September 6, 2024 – The Hell Crick

    Crick. That's how they say creek here in Montana. That's one of their signature words, and they love saying it. They find an excuse to say crick. I guess that's one of the things that set these Montanans apart from everyone else in our great country. All jokes aside, at the Hell Creek Bar and Grill in Jordan, MT I ordered a huge hamburger called the Cowboy Burger. It's a big ole burger with thick-cut slices of bacon, a fried onion ring with melted cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, raw onion, and bar-b-Que sauce to tope it off! Can you say MmmMmmm good?! To make it even better, I had an order of fresh-cut, beer-battered french fries. I was in hog heaven last night. The meal boosted my morale from the major suck of the day's travels.

    After eating, I went up to the bar to pay and talked with a man named Shay. We discussed my travel plans for the coming week. He said he wouldn't be caught dead on a pedal bike on the highway. It's like being a turtle racing and fighting with a group of cheetahs. He also warned me about the back roads, saying that I need to take a rifle with me, a bunch of jerky, and a bunch of water. He was trying to sway my decision to get off 200S and ride the back roads of Montana. Shay never has rode a pedal bike on the highway, so he really doesn't know what it's like having a big-rig fly by you going upwards of 80 mph. But I took what he said to heart, and I loaded up on food and water. 

    I set off today headed to Sandy Springs, MT on back roads (I believe I was on CR 465). The 200S route is about 33 miles long to Sandy Springs, and the back roads are about 46 miles long. I was willing to ride the extra 13 miles to stay off Highway 200S. Maybe this will show you how much I hate riding on highways. Even so, I still had to get on 200S for about 7.5 miles to make it to Sandy Springs. I met a crew of locals at the convenient store. They are in their early golden years, and they also swayed my decision to stay off the back roads. So, I gave in to their advice, and got back on 200S in Sandy Springs. I rode to Mosby this evening. The traffic on this 20 mile stretch wasn't as bad as yesterday, but my heart is still telling me to stick to the back roads. I just feel way more at ease, joyful, and creative when I ride the back roads. So, tomorrow, I will see where the cycling gps sends me and whether I will stay on 200S or ride the Montana frontier. God bless and good night!