East. Day 46.

July 24, 2016

Hysham to Miles City, Montana

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The morning came hot, with no help from a south-southeast wind. The stark terrain beyond Hysham reminded me of western North Dakota and the Badlands; blue-green-tinted mountains no longer dominated the horizon. The Yellowstone River cut a deep green swath, but fields out of reach of the river turned golden or sage. Hills I'm sure I would have walked up a few weeks ago were manageable, if slow.

I felt stronger.

I found it curious I wasn't exploring during this ride. There was a time I would have jumped off route to cruise down the Enchanted Highway, a 32-mile stretch of road in North Dakota.

The Enchanted Highway was the dream of Gary Greff, a retired teacher and metal sculptor from the town of Regent. Inspired by the 1989 movie, Field of Dreams, Greff hoped to draw tourists into his "dying" town by building and staging giant metal sculptures spaced from I-94 south to Regent. In the 30 years since his first sculpture was erected, he's completed seven.

Pressured to reach Missoula in time for the anniversary celebration, I passed the exit for the Enchanted Highway. Going east, I could afford the time to ride it, but I knew I would not. My focus was ride, ride, ride, eat, set up and take down camp, and do what was necessary to safely return home.

Maybe having Andy in my life changed my perspective. Andy, who was ever eager to come and rescue me to get me home sooner.

But I absolutely needed to do this ride, and now my grand desire was to ride up Brady Road having done what I set out to do.

Approaching Miles City.

Two tall posts held a cut metal sign announcing Miles City. "MC" hung under the name like a ranch brand. Milling about in the long, dry grass behind a wire fence was a herd of horses.

Only thing was, the horses weren't moving. Was I heat exhausted yet again?

Like a mini-Enchanted Highway, metal sculptures of horses lined the road into Miles City. Random art next to the highway--what a fun picture book idea. A site like this was worth stopping to drag the Nikon out of its waterproof bag.

It was funny how little I used the good camera. Maybe because this ride became an internal journey, maybe I was more interested in absorbing everything instead of seeing it through the viewfinder. Maybe the writing of it became more relevant. Didn't matter. It was what it was. And shooting this grouping was fun.

Reaching for a real hay bale.

A mare and her foal.

Enchanted.

Tour Easy. A most appropriate name.

My steel steed.

With a population of over 8000, Miles City was not a small town. The Big Sky Camp and RV Park was on the far east side. Not excited about city miles at the end of a long, hot day, but my departure in the morning would be easy. Bonuses: the park advertised a convenience store, showers, and a Laundromat.

My original Facebook post:

Postcard from the road. July 24, 2016 Miles City, MT.

I could have sworn the online description of the Big Sky Camp & RV Park included a CS (convenience store). I came in hot and tired after 78 miles.

"Do you sell any food?" I asked the owner as I checked in, seeing only signs for pop, water, ice, and ice cream bars. "Nope."

I wasn't about to add more miles riding back into town; the tuna fish and instant mashed potatoes I carried in my panniers would have to do. Setting up camp, followed by a shower, was next on my agenda.

A couple that checked in behind me stopped their pickup camper at my site. "We're having hamburgers for dinner if you'd like to join us," the man driving said.

"That's the best offer I've had all day!" I said, introducing myself.

"Come by at five o'clock," the woman said.

Meet my food Angels, Renee and Mark. They are from the state of Washington, traveling home from a visit with Renee's niece in Ohio.

On the way to dinner with Mark and Renee, I dropped my clothes in a washing machine. After a delightful meal--hamburger, baked beans, corn on the cob, and an ice cream sandwich for dessert--I transferred them to a dryer and headed back to my tent.

Thank you, food angels!

Selfie with food angels Renee and Mark.

Later, when retrieving my clean and dry clothes, another couple was sorting their laundry. "We put quarters in your dryer before we knew you had clothes in there," the woman said.

I apologized for letting them sit too long and scooped them out. "You should have more time for yours now."

At camp, folding and packing my outfits into Ziplock bags, my Pearl Izumi shorts were missing. I ran back to the laundry room. The man was still there. "If you find them in your wash," I said, "just leave them on the table."

He was chatty. "We're from Florida and are traveling around the country. I'm not real sure where we are going, but I think my wife wished I had a better idea."

Another wanderer. (My shorts turned up on the ground by my bike.)

Yet another trip to the laundry room to charge my phone before bed. A yellow-lab mix pup tied to a tree by a small camper bounded to greet me. Thanks to Cody I met Verna and her daughter, Hannah. The two were heading home to Wisconsin after a six-week road trip.

I declined their invitation to share their lasagna dinner. "I have to go charge my phone," I said. Instead, I charged it there and the three of us stayed up way too late visiting.

Late night giggles with Hannah, Verna, and me.