Big Ride Day 16

Photos from Day 16

Since it was such a short day, I had a nice relaxing morning and ended up not getting underway until around 8:00 AM. It seemed like we had a tailwind the entire day. I was engrossed in conversation with Doug and we got to checkpoint before I even realized. Each day there is a checkpoint at the halfway point that is set up by a really nice couple from upstate New York. They have a big RV and they always set up a huge spread using leftovers from the previous night's dinner plus some stuff of their own. It's just wonderful to have that in the middle of the ride each day -- it really breaks things up and provides a needed boost in the middle of a long day. Usually the checkpoint is in a small town or a park or something but this particular day, it was in the middle of nowhere. It really struck me funny because people were driving by on this road that is normally deserted and there were a bunch of cyclists eating at what really appeared to be a catered party. We even have our own bathrooms each day at the checkpoint. To someone driving by on this deserted road, it must look really strange. We had a few people drive by very slowly and look at us strangely. We usually have a great time at checkpoint at our little mid-ride party. After checkpoint, it was an easy cruise to Hardin. I got in in plenty of time to enjoy some of the sights around town. There was a tour bus to see Little Big Horn and I decided to take advantage of that. The battlefield itself was really unremarkable but the talk they gave and the museum were both well worth the trip. I never really knew the full story of Custer's last stand and seeing all that was really a learning experience.

After that, I walked around the town. The downtown looked just like a real Western town from the movies with all the storefronts lined up on Main Street. It was really cute. The only thing that seemed out of place was the smoothie shop where I bought a drink. There was a little movie theater that they had opened up just for the riders and a bunch of people were there watching a move. After dinner, we had a talent show. It was great! There are a lot of neat talented people in our group. Some sang real songs, some sang made-up songs and some did little skits. Some even danced. Our bike tech's daughter read a story too. It was really great. My knees have really been hurting me lately so I went to Chris, the bike tech for a fit check. Chris is an amazing mechanic -- so knowledgeable and infinitely patient. He actually invented parts of the Fit Kit and owns the company. That is amazing to me. He fit me but really couldn't find too much wrong. He just made a few small adjustments. We didn't finish up until 10:00 PM and I didn't get to sleep until 11:00. We'll see how the new fit works tomorrow!

This page modified November 25, 2000