June 28, 2003 This was the day to move from Malta to Havre (The locals pronounce this Havver or Have 'er - which ever you would prefer!), MT. It was a fun and challenging ride for a number of reasons. We had two flats today - both within five miles of each other. We believe that they were caused by stuff being washed onto the shoulder by yesterday's rain. We had caught up with our friends from Taiwan about 10 or so miles out of town. They stopped for a nature call, and we stopped to get reacquainted. As we talked, they took turns going across the road. They are very nice people, and we had a great time talking with them again. We all left at the same time, but we are faster, so got well ahead of them. We stopped at the 17 mile point to get water, and they went by us while we were in the store. We thought we would catch up with them again, but that is when we discovered the first flat. We had just left the store when something felt funny. Sure enough, the back tire was going flat. We fixed that, and rode about another five miles when Ron felt the front tire going flat. That one got fixed in short order, and we were on our way again. At about the 25 mile point, we caught up with our friends again as they were stopping for lunch and we were stopping for water. They don't eat on the bike like we do, so they have to make the traditional meal stops. It was sad when we left them to their lunch. They are wonderful people, and we will not see them again. They are taking the northern route to Seattle which finishes their "round the world bike ride", and we are going south to stay with L&C. We hope to hear from them by e-mail, but that won't be quite enough. They are an exciting family, and were fun to meet. The weather today was a real mixed bag. When we started, it was cool and sprinkling. The temperature was in the low 50's. By the time we met out friends on the road, we were taking clothes off, and it wasn't long before the temperature was in the high 70's. The wind was strong to start with, but decided to be kind. It clocked to a helping side wind, and the force went down quite a bit. We were able to make some decent time for the first time in three days. The end of the ride was spectacular - the sun was out, the temperature was perfect and the wind was light. If we had had those conditions all day, we would have averaged at least 15 mph. The scenery today was definitely changing. It is becoming more rugged, and there are some hills. We had our first significant climb of the day coming into Havre. We crossed the Milk River several times, but since we are now below the dam, it is really only a creek. However, it has become a friend, so every time we see the sign on the bridge identifying it, we smile. We spent a lot of time along side the Bear Paw Mountains. They were to our left, and were far enough away that they looked like the hills around Santa Rosa. However, it was clear that they are mountains. The sky was very big today, after the storm passed, and it was green as far as you can see. There were some puffy clouds in the sky, and the whole effect was picture postcard pretty. There is a lot of train activity along Highway 2. A train goes by about every 45 minutes or so, and they are fairly long. LaValle counted the cars on two of them today, and they were both 98 cars long. LaValle was waving at the engineers, and invariably they would blow the whistle for her. That Was a lot of fun. It is interesting to note that these trains are primarily piggyback, and it appears they are taking containers to and from the ports. Only one of the trains was different, and we saw an Amtrak special go flying through. It was not a long train, however. It was maybe 10 cars long. Havre is the most sophisticated town we have seen since Bismarck. We haven't seen a lot here, but there is just a much more prosperous feel here. Gambling is prevalent throughout Montana, and there is a lot of it here. There are several very nice motels, and there is even a bike shop - this is more than a cow town. Halliburton has an operation here, so there must be a lot of oil activity somewhere close by. Unfortunately, we won't have time to explore the town. We have to get an early start tomorrow, for we have a very long day to get into Great Falls. It will be at least a ride of 120 miles, and there are supposed to be some hills. We also don't know what the wind will do! As this is being written, the finishers are starting to roll into Willowside School to finish the Terrible Two. We understand that it is very hot, and we really hope that everyone finishes safely. Our thoughts are with the participants and the volunteers, and hope that each and every one of you is successful in what you are doing today. We also hope our flat tires saved some participants some mechanicals, and we also hope you all felt a little of the cool weather we experienced today. Congratulations to all - we miss being there! That's it for today. You will hear from us from Great Falls (Too bad there aren't any falls there any more!). Ron Note from LaValle... Train tracks run parallel to Hwy 2 almost the entire length of the road from the Montana/North Dakota border to Havre where we're staying tonight. Once again our motel backs on to those tracks and this will be the fourth night we'll be sleeping or trying to sleep while the trains go by in the night. It makes me smile though because I think of the movie My Cousin Vinny and the trains that ran at night in that film. The Huang family will be finishing their ride in 14 days. Their original plan was to be in Seattle on August 8. They are an amazing family, having bicycled Western Europe 4 years ago. I feel truly privileged to have met them. Not part of the photos today are the two badgers Ron pointed out running across the road and then heading back towards us. I've never seen a badger outside of a zoo. Adding to that same "not seen in the wild" list were antelopes, yesterday and the day before, one each day. This journey has been exceptional on many levels and I'm very appreciative to be able to do it. Photos Sportsman Motel - Malta, MT Malta Train Station