Today was a sad day and an exciting day. It was sad because we said goodbye to the Charter Ranch and Ed Gulick; it was an exciting day because a kind woman invited us to a breakfast of eggs and sausage at her private home in Roundup. After having oatmeal for six mornings this invitation was like music to my ears. I immediately thought about how much sausage I was going to eat.
As we rose at 7:30 AM to a cloudy sky, high winds and low temps people started packing up their belongings. Amidst a frenzy of packing and cleaning we all tried to have a few last words with the three generations of Charters that had welcomed us for two nights. Bikes were packed and the house clean and it seemed the time to leave had come all too quickly. Ressa Charter read a farewell passage taken from Out of Africa: No One Can Leave Without a Blessing. This passage exemplified the Charters sentiment: We feel blessed to have you at our home; we hope you feel blessed and we would like you to bless our land. The Charters and our group shared some emotions, the instructors bid farewell until next year, and the students said goodbye hoping to see the wonderful Charter family again.
As we started pedaling Ed Gulick went south in style and we headed north to Roundup. It was very sad to see one of the peas of our pod leave, however I feel confident many of us will cross paths with Ed Gulick in the future. After several miles of riding I noticed the group had stopped ahead. As I approached I realized Phil had a flat tire on his trailer. I could not help but laugh at this situation, a Burley flat. Burley being the brand of trailer Phil was pulling. In addition to the Burley flat oxymoron I found it funny that Phil was the first student to get a flat because he had so much pride in his trailer he sported a ‘I love my Burley’ flag, which did serve as a visual aid for cars as well. It turns out this was not the only humorous situation on our bike trip.
After lunch we had a mostly downhill ride. Once we got out of the Bull Mountains and back onto 87 North we passed a road called Johnny Coal Road. Johnny Appleseed quickly popped in my head. I had a good laugh at the disparity between Johnny Appleseed as a conservationist spreading apple trees across the Midwest and the fictional Johnny Coal spreading coal around the country.
Thirty miles from the Charter Ranch we arrived in Roundup, Montana; we were hungry, cold and a little wet. After a hasty camp setup we sat down for a class discussion about the environmental, economical and ethical aspects of carbon sequestration.
The class discussion was winding down and Roberta arrived at the picnic table carrying the Billings Gazette. She had read about us in the Billings newspaper (the Gazette) and had come to offer us showers and a hot breakfast and we gladly accepted the invite.
I cannot express the feeling when a stranger extends themselves to such a unique group that is studying issues that are so controversial, especially in Central Montana, a region so rich in coal.
As I prepare for bed on a chilly Tuesday evening I cannot help but anticipate what adventures lie on the road ahead.
Stephen Brown, University of Montana
Day Six was a sad day for me as well–going the opposite direction as the rest of you wasn’t easy. I take heart from Stephen’s prediction that we shall again be crossing paths. I look forward to learning from the trip vicariously through your blogs.
Best,
Ed
Thank you, Cycle the Rockies students – you were certainly a bright spot in our day! You are all an asset to your cause.