Big Sky Country
Elapsed time 29 d 03 h 14 m; Distance travelled 6358 km (3950 mi)
It’s Day 30 of Ashleigh's world record Pan-Am ride, and it’s time for a catch up - we’ve got some ground to cover! Since writing, Ashleigh has knocked out some serious mileage. Over the past 7 days, Ashleigh has crossed through five states (Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado and Oklahoma) and today she’ll be arriving in Texas. This is all possible due to a surge in her daily kilometers. For a quick recap, her first week on the Dalton saw an average of 160km per day. This week, that jumped to a whopping 260km per day. To compare her to a freight train chugging through the Great Plains would be unjust. She’s faster, more powerful and extremely determined to get out of the States.
To set the scene, here’s what Ashleigh had to say about the beginning of her week, rolling from Canada into Montana, known for its big sky.
“It’s kinda cool going through all the little townships, it’s just like, long highway and then a bunch of trees, and an oasis, which is a town, it keeps it interesting, like every 15km or so, there’s another town! Like perfect. That’s exactly what I want this to be! I mean, it was cool when you get long stretches of nothing, but to be honest I’m pretty much over that (laughs)”
The little townships are oases for Ashleigh. They provide the perfect refuel cadence. Burritos, baked goods, fresh fruit, and most importantly, water and electrolytes. This week has been hot. Since crossing into the States most nights have required some form of a shower and laundry to deal with the amount of salt that has been accumulating on her bib shorts.
“Oh my goodness, everything was so so so salty, I like went to, I was in the washroom at the town I can’t remember, and I was like, what is this like powder, it was just salt… yikes!”
The salt is an indicator that she’s losing far more fluids than she can replace - a constant battle to stay ahead of dehydration.
Finding the perfect combo of laundry, a safe place to sleep, and good wifi can be challenging, but sometimes she hits the jackpot and gets it all. Cheap motels have been a savior and Aryn and I have been enjoying hearing about the breakfast buffets. Every morning starts the same: motel coffee, a buffet of beige carbs, and Fox News echoing through the dining room from a wall-mounted TV. Ashleigh likes to soak in the chatter from fellow travellers and reflects on where she is and of the world beyond the narrow focus of the road ahead. Mornings have become a reminder that silence on the road doesn’t mean quiet in the country.
And then there are the flats.
“It’s kind of funny, because I’ve never had a flat before, on these tires, it’s only when I got to the States, 2 in Alaska, so 6 total, and nothing through the Yukon, nothing through BC, nothing through Alberta, I’ve ridden Ontario with this bike, Quebec, NS, NB, nothing, no flats. Go to the states, GET FLATS. All from wires, from exploded tires. (...) I’ve been riding in car tracks, kind of on the road, so that there’s less chance of getting one.”
You’ll be happy to know that she’s carrying a significant number of replacement tubes. She calculates, “if I get one flat per state, then ok, cool (...) I’ve got like 8 tubes on me at this point, maybe 7, so I’ll be ok (laughs)”. Despite these setbacks, Ashleigh carries on, with an incredible grit and commitment to this wild adventure she’s thrown herself into.
Next up we’ve got a gear-head special, where Aryn will be walking us through Ashleigh’s full set up, but in the meantime, check out her Strava and Instagram for live updates (did you see the lightning in Boise City, Oklahoma!?) and Follow My Challenge for her progress along the route.
In Ashleigh’s words: “Amarillo, Texas is 123 miles away. Wow. How did this happen?”
- Jessie
This ride is supported by: Augustine House; Arkel Bike Bags; Fluent Frameworks; Long Alley Bicycles; Anytime Fitness Halifax; Acadia Sport Therapy; Showerspass; Night of Adventure; Every person who's donated through the Go Fund Me page; A strong support system: friends, family, and the outdoor community in Halifax.