Sizzle!

We made it to Miles City before we became human torches, but it was close. At 7 p.m. it was 90 degrees here. I do not know how hot it was at 5:30 when we got here, but it was over 90 for sure. Tomorrow will be 102 in Miles City and in Dickinson a relatively mild (hahaha) 95.

Here's the view out the door this morning.


It was actually chilly when we left 3 Forks and we stopped alongside the road to put on our rain jackets and take some pictures. When we left that spot Ray took off down the road and my bike just wouldn't get going. Ray asked if I was ok and I said, truthfully, I don't know. So I pulled over to the edge again and Ray disappeared over a small rise and out of com range. It was soon discovered that Someone, Who Shall Remain Nameless, emulated Ensign Chekov and thus didn't get very far in Starship Burgie. (if you have not seen the latest Star Trek movie, this may not make any sense to you, but if you have, you'll get it) By the time I was back in com range, poor Ray was running back down the highway. He said I nearly gave him a heart attack. Humph. This picture is in that location.


We both liked Bozeman, Montana, what we saw of it. The land around there is spectacular. There was road construction but the worst of it was 25 mph and that mostly because of the water truck that was wetting down the newly tarred and gravelled road ahead of us. Its spray was giving not only the gravel on our side a thorough wetting, it got everyone on the other side of the highway divider too. We were glad we weren't over there, as it was still chilly, but later in the day, every time we saw a construction sign we hoped for a nice water truck. Alas, we were stuck in the devil's own skillet all day.

Out here, the cities do not seem to engulf the interstate, like in the Olympia-Tacoma-Seattle metroplex and Chicagoland. Every time we think we'll have a good deal of city traffic, there isn't any. This is possibly because there are more cows than people in Montana or perhaps it is because they build away from the interstate instead of toward it. There is an apparent abundance of buildable, vacant land in this state. The most traffic we had today was in Billings, where we stopped for lunch. While we were standing at the counter waiting to order, I said to Ray, I feel like I am radiating heat. And he agreed. And I think he was right.

We stopped briefly at Pompeii's Pillar. It's a big ol stone thingy, but don't ask me beyond where the porta potties are. That's all I know and all we had time for. I don't even know why it's called Pompeii's Pillar. I do know there is a town of the same name in the opposite direction across the freeway some miles. Here's the Pillar.


I am amazed at all the freeway interchanges that have no services, but at least they are clearly labeled no services. Most of the time there appears to be no earthly reason for an interchange in those places, yet there they are, like someone anticipated huge cities popping up overnight. You have to watch carefully for gas stations. They do not litter the landscape like in Seattle.

Mariah wanted to know what's in the sidecar. Well, there's a roll-on suitcase, a medium sized cooler with water bottles and ice, a plastic bag with 2 pairs of shoes, a zippered reusable shopping bag, a 2 gallon can of gasoline, a smallish duffel with electronic gizmos and plugs, a smallish duffel with the pharmacy we must carry with us, a large first aid kit, some motorcycle cleaning equipment, motorcycle covers for each bike, Ray's raingear, my overnight kit and our reflective vests. It's full.

It was so hot today. So hot. And my right hand is have troubles with numbing, pins and needles and pains. I got special gloves, but while they help some, they don't help much. It got to hurting so badly and it was so miserable hot that the last 50 miles was hard for me and the last 20 of that was practically not doable. But I hung in there and here we are in our a/c'd room. We are grateful the a/c works.

Meanwhile in Seattle and environs, they are hearing the sweetest words in the English language: partly cloudy, with highs in the mid-60s'. We wanted to make this trip, we keep reminding ourselves. Here I am, looking for cooler weather.


For my brother especially: we went 328 miles today. At least 275 of those miles were blistering hot.