Day 47

104 Miles
I don't think it was humanly possible to pack up faster than I did that morning. The mosquitoes were still out in full force. I packed up as quickly as possible. And met Oak at the nearest convenience store and began to eat while we waited for Lily.
We headed out for the day. We ran into numerous cyclists along the way. Lily's excitement for other cyclist intrigued me. It was kind of contagious. She would chat with any we passed. There would be food, shelter, and terrain information exchanged as well as stories. The frequent run ins with other cyclists meant that we spent a good portion of the day riding together versus the several miles the separated us between our normal stops. It was a nice way to break up the day.
Near noon we took shade with some other cyclists traveling West to East. They had done many travels. We ate lunch with Scott and Katie at a local cafe. It was nice. Lily was especially excited because they had spent a day or two with a cyclist that Lily had ridden with a day or so back in Minnesota. He was a day or so ahead of us. Lily was hoping we could catch up to him. Scott and Katie shared with us their stories and Lily videoed them for the documentary she was making. Katie was a cancer survivor and they were taking their trip across country at a very relaxed pace as a result. Truly great people. Their website and blog here:  http://www.mountainworks.blogspot.com/ We warned them of the mosquitoes ahead and parted ways.
We rode hilly plains. The wind was in our strong but we pedaled on through it. We passed through more reservation land. The roadways were busy as there was a Pow-Wow going on. We discussed going to it at one such stop we made. But Oak especially wanted to press on. He was only 100 or so miles from where he'd be leaving us and heading North. At one gas station I was asked the usual questions, and one guy took it a bit further and asked if I had a boyfriend. I chuckled and said no. He asked if I wanted an Indian boyfriend and ask if I was wanted to go to the Pow-Wow. However flattered I declined and told of my day of travel still only half through.
We made it to Havre, MT, a city of about 9500 people. There was a big downhill into town. And it felt great to just coast for the first time in what seemed like days. We spent a good deal of time relaxing and debating where we would stay for the night. It was evening and at 90+ miles I was ready to be done for the day. There were several options for camping, and we had heard tell of free camping at some park in town. Oak really wanted to push out a few more miles. Lily and I agreed to do that for him. The locals in Havre were the only locals anywhere who seemed to think of us as bums rather than exalted travelers. At least 5 different people offered one or all of us their change. Their generosity was sweet but we didn't need their change or pity. This was an exciting choice and not a lot in life. We ran into some more cyclists. One of which Lily and Oak had both ridden with. He was an interesting character. We also talked to a couple with matching spandex. They told us there was nothing ahead of us for 30 miles. We had enough water and food that we figured we could risk it and just wild camp if necessary.

Hilly plains of Montana

The only problem with riding down a hill into town on the plains is the equally gruelling hill that must be climbed to get out of town. We climbed the very steep hill out of town and pushed on. The skies were darkening and the winds were kicking up. Lightning crashed on the horizon. 12 miles out of town we came to a bar just as the rains started and the winds whipped around us. We went inside. They had food! Yes! We ordered pizza. Lily and I shared and Oak enjoyed one to himself. We refreshed ourselves with soda and water. In talking with the people in the bar, the owner offered to let us camp in the freshly mowed field next to the house.This proved more than adequate.
We set up camp and settled in for the night. It was still light. But my legs were exhausted. I slept through the thunder that offered up very little rain.