the last census was noted at approximately 2600.

Riding down the endless road

My solution to the unrelenting sun

I departed Circle during the wee hours of the morning, while it was still quite dark, in order to avoid the heat as there is no shade on the route from Circle to Wolf Point. I arrived early and had a leisurely breakfast where I met Robin Atkins (beadlast.blogspot.com) and Lunnette Higdon-Hertel who were vacationing together. They invited me to join their table for breakfast so that I could tell them a bit about my trip. I found their travels far more interesting than mine! Robin bicycled around Europe in the 70s and Lunnette sounds like she was a true flower child who hitchhiked all over the United States and Canada about that same period of time. Robin is an artist while Lunnette is a calligrapher who has a friend or relative who works at the same university is my son-in-law, Kevin Ward. Additionally her husband has a little boat, Friday Harbor Cruises, which offers cruises around the San Juan Islands. Being so close to my daughter’s home, most certainly we will look them up to see about taking a cruise sometime in the future. Small world!

Initially I planned to continue on with my trip today, but the heat and the wind picked up right around noon so decided to stay over. Again I will leave early in the morning to avoid the heat. Tomorrow's goal will be Glasgow or beyond. Hopefully the weather will be cooler and there will be no wind.

Wolf Point, MT

July 4, 2014 - Circle, Montana

Yesterday was a long hot ride from Wibaux, Montana to Circle, Montana. Just under 80 miles, the only relief from the unrelenting sun was my stop in Glendive.  No trees beyond that for close to 50 miles. Circle was a welcome sight. The town is hot, dry, and typical of eastern Montana.  It inherited its name from the brand of the Mabry Cattle Corporation rather than the corporation's name. In the early 1900s, Peter Rornik started a store and a post office and named the post office after the brand's name..."Circle." 

Pierre Wibaux Statue

I plan to sleep until 3 AM and be on the road by 3:30 to avoid the heat. I have 55 miles of rugged, treeless country to cover before hitting the town of Wolf Point, Montana. With temperatures in the high 90s, I hope to beat the heat as I do not want to get stuck in the open country under a hot sun. I'll be bringing extra water and food to make sure that I'm covered if I should have a breakdown.

We are all travelers in this world from the Sweetgrass to the Great Beyond...from beginning to the end... It's so important that we take time to appreciate this great land in which we live and the many sacrifices that have made it possible. Happy Fourth of July to one and all. Enjoy the occasion, the fireworks, and most of all...your families.

Ned Sikveland

 Ned is an amateur artist and when questioned he said he never really had any talent growing up...as you can see, he certainly has talent now. He did this etching on steel using a plasma cutter. He's done much the same using shovels and any other scrap steel that he can find. So in the little town of Circle, Montana, there is a real artist at work and he does it just part-time for his own enjoyment. This is a must see if you ever find yourself in Circle, Montana.