Katie MacDonald - Bike the US for MS
Day 47 - July 13 - Glendive, MT to Wolf Point, MT - 102.9miWe wanted to get an early start on the century, so Vikki, Alison, Catherine, and I left at 5:30am. The winds weren't as bad today, but I couldn't move fast because my legs were so tired from yesterday's brutal ride. At some point near the beginning of the ride, a deer ran right across the street in front of Catherine, and gracefully jumped the highway barrier. Rest stop two was in a town called Circle. Recently, we've been able to see towns from miles away as were are approaching, but this one was hidden away around a hill, so we didn't see it until we were basically right there. We got lunch here, and rested for a bit before moving on. We had a slight tailwind coming out of R2, which was nice for a change, and we stopped to talk to a cross-country group heading east. There were, however, a number of bad trucks along this road which made for a stressful ride to the next rest stop. About a mile before the rest stop, it started pouring. The rain was coming down so hard, I thought it was hail. Catherine and I booked it to the van, where we hid out with Chandler, Connor, and Eddie, waiting for the rain to stop. When the rain stopped, we rode out with Luke and Grant. This is probably the first time I have ridden with Grant for more than a few minutes, as he is normally going way faster than I am. We are camping in Wolf Point tonight, in the city park next to the pool. For dinner I got McDonalds with Chandler and Ethan, and on the way there we were followed by dog that Ethan decided to name Peter. Back at camp, I had to set up Ethan's tent, as per out wager back at the bowling alley in Wabasha. Very excited to sleep in tomorrow! Day 48 - July 14 - Wolf Point, MT to Glasgow, MT - 54.5miWe had an amazing sleep in this morning (8:15am), followed by breakfast cooked by our fantastic route leaders. This was the first time we've ever really chilled in the morning, and certainly the latest we've ever left camp. Andrea, Alison, Vikki, Catherine, and I rolled out together, and took it really slow for the first part of the day. It was nice to have a relaxing ride after so many long, windy days. We got caught in some rain just before the rest stop, and it was on and off for the rest of the day. The winds also started up, although nowhere near as bad as the past couple days. The worst part though, was the traffic on highway 2. People kept passing way too close, and we spent a fair amount of time riding on the grass on the side of the road because the shoulder was too narrow. We stopped for ice cream along the highway, and also stopped for a picture at a sign that says "Canada →". We are staying at a baptist church in Glasgow tonight. After arriving and getting set up, Vikki, Catherine, Chandler and I went out to do laundry, grocery shop, and grab dinner. We also got DQ, although it took 20min to get our orders because it was so crowded. After getting back to the church, we hung out and watched a bit of Sherlock Holmes. This morning we got the devastating news that there had been an accident on one of the Bike and Build rides, where two cyclists had been hit by a car. I honestly don't have the words to describe how awful this is, and how deeply saddened I am by this news. My heart goes out to the friends and family of the cyclists, and to the entire Bike and Build community. Day 49 - July 15 - Glasgow, MT to Malta, MT - 72.3miI slept on a church pew last night, which turned out to be surprisingly comfy. Vikki, Alison, Catherine, and I had breakfast in the church kitchen, and then we set off for what turned out to be an amazing day. The winds were finally blowing in our favour, and we had a tailwind almost the entire day. At times, I was cruising along a flat at 20+ mph, without having to work nearly as hard as I have the past couple days. Our first rest stop was at an adorable ice cream shop called Sweet Memories. I got lemonade, some people got ice cream, and everyone chilled for a while. After leaving, I rode mostly by myself and listened to a new podcast that Stefan suggested - 99% Invisible. The miles flew by, and soon I was at the next rest stop, on the side of highway 2, which we got on yesterday, and will be following for the next few days. After this stop, we turned onto a detour that took us through a wildlife refuge. The map said that only the first 5mi were gravel, but it turned out to be closer to 12. It was a loose gravel, which meant that I was occasionally getting pelted by rocks thrown up by people's tires. I enjoyed it though, even with the myriad of cyclocross jokes Ethan was providing. We made it into camp by 3, and had our second spigot shower of the trip - much better than the one in Kathryn, ND. After washing off, Catherine and I made avocado, bean, and cheese wraps for lunch, then went into town with Megan to use wifi at a local BBQ restaurant. When we returned to camp at around 6, we discovered that the dinosaur museum nearby was having a lecture, so a bunch of us decided to go. It turned out to be a fascinating talk about dinosaur myths and truths, and they even had a bonfire going so we could make s'mores and hot dogs. Small world - the palaeontologist giving the talk is moving to Toronto next year to start his PhD at the ROM! After the lecture was over, we went back to the BBQ restaurant, Ray J's, for dinner. They cooked brisket, pizza, and pulled pork for us for free! It was so delicious, and we left completely stuffed. Day 50 - July 16 - Malta, MT to Havre, MT - 89.4miAfter packing up camp this morning, we headed back over to Ray J's for a free breakfast. Ray has been so amazing, and inspiring with the story of how he started up his business. So thankful for everything he has done for us! The first hour of riding was amazing. We had a nice tailwind, and were cruising at 18mph. We didn't stop at the first rest stop for long, but had avocado wraps for lunch at R2. After R2, things went downhill. The road had almost no shoulder for us to ride on, and the drivers were terrible. Fortunately, we made it to R3 unscathed. We grabbed some ice cream at R3, and then Vikki and I went to check out the local fair. After the fair, Eddie, Catherine, Vikki, and I left together for the final stretch. Even though the winds had shifted, and we were battling a headwind, we were going decently fast at about 15mph. We made it to the church Havre, and went to go shower at a local motel. Apparently, the owner of the motel had been walking by the van as Stefan and Megan discussed the shower situation, and offered us a room to use! After getting cleaned up, a bunch of us went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner, and then to the theatre to see The Secret Life of Pets. The movie was hilarious, but I was so tired that I fell asleep near the end. Day 51 - July 17 - Havre, MT to Chester, MT - 61.6miGot to sleep in until 7am, and then ate a delicious breakfast provided by the church. We set out at around 9:40, and enjoyed the vast expanse of Montana's scenery. R1 was on the side of the road, where I ate some cereal and a PB&J. I rode to the next stop mostly by myself, and listened to some music and a podcast episode. The next rest stop was at a restaurant, where we were able to grab a late lunch. Turns out we officially made it to the 1000mi to go mark, and Eddie made us a sign to take pictures with. It was a quick 14mi into camp after that. At the church, Eddie shaved an arrow into Catherine's head, which turned out pretty cool. We then headed to the showers at the pool, made dinner, and I got some stuff done on my laptop. Later, we walked to the convince store in town for ice cream, and then finished watching Sherlock Homes. Day 52 - July 18 - Chester, MT to Cut Bank, MT - 66.4miWhat a great day! Catherine and I had some great conversations during the ride to R1, which was on the side of the road. After R1, we rode alongside a train for a few miles, and raced it for a little while. Shortly before getting to the second rest stop in Shelby, we caught our first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains! It was a really amazing moment, and it really hit me all of a sudden that we had biked here from the Atlantic Ocean. At the rest stop, we went grocery shopping and ate subway. The third part of the day was a bit hillier, but the day flew by and we made it to camp by 2:30. We are staying at a youth church tonight, that has a basketball court/theatre upstairs, and a lounge area in the basement. We played basketball for a little bit, and I watched Connor and Ethan played bike dodgeball. A little later, we walked to the grocery store, where I got ingredients to make a pizza bagel for dinner, as well as a couple things I forgot to pick up earlier. After making dinner, we had a bear safety talk with the route leaders, and then ended the night by watching a movie.
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katie macdonald
Summer 2016, I biked 4,295 miles, coast to coast across the USA to raise money and awareness for MS. March 2017, I biked self-contained from San Francisco to San Diego with my friend Carissa. August 2017 I connected the dots and biked from Seattle to San Francisco. Summer 2018 I am heading to the UK! Follow my journey here! Miles biked for MS:
6,800.13
Updated August 27, 2018 Archives
January 2019
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