North Dakota sent us off with a bang. After the greatest mail-drop to ever drop mail, we finally hit the Badlands, which brought my favorite scenery yet.

Upon riding into Montana, the state in which we’ll be spending the most time, it seemed like it was rejecting us like a body rejecting a poor organ post-transplant. For two days straight, Montana’s winds were literally trying to blow us back into North Dakota. We camped one night in Makoshika State Park, a very popular place for dinosaur bone excavations! The entire town of Glendive milks their prehistoric knack, and despite having no amenities, it was a really, really rad place to camp.

Yesterday we rode our longest distance yet of 107 miles, all into 30+ mph headwinds. Here are some direct quotes from some of us after finishing a particular 30 mile leg: “That was literally hell,” “Well that was the worst part of the Northern Tier,” “I hate everything about life,” and, “F*** everything about Montana.” Our collective grump was off the charts, but it feels damn good to have our last century done with. Today’s ride was short, therapeutic, and we finally have shelter and showers available! We’re all warming up to Montana a bit.

As I eluded to earlier, Hardywood Brewery in Richmond were kind enough to donate a brand new jersey to me for the trip! I absolutely adore it, and might even wear it around in normal social settings post-trip.

At the time of writing this, we are just three weeks and about 1,200 miles away from Seattle, and one week until our next rest day!