1000 km

After 14 days and 1000 km on the Great Divide a routine is slowly developing. 

The day begins usually before sunrise, as Nature around me and sometimes urban environment wake up. What’s for breakfast? Nutella on bread, Nutella on crackers, Nutella on Naan, you get the idea. Sometimes this gets improved with some jam or other surprises like a banana out of my bear canister. Freshly purified water and breakfast is served. 

The weather has been fantastic for the last two weeks. It was above 30 C   During the day in Canada, too hot riding in the middle of the day. So I stopped in libraries or under a tree for a nap, some writing, a snack, or a big meal, when in town. 

Margaritas and enchiladas on the Divide

In the beginning food was an obsession. Do I have enough, where is the next place to eat. In the meantime I am more relaxed. It has always worked out so far. I can ride all day with a protein bar, if necessary. Yesterday I arrived in Butte, MT, with no food left. No big deal. 

Water was plentiful in Canada, as we were following streams. Now the route often follows ridges with less surface water. I still have only one 1 l bottle, that replenish during the day. The water filter works great and is absolutely necessary. Half of the trip through Montana crosses cow pastures, mooh. 

I am going slower than most of the riders that I meet. But I make my miles every day, arriving just later than most. I have averaged 60 km a day. Some days I finish around 6 PM, which gives me time to read about the next day and contemplate about the moments of today’s stage. One night I stopped at ten, just enough time setup the tent and crawl into the sleeping bag. 

For the last three nights I slept under the stars, no tent. That’s good because there were no mosquitoes and no rain, off course. 

Today, I will take a rest day, explore funky Butte, stock up on Nutella and such and have another cooked me before heading South. 

Ride on.