Eureka to Whitefish, MT
July 8, 2026
58 miles (I rode the first 16 miles and the last 21 miles)
Tour total: 698 miles; Personal miles achieved: 604 miles
Just as I arrived at SAG #1, a thunderstorm could be heard nearby.
Not wanting to be caught outside in it, three other riders and myself
loaded our bikes on the van and ourselves inside it. With our guide,
Cindi, at the wheel, we set out to check on the other riders down the road.
The first rider we caught up to signaled that she wanted to get out
of the rain. Just as Cindi got out of the van to help her, a lightning
bolt struck close by. She told the rider to set her bike on the ground
and get in the van right away. Cindi and the rider got in the van
and we all waited while the rain pelted the van. After a few minutes,
the storm moved on enough for Cindi and the rider to go back outside
safely to load the bike on the roof of the van.
We set out again to check on other riders down the road. We caught
up with a group of three, who wanted to get in the van for a few minutes
and to look for their rain gear, which they had stashed in the van in the morning.
I should explain that every morning before we leave our hotel, each
rider has the option of placing a small drawstring bag or backpack
in the van with whatever supplies they don’t necessarily want to
carry with them on their bike, but might want to have handy at one
of the SAG rest stops. Some people stash rain gear, cold weather
gear, some extra snacks from the morning’s snack table, an extra
battery pack if they are riding an electric bike or whatever.
Anyway, the storm was beginning to move away and the threat of
lightning strikes with it, so the three riders decided to continue
on in the rain. We waited until they were back on their bikes and
then set out again in the van to locate the rest of our group.
Cindi asked me to take her attendance clipboard and make a small
mark next to each riders name, including those of us in the van,
who we had seen and knew to be safe. Our goal was to make it to
the next designated SAG stop knowing the whereabouts of each riders.
All the other riders we encountered signaled that they were content
to keep riding in the rain. By the time we got to the SAG stop
about 20 miles later, the rain had moved on. One other rider
and myself got our bikes off of the van and continued on for
the last 21 miles into Whitefish.
The storm wasn’t the end of unusual riding conditions for the day.
A few miles outside of Whitefish, the highway we were on had a one-mile
or so stretch that was under construction. There was only one
lane and a stop light at each end with construction attendants
controlling the traffic flow. The road was a bit challenging
to ride technically, but my bike is built to handle rough roads,
so I took my time, as did a bunch of other riders we had caught up
to at the start of rough stretch. Fortunately, the attendant at
the other end from where we started held the traffic back on her
end until all of the riders in our group passed. Her kind act of
patience meant that we didn’t have to ride the last stretch of
rough roads with cars coming towards us.
Making Community — remembering Jacob Benjamin Singer, Laurie
Singer’s two-year-old son who was lost to an unusually aggressive cancer
40 years ago today.
At the start of our bike ride on June 25th, Laurie
brought a box of long sleeve tee shirts to share with each of us
from one of her annual fundraising events for the Children’s
Hospital in Los Angeles honoring Jacob's memory.
After dinner we gathered to honor his memory
and many of us wore the gifted tee shirts. Our hotel this night
happened to be next to a river and there was a nice patio overlooking
it. Most of the group showed up to help us honor Jacob. I chanted
Eil Malei (a prayer in Hebrew to honor the memory of a deceased
loved one) and provided an English translation on our WhatsApp
group for everyone to read together afterwards.
A sweet end to a challenging day.
Leg 3 highlighted in the context of the entire tour's route
