June 24, 2003 This was a new state day - we arrived in Montana. We rode from Watford City, ND to Culbertson, MT, where we will have a rest day tomorrow. Since we arrived late in Watford City last night, we slept in, and got a later start than usual. It felt good! On the way west, we caught up with the cyclist, Tom, that we had met last night. He was cruising along nicely, and when we passed, he attempted a draft. He couldn't hold it, and we were not of a mind to slow down - he would not have stayed with us, since he was following a different route. The trip was rather uneventful until we reached Fairview, SD. We stopped there to get water, and while doing our bottles, a local came up to talk with us. One thing led to another, and he ended up telling us that there was major construction on the highway we were planning to take. We stoped at a convenience store to confirm his information, and learned that, indeed, there was major, disruptive construction going on. LaValle sorted out an alternative route (albeit 10 miles longer), and we were on our way. We had to back track just a bit, but we were soon doing our thing. The new route led us over State Road 5, and it was a wonderful experience. We were on the road for about 10 miles. The pavement was next to perfect, the road wound through some beautiful hills and there was some great climbing and descending. We don't mind riding 10 miles out of our way when it is on a road like that. When we were back on track course-wise, we were on US Highway 2 - the road we will be on for the next four days. The road was amazing. It was relatively new, and had a nice, smooth shoulder. Ron told LaValle that we were in luck to have a road like this to ride for four days. Ron should have known better! The Team was still in ND, and when we crossed the state line, the road went to pot. It is not a terrible road, but like so many in this area, there are seams in the road at regular intervals, and you spend the day taking a hit every 100 feet or so. Well, that is a lesson learned. There was another "funny" on Highway 2. LaValle makes it a point to wave at oncoming vehicles for PR purposes - she is especially fond of waving at the big rig drivers. She claims that you never know when they are going to be behind you, so if you are kind, they will take care of you. Ron likes the reasoning. Anyway, along comes a train, and LaValle decides that she shouldn't play favorites, so she waves at the conductor, and gives him the "horn blowing sign". He actually blew the train horn, and we both got a big kick out that. We had another weird day of weather. It was overcast all day. The temperature when we started was 47 degress, so we had all the warm stuff that we had packed on our bodies. Mid-day, the temperature reached 53, and by the end of the ride it was 59. We were in head winds and hurting side winds all day, so the wind chill was to be dealt with. Rain threatned all day, but we only had a few sprinkles. It did sprinkle pretty hard for about 15 minutes at one point, but it was hardly enough to wet the road. One of the benefits of this trip was to be heat acclimation - it ain't happenin'! The sky was pretty spectacular today. The cloud formations and coloration were just plain interesting. And, because a weather front is moving through, the picture was constantly changing. The bike did well again today. It is so nice when the steed behaves! We are still getting some noise from BOB, but we will work that out. The connection to the bike needs to be disassembled and cleaned. The scenery today was more of the same, but the shapes of the hills and other formations constantly change, so it never gets boring. We are definitely getting into rougher country, so the mountains can't be far away. Speaking of hills, on one hill along the road that is described above, there was a substantial herd of cattle. As we went by, we disturbed them enough that they started running all over the place. It was fun watching them, and then it occurred to us that they might stampede - no laughing matter. They didn't, so all is well. The Team is happy that tomorrow is a rest day. That last three days have been challenging, and we are both pretty tired. We can sleep in tomorrow, and have a late breakfast - that is great for morale. Ron Note from LaValle... Four Eyes Motel is one of three motels in Watford City, North Dakota. It's the smallest and least up-scale, but the rooms are clean and spacious. Lloyd had taken special care with our reservations and what was lacking in ice machines was made up for in cost. Lloyd is a retired farmer who lives by himself at the motel and does some traveling himself -- his truck a "I Did the Alaskan Highway" sticker. He's also a "rockhound" with any number of bins of rocks, tumbled and not, for sale. We flushed any number of birds out of the grasses along the side of the road today. The usual blackbirds were joined by a duck that flew several hundred feet low to the ground just in front of the tandem and a pheasant who announced his exit to the rear with the classic pheasant call. Since the weather was very cold and with the roads as rough as they were, the photos are limited today. We were lucky to be able to see both the Yellowstone and the Missouri Rivers even if just to cross them. Entering Montana the second time, we were greeted by a Casino before we were greeted by a Welcome Montana sign. North Dakota doesn't allow non-Indian gambling so we haven't seen any of these "storefront" casinos for awhile. The little town of Bainville doesn't have many services, but there is a wonderful gas station and convenience store. We stopped there for a Mountain Dew and porcelain facilities before the last 15 miles into Culbertson. The owners of the store had taken a delapilated building and done major renovations in 1999. It is a welcome addition to the Bainville community and to the motorists and bicyclists on Highway 2. Lloyd, owner of Four Eyes Motel Tom, recumbent rider from Michigan Casino in Montana on border with North Dakota Welcome Stop on Hwy 2 near Bainville, Montana