In today's video, I answer the FAQ: "what do you pack for a trip like this?" This video is for the truly curious or those planning a bicycle touring trip as I show you item-by-item exactly what's in my trailer.
Now on to the journey.
After waiting a few days for the smoke to subside, and after an enthusiastic visit to the Adventure Cycle Association headquarters in Missoula, I decided to go ahead and set out on the next leg of my journey.
That turned out to be a bad decision. This should have been one of the most refreshing parts of the trip as there is a paved bicycle trail from Missoula to Hamilton. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate.
The danger started with startling gusts of cross-winds. They were short lived, so kept waiting them out each time the winds picked up on an open stretch. It rained just enough to make the floating forest fire cinders stick like glue to everything--my arms and legs, my displays, my trailer, and my sunglasses. Then Ebonezy alerted me that the cross-wind was more steady by whistling like fleet of out-of-tune tea kettles.
Finally I had to stop and huddle up in a ditch. Up ahead I saw a corridor of sky filled with dense dust and massive tree branches floating by. It was a narrow corridor of wind setting flight to debris, then dropping it across the 4-lane highway. It reminded me of a tornado, but it just was a straight line of wind in a very narrow corridor. I was a few yards back, and though it was a windy, it was peaceful compared to the violence just a few yards away.
After about 15 minutes, Vanessa pulled up in her pick-up and invited me to take shelter. I accepted. She explained this happens sometimes. For 30 minutes or so, we had a heart-felt conversation about travel and adventure. I also learned she had lost her husband of 45 years, Patrick, to cancer less than a month ago.
Then, in the blink of an eye, it was calm. The storm was over. Vanessa hopped out of the truck, helped me remove the large limbs from a stretch of bike path about 25 yards long, and we said our goodbyes.
The rest of the journey to Hamilton was more smooth, though I did have to work around many fallen trees blocking the path. And then just one mile before my stopping point, the wind picked up again and it began to rain. The cross-wind was so strong I had to walk the final half mile or so. Shortly after I arrived, the lightning and storms began. Thankfully, I'd planned a hotel this night.
I was startled by my reflection when I walked into my room. I looked twice. It was as though I was greeting someone who had just emerged from a coal mine. My face and arms were blackened with soot. My eyes were caked with black clots at the corners. And that's when I realized my lungs had faced the same smoky conditions and felt like they were on fire.
The forecast predicts calm weather will prevail tomorrow, and that following the rain, the smoke will die down and the air quality will allow people to resume outdoor activities. I hope so!
I rode out the unexpected wind storm but once it subsided I had to stop at least a dozen times to clear branches off of the bike path or find a way around the larger trees that fell. Also, check out the cargo trailer that I bought in Missoula to replace the dog-crate-on-wheels that I'd been using for my cargo. In spite of the strong winds, the trailer handling was noticeably smoother.
