Route: Jordan
to Mosby (Day 15), Mosby to Winnett, Montana (Day 16)
I did not have cell phone coverage or Internet access
between Jordan and Winnett, which meant that I could not update this blog until
now. I experienced withdrawal symptoms
from being disconnected for 2 days and regularly checked my iPhone, hoping “no
service” would change to at least a weak connection. But it’s just too remote out here for
AT&T to invest in cell towers, I guess.
I traveled all over the world in my 20’s without a cell phone or
Internet access and don’t remember being bothered. In fact, I liked the feeling of being truly
out of touch back then. But I’ve changed
and feel pressure to stay in touch with my “contacts” and respond in less than
a day to e-mails I receive. When Sho,
Saya and I ate at a local restaurant in Winnett, I noticed that all the other
patrons were talking with one another.
No one was lost in a mobile device…
We cycled around 80 miles over the past 2 days, appreciating
Montana’s big sky, sprawling ranches and stimulating views. We continued to collect roadkill data,
finding more snakes than before, several deer and even an elk. There were no sources of food or water on the
55-mile stretch between Jordan and the rest stop at Mosby, but we were
prepared, carrying a day and a half of meals with us. We ate lunch at a picnic table beside a
closed gas station and set up our tent behind the rest area in Mosby, which
gave us access to a water fountain and bathrooms. The night was clear, and the stars shone
brightly after the sky darkened around 10 p.m.
Living in New York City, I miss the night sky without
light pollution. The Milky Way’s crowded
collection of galaxies formed a majestic path above; the big dipper
seemed almost painted in relief; and Orion’s belt shimmered like a crest of
diamonds. Sho and Saya still get excited
by the simple experience of lying back and observing the slowly moving array of
balls of gas burning billions of miles away.
It’s a memory all children should have.
Before falling asleep in our tent, we read from the Journals
of Lewis & Clark. I began with the
sections from July 14 in 1804 and 1805, exactly 207 and 208 years ago. Then the kids asked me to read the sections
from their birthdays (Jan 11 for Sho, and Oct 20 for Saya). In the January, 1805 entry, the expedition
members were in Fort Mandan in present day North Dakota. Meriwether Lewis wrote, “last night was
excessively Cold the Murkery [mercury] this morning Stood at 40 degrees below
0…” A man and a 13-year-old boy from the
local Indian tribe got lost in the previous day’s hunt and had to sleep outside
wearing only antelope leggings, moccasins and a buffalo robe. When they survived, Lewis noted, “Customs
& the habits of those people has anured [them] to bare more Cold than I thought
it possible for a man to endure.” Sho
and Saya agreed that our cycling trip is easy compared to what that boy went
through.
We shared dinner with several cyclists we met in Winnett who
are traveling across the U.S. on tandem bicycles. I enjoyed their friendly company and the
opportunity to talk about our ride with people who don’t think we are strange
for doing it.
Here are some pics:
Interesting striations along the roadside
Our tent in Mosby, MT
Sho and Saya (with her sourpuss face) with Hillary and Eric, friendly cyclists we met in Mosby
Roadside yoga is a great way to stretch out after hours of cycling
Sho and Saya with our wonderful dinner companions in Winnett. Adventure cyclists from Seattle: Margaret and Kurt Vance, Devon Hodges, Eric Swanson
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