Prologue

I arrived at Great Falls on 8 July 2003 from Toronto where I had spent some visiting my parents, especially my father who had been ill. I had originally planned a 3 week tour, so it was now reduced to 2 weeks. This meant that the best place to start was Great Falls, which was also a significant point on L&C's expedition: they had a major portage on the Missouri River around the falls.

The flight to Great Falls was tedious. Toronto - Pittsburgh - Seattle - Great Falls. This meant travelling all the way to the west coast and then back tracking to Montana. I've never worked out exactly why it is cheaper for airlines to take their passengers a longer distance for a lower fare, but that routing was 50% cheaper than Toronto - Minneapolis - Great Falls so I took it.

One very nice element of the USA is the convenience of the courier services. I was working in Washington D.C. before going up to Toronto so I shipped my bicycle UPS to the Hotel 8 in Great Falls. I also arranged for UPS to collect from the hotel what gear wouldn't be with me for the trip and take it Seattle where it would await my arrival. Very convenient.

Working in Asia, on arrival at a new airport one is usually approached by a horde of taxi drivers or their agents touting for their difference. Great Falls is the complete opposite. On gathering my bag I emerged from the empty airport hall in search of a taxi and there was nothing, not even a sign. I decided to call one and found a phone, but some kind person had ripped out the page from the book. Fortunately, someone had written the number on the wall of the booth so I was able to book a taxi.

Waiting outside was a woman and we chatted. It was about 17:30 and, like most cyclists, I was acutely aware of the wind. It was very strong and blowing from the west. In fact, the small, spindly trees at the airport had a distinctive lean towards the east. I asked if this was usual and she said no. My rising hopes were quickly dispelled when she said that the wind is usually stronger. A local, she had just returned from Georgia which has windless, hot humid summers. She found the winds of Montana invigorating, but I was worried. Two weeks of this would not be fun ...

After a long wait the taxi arrived. It was a 15 year old Chevrolet with mega-miles on the speedometer, and a cracked winDscreen. Just to complete the stereotype, the driver was very overweight and wore a cowboy hat.  Judging by the absence of shock absorbers and the amount of rust, Montana does not have strict rules on the standards of its taxis. He collected both of us and we headed into town. Seems like there are not a lot of taxis in town, but even so, I didn't mind sharing. I was surprised at the sized of Great Falls but what was off putting was the relative absence of trees. Like most mid-west towns built in the prairie, they rank well down the list when running for the title of arbor capital of the USA.

At the hotel I collected my bike and assembled it, packing and labelling my case to be sent to Seattle. I then gave it a road test by cycling over to Subway and grabbing dinner before an early evening. I checked my maps and decided to have an 'easy' first day by riding 55 miles (90 km) to Augusta. It was kind of a 'dog leg' which I could have shortened, but as it was early in my trip I saw no need to rush things.

The photo below shows my trusty bicycle (taken on Day 2). I find that the more touring I do the less I need, particularly compared to last year when I cycled the continental divide and had to carry lots of food and water. For those interested:

 

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