Actually it only rained for half the trip from Bismarck to here. I awoke to kids screaming outside in the parking lot of the Motel 6, "Mom! It's snowiiiinnggg!!" Oh my shit... I envisioned peering out the window and seeing a slushy 6 inches anywhere that wasn't being driven over. Checked the celphone, 9:30. Not getting out of bed yet. Getting up and looking at snow wasn't going to make it go away.
What it did do was alert me to the possibility that travelling westward through the mountains and north past the glacier park may be out of the question. Seriously, it's already chilly as it is and riding in that is pretty awful. So what if getting up to altitude brough really low temperatures of almost freezing? And rain at that temperature? Best just cut my losses.
I google mapped an alternate course on my phone. Skip Billings, Helena, Missoula, and the mountains north, and just go right to Great Falls on the way to Lethbridge. Pretty sad, but I can do it in the future. Also means an extra day or two in Calgary. That'd be pretty nice. I've only been there a few times on my own, and I'm sure I could find some things to do while awaiting the Saturday exhibition Flames game.
People had said that this part of North Dakota was a dreadful bore. I thought the landscape was beautiful, and a sort of tranquil awesomeness. Nothing was ever totally flat, eventually accented with sharp hills jutting out suddenly.
Riding along, I thought back to my Star Wars trilogy analogy. Today, yesterday, and the next couple of days seemed quite anti-climatic. It dawned on me that the rebel alliance had blown up the death star some time ago, everyone danced around with the ewoks while secondary explosions went off in outer space like fireworks, and the symphony had smashed in with the all-time classic "Dun-dun-dun-duuunn-DUuuuHH!!!!" and the credits had rolled, and everyone who'd been sitting there thinking "wow, it's 1983 and I just saw THAT movie... But now, the houselights were up, and people are still sitting there, some managing to munch stale popcorn that they'd set aside an hour ago. It was really time to just walk out into the parking lot, get in their cars, and go home. That's sort of how this was feeling. And figuratively speaking, I don't want to 'go home'. However the reality is that as great as an incredible, ground shattering film is, life goes on, and it's pretty awesome sometimes too.
I pulled off for some gas in a small town, large enough for a McD's. As i was getting off my bike, some guy says "Yeah, nice day for a ride" but his tone was venomous and awful, and it seemed as if he was mocking me for riding in such weather. "Yeah, real awesome actually" I say back "Yeah, I bet" he says... I was stunned.. Was this guy actually a big fucking prick? He just looked like some tall yuppy guy... Of course it's quite likely his tone was projected accidentally and he never meant anything of it all. Some people just don't know how they sound, and how it impacts the meaning I guess. Happens to the best of us from time to time I supposed and let it go.
Grabbed a burger at McDink's, an Angus Deluxe to be exact. Really, that is not a bad burger. I can't help but be impressed. You can't argue with secret sauce, haha! But I'd made the mistake of getting a banana strawberry smoothie... In this riding weather? I went back up to the counter. The young guy working the till asked what I'd like "I don't drink coffee and I don't drink tea, but it's pretty chilly out there..." "Hot water?" He interjected. "Yeah..." I smiled "...That'd be great" Really cool.
Sometimes you smile at the universe and the universe smiles back... I've tried to do that this trip and I think that's why I've had so much good fortune. Very shortly after getting back on the highway, the drizzle turned to misting, then from misting to overcast, and before I knew it, my suit was drying out, the clouds were parting, and it was sunny. As well, the earth all around me opened up into badlands like those of Medicine Hat back home.
Another beautiful day of riding. And now, some facebookin' while I take in some new music on youtube.
Take care, Ride safe.
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One humble request, can you please start your entry with the location, something like city, state? (Just so I can keep track, but if you feel its not in keeping with your artistic prose, please ignore me). I'm enjoying every word, please continue.
ReplyDeleteSorry anonymous, but I generally start the blog as I'm leaving a location or already on the road. As well, sometimes I don't get to blog every day so multiple locations are involved.
ReplyDeleteBut glad you're enjoying it :)