Day 12: Great Falls to Lewistown

Tough. Direct 10-18mph SE headwinds for almost the entire time and temps going into the 90s. Island hopping from town to town to avoid the heat. Stopped in Stanford, MT for lunch. Super supportive and kind people but one older Vietnam Vet was openly and disgustingly racist. Cooled off in the shade at an abandoned bar/cafe/casino (this combination is everywhere here!). Moccasin was an incredibly depressing town, or what was left of a town at one point. Stopped in Hobson for ice cream and potato chips (salt) while figuring out where I would stay for the night. Picked up an ice cream sandwich at Eddie's Corner where a truck driver was cheering me on--yes, I ended up eating ice cream four times today. I needed the morale boost and the calories. I still ran a caloric deficit today. Definitely a night where staying in a hotel/motel would feel great, but they were all booked. Fortunately, there is a free Kiwanis campground with clean bathrooms that I could stay at overnight. Stopped to pick up groceries for a late dinner, put up my tent, got my devices charging, and went to sleep. Over 8 hours on the saddle, but with breaks I was riding for over 12 hours.