Things were a little more interesting today. Because I only had 75 miles planned for today, I felt like I had a little more time to look for good photo opportunities. But I also felt like there were more natural photo opportunities along the way. Regardless, I have more interesting photos for today.

But before I get to that, I have to confess: I now have a gap in my coast-to-coast adventure. (I have been very diligent in making sure there were no gaps, always starting each day's ride precisely where I had ended the evening before.) Anyway, there was an active highway construction zone between Jordan and Brockway. There was a pilot car leading traffic through the active part of the construction zone and I could not convince the pilot car driver to let me ride it. I tried and she just wasn't having it. She made me put my bike in the back of her Ford Ranger and she shuttled me through the one-mile stretch. I did have the option to go back after 6pm to ride that one mile, but it's not worth a 70-mile drive (one way) to ride that one mile.

Lailla, Carrie, and Sherri found a nice rest area not far from the aforementioned construction zone. They brought out the camp chairs and hung out for a good portion of the day while I was riding. They caught up with me in the afternoon just a couple miles from my planned stopping point for the day.

On to some photos.

My first set of pictures requires a little explanation. Not too long after my start from Jordan, Montana, I encountered a cool phenomena. The green glass insulators on the power lines were glowing brightly from the morning sun. They looked like beautiful green gems on each power pole. Alas, the pictures didn't show it very well, but it was quite beautiful in person. Lailla, Carrie, and Sherri commented on it too when they picked me up in the afternoon.



I also took a couple morning landscape photos. The morning light just makes colors more vibrant and the shadows add character.



Finally, just a few random shots I took today.
I liked the purple prairie clover on the roadsides.

I actually entered somebody's property to get this photo. The gate was open and I saw no signs warning against it...and nobody around to yell at me.

This was one of many train trestles I saw today and I believe it was the longest one.

Comments

  1. Rob TAugust 26, 2025 at 1:24 PM

    Beautiful country in its own right. And I wouldn't get upset about one dinky mile. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. MetteAugust 27, 2025 at 3:07 AM

    When you are done with your coast to coast (less one mile 😜), you should seriously consider renting a room of some sort and do a photo exhibition and maybe throw in a session where you tell about your experience. With that many bike people in Colorado I would assume quite a crowd would show up. You have beautiful and unusual pictures already and a lot to tell.
    A friend of mine went back to his childhood stay in South Africa, took a lot of pictures and made an exhibition. Many people showed up.
    Just saying.
    Stay safe on the interstate. Good thing about ND is the flat area - you can see approaching cars for several minutes😝

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CraigAugust 27, 2025 at 6:31 AM

      Thanks for the support, but I don’t think my adventure is that unique nor that extraordinary. And my photos are just smartphone snapshots. I’ll be happy if people read the blog and post a comment every now and then. 😉

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I finally decided to do it. For years, I have mulled over the idea of riding my bike from coast to coast across the USA. This year, I'm going to do it! I'm well into the planning stages at this point. I've purchased the Northern Tier, North Lakes, and Lake Erie Connector detailed riding maps from Adventure Cycling Association. I poured over those maps and decided where my rest days are likely going to be, where I can "go rogue" and veer off their suggested route to save considerable miles, and so on. I've set a start date, an average daily mileage target, and figured out where my rest days will likely be spent. I purchased a new touring bike — a Trek Domane AL 4, for those keeping tabs on such things — and have been working on outfitting it appropriately. Although not a necessity, I wanted to pick a non-profit that could benefit from my ride. Having talked to others who have completed such a ride, people sometimes ask how they can support the rider or their ca...
Read more
Image
Whoa, back the truck up! Who am I? Why am I doing this? What's going on? Who's on first? One of my goals for writing this online journal is to introduce myself to people I meet along the way, not just those who know me prior to this adventure. Here is my quick introduction. My name is Craig. I’m 60 years old and married. I have a daughter, son-in-law, & two grandkids (a granddaughter & a grandson). I live in a small mountain town in Colorado, where, in addition to biking, I like to ski, hike, & paddleboard. I am a lifelong cyclist & I’ve had it on my bucket list for some time to ride across the US. So the time is now! I am riding from Anacortes, Washington, to Portland, Maine, which is a little over 3,700 miles and it will take me about 9 weeks to complete. I'm planning to average about 75 miles per day and I will take a rest day every 6 to 10 days. I will ride through 11 US states and one Canadian province to complete this ride. I am journaling about my rid...
Read more
Image
Here is a rough estimate of my schedule for the ride: Washington : August 7th - August 12th and a rest day in Spokane after 6 days of riding 421 miles. Four significant passes crossed: Washington Pass (5477'), Loup Loup Pass (4020'), Wauconda Pass (4310'), and Sherman Pass (5575'). Idaho : August 14th - August 15th (two partial days). About 72 miles in Idaho and I'll just spend the night of August 14th in the state. Montana : August 15th - August 28th and a rest day in Great Falls; total distance through Montana is 845 miles in 14 days. One significant pass: Logan Pass (6664') is the Continental Divide in the middle of Glacier National Park on Going-to-the-Sun Road. North Dakota : August 28th - September 3rd and a rest day in Bismark, ND; total distance through North Dakota is 406 miles. Flat and straight and I hope I don't have headwinds. Minnesota : September 3rd - September 6th; total distance through Minnesota is 284 miles. The distance and duration thro...
Read more