Day 10: Havre to Saco

Will

Sunday morning was Sunny as ever. Not a cloud in the sky even. I was awoken at 7 as the bikers departed the room. Meanwhile, I found a quaint church to attend an early mass. Most of the pews were empty and there was no musical accompaniment. I think it lasted a total of 40 minutes, but hey, it counts.

I quickly reconnected with the bikers after getting some food at the local grocery store. It was still early when I found them taking their first "mini break" on the side of the road to rest the legs and get some water. I decided I'd meet them about 15 miles up in Dodson, a small town with the population of 124.

Now, because I had finished my mileage early, I felt as though going for a short bike ride would be fun. So I unhitched Wes' extra road bike from the rack and set off to the west on U.S. route 2. The headwind was incredibly difficult to overcome. I must have been going about 14-16 miles per hour at best. It was hard work and after about 12 minutes I took off my heavy cotton shirt. Finally I reconnected with them after 28 minutes of riding. I turned around and headed back to Dodson. After 15 minutes with them, Will needed to take a pit stop, so I pushed on to Dodson, looking to get in a solid hour of cycling. I sped past Dodson at 48 minutes going at least 25 miles per hour. The tailwind made it feel like I was flying. With a smooth road and a good rhythm, I felt as though I was flying. I turned around at 55 minutes expecting to get back at 65 minutes. I underestimated the wind and returned at 70 minutes just in time to see off Will and Wes. I covered a total of 23 miles.

Wes

The final checkpoint of the day was in a nice town of Malta, MT. I found a parking spot under a large tree and went for a stroll along the river on a trail called Trafton Trail, which was shaded from the sun. I called my parents to pass the time and just check in with home life. There was a cool old bridge that marked the beginning of it.

The final destination for the day happened to be in a small town of Saco. Once again, the duo achieved a century. making it 10 centuries in a row! I took off my shirt before I hopped in the shower and was suprised by a nice sunburn. Maybe an hour without my shirt in the sun wasn't such a good idea after all. I haven't gotten a burn this bad since I was a little kid. Learned my lesson though.

The only place to get food in Saco on a Sunday was at the local bar. The options were endless, from a frozen pizza to a pre-made burger, and nothing more. The atmosphere was far from friendly. When everybody dresses in jeans, a cowboy hat and a flannel and you're walking in wearing shorts, sandals and a t-shirt, you attract attention.