Day 30 – Lima, MT
July 22, 2012
Start: near Medicine Lodge Peak
Finish: Lima, MT
Today’s miles: 47.8
Total miles: 882.9
Splats: 0
Divide crossings: 0
Wildlife: trout
Yet again, the landscapes today were amazing. Nothing but me, a dirt road, sagebrush, and a few animals as far as I could see. I’m surprised to find that I like this type of landscape the most so far. Or maybe it’s just that I like whatever I’m in at the moment the most. I also think that as my body breaks in to the abuse from the uni, I’m able to enjoy the ride more and more.
Most of today was a gradual downhill. That doesn’t mean that it was easy, though! You can’t coast on the uni, so my legs are always spinning, even on the downhills. In fact, my legs have to hold me back from going too fast! My now functioning brake helps a lot with this. With the headwinds today, I actually had to pedal to produce forward movement on some of the downhills (as opposed to holding myself back from entering an uncontrollable roll).
For a good portion of the ride, the winds turned in my favor, becoming a strong tailwind. I was excited to be able to sustain speeds of 10 to 12 mph for several miles! As I flew down the road, I was distracted by Big Sheep Creek. If I were a trout, this is where I’d want to swim. As I rode, I peered into the emerald water, looking for fish rather than paying attention to the road. I’m shocked I didn’t ride right off the road into the water. I saw many fish; I counted 12 beautiful trout in one short break! I’d be feasting on some of them later!
Two guys passed by and cheered as I approached the frontage road and my favorite, Interstate 15. I saw them again on the frontage road into Lima, MT, as I battled more fierce headwinds and a banked road. At the second passing, Gene and Roger stopped, and we got to talking. They said they’d be grilling chicken in town and to find them. Gene even offered me a place to stay, but I declined because I had a supply package waiting at the motel in town.
I struggled the last 8 miles into town; my legs screamed for me to stop. I made it, though, and while I’d planned to get a campsite at the motel, I splurged for a room at the last minute. I wanted to get out of the sun for a bit. I picked up my supply box (thanks, Meghan, for putting that together and the extra cookies), took a shower, and headed over to find Roger’s place. Gene, Roger, and neighbor Candy had already fired up the grill when I arrived. We filled up on chicken, potatoes, and the trout they’d caught earlier that day. It was delicious, and they sent me off with leftovers! I wish I’d counted the number of times I heard them say, “On a unicycle!?!?!!!” Good times.
