The gaps between towns are getting larger so today we either had to reach just Glendive - about 30 miles - or else do nearly 80 and get to Circle. The wind was blowing NE or pretty near to that and that made it more obvious that Circle was the place - with a following wind. So we got back on the interstate for our first few miles then we had some miles on a very quiet road paralleling the interstate. Not a beautifully constructed road since it was jointed and produced a regular clunk from the back wheel as we went along and we need our back wheels to last another 1500 miles.... But quiet it certainly was for in 15 miles we saw only one vehicle, and the views were pretty - rolling countryside with some hills but baked dry. There's mostly just grass alongside the road but increasingly it's a sagebush emptiness. We reached Glendive after a bit more time on the interstate and headed for the supermarket - Reynolds Market, a good store - we got such delicacies as kiwi fruit, bananas and orange juice. We needed liquid for the 50-ish miles with no shops, water, etc.
Outside the store were Heather, Frank and the dog Mary - see photo, our first travelling dog. They are the people who were next to us at Wibaux. They have recently started a two year journey travelling by bike (though they may do some walking trails - they have done the Appalachian Trail). The dog did get a run already today on that quiet road where we saw only one vehicle. She sits in a dog basket on the back of one of the bikes. They have cooking stuff - super compact stove. I'm always interested in those - tea whenever you like, home cooked food... They have a blog on the 'journi' app called Happy Trails Cycling Trip. A two year trip is somewhat epic. That really would be leaving the garden to look after itself. A recent photo of a pumpkin in the garden at home had sent me into a whirl of gardening reflections (our plants perhaps need us less than we think). Sitting in a park by the river (River Yellowstone so flowing down from here to Yellowstone Park) Guy discovered he had a puncture (small staple). This took about an hour to fix. Yes, Guy is slow but steady and careful even when just putting in a new tube.... But a park is the place to do this. Eventually when we set off I had a puncture - but in the front wheel. I fixed it in ten minutes (small very hard thorn - gatorskin tyres should beat most thorns though). Ten minutes not an hour, hmmm, well front wheels are a bit easier I suppose. We did the miles to Circle steadily, breaking our cycling to eat apple crumble (Reynolds Market is pretty good) at the roadside near Lindsay. The motel was tempting but a bit expensive ($80) so we set up our camp in the city park. This is a rather large area, with the usual swimming pool that closed before we got here, haha! Once more I gazed at deep blue water through a fence standing in the parched earth beyond. The park is pretty good with toilets and water but no showers. The forecast rain is just setting in at nearly midnight. We are cosily camped between a pavilion and two trees, sheltered from the NE wind. We are here