Day 6: August 10th, 2007

Distance: 79.1 mi.
Time in Motion: 5:06:08
Average: 15.6 mph
Max Speed: 27.4 mph
Miles of climbing: 31.0 mi
Miles of flat: 14.92 mi
Miles of descent: 33.07 mi

This morning I was very pleased to wake up to a dry, as opposed to the usual dew-soaked, tent.  The air was pleasant and calm.

After a breakfast of French toast I headed south of Rugby on highway 30.  The partly cloudy sky to the east was growing bright as sunrise neared.  But right in front of me, to the south, was a black wall, streaked with lightning.  I was quite worried about the weather.  That black wall did not look safe. 

But other bikers were passing me, heading straight into it like lemmings walking over a cliff, one after another.  Being unsure what to do, I decided to join them and I began my ride south.

The first few miles were very pleasant.  Here are snapshots from the beginning of the ride:

• A rest stop at a bison ranch
• Another rest stop. Still no storm (yet)
• Waiting for a train to pass

Then it started to sprinkle.  The storm really hit after I rolled through Anamoose, on toward Drake, and down to Butte.  The rain was torrential!  I could hardly see the road at time.  Sweat kept on washing into my eyes, causing quite a sting.

I stopped at “Elaine’s Garden Stop,” a rest stop at a farmer’s house.  The woman (Elaine, I suppose) who lives there has restored an old one-room schoolhouse.  I, along with an ever-increasing number of bikers, took shelter in the schoolhouse. 

At one point I was about to hop on my bike and brave the rain.  I changed my mind when the rain turned to hail.  The little schoolhouse was getting crowded with wet bikers. Because of the growing crowd, I left when the hail stopped.  But it was still pouring rain as I rode away from the rest stop on my way to Butte.

The last eleven miles were some of the most adventurous and, maybe, dangerous miles I’ve ever pedaled (sorry, I didn't stop to take pictures).  It hailed on me.  Thankfully, nothing more than pea- to nickel-sized hail only.  But it still hurt.  The rest of the time, it just poured.  It was the lightning that really had me scared.  On both sides of the road there was very close cloud-to-ground lighting.  It was so close and loud that it made me jump every time.

As I pedaled along I laughed out loud at the storm.  It was ridiculous to be riding in that weather.  I kept going only because I was so close to my destination and the shelter I would find there. 

Finally I arrived in Butte, a tiny town of only 92 people.  As I rode into town, I ran into Vi. We chatted a bit and realized there were little piles of hail that had not yet melted, as pictured above. The Butte school closed and the buildings were sold off.  Some of them were turned into some very nice-looking apartments.  The gymnasium is now a honey factory.  The classrooms are filled with bunk beds that the owner rents out to hunters during the hunting season.  It’s nice to see these buildings not going to waste, as they often do when a school closes.

Thankfully the classrooms/hunter lodging were opened up to us bikers.  Justin was kind enough to save one of the beds for me. Here's a picture of me, soaking wet, upon arrival at the school. Once I was settled in, the sun actually came out and things started to dry out.  The piles of hail began to melt away.  I checked the forecast.  It’s supposed to storm again tonight, so I have decided to stay indoors despite the (possibly temporary) nice weather.

Butte is full of 3 or 4 churches and many businesses, but they are mostly closed.  I was surprised to see that many of the churches closed recently.  The Lutheran church closed in 2001, for example.  The Catholic church building is very tiny.  The community keeps these buildings up despite that they are no longer in use.