Day 34, July 3, 2019

Lunch in Saco

Henry's notes:

Day 34: We were all a little dispirited to check out of the elegant restored boutique hotel (Rundle Suites) in Glasgow. Breakfast was surprisingly good at the casino cafe across the street. We resumed our westerly course on Hwy 2. There were stretches where the shoulder was narrow, but for the most part, it was adequately wide today. The mercury did not rise above 70 degrees today, and that made the riding very pleasant. The locals warned us about traditionally heavy mosquito activity between Glasgow and Havre; it was purported to be especially intense near Saco, about 40 miles west. So we dutifully slathered on DEET shields. At our stops, we did encounter mosquitoes, but thankfully not in the numbers advertised. Perhaps the cooler temperatures and slight breeze (again in our favor from the east) kept them at bay.

Jeff caught some zzzz's at the hot springs

17 miles out from Malta, we diverged paths temporarily. Tim forged on ahead to Malta, to try to time a "hello" wave to his brother-in-law Phil Shute, who would coincidentally be riding eastbound on the Amtrak Empire Builder through Malta. Hwy 2 and the Amtrak rails are intimately parallel in Malta. The Amtrak was predictably late, allowing Tim some time to visit both the Dinosaur and Phillips County Museum in Malta. In the end, Tim was able to make eye contact with Phil and do the wave as the train rolled by.

The other 3 detoured slightly to Sleeping Buffalo Hot Springs, 1.5 miles off Hwy 2. After an extensive facility facelift and repairs, the locals told us it was worth a visit. 3 pools with temperatures of 106, 85, and 45. Very relaxing, and we all ended up napping in deck chairs there. Revitalized, we hopped back onto our bikes and finished out the remaining 17 miles to meet Tim in Malta. Dinner was at the hotel restaurant. Dessert was acquired from the Albertsons' freezer case. Haagen Dazs pints were $3.99 each, but $1.99 each if 2 were purchased. Not hard to surmise what happened next.

Logistics were discussed for tomorrow's ride on the 4th of July, as many stores and restaurants will likely be closed on our way to Havre, about 90 miles west.



Maps of today's ride:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3809820759

https://www.relive.cc/view/u3644312596

More pictures:

Highway 2 is called the Hi-Line in Montana. It has a personality all its own and Montanans are proud of it.

Dinosaurs are everywhere on the Hi-Line

Tim's dinner. He drinks a quart of milk at a time, usually chocolate