"Days Go By"

I know that I am not going to do Theodore Roosevelt National Park its justice, so you really should go visit it. It was breathtakingly beautiful and the park is wonderful. We arrived at the park in the early afternoon and, due to park fees, had to be shuttled to our campsite. I was in the second shuttle so I got to hang out in the visitor center, watch a couple videos, and chat with the girl that was working there for the summer.

Once we were at the actual campsite, a few of us decided to go exploring, and possibly go for a hike. After walking around for a little bit, we decided to attempt hiking to the top of a "butte", or whatever they call them, and get a panoramic view of the park. I was a little bit hesitant at first because there wasn't a trail, but since others were doing it, I did it too, and I am so glad I did. It was another awesome moment on Bike and Build. It's crazy to think that prior to this summer, a 45 minute hike would have been my workout for the day, not something I did at the end of a 70 mile bike ride. Just Crazy.

After a lovely night (I opted to sleep in the van) of camping, we woke up at 5 to hit the road. Little did we know that 2 minutes after hitting said road, we would come across 2 different bison herds that we would have to wait out. This is where my writing will not do the scene justice. But, just imagine 20 cyclists having stare-downs with 50 buffalo as they try to cross the road; it was priceless and definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There are some pretty good videos that will be up at some point.

Following that little adventure to get the day started, we had 90 more miles until Culbertson, MT. Doesn't it just sound western? That ride was a really good ride and the easiest 95 mile ride day we have had so far. The best part of the day was coming into Culbertson when we crossed the Missouri River; it was one of the moments when they surroundings and scenery are completely overwhelming. To the right were the reminants of mountains, to the left was a widening river bed where everything was green, and below us was the valley containing Culbertson.

A lovely spread of food was awaiting us in Culbertson and it was much appreciated because it feels likes it's been a while since we've had such hospitality. I also got to do a couple loads of our laundry at a local's house and get a ride back in his thunderbird; another random, fun event. We also had a really good affordable housing discussion that night and it was neat so have all of us thinking of ways to improve the system.

After Culbertson, we had 2 easy days of riding. The first one was 55 miles and the second one was 49. The second one was particularly awesome because we had a tailwind and covered the 50 miles in just over 2 hours, so for the first time this trip, I averaged over 20 mph. It was so fun to go that fast all day. I have a feeling our joy ride ends here, in Glascow, MT, though, but it was sure fun while it lasted.