Twin Bridges to Ennis

55 miles. We cheated.

Technically we are about 55 miles from where we started, but we only biked about 15 of them.

Of course, all things "unseasonable" are happening in Montana while we're here, the wind being one of them. Then there's 90+ degree heat, and mosquitoes like I've never experienced. And I thought they were bad in 09.

The winds are unreal. If it was this windy at home, it would be considered a tornado. It blew at a steady and constant 50 mph in our faces, and we could barely stay upright to clock a 6 mph pace on FLAT GROUND. Twice we had to stop pedaling because it was just too strong; we would have either blown backwards or over on our sides. Drafting helped, but we had to switch every other mile.

After stopping at a historic location in search of a bathroom, the grounds keeper said there was nothing. So we hung our heads and moved on. Twenty minutes later, he showed up in his suv and asked if we wanted a ride up the road. It was an obvious answer; we were exhausted from battling wind all day and only making it 15 miles. And basically we've been in a head wind since leaving Oregon. I don't feel guilty, we needed a break from fighting so ridiculously hard.

At lunch, McKinley and I both discussed the prospects of  spontaneous break-downs. We both decided that separately, we would eventually fall apart from battling head winds for 2 weeks. We're now both prepared to deal with each others flood of tears. Mentally, it is challenging to push through and barely make any miles.

Tonight we are in a rv park, and unless the wind stops, we have to sleep under the stars. It would be nearly impossible to pitch tents. Seriously, I wish I could convey how insane the wind is. The locals all say it only blows like this if a storm is coming, and it has felt like a hurricane for 2 days now.

Despite all of these obstacles, I love this trip, and I love bike touring. I just wish the wind would let up, or become a tail wind.