Blog # 4: June 13-18; Great Falls, MT to Dickinson, ND
Stats
• Days since last blog – 5
• Miles since last blog – 456 miles
• Cumulative mileage – 1,350
• Days spent in Montana – 10
• Fastest tailwind – 45 MPH
• Fastest headwind – 25 MPH
• Number of windows in our Moore, MT motel room – 0
Happy Juneteenth and Father’s Day!
Blowing in the Wind
With the mountain ranges cleared, this week was all about the wind. Over the first 3-4 days of the week, the wisdom of our decision to go west to east was validated, with stiff winds from the west turning our touring bikes into e-bikes on steroids. For long stretches (30-40 miles) we averaged 20+ miles/hour. Those kind of speeds are ho-hum for Josh but they are unfamiliar – and exhilarating – territory for his 61 year old riding companion! On Tuesday, we rode 116 miles, the most I’ve ever done in a day while weighted down with touring “luggage.”
That evening we stopped at a tiny private campground in Sand Springs, MT and looked for a spot to pitch our tent that offered some protection from the cold (50 degree) and howling winds. Josh spotted a church next door. As we went around the back side of it we found that our fellow travelers, Christian and Mason (last seen at the Marias Pass and in my last blog), had the same idea! This cross-country touring experience is a small world indeed! We joined their tent city (see photo below) and hunkered down for the blustery night. That next morning, the tent nearly blew away – literally! – as Josh and I ventured on foot to a nearby store.
What followed was maybe the fastest and most harrowing bike rides of my life. Gusts of up to 50 MPH – mostly at our back but with unpredictable crosswinds – made it feel more like windsurfing than bike riding. And it was accompanied by a cold-ish and pretty steady rain for most of the day. During the day we consulted “Windy”, an app that shows wind directions and speeds around the world, which indicated that we were in the windiest place on earth! Patagonia came in second! (BTW, that’s the second time in my blog that I’ve mentioned Patagonia. Weird.) When the winds from the west were done with us, we were 96 miles down the road in Circle, MT, a cowboy town, according to the clerk at the convenient store near our motel.
We got partial payback yesterday when 25 MPH winds shifted into our face. We were only able to ride 38 miles here to Dickinson, North Dakota – 38 of the toughest miles I can remember! Today’s rest day is well timed and much needed.
The theme songs for the week, which I found myself singing from time to time, were Blowing in the Wind (Bob Dylan) and Catch the Wind (Donovan). I think next week it will be Heatwave (Martha and the Vandellas)
Places
One of the reasons I studied urban planning and have devoted my career to community development is that I’ve always been drawn to and interested in cities, towns, communities and any places that people call home. As indicated in my first blog, biking – particularly long distance touring – takes us through the world at a pace that allows us to take the pulse of these places. This has been one of the most interesting parts of this trip. It’s turned “fly over country” into “ride through country.” Not that I can claim to understand a community, a town or a region just by looking around as I ride through or by buying provisions at the market in town, but it does begin to turn caricatures of small towns and red states, and those who live there, into something more 3 dimensional.
In the category of “for what it’s worth”, here are some takeaways so far:
• Pretty much without exception, the people we’ve met on the ride have been extremely friendly and helpful. They’re interested in what we’re doing and why we’re doing it (we mention whenever appropriate that we’re raising money to end homelessness) and they wish us safe travels. Traveling as we are through deep red country, I’m struck that people seem to be a lot kinder than the people they probably vote for. I’ll leave it there.
• Josh and I have been fascinated by the many tiny towns we’ve been through – Dutton, Circle, Jordan, Brady, Moccasin. What’s life like in a town of a few hundred people? We learned in Sand Springs that the 2 daughters of the proprietor of the general store and campground – who like the character Sam Drucker from Green Acres and other sit-coms from my youth was also the postmaster – are the only children in the “elementary school” that serves the teeny-tiny town. For high school, they will go to Jordan, population 412, to attend a regional high school serving a 90 mile radius, with a graduating class of about 15. Wow! Early one morning in East Glacier, MT, I asked the clerk at the general store when the nearby Post Office opened. She responded that “She usually opens at about 9:30, but she may be there now.” That’s kind of charming.
• The small towns in Montana sit in vast, awesome and inspiring settings. The Big Sky thing is no joke. It’s quite amazing. Josh and I have marveled at the space, the scenery, and the geographic and geological diversity. On the other hand – and I’m projecting here based on very limited “ride through” impressions – these places might feel very oppressive and limited, even as their surroundings are so vast and seemingly limitless. On the other hand, residents of those towns may feel hemmed in by the density of city life to which we’re accustomed.
• I’ve been struck by the apparent poverty in the places we’ve traveled through. The Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Browning Montana was depressingly impoverished, but so too are many mostly-white towns we’ve passed through.
• Related to the above, in many towns I’ve noticed anti-poverty organizations, food banks and community redevelopment organizations. I’m glad that that infrastructure exists and that there are people doing that work. We were extremely excited to come across and visit the Snowy Mountain Development Corporation in Lewistown, MT (which, with its population of 5,952, is a regional hub) which we just happened to pass on our way through the town. They invited us in and we spoke with most of their 7 employees about their work and the work of Just A Start (see photo below). They serve an area larger than Massachusetts, but probably with the population of Cambridge. They had an annual meeting to prepare for the following day and we had ground to cover, so our conversation was broad brush, but I found it heartening that this kind of work is happening in all parts of the country.
Endorsements
Not that anyone has asked, but I would happily endorse the following products and organizations, which have been so instrumental to the success of our trip and to our overall wellbeing.
• Adventure Cycling Association: As we planned this trip, we depended heavily on ACA, a Missoula, MT-based cycling organization for their technical assistance and know-how. In particular, their recommended routes, backed up with both old fashioned maps (think laminated AAA Trip-tiks) and electronic GPS versions have been essential. They haven’t steered us wrong yet.
• Trek 520: After briefly considering using one of the bikes we already owned for this trip, we instead decided to spring for bikes specifically made for touring. Our $1800 Trek 520s have been more than up to the task. We have had to make only 1 minor repair – Josh had to tighten his handlebars at Glacier National Park. We’ve had no flat tires, no broken spokes, no nothing after riding 2700 miles between us.
• Our paneers: Our Ortlieb ultra water proof saddlebags/paneers (we’re each carrying a set on the front and back) were very good investments, as was the handlebar bag that carries most of the odds and ends we need during the day.
• Tent: While we’ve stayed in motels more than we’ve camped, we have been well-served by our 3-person (the extra space is well worth the extra 10 ounces, or whatever) MSR tent on the 5-6 nights we’ve camped. We’ve been rained on, pelted by a sprinkler system, and attacked by 40 MPH winds with no ill effects. It also sets up in about 10 minutes.
Not that he needs an endorsement, but Josh has been a terrific riding companion. I already knew he was a strong rider, but what we’re doing is more about endurance, determination and emotional resilience. I’ve been so impressed with how he’s held up to all we’ve experienced, and I’m grateful for how he’s looked after me when I’ve needed it and kept me going. We’ve also had great conversations, including disagreements. I expect that I will have won him over to my positions and world view by the time we cross into Minnesota. Actually, make that Wisconsin!
A gusty day in Montana.
Hunkered down in windy Sand Springs Montana.
Moccasin, Montana seems to have seen better days.
Browing, Montana on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was depresingly poor.
Community development nonprofit counterparts in Lewistown, Montana.
Near Moore, Montana.
Blog # 3: June 9-June 12; Eureka to Great Falls, MT
STATS
- 4 days
- 283 miles
- 1 pass cleared
- Highest elevation – 5,216 feet
- My top speed – 43 MPH
- Josh’s top speed … his parents don’t want to know
Greetings from Great Falls, Montana! With its population of 58,717, it’s the largest city we’ve been through so far on our 875-mile journey. We’re holding up very well, I’d say, but this half-day layover in Montana’s 3rd largest city is very welcome.
The Rockies
Since we began planning the trip, I have been focused on – Josh would say obsessed with – crossing the Rockies: Where would we do it? Could we handle it? Will the snow be cleared by then? How cold will it be? If we can manage the ascent, will the descent be safe? What about Grizzly bears? The route we picked – the so-called Northern Tier recommended by Adventure Cycling Association – made its way over the Rockies at Glacier National Park along the picturesque and iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road and over the Logan Pass at 6,647 feet.
From then on, I tracked the weather at the Logan Pass on my phone. “Josh, it’s snowing and 3 degrees at the Logan Pass!” I’d told him urgently in January. For some reason he seemed unfazed. This spring, I regularly checked the Glacier National Park web page about the status of the snow clearing. “Wow,” I’d think to myself. “It’s still closed from Avalanche Creek to Lake McDonald! And what’s this? It’s snowing now!”
Actually, obsessed is probably the right word. And it was all for naught. We learned in the few days before we approached Glacier NP that Going-to-the-Sun Road and the Logan Pass were still closed, leaving the Marias Pass, on the south side of Glacier, as our only option for crossing the mighty Rockies. So on Friday, we set out from West Glacier Village up and over Marias. It was an easier and probably less spectacular route, but still plenty difficult and beautiful (see photos below). As with all these climbs, we were rewarded with a fast descent, which Josh particularly enjoyed.
The next morning we looked back at the Rockies as were about to descent from East Glacier (thank you, Maryanne Gallagher for reminding me to do so) and were greeted by the rainbow you’ll see in the photo below. It was kind of a tip of the cap to us for a job well done. Ok, that’s a little narcissistic, but that’s how I took it. :-)
A Community on Wheels
You’ll see two other riders in the photo at the Marias Pass. These fellow travelers are Mason and Christian, 30ish-year-olds from Bellingham, WA who caught up to us during our climb. They had done the same thing on the second day of our trip as we climbed the first of the Cascade passes, Washington Pass. After exchanging info about our respective trips that day (they’re riding to Bar Harbor, ME), they pushed on ahead at a clip I could not match and said something like “We’ll see you down the road!” No way, I thought to myself. I’m never catching them – and with his old man in tow, neither is Josh. But there they were again!
I think they are once again ahead of us, but I bet we see them again, just as we have had repeated encounters with other riders along the Northern Tier route. Randy, another fellow traveler, is a retired psychology professor from a college in Ohio. We met up with him on day 8 or 9. This is his 6th cross-country ride, 3 horizontal (i.e. coast to coast), and 3 vertical (El Paso to Alaska or some such thing!). Randy estimates that he’s ridden 70,000 touring miles! And Don, a retired engineer from Portland, is riding from Oregon to New York City. He did a 10-week tour through Patagonia last winter. But don’t get the wrong idea – he claims that he’s not a strong rider. I guess if he were, he wouldn’t stop in NYC - he’d keep peddling to Montauk! Light weight, am I right?
And then there’s the 69 year old couple on recumbent bikes who Josh and I considered to be sweet and inspirational until they passed us for the third time. Now we’re kind of annoyed and competitive. Not really. Just kinda.
But seriously, it’s a very cool thing to be a part of – an adventurous group with whom we can trade stories and tips.
More Shout Outs
I was appreciating my mom, Patricia, during yesterday’s ride (we went 106 miles!). Some of my mom and dad’s first dates in the 1940’s were bike rides from Cambridge to Rockport, MA. It was well known to us that our father, Bernie, won her heart in part because he could keep up with her on a bike, as opposed to Patricia’s brilliant Harvard U. suitors who were unable to ride bikes. We Koechlins are glad how it all turned out and won’t forget that bicycling was an important part of that outcome.
While Bernie mostly stopped cycling after he won over Patricia, she continued to ride at a time when 40-60 year olds didn’t do so much. As you know, there was no carbon fiber, electronic shifters, disc breaks and aerodynamic features. She rode the same 1940’s 40-pound, 3-speed Raleigh with fenders and a chain guard that my dad kept up with en route to Rockport. Thanks, Mom!
Thanks also to Josh for his lead navigating role. My old-school approach – laminated maps on my handlebar bag – would have been good enough about 80% of the time on this trip, which is to say I probably would have taken us only a few hundred miles off route. Josh’s high school friend Arthur got us onto the GPS version of our route maps, which has been absolutely immense! We haven’t missed a beat – accept the few times I’ve absolutely insisted the GPS was leading us astray. We saluted Arthur, who will be going to MIT in the fall. Do they offer cartography?
Crossing the Rockies with our new friends Christian and Mason
On the way to the Marias Pass at Glacier National Park in Montana.
Overnight in Dutton, “the wheat capital of Montana.” Sprinklers started at 11:30 p.m. ….!
The Rockies bid us farewell.
Blog #2: June 6-June 8 - Priest River, ID - Eureka, MT
Stats
- Days: 3
- Distance: 192 miles
- Majestic views: countless
About 20 miles into our first day on this epic ride, I mildly objected to a scenic detour that Josh suggested. “It looks like it’s a mile out of the way,” I said to Josh. After a brief pause we both laughed. After all, this whole trip is 3,600 miles out of our way!! In fact, we did a lot of work – planning our route, getting the right equipment, making arrangements at work (Carl) and school (Josh), shipping our bikes, flying to Seattle, etc. – for the privilege of going 3,600 miles out of our way! Crazy.
As the trip approached last month, Josh and I would occasionally invoked the John F. Kennedy quote about sending a man (sic) to the moon: “We aren’t doing it because it’s easy, we’re doing it because it’s hahd.”
And it really is hahd – I mean hard. Each day has had its physical challenges: long steep climbs, headwinds, rain, etc. Josh and I have both hit the dreaded “wall”, when suddenly insufficient calorie intake makes you weak, disoriented and ornery. Yesterday, we had the good sense to call it a day at 50 miles when Josh had one of these episodes. But maybe more difficult are the times when one or the other of us have doubted the wisdom of this adventure and/or worried that we can’t pull it off. I’m proud that Josh has articulated these doubts when he’s experienced them, doubts which I’ve held more privately. As with most other feelings, putting them out in the open is the best remedy.
We joke at work that I serve as Just A Start’s CCO – Chief Cheerleading Officer. While my colleagues appreciate my nearly relentless optimism and enthusiasm, they also encourage me to “keep it real.” Things aren’t always going well and there are plenty of things t worry about – don’t be afraid to voice those sentiments too. This bike trip is no different – except maybe that everything’s a little more intense. So, there you have it – I’m keeping it real. Even though we started our trip from a beach in Anacortes, WA, this ride is definitely no day at the beach!
On the other hand, we have ridden through some of the most magnificent, breathtaking, awe-inspiring scenery over these last few days. The photos below don’t do them justice, but sharing them is the best we can do (until you can get yourself out the northern Idaho and NW Montana). And we haven’t even gotten to Glacier National Park (we expect to get there tomorrow), which stands out as about the most beautiful places I’ve visited in my life.
There was a moment yesterday when it occurred to me that I was in one of the most beautiful places on earth on one of the most perfect days – clear, sunny and 65 degrees. I was out of range, with no Zooms scheduled for weeks. There was a sign that read “Bighorn Sheep Ahead NEXT 4 MILES”. Wow! A few hours later, in a depleted calorie state, we were wondering if we’ll be able to pull this off.
In short, this trip has got it all, and we still have 3,000 miles to go!
Kootenai Falls Swinging Bridge, near Libby Montana
Blog # 1: Anacortes, WA to Priest River, Idaho (May 30-June 5)
Stats and Fun Facts
6 days riding
420 miles
4 mountain passes
Highest elevation – 5575 (Sherman Pass)
Our favorite sign/flag: Flapping below a Trump 2020 sign (BTW, did they ever figure out who won that election?) was a flag that read: “Mandate Freedom” Ok…
Josh’s favorite road sign (and one that makes his father nervous!)
At a cycling Pace
I’ve always felt, and I’m fond of saying, that bicycling takes you through the world at an ideal speed. It’s fast enough to cover ground (see stats above) and to take you from one world to another in 3-4 hours – from our house in Dorchester to horse farms in Dover, MA, from the ocean to a forest, from the heart of Boston to Henry David Thoreau’s cabin in the woods, etc. And yet you travel at a slow enough pace and along roads that allow you to appreciate the scenery and take in the surroundings. On my cycling trips, I’ve always enjoyed sizing places up – mostly inaccurately, but still. What would it be like to live here? How do people make their living? Where would I fit in in this town or city? I notice the anti-poverty organizations or the Housing Authorities and think, maybe I’d work there if I lived here.
A week in, this cross-country cycling odyssey has made me appreciate the 12-ish mile/hour pace all the more. Each day has taken us to – and through – completely different places: the Puget Sound to the foot of the North Cascade mountains; from snowy mountain passes to apple orchards, from cutesy tourist towns to down-on-their luck agriculture or lumber small city hubs. We’ve camped in a national park, stayed at a country spa/resort, and shared a Roadway Inn & Suites with a large group of migrant farmworkers, who cooked their dinner in trailers in the parking lot.
Roadside Inn in Omak, WA
Our campsite on our first night in North Cascade National Park
And along the way, we’ve seen rural poverty, lake resorts, lumber mills, breathtaking vistas, and 70 straight miles of unpopulated forests and meadows. (Oh, and we watched the Celtics beat the Warriors on Wednesday night!) And we still have 7 weeks to go!
We crossed from Washington into Idaho yesterday evening. We’re enjoying a planned rest day in the pretty little town of Priest River, which was first settled as a lumbering town. I’m in a hip café that would not be out of place in Somerville or Cambridge. The restaurant next store, on the other hand, has a flyer on their door promoting the American Legion’s fundraiser: they’re raffling off a semi-automatic rifle! We will mostly steer clear of politics while we’re out here – not that I’ll shy away from it when asked but but we won’t lead with it. We see it as a chance to, among other things, get too know and better understand people along our way. We’ll see how that goes, but so far so good.
Ain’t no mountain high enough
As beautiful as Washington State is, we’re glad and proud to be done with it! The Cascades are no joke, in case you were wondering. As you’ll see above, we crossed over 4 mountain passes. The first and worst, over Washington Pass on day 2, had us going from an elevation of 500 feet to 5500 feet over 40 absolutely grueling miles. During this and the other climbs that followed on days 3, 4 and 5 we spent hours and hours traveling at 4 and 6 MPH. Most people walk at 3 MPH, for perspective. This reminded me of what I told Josh as we prepared for the trip – bicycle touring with 45 pounds of gear should not be confused with road riding or racing on a sleek carbon fiber bike. A few weeks before our trip, Josh finished 4th in a 20-mile race in Plymouth, MA with a time of 54 minutes. Impressive! But I think those arduous miles up the Washington Pass and the others that followed at average speeds of 6-7 MPH were even more impressive. We’re pack mules, not stallions.
Climbing toward the Washington Pass in the North Cascades.
Still climbing the Washington Pass!
That’s a lot of stuff to carry up across the Washington Pass!
The second of 4 passes in the Cascades.
Ho-hum and fellow travelers
We’re traveling along an established cross-country cycling route – the Northern Route that mostly runs 50-100 miles from the Canadian border – with excellent route maps provided by the Adventure Cycling Association. As a result, we’ve come to meet a handful of people doing some version of what we’re doing, and we’ve had a great time riding with a few of them. The only downside is that it makes our Epic Cross-Country Bike Trip seem a little ho-hum. Like when I proudly informed the desk clerk at the Northern Inn in Republic, WA that I couldn’t give her the make and model of my car because my son and I arrived in Republic over the Wauconda Pass by bicycle, not automobile, and that we will be riding all the way to Boston! Take that!
“Interesting,” she said, “We just had two guys stay here who are also riding to Boston. And last week we had 3 men from Denmark ride through town. They’re doing 150 miles a day!”
“I see,” I replied “Can you suggest a good place for dinner?
Overnight in Republic, Washington
On the other hand, we made a new friend. Ed Rodriguez is a 73 year old retired firefighter from Santa Barbara. He’s an avid cyclist – one of those people with about 10 bicycles. Eds’s wife died of cancer 2 years ago and he’s been writing his next chapter, which includes riding from Bellingham, WA to Virginia over the summer. For those of you in my and Beth’s family, there’s a lot of Rich Caputo in Ed Rodriguez. (For those not in our extended family (1) that’s a compliment and (2) take my word for it.) We rode with him for a day and a half. We kept each other’s spirits up through a few rainy days. Ed – and Jim and Kay, the 70-something year old, semi-retired veterinarian couple riding across the country on recumbent cycles – are inspirations to me and Josh. “Use it or lose it”, is Ed’s motto. Ed’s route diverged from ours yesterday but we’ll stay in touch and I told him I would engage him as my retirement coach.
Riding with our friend Ed Rodriguez
Careful with your multi-tasking, Josh!!
Spending this time with Josh has been wonderful. We’ve had our moments, of course, but it has been great to spend this time with him. I knew he had the cycling skills and the determination to pull this off with me, but to see it everyday has made me proud and grateful. The other day I thought about how bad I felt when he fell off his bike 4-5 years ago on what may have been a too-intense ride I took him on. Look at him now! I’ve also appreciated his awareness of his needs and willingness to express them. Finally, he has cared for and about me right along, including asking if I’m eating enough, if I’m riding at a sustainable pace, etc. On his own, he’d be 50 or more miles further along, but he’s hangin’ with his old man, which I love.
Shout Outs:
There are a lot of people who have and will have a hand in this adventure. Beth did so much to help us plan this trip, and the work of our family and life is falling on her while we’re gone. She and Julian both had a “go for it” attitude about this trip that made it possible. They have and will keep us grounded and connected while we travel.
So many people at Just A Start, where I work, are stepping up in my absence. They also offered nothing but encouragement for this crazy plan, and their commitment and capabilities allow me to be completely relaxed about work over these 8 weeks. They should know that I brag about Just A Start and the work we do to anyone interested. (Amazingly, this may have yielded us a volunteer! It turns out that the clerk at the Golden Spur Motel in eastern WA was there on a visit from Belmont, MA. Before long we figured that he’s a biochemist at a bio-medical firm that’s moving to a new space across the street from Just A Start’s soon-to-be constructed Rindge Commons project, with it’s state-of-the-art training center for our biomedical and IT training programs. He wants to volunteer so he can connect graduates with jobs in the sector and at his company! Crazy! The motel was a little “sketchy”, to use Josh’s term, but Just A Start scored a volunteer.)
My cousin Ted and his partner and fiancée Herry get a special shout out for hosting us and sending us off from their beautiful Seattle home over Memorial Day weekend. And how great that my sister Emily came out to spend the sendoff weekend with us. Those were anxious pre-ride days and it was important for us to be with people we loved, including Beth and Julian, who flew out with us and drove us (in Herry’s car!) to Anacortes, where we set out with them cheering us on!
Dipping our tires in the Pacific/ Puget Sound, Washington - and we are off!
Lastly
Edit from Josh’s later in the day: We went to the supermarket to get granola bars and some other snacks and we met a very friendly cashier named Nicole and behind us in line was a gentleman named Bill Lewis from Cambridge who does James Maddison impersonations, how cool! That has been one of my favorite things about the trip so far, meeting so many interesting people with lives so different then ours, yet all of these people are still so wonderful and friendly!
As always PLEASE donate if you can and have not already and don’t forget to share our adventure with your friends on social media or through conversation!
