Last of the Mohicans and Dinosaurs

So 5 days since the last super-brief blog... I think we are getting better at this as Montana is much more Internet accessible. We write you now from Glendive, MT. Unfortunately, nature has forced us to take a rest day a little earlier than we had hoped for due to some pretty nasty thunderstorms and hail. To be honest I do not think any of us mind too much since the sunshine has been relentless and thus there has been some isolated cases of sunburn. And well, the last precipitation we saw was 2 states ago so I am sure the locals are eager to get some rain. Today is going to be spent learning about dinosaurs at the local museum and whatever other shenanigans we can come up with!
When we last wrote we were in Great Falls, MT enjoying the luxuries of the local Best Western, indoor pool, coffee bar, wireless Internet.... and the much beloved Dairy Queen. We also gorged ourselves at the local Chinese Food Buffet... nothing too extreme maybe 3 plates a piece at the tune of 8 bucks a person. We are getting pretty good at being thrifty. We spent Sunday morning enjoying every second of the hotel room and shower before heading off to the local diner for some grub. We then headed over a few blocks to the local Baptist church for worship. They made sure to send us home with 2 amazing chocolate cakes which were devoured later that evening. We biked from Great Falls to Geyser, MT, a total of 47.2 miles. We spent some time with the locals of this small town in the Cabin Creek Cafe and were able to camp for free on the yard of the Community Hall. The night brought some surprises... I (Carrie) am not sure why we all saw the train tracks next to the campsite but failed to realize that a train might actually be coming on those tracks. So at about 2 am when we were all comfy in our tents and sleeping bags, we were jolted awake by the loud sound of an oncoming train... I am pretty sure we all thought we had pitched our tents on the tracks because of the volume of the train's whistle. For those who have not experienced this delight, it is sort of like awaking to a horror movie only to realize you are in a tent safely located many yards away from danger. And when the 2nd and 3rd train roll through hours later you will be much more prepared for what is to come.
We got an early start the next morning biking about 60 miles from Geyser to Lewistown, MT. Lewistown for those who are unfamiliar with MT is the geographic center of the state. We had an early arrival into town and thus were able to indulge ourselves with some laundry, a grocery store run and a quick email check. Thanks to the local Kiwanis club we were able to camp for free once again. The most exciting portion of this day would be the completion of a 1/2 gallon of chocolate ice cream by 4 very hungry travelers. I think we can all agree, we wished there had been more dessert.
Our next day we biked our first (and perhaps last, maybe not) century day! Total miles 101.7 from Lewistown to Sand Springs, MT. The beginning of the the day was glorious with about a 20 mile descent with the wind at our backs. Before we knew it we were breaking for lunch 40 miles in and were feeling great! We continued to bike and unfortunately the sun was relentless, the wind changed direction and our last 20 miles kicked our behinds as we had a collection of up and down hills very close in proximity. We were blessed with a free place to camp behind the local and only general store in a 50 mile vicinity. Very shabby chic.
Yesterday we biked from Sand Springs to 19 miles shy of Brockway, MT. Total of 68 miles. We were greeted by Autumn at the local rest stop and when we opened the van doors we saw a pile of packages...Christmas in June!!!! Thank you so much to all who sent care packages, the Trader Joe's goodies, candy and Nutella are very much appreciated. Perhaps more than anything though we all loved receiving the letters and well wishes which made our faces smile and perhaps gave us a small twinge of being homesick. We really can not thank you all enough! Brady and Peyton... thank you for the artwork it now adorns the walls of Jane! We spent last night again hanging out with the locals at the B.S. club (the Brockway Supper Club). Thanks to Gus and Bev the owners who not only let us camp for free, but fed us and whipped us up one wicked margarita, and also opened their home to us so we could shower! Montana is certainly full of hospitality for sure!
The terrain so far in Montana is beautiful but a bit monotonous. I (Carrie) feel like we are constantly in the movie Last of the Mohicans and thus the music from the film has become my theme music. It's hard to see the terrain and think that not so long ago there were travelers making their way out here to make a life of there own. I think the cyclists can agree that some of the roadways make us feel like we are in a covered wagon as we try to cover the vast, bumpy terrain. We are off to enjoy a movie this afternoon... not sure which one... pretty sure only one movie will be playing at the local cinema but we will have to see! You have to love the small town atmosphere, it makes decision making a whole lot easier!
Thanks again to all of the supporters... we could not do this without you! Much love and we will keep you updated on our progress!