End of the Line

“Well, it’s all right, riding around in the breeze

Well it’s all right, if you live the life you please”

- The Traveling Wilburys

It is with mixed emotions that I bid farewell to my daughter and riding partner for the past week. It was nice to have company and a familiar face. It was nice that a 20-year old kid wanted to torture herself across North Dakota and Montana and hang out with her old man. I know that Claire had the usual suite of aches and pains that everyone experiences if you just hop on a bike, cold turkey, and start riding 60 and 70 mile days. As her bike sits here boxed up in the hotel room, waiting for her flight home from Bozeman tomorrow morning, I think about the fact that we will always have this shared experience.

The flip side of that coin is that she is the last familiar face I expect to see for the rest of my journey which means there’s nothing left to do but get on with it. As I mentioned the other day, the goal is to be done by September 2, the Friday before Labor Day. It becomes a tad easier simply because I’m working only around my own schedule and not necessarily when flights are coming or going, or when people I want to see are going to be home. The old faces and rekindled relationships have been worth every side trip, detour, car rental and extra days off. It’s what has helped this trip far exceed my expectations. But we’re going to end it the way we started it in April. Long days, lots of miles, and a few mountains to climb - although I don’t think there’s much comparison between the Rockies and the Ozarks!

This logo needs no explanation to a Weissman or Weisswoman of the late 80’s and many Hanszenites too. For those that don’t fall into either of those categories, it’s the Rockin’ R Bar in Bozeman, made famous by Billings native and Weiss ‘88 grad Chris Cannon.

There she goes. Today was about up and down, whereas the past several days have all been flat.

Near Bridger Canyon and Bridger Bowl just north of Bozeman. There is some serious coin around here.

The Epic Chicken Sandwich at the Revelry in Bozeman, on recommendation from Tobin at the Owenhouse Bike Shop. BEFORE

AFTER. I hate olives. They are the brussels sprout of the fruits.

That about covers it in Montana, but of all the ground we’ve covered in this state, I’d put Bozeman as the least likely place to see this.

Westward progress is now officially stopped for about two weeks while I head south and back to the East a bit to pick up a few stragglers.