This morning, my congestion had not subsided. I spent the better part of 30 minutes getting ready while blowing my nose, what seemed to be, every other minute. Once on the road, the only annoyance was a runny nose that was likely the result of decongestants doing their job. Today was a relatively short ride to Billings with no facilities for about 50 miles. What was in between Roundup and Billings wasn't much other than empty spaces (e.g., ranches) and the occasional structure (sometimes a home) along the road. Once again, we were glad to have started early, as the temperature was already in the low 90's by 11:00am. After climbing a hill, I stopped to snack and refill water bottles. I snapped a few pictures and wondered how far I was separated from Garrett. As I began to text him, I heard a British voice narrating an audio book - while I couldn't see Garrett, I knew he was immediately on the other side of the hill! When we arrived in Billings, we rode 8 miles to a bike shop across town. Unfortunately, the shop was a bit underwhelming in terms of knowledgeable staff and overpriced gear. From here, we went to a different shop that was also along the route to our host's residence. We had a considerably better experience at this second shop than the former shop. Afterwards, we rode on to our host's home. Our hosts in Billings were a married couple who had been very avid cyclists only some years ago. Despite having cycled less during recent times, their spirited nature about cycling had remained unchanged. The husband shared a wealth of knowledge in regards to the potential routes we could take east out of Montana and further through North Dakota. He strongly recommended following the frontage roads along I-94, as they are paved and seldom have traffic of any kind. Our hosts treated us to a wholesome supper consisting of brats, veggies, corn on the cob, and beverages (water and beer). After supper, we joined our hosts in the living room for conversation before going to bed for the evening. It occurred to me then and before while peddaling along on the road: we've met a lot of great, kind, hospitable people along our trip. All the interactions we've had with anyone along this trip have been cordial ones, and we haven't encountered anyone that has hassled or harassed us. Headlines in the news be damned, I was assured: there's still plenty of good in the world.
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