DISTANCE TRAVELED: 48.71 Miles
AVERAGE SPEED: 10.47 MPH

          We woke up hearing small drops of rain coming off the trees above our tents. I packed everything in the tent and climbed out around 7:30. I was a little late so I quickly ate and packed a lunch. Just as I had finished drying off my soaked rain fly, the rain began again. I packed my tent in the rain -- by this time it was soaked through all the way. The water weighted at least 5 pounds! We rode to the local supermarket and bought all of the food we would need for the next day. Finally, at 11:00, after eating a second breakfast, we began to ride. We began with an uphill and once we reached the top, we barely escaped the rain as we descended over the pass. As we came into the flats, the stong wind began to affect us. With gusts up to 30 mph, we had to lean into the crosswinds to counteract the height of the BOB. Each time a gust would come, we would quickly swerve before correcting the wind's unexpected push. Although we only had a side-wind, our speed seemed to be affected as if it were a head-wind. We rode into Ovando, Montana, which I had ridden through the previous year when I was bicycling from Seattle to Washington, D.C. We stopped in the same store for food as last year where we bought ice cream and sodas. While sitting inside, Scott picked up a magazine that happened to be about last year's ride down the Continental Divide. After seeing if we could take the magazine with us, we left to begin our last 17 miles. The land was flat as we rode through cattle ranches and past farmhouses. Finally, after a short climb, we came to a lake that we hoped to be our destination but it turned out to be the wrong one. Ours was two miles further, and up a steep climb. Finally, after everyone felt like they were going to die on the steep final stretches, we got to the lake and found out that the campsites were all full. Since we had to stay in this area, about six of us had to camp in the parking lot. I set up my tent, dried it with a towel, and threw it in the air to further dry it. I even had about 12 ounces of water in my dry bags! I dried everything out including my damp sleepng bag and air mat that were in the same bag as my wet tent and I put everything else into my tent. After this, we ate a dinner of rice and cheese, which was not the best dinner so far and didn't fill anyone up very well even if they decided to try to eat their first helping which I did not. After dinner, everyone went to bed early, around 10:00.