August 9, 2015 – Sun 80 degrees

Miles Today: 102

Miles to Date: 5,484

States to Date: 21

If there is such a thing as an easy century, this is it: one hundred miles on a cloudless day with a refreshing breeze. Two long, steady assents between three even longer descents. Along the way I met up with hot air balloons giant American flags, and a Tanzanian cyclist on his way from Fairbanks to Terra del Fuego.

I rode through Manhattan, which actually has a Central Park.

Montana roadsides are littered with white crosses, often more than one per mile, to mark traffic fatalities.  With the speed limit at 70 on even two-lane highways, perhaps the Treasure State should adopt a modified version of New Hampshire’s moniker: Live fast and die.

I cycled past the headwaters of the Missouri and then rode along the majestic river for several hours through the Broadwater Valley. Like my journey, the river is meandering, slow moving, and invites contemplation.