everlasting ups and downs

it was a tough day.

we pedaled from the llama farm to helena, climbing up a long, 8-mile road, leaving 1,800 feet of elevation below us, with another long climb before falling into montana’s capital.

for the second day in a row, the roads were terrible. gullied, potholed; demanding one’s complete attention.

going up is slow and just when you think the reward and exhilaration of going down is at hand, the road makes any movement with celerity impossible.

your brakes whine, your upper arms ache, you brain can’t process the information the road surface is sending it.

you want to go fast. you deserve to go fast because you just spent 2-hours of your life climbing up that fucking hill and all you can do is look for a line in the dirt that avoids1-foot deep potholes and 2-foot deep ravines.

i was pretty cooked by the time we arrived at the divide bike shop. my beargrease needed a little tlc and got it with a good, old fashioned bottom bracket cleaning and a new rear brake rotor. the mechanic tried to jones me into a new cassette and chain, but i arrived in helena on a bike, and not a turnip truck.

once we decided to overnight in helena, we had some difficulty finding bikepacker-friendly accommodations. part of the problem is calling a business and they don’t answer, or calling a business and leaving a message, and they don’t call back.

seems like a poor business model.

that said, we pitched our tents on a shadeless, sun-baked patch of ground at “mtb city”, which could use some “softening”, but which has a 60-foot cell tower and i am rocking on four bars right now.

riding from the bike shop to mtb city gave me an opportunity to practice my urban biking skills, which means pedaling in traffic and exhibiting complete disdain for everyone that isn’t me.

it worked good at the u of mn, all those years ago and it seems to still be with me.

hope i sleep. not sure why the tower is humming though…maybe there’s wi-fi.