Hit Hwy 2 out of Williston at about 7:45 with the goal to get to Stanley so we
can have a world-famous Whirl-a-whip in honor of Dave, whom you might remember
from way back in Eureka, MT.
Winds were out of the NW today, so they sort of helped us and definitely didn't
hinder us and temps were in the low 80's for most of the day. Yesterday, I
noticed my rear tire was not holding air very well, but decided to try to milk
it as long as I could. Well, that turned out to be about 35 miles so I got to
change the tube on the shoulder with cars whizzing by. The repair, cleanup, and
water break ended up taking about an hour, as it wasn't easy to get under the
tire bead with my tire lever and getting the bead back on required Iron Fist (my
Dad) strength! Luckily, Son of Iron Fist and Laura were successful in the end
and the tire is now working magnificently again.
After lunch in Stanley at the Painted Pony, we set out for a Whirl-a-whip only
to learn that the place is closed on Sundays! Sorry, Dave, all we got was the
photo of the sign in their window, but the consolation is that some locals said
they really aren't that great anyway. We left Stanley at 3:45 pm (with 67 miles
under our belt) with an aggressive goal of doing the final 55 miles into Minot
and then getting a motel room, since we didn't get one on our rest day.
Stopped at a gas station around mile 100 and chatted with a Harley rider who was
from Philadelphia and moved out about 13 years ago. He loves the friendliness
and complete safety of Williston, which we had to agree with: Willistonians were
very friendly and helpful.
Shortly after getting back on the road, Laura got a flat (rear tire, again) and
we began to worry that it might jeopardize getting to Minot, but we got it fixed
in less than 15 minutes and managed to get to Minot by about 8:30pm.
The day's ride was another PR for us at 122 miles and also put us another day
ahead of schedule, as it was supposed to take us 2 days to get from Williston to
Minot. Thanks, David, for giving us the inspiration to follow your lead and make
the ride in a day!
Tomorrow's forecast is for low 90's with a SE wind of 15-25 mph so we might give
back some of the cushion we've built in.
Priuses today = 1.
Total Prius Count: 45
