Great Falls to Lewistown, MT
July 16, 2016
111 miles (I rode the first 62 miles)
Tour total: 1066 miles; Personal miles achieved: 891 miles

Woke up at 2:30am and rested in bed awake until 4am. We all left the hotel at 5:30am to leave enough time to ride as far as possible. We were mostly on highways. The traffic that passed us, including many semi-tractor-trailers and livestock trucks, whizzed by at over 65 mph. The noise from the traffic was very, very loud. SAGs were scheduled for every 20 miles or so. My goal was to get to 85 miles (the 4th SAG), but I tapped out at the 3rd. I was too hot and too tired and although I drank as much as I could and stopped to eat snacks I had packed on my bike every few miles, I was grateful when I got to the 3rd SAG after a long, noisy climb.

Lewistown to Roundup, MT
July 17, 2026
75 miles (I rode the first 38 miles)
Tour total: 1141 miles; Personal miles achieved: 929 miles

The last two days were summed up aptly and succinctly by another rider, September:

The 7 H’s:
Hills
Heat
Headwinds
Hay
Herds
Hazardous
Highways

Roundup to Billings, MT
July 18, 2026
48 miles
Tour total: 1189 miles; Personal miles achieved: 977 miles

Rode at a much slower pace today. Granted, we had fewer miles to cover than in the past two days, but when I got to the hotel, I didn’t feel tired.

Within a few miles of our hotel, we couldn’t pass up the roadside lemonade stand staffed by two young and very polite boys with a clever money storage device. A nice break, sweet conversation and yummy lemonade on a hot day … what could be better!

After settling into my room, several of the riders wanted to run some errands at a local bike shop and at Scheels, a big-box outdoor store in this part of the country. There was a Ferris wheel inside the store at Scheels — a full-size Ferris wheel! I bought some nylon rope because I want to try to fashion some wrist bands that can hold ice cubes in the coming days when it’s due to reach and stay in the 90s. Stay tuned!

Nice hotel — there’s even a place outside for us to wash and clean our bikes!

And around 8:30 a thunderstorm produced a beautiful rainbow and then a double rainbow!

Billings to Hardin, MT
50 miles
July 19, 2026
Tour total: 1239 miles; Personal miles achieved: 1027 miles

Another hot day, so we left the hotel at 6:30am. A beautiful ride on a quiet road all morning. Started with a gentle 8-mile climb resulting in an expansive view of the countryside below and ahead of us.

Passed a hay and feed processing plant. Note the stacks and stacks of hay bales lined up and into the distance.

Stopped on the side of the road for a snack and was kept company by a two-year-old colt and his mother.

Eclectic historical museum in Hardin with samples of Rick O'Shay comic strips by Stan Lynde.

Hardin to Forsyth, MT
July 20, 2026
84 miles
Tour total: 1323 miles; Personal miles achieved: 1111 miles

An early start at 5:15am. I woke up at 1:30am and never went back to sleep before the alarm went off at 3:45.

The advantage of starting so early meant that we got to enjoy a beautiful sunrise.

The weather cooperated and stayed in the 60s/70s for the first 30 miles. I rode mostly by myself, but was happy to see others at the SAG stops. I really wanted to complete today’s ride as it would be my longest one of this tour, so I paced myself. Got to the end and still felt fine, but understandably tired.

Got the attention of a couple of pairs of horses along the way (see photos) and had a bit of fun at the first SAG stop 16 miles in. Cindi, our lead guide, was wearing a tutu for fun to give us a humorous boost to the long day ahead. When I arrived, she noticed that the tutu matched the colors of my jersey, the one we all received on the first day of the tour. She took the tutu off and encouraged me to step into it. Absolutely!!! We all needed a good laugh to get ready for the next big climb that wouldn’t end until mile 24. Carol (another rider and an excellent photographer) took pictures of me holding a hard-boiled egg in one hand as I pirouetted around. Rest assured, dear reader, I didn’t leave the SAG still wearing the tutu with all those wispy pieces of fabric waving around with the potential of getting caught in something on my bike. But the thought of that “tutu moment” kept me smiling all day.

The rest of the day was glorious. Gentle climbs and descents. Beautiful vistas of hay fields and cattle grazing ranges, a train rolling by with 110 cars.

Four SAG stops in all with good food, including huckleberry cheddar cheese, and cold water refills. In the last 20 miles as the temperature climbed into the high 80s I found shady roadside trees to give me a chance to step down for a minute or two to take a sip of electrolyte water and take a bite or two of my snacks.

Arrived at the hotel tired, but not spent. Another good meal (stuffed peppers, apple cole slaw, and watermelon) from Lauren, our traveling chef, and then off to bed.

Forsyth to Miles City, MT
July 21, 2026
47 miles
Tour total: 1370 miles; Personal miles achieved: 1158 miles

Today’s can be summed up paraphrasing a line from The Wizard of Oz: Headwinds and highways and hills! Oh my!

Miles City - layover day
July 22, 2026
5 miles

Changed tires, so I would have new treads for the rest of the trip.

Stitched together the wrist bands that I will try out during tomorrow’s ride. There are lots of pockets for ice chips amd lots of layers, so after the ice melts, they should stay wet and cool my wrists for a while. Stay tuned!

Went with a few others to the local historical museum. Very interesting, but not all of the rooms were air conditioned. Lots of beautiful western saddles and other things that documented the history of the region, but I remember the saddles the most in my mind. Spent only an hour with the tour guide, but she had so many more stories to tell us. Sadly, we had to get back to the hotel to rest up and prepare for tomorrow.

Went out to dinner with a few others.

All in all a relaxing day. Good thing because we have an 80-mile day tomorrow and temperatures predicted to be in the 90s. Early to bed, so we can get up in time to leave at 5:15am!