Emerging from the Valley

Good Ole Muralts’ Travel Center. I stayed at the Day’s Inn, a part of the Center, on June 15th and 16th, 2013, giving me one full day to do laundry and recover. It was Father’s Day, so I talked to my dad and my son and my sweet granddaughters on the phone. Then, while my laundry was whooshing around in the motel washer, I decided to run stairs. I have been running stairs regularly since I was about 16. But, since starting this cycling trek, my knees were not happy with stairs, so I haven’t run stairs in 2 1/2 months. My knees have been doing better so I thought, “Why not?” So, I ran 100 flights. I used to run 200 flights at the Carlsbad High School about 3 days a week. So, 100 flights in a motel with a short staircase should be a piece of cake. Right? So I thought. 

Oh yeah. It was easy and I was jacked up with pleasure for the wondrous strength of my powerhouse thighs. 

Until I awakened the next morning to quads so sore I could hardly walk! And I had to cycle that day to Drummond, a distance of about 60 miles! Yikes! So, at every break, I slowly climbed off HD and walked stiffly and slowly, as if I had a corncob. Well, you get the picture. My right thigh was barely working and every step I took I had to extend the knee to use the jointlock technique to bear my weight. While I could cycle, relying substantially on glutes and hamstrings, the quadriceps were definitely in malfunction mode. I could cycle up a mountain with a 250 lb load. But couldn’t run half the stairs that I ran 3 months ago. 

What a wake up call. So, I am adding regular squats to my exercise routine and possibly iron mikes. And toe raises, because even my calves were whining. 

The soreness lasted two days. 

On the way to Drummond, I stopped at a little burg with a gas station/store and met “Jeff”. He is a cyclist who was enjoying the great day’s weather and getting in a ride from Missoula to his home town in the hills, and back. He is employed as a regional something or other for Starbucks (purchasing manager??), based out of Missoula. He is on the road quite a bit and is a returning resident. He grew up in a small town about 30 miles from Missoula but moved around a bit upon reaching adulthood and getting an education. He had been living in Los Angeles and returned to the area one year ago. He loves nature, quietness, and cycling. He enjoys traveling but says that his gemini personality has not been conducive to a steady girlfriend relationship. He is not sure what he wants to do next, but he does know that he wants to traverse the USA on his cycle and then on to Europe to do the same. He was whip-cord thin, like a serious cyclist. A very nice guy!

I reached Drummond in the late afternoon. It was a strip of town of bars, a restaurant, a little hometown market, and two gas stations. About 1/3 mile down the road from town is the Drummond City Park, next to a little river known for its good fishing. The City Park has a few unmonitored campsites, a pit toilet, and water pipes that used to work at one time. The cost was $10 per site, but $15 for electrical hookup. The electrical boxes, however, were locked with a padlock, so basically, it was $10, honor system. I set up my tent, went back into town to the gas station to get change, came back, and put the $10 in an envelope and stuck it through the drop box slot. I did my exercises and ate my food that I had brought from Muralts bakery, breakfast bar, and convenience store. 

It was a quiet night and I awakened at first light--about 4 am! At 5 am, I got up and packed up my gear, riding into town by 6 am. After a cup of joe, I was on the road by 6:30 and was hoping to reach Butte, Montana. It meant a 70 mile ride, including a grade ascent to Butte. 

Part of the ride was on the interstate and several miles of frontage roads. Thunderstorms raged on all sides, but not on me. The wind picked up and the going got very tough. I thought I would head into Anaconda on hwy 48 but the wind was worse and I could see lightning just ahead, so I turned around and got back on the frontage road. After a few miles of that, the frontage road pavement stopped and roadworkers pointed me toward Anaconda! I guess the signs were there---onward to Anaconda! (Cool name, huh?). So, I went there via the town of Opportunity, a little neighborhood of farms. I passed signs for the burgs of Wisdom and Hope.

Seven miles later, I rolled into Anaconda, whose main industry is copper mining. I checked into the Tradewinds Motel, and took a very welcome, and needed, shower. I walked a block to the grocery store and picked up tortilla chips, an avocado, Tillamook pepper jack cheese, a salad, and a piece of red velvet cake. Boy, did I feast that night!!

I also talked to Peter on the phone. (I have mentioned Peter, haven’t I?).

Anyway, I awakened this morning, June 19th, to clouds but no rain. I cycled the 25 miles to the Butte KOA and set up camp by about 1:00 pm. I did my exercises and then came into the laundry room to write on these blogs, as the sky was darkening. Within a few minutes, the rain began and continued for several hours. It finally stopped and now I am drying a few things. The stuff inside the tent was actually dry! But, I had left my pillow on the seat and I decided to dry the covering rainflap for the tent. 

Next, I think I will walk to the store and pick up some dinner. It’s only half a mile away and I could use the exercise.

Slacker!