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Necessity is the mother of invention September 9, 2008Leave a comment ;)
When you have a warm cup of coffee in hand and you are itching to get pedaling, what do you do? Well, you improvise! This is not some fancy four cup holder touring bike. This is necessity in action! Where there is a will, there is a way. The tricky part is getting it to my lips without weaving all over the road. Remember the bike safety video? Kids, don't do this at home. For that matter, don't start drinking coffee... Speaking of coffee, I forgot to mention this yesterday. While I was riding west of Columbus, I kept noticing coffee cups littering the side of the road. Not your standard, run of the meal generic coffee cup from a local convenience store, but coffee cups from McDonalds. Given that I had not seen a Mickey D's since Bozeman, it was surprising just how many there were. I counted 20 cups (complete with lids) in a little over two miles. I lost track after that. They just kept coming. And all from McDonalds. Not a single one from Starbucks. So, using this as a totally unscientific survey of the coffee industry, I would say that Starbucks should be worried about Mickey D's coffee. Maybe that is why they are closing stores... I left my folks at the RV park for points east (me) and points south (them). I followed the frontage road along I-90, crossing over the Yellowstone River for the last time. I had to judge the traffic just right, because they narrow the bridges down to no shoulder and you have to sprint to get to the other side before a semi comes barreling up the highway. Luckily I didn't become a hood ornament and eventually found the turn off to Hwy 87 and Hardin, MT. I pulled off for coffee and rigged my bike accordingly. I asked the woman behind the counter if I could expect any type of store on Hwy 87 and she quickly replied, "Not a chance." So, I bought some peanut butter crackers, made sure all four water bottles were filled and hopped on my trusty steed. Hwy 87 was such a pleasant change from the frontage road. The highway started a gradual climb out of the valley and hugged the bluffs to the east. I left a few houses behind and began a winding climb up a 6% grade. I kept looking back over my shoulder and noticing how rapidly the lush green trees along the banks of the Yellowstone River faded into the distance. And back beyond the valley, the mountains of western Montana were barely visible. I am amazed at how far I have come in such a short time. Every mile just slips by and pretty soon I have covered a large distance. I was also trying to imagine how this valley looked a couple of hundred years ago. It would be great to step back in time and see what it would have been like to have lived and grown up here years ago. Sigh.... I crested the top of the bluff and began a winding descent into a beautiful golden canyon. Sandstone cliffs lined both sides of the road and cottonwood trees were snuggled into the creek beds. It was all downhill through the canyon and across the turnoff to Chief Plenty Coups State Park. From there the land opened up into a treeless plain stretching off to the horizon, golden fields of hay on both sides of the road and bluffs rising to the north. The road took a few turns cutting through hills, with prairie dog towns popping up occasionally. Every time I heard the chirping bark of the prairie dog, I would inevitably see hawks circling overhead. I guess they knew where the good hunting occurs. Increase your chances for success by flying over a smorgasbord. High above the hawks, I caught my first glimpse of a bald eagle since leaving Neah Bay, WA. He circled effortlessly in the noon day sun and I tried getting a picture, however in vain it might have been and out of focus, but he was there! They say the eagle flies closest to the Creator, one of the reasons it is held in such high esteem by Native Americans. The road straightened and stretched out the horizon. It looked like someone had pulled a string taunt and laid it on the ground. The climbs were gradual and gave me the opportunity to pull off and take photos back into the distance. Again, I was amazed at how far I had pedaled in such a short time. This bike riding is great stuff! Hwy 87 merged alongside I-90 again and headed slightly right of my destination before angling back to the northeast. I was met at the outskirts of Hardin by a rather imposing water tower, leaving no doubt as to my location. I chose to get room here, before heading off to Crow Agency tomorrow. I plan on reaching WY by tomorrow night and pointing myself back over the Big Horns on Wednesday. I want to reach Thermopolis and the hot springs in time for my birthday! I have finally decided to take the time to get my GPS in order. I spent a better part of the afternoon trying to get customer service from Garmin. After waiting 35 minutes for my first technical service representative (and promptly losing the connection) and trying again for another 20, I finally reached Troy! Thank goodness! I dumped a myriad of problems on him and he graciously led me through a variety of software upgrades which will hopefully solve my problems. I will give it my first test run tomorrow and report back to him how it works. One of my issues dealt with the GPS locking up in map mode and having to power it down to reset. Another dealt with straight line segments appearing in the Google Earth after I upload my course for the day. It looks like I cut across people's lawns and around corners, part of the reason that my mileage has been slightly different than my Trek. So, for today's assignment, let's dig into GPS or Global Positioning System. A constellation of GPS satellites circles the earth at what altitude? Are these satellites in geosynchronous orbit (what is a geosynchronous orbit) like a lot of communications satellites? If not, are they lower or higher in orbit? For now, let's just become familiar with the satellites and where they are located. Later we will get into how they communicate with all of these GPS units running around the world in cars, airplanes, bicycles and yes, the Space Shuttle and International Space Station... More Images: ;)
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7 Comments
Sep 10, 2008 1:26 pm - shawnie wrote : Hey John, Happy birthdsy!! Your 25th one right? You look young and spry by the way. Our skies in Tulsa are drab as they are infiltrated w/ Hurricane IKE. As far as drinking coffee and cycling your are fortunate to have been wired w/ the appropriate plumbing. i have enjoyed coffee pre-ride and then oh darn it!!!! Be safe and enjoy the blue skies and the highest of flyers -the eagle...
Sep 10, 2008 11:24 am - Andrea Gilbertson wrote : Hello from Arapahoe School! We are very much looking forward to your visit!! We are planning to have you here on Monday the 15th... is this still your best guess estimate?!? By the way, you will really enjoy Thermopolis and the World's largest mineral hot springs -- a neat place! We hope you have a very happy birthday there!
Sep 10, 2008 7:08 am - Your lil sis wrote : LBB, Wow! The pictures are fabulous...I love the blue skies...looks amazingly like Central Texas! Are those wild horses? We continue to miss you, but are so proud of you! Give ma and pa hugs from us. xoxo ls
Sep 10, 2008 6:37 am - Nancy Atkinson wrote : Wow, from these pictures I'd say you are out in the absolute middle of nowhere! Keep peddling and best wishes on your trip! Nancy Atkinson
Sep 9, 2008 9:23 pm - penny wrote : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v o1_wsVwonko The link posted previously was missing an sign for some reason, so it didn't work I hope this works if all else fails on youtube search "honor song john herrington" it will come right up!
Sep 9, 2008 8:54 pm - Penny wrote : Here is the link to the Chief Cliff Singers Honoring you in Pablo on the Flathead Indian Reservation. It's such a large file I had to put it on you tube, it wouldn't go through email I tried! . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v o1_wsVwonko Add a comment: |
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They say a person on a bicycle is one of the most efficient machines invented. And what an enhancement to add in science, exercise, physiology, geography, photography, excellent writing and the drive for adventure all together. Thank you for taking us all along with you along on your journey! Absolute Inspiration!