Day 43 - 73 Miles

Paterson to Maryhill State Park
Total = 3,365 Miles

Thanks again to Sheila, Harold, Carter, and Raegan for letting us crash at your house. Breakfast this morning was excellent and if your wondering what happened to the rest of the cheese cake, we ate it. Seeing how concerned you were about Harolds weight, we didn't want to leave anything behind to tempt him. Oh, and we also had some ice cream. Sheila and Harold's kids are just the cutest things. Carter is going to be a womanizer with the blond curly hair. Thanks again!!

Our plan was to take it easy for three days and have a nice ride into Portland, but today was hellish. Part of it was the affects of doing 130 miles yesterday, but really it was the conditions. Hot, windy, few places to get water (I had to refill out of the Columbia), and hills. It was really one of the hardest days.

Julie and I got into the State Campground just as it was getting totally dark. It isn't often that we have to use a head & tail light, but we did tonight. Armin is almost always tailing us and wasn't able to make it all the way. We did hear from him and he's safe. Just a few miles behind us up on a hill. He'll actually get a sweet sunrise way up their.

When I got to the State Campground signs were up saying it was full. Not something you want to see after a really hard day of biking with night at the doorstep. Luckily the campground attendant, Dave, saw me milling about with my bike and said he had a place for us. The group area isn't being used, so he said to take that at no charge. Dave, I may never see you again, but today your my hero. Julie and I are in a nice pavillion...even has a sink. If it wasn't for Dave I'd be squatting in some bush hoping that a big dog doesn't discover me in the morning.

We have roughly 100 miles to go, so two 50 mile days. Hopefully they aren't as rough as today, I was dieing.

Day 42 - 131 Miles

Dodge to Paterson
Total = 3,292

I don't ever want to do that again. Biking 131 miles isn't my idea of fun. After missing out on the OCB two nights ago and being stuck in Dodge after Armin missed us at a checkpoint, I couldn't let my goal of getting to Sheila's on Wednesday fail. Luckily the road was fast and I was able to deal with the heat by chugging gatorade and water.

We've officially been to every state that we'll pass through. We had to do a stretch in Oregon before crossing back into Washington for the final stretch to Paterson. Beautiful ride along the Columbia River. Our last 3/4 of a mile was down a crazy gravel road to Sheila's. A hard day's ride, but well worth it.

Sheila and her husband Harold treated us to a nice meal that was well needed after a long day. I think desert was the best. My fav cheese cake and nine choices of ice cream! Nine choices!! Wow, they know how to treat biking cyclist. Harold also treated us to some interesting ideology discussions. Vast different points of view...three city kids with some country folk. We were also treated with the my good friend Carey coming down from Spokane. He had the day off, so he was able to make the trip down on his motorcycle.

We have roughly 180 miles to go. We could do it in two days, but were planning to take it easy and make it a three day ride. So, for those of you in Portland we'll ride into town at some point on Saturday.

Day 41 - 53 Miles

Lewiston, ID to Dodge, WA
Total = 3,160 Miles

The group has split. What once was three is no longer. For the evening at least. Due to a missed checkpoint, Armin made it about 24 miles ahead of us to Dayton. Julie and I are stuck in Dodge, which really isn't a town at all. Just a port-a-potty, a farm house, and an abandoned house at a highway junction.

Julie and I waited and waited for Armin to make it to Dodge, but after a while we figured he either broke down or decided to stop at the last town. We asked a few passing motorists and they said a biker wasn't on the road. After a while it got too late for us to continue forward, so we set up camp up on the hill by the abandoned house. Than I checked my phone again after dinner and sure enough Armin had called.

Not sure how he missed us, but the person we were waiting for is now 24 miles up the road. We have/had plans to stay at my friend Sheila's tomorrow night, but with the lost miles today, it's going to be tough for Julie and I. Another ~125 mile day if I counted correctly. I think I can do it, just need to convince Julie. She seems to be a goal setter and up for challenges, so hopefully once we catch up to Armin tomorrow the decision will be to make it to Paterson. A home cooked meal and a place to sleep indoors awaits.

Day 40 - 126 Miles

Clearwater National Forest to Lewiston
Total = 3,107 Miles

Wow, 126 miles! Crazy miles. Good news is we made it to Lewiston. Bad news is that it took so long that we didn't make the 8:30pm OCB closing time. Wasn't meant to be I guess. Possibility that we could hit one up in Portland, but we'll have to see.

By the time we all arrived in Lewiston it was already dark, the first time on the trip that we haven't found a place to sleep by sundown. Thankfully the people at the first gas station we crossed were really nice and gave us a suggestion for a park we could setup tents at. At only a half mile away it didn't take us long to get their and the first thing we see is a no camping overnight sign.

At this point it was too late and there was enough tree and shrub coverage to be hidden from easy detection. So, for the first time we slept at a place without permission. Something I thought we would do a lot more of. Everything was fine and we all slept great after the long day of riding.

Were going to spend the morning in Lewiston at a bike shop. Than we head out of Idaho and into Washington. The plan is to make it halfway to Paterson, WA where my friend Sheila lives. That way we can stay and visit with her and her family tomorrow night. It will be so nice sleeping inside! The last time we got to was Sauk Rapids, MN.

Day 39 - 101 Miles

Missoula to Clearwater National Forest
Total = 2,981 Miles

It was great having Saturday off yesterday. We went to the farmers market, got internet time in at the library, washed clothes, and I went to see the movie Knocked Up. I hesitate to say Armin had the day off. He choose to attend a Heavy Metal show featuring 10 local bands for 10 bucks. And for those of you who know Armin, he likes to get right into the mosh pit and headbang like the best of them. Normally Armin is one of the first to get up and moving, but today I had to shake his tent to wake him up. Poor kid also had a sore neck...now, I bet Armin is one of the few people who go on long distance bicycle tours that actually has the energy to attend a heavy metal fest on a rest day.

Our first major obstacle this morning was Lolo Pass. The pass sits at 5233 feet, a bit shorter than Rogers Pass we did a few days ago. And like Rogers Pass, Lolo wasn't really that hard. Just a nice slow climb to the top where they have an excellent rest stop. After Lolo we dropped down along the Lochsa River. Gorgeous ride that for the most part is downhill. The river slips through the mountains and you really couldn't ask for a more scenic ride.

Tomorrow we are hoping to push ourselves all the way to Lewiston. It will put us at well over 100 miles, but we have a strong motivating factor. We have been talking about Old Country Buffet (OCB) since the start of the trip and Lewiston has one. If we can make it to the OCB tomorrow, were going to tear it apart. We have such huge appetites and no guilt about stuffing ourselves because it will be biked off the next day. OCB!! OCB!! OCB!!

Day 38 - 72 Miles

Helena National Forest to Missoula
Total = 2,865 Miles

Wow, very cold morning. We were up in the mountains and it was easily in the 30's when we woke up. Cold like that makes it hard to get going in the morning. Especially doing easy tasks like rolling up our tents. It doesn't take long, but by the end your hands are just freezing. What made it worse is that our first 10 miles was shaded by the mountains, so we weren't even getting any sun to warm us up. As Armin put it, "my hands were so cold I couldn't even move them. Good thing I never had to break because I don't think I could have." A nice thing about the mornings is you do see a lot of wildlife. Below is a deer I credited myself from saving that was about ready to cross the busy road. I scared it enough to get it back up the hill where it came from. I also came across two wolves today.

We have big plans for Missoula. Our first stop was at the Adventure Cycling Association. Even though we weren't using our maps, we were told by a few different people that it would be cool to drop in and see them. They were right. For touring cyclists they have a fridge full of soda and a freezer with ice cream. We probably ate too much of that, but it's hard to pass up free goodies. They also took our picture a few times and they had a computer just for touring cyclists to use. Very cool place.

With Missoula being a bigger city with a large transient population, we weren't able to find a park where we could setup camp. Very frowned upon by the police we were told. So, instead Julie used the website Warm Showers to find us a place to camp. The way it works, is that you agree to host touring cyclists and by doing so, you can see who has offered their home. Julie took down a few numbers and began calling around. It was last minute and we were lucky to get a hold of MaryAnne. She is great. Lives close to downtown, has a nice backyard to setup tents, and she allowed us to take showers and use the bathroom. She is an avid dog lover and a great person to be around. Thanks for hosting us!!

Taking Saturday off also allowed up to hit the town for the night. We didn't get too crazy, but it was fun to grab some drinks and stay up past 9pm. We hit up a few different bars around the downtown area. Drank some good local beer as well as PBR. Missoula is a fun town. I could easily see myself living here. They seem like they have a pretty happening culuture scene and people are biking everywhere. Portland has a lot of bicylists, but I think Missoula has them beat if you account for the size of the city.

Saturday's itinerary includes the Farmers Market, internet time at the library, laundry (I really stink!), doing some reading + relaxing, and I might try and catch an evening movie. I've been dieing to see Knocked Up and the local theater is still playing it. Sunday morning we hit the road again. Shortly after we leave the city we have Lolo Pass and we've heard that we'll get a beautiful downhill all the way to Lewiston, ID.

Day 37 - 70 Miles

Total = 2,793 Miles
Simms to Helena National Forest

Rocky Mountains...Rogers Pass...easy! Despite the 5600 plus feet of elevation the pass sits at, the grade to reach it isn't very bad. Perfect for a cyclists. We get to enjoy the beautiful mountains and aren't killing ourselves to do so. My legs weren't even tired once I got to the top, which also happens to be the continental divide. And from their we had an easy ride to our stopping point for the night.

For only the third time we aren't staying in a city or town. Taking advantage of one of the numerous National Parks in the area, we are sleeping at a rugged campground right on a beautiful river. It's one of those campgrounds with no road sign, so we've got the whole place to ourselves. I love little hidden places like this. When I'm back and settled in Portland I'd love to start a list of free campgrounds like this where you don't have to fight the RV's that have become so popular for camping.

Tomorrow we have a 70 or so mile ride into Missoula where we hope to take a day off. Maybe grab a few beers, wash our clothes, and get some internet time in at the library. After that it's the push into Idaho and our last week of this cross country adventure.

Day 36 - 81 Miles

Geyser to Simms
Total = 2,723 Miles

The winds have stopped!!! After the last two days it was a great feeling to actually move at a decent speed. It was such a relief that I could have biked all day. The only bad part of the day was waking up freezing cold. Isn't it still summer? I thought we would be going through these really hot climates, but this morning I couldn't feel my toes.

We passed through Great Falls this afternoon and it gave us a chance to run some errands. I picked up a cheap fleece blanket at Target for the cold nights. Julie bought some supplies. The best news is that Armin has joined the proud BOB trailer ownership family. All of his bike issues can be linked back to just too much weight on his back tire. So, the BOB trailer will help distribute the load more evenly with the addition of the third wheel from the trailer. He already has plans to add a stereo system to his BOB.

Tonight we are staying in the very last town before our first Rocky Mountain pass. Rogers Pass at 5,610 feet. We are close enough to see the great mountains awaiting us. Instead of being scared I'm really looking forward to it. We went through the endless hills in PA, fought through wind and rain, and biked across over two thirds of the country. All that and I'm very ready to hit the mountain tomorrow, drop into low gear, and fight my way up to the top.

After we make it through the pass tomorrow it should take just one more day to make it to Missoula. We might stay with a friend of Julie's their and take a day off before going through our second pass (Lolo) and into Idaho.

Day 35 - 61 Miles

Lewistown to Geyser
Total = 2,643 Miles

Once again we were tossed around by the wind today. I read the local paper once I got to Geyser and it said the max wind speed yesterday was 46mph and today was supposed to have gusts in the 40's. It was bad. Climbing some hills I was knocked down to 4mph. Just fast enough to keep the bike upright. Were hoping tomorrow isn't as bad when we head into Great Falls.

Tonight was our fourth night, so we got to eat out! Geyser not being the happening place it once was had a single bar to choose from. Not bad food at all! And they had Olympia beer, so I know I'm getting closer to home. Our nights out are always full of locals asking us questions about the trip and for the most part giving us encouragement. Every once and a while you come across people who aren't much of a help. Like earlier today when I got into an argument with a guy who thought we were taking the wrong route and should head North to take highway 2. Upon explaining to him that we didn't want to travel that far North to only have to drop back down to get to Portland, he tried to argue that it wasn't far at all and that he had studied the maps. His wife finally jumped in before I was going to hand him my extra map and tell him to get some more studying in. My favorite was when he tried to scare me about the mountain pass we would be taking by holding his arm at a 75 degree angle. Sure buddy, that is really what it's like.

95 percent of the people we come across are totally friendly and helpful, but that other 5 percent still exists. The lady who told us to "hit the road", an old school gas station attendant who thought I would have to walk up the hills we were about to face, or the people who honk at us because we just cost them 10 seconds where they had to slow down as we pass through a narrow area. By far though, people across america have been great!

Day 34 - 58 Miles

Total = 2,581 Miles
Winnett to Lewistown

Hello winds!! No, we didn't take an easy day, we got knocked around by 20 to 25mph head winds. You go from being able to bike around 15mph on the flats to 8mph. Without the wind, today would have been like doing a 100 mile day. The strength of it really makes you feel small in comparison to the power of mother nature. I'm always in awe when natural disasters occur. We think we have it made watching 200 plus cable channels and eating meals zapped in the microwave. Than mother nature come along and tosses a tornado in your path and you realize just how much we don't have control of this mighty earth. Today with the winds and the looming Mountains we see in the distance, you feel like a tiny grain of sand.

We have officially entered those mountains as well. A small range called Judith Mountains. Judith must have been quite the women to get a mountain range named after her. Really close to where we are staying tonight is Ross Fork. I'm thinking that tomorrow to pass the time I will make up a story about how the "Ross" who lived at the fork in the road was in love with Judith. He won some contest in the late 1800's and was awarded the right to name the Mountains he lived in, therefore chossing Judith his one true love. Of course he was crazy and made up funny stories about Judith so she married the best fur trapper in town, Andrew Gist. Love's rough for boys named Ross.

The wind is supposed to be strong again tomorrow, so we might not make it to Great Falls in one day. We will keep plodding along though. It will slow us, but not stop us. For those of you worried, Armin made it to a bike shop this evening and will roll on to see another day. He is thinking about changing his bike setup to better distribute the weight, but that will have to wait until Great Falls probably.

Tonight we are staying at a Kiwanis rest area that allows camping. Thanks Kiwanis'! I tried to smile real nice to the couple in the luxury home on wheels, but they didn't invite us in. (After I wrote this Linda did come talk to us and ended up giving us cake, ice cream, fruit, veggies, cheese, and some meat in a can. Montanan's rock!)

On a side note: Thank you Pastor Carlson for the comments and picture. I'm glad you are able to follow our adventure. If you ever come out to Portland please let me know, so I can return the favor.

And: We ran into Ami's parents of the Ami & Dom honeymoon couple mentioned two days ago. They came out to ride with them for a few weeks, but also have a car so they drive ahead. Pretty sweet that there able to come out from Jersey and get a taste of bicycle touring.

Day 33 - 78 Miles

Total = 2,522
Jordan to Winnett

Today I had my first lasting pain. Up until now my back would get sore, but not for long. Now my knee has been acting up. Feels fine off the bike, but as soon as I start pushing I can feel it. Probably as a result of all the hills yesterday and the long 90+ mile days. I tried to take it easy today, hopefully things are all good for tomorrow.

I actually got a shower tonight. We are staying in a park next to Winnett's town pool and was able to take advantage of the shower's they have. Amazing they even have a town pool, no more than 100 people live in town. It's kind of funny that I'm using the same soap to shower with that we use for dishes. Julie has this 18-in-1 soap called Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap. Not sure what all 18 uses are, but it makes Pert Plus's 2-in-1 look pretty weak.

We should make it through a decent size city tomorrow, Lewistown. Than another day to get to or pass through Great Falls. We heard on the radio that a strong west wind is expected tomorrow, so it could be slow going for us. The west winds might bring smoke our way as well. This whole state is up in flames.

Everyone reading this please say a small prayer for Armin's tire. The voodoo curse has yet to go away.

Day 32 - 99 Miles

Total = 2,444
Richey to Jordan

Found out today that I'm not the only one in the group with imaginary friends that I make up stories about. Armin & Julie both pass the hours away on the road making up stories about going on dates, answering questions at interviews, or actually being at jobs that none of us actually have. You'll be glad to know that I was promoted twice in a span of one year to become deputy director of an organiztion. Armin has gone out of numerous Match.com dates. Julie has a bicycle mechanic love interest in Portland. The funny thing is we all came to this crazed imaginary state on our own. The road has led us all to the same point.

In the real world we had a tough up and down day. Passed through one town during the whole ride. The rest was just us, the cows, and the road. You feel really isolated out here. Back in the Eastern states we'd pass through all kinds of towns, be tempted constantly to buy the 83 cent McDonalds 32 ounce soda's. See tons of billboards. Out here, nothing. But it is pretty. The wild west where girls actually think tractors are sexy and one's wealth is counted by the head of cattle. We find ourselves in Jordan's park, another night of free camping. We have switched from the church option to parks...seems easier in small towns out here in the West. Montana is a big state, but were putting in some solid miles. Over 7 hours of biking today and that doesn't include breaks. I never thought we would be going at such a fast pace, but it feels natural. Getting some old man soreness in my knees and back, but nothing that lasts after I get off the bike.

Tomorrow will be a 75 to 100 mile day filled with imaginary thoughts about lives we might be leading once this is all done.

Day 31 - 96 Miles

Total = 2,244
Williston, ND to Richey, MT

Four more states!! It was a great feeling to be done with North Dakota. We have finally made it to our hardest state. Montana will bring us the Rockies to the West and the open windy big sky country to the East. We almost didn't make it out of North Dakota. About 15 miles out of Williston, Armin's bike became completely untrue to the point where he couldn't ride it. The bike mechanic in Bismarck had loosened all the spokes up, saying it would get him over the Rockies. This ended up being a big mistake. Instead of heading back to town Armin and I talked it through and decided to tighten up his spokes and than work on trueing the wheel. Taking matters into our own hands worked out and Armin was able to ride the next 80 miles without any problems.

We had thought about going to Circle, MT, but by mile 96 we were too tired, so Richey it was. This was our fourth night, so we hit the town for a meal instead of cooking the normal mac & cheese. We started out at the VFW where Armin and I were introduced to Paco's. A pocket taco. We had heard about a free chilli dog deal at the other bar in town, so we hit that up for our second meal.

This ended up being quite the experience. We bought our first round, but the next four were free. And it wasn't like they were getting them for just us, people were buying the whole bar a round of drinks. As a method of keeping track they would give you a small plastic shot glass. So, before long we each had a stack of three. One group of guys we couldn't even thank. They bought the round and left before the small shot glasses were passed out. Very friendly people!

We also got a chance to talk to some of the locals. We heard about how hard it is to farm in the area and what it is like having a woman forman. Talked a little about the local sports scene where they play 8 man football and the basketball team didn't have enough high schoolers, so they had two middle school kids play. Armin got made fun of for his hat, my miller high life hat was well approved. Julie was well appreciated by the older men...them being old perverted men in a small town. We also heard numerous warnings about the town we will stay in tomorrow night, Jordan. Supposedly they are pretty extreme...don't take to outsiders much. Should be interesting.

Richey is a great town though. If you want to experience a fun small Montana town, come here on a Friday or Saturday night. Before you know it you will have 3 plastic shot glasses before you and the evening will be a blast.

Tomorrow we have a 90 mile ride planned and we'll pass through exactly one town. That is how desolate this area is. Richey to Circle to Jordan.

Day 30 - 56 Miles

Total = 2,248 Miles
Wotford City to Williston

Well, we didn't make it out of North Dakota. The state just wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. Armin needed some serious work done, so we took the fifty mile ride up to Williston. He only made it about 30 of those miles on his bike and hitched a ride for the remaining distance. I'm beginning to think some exgirlfriend of Armin's has some voodoo curse on his bike and slowly pulls out spokes and pops his tires. If this is true, I think Armin has paid enough for whatever hurt he caused you and you can stop this voodoo curse now.

It's kind of funny how we have hardly passed any touring cyclists on our trip and today we passed two groups.
We talked to one of the groups for quite a while. Michael, Chuck, and Jamie. They started in Bar Harbor, Maine and are taking the Adventure Cycling Northern Tier Route. They said they've been working on their blog quite a bit, so check it out if you have time. Let me know if they talk shit about us. We are taking different routes, but we could take a detour and start a bicycle war.
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/NT07

Seriously though, it's cool running into other touring cyclists and trading stories. One of the reasons we came across them is that just for the day we are on the Northern Tier bicycle route. We leave it tomorrow and probably won't see too many more cyclists.

As I was writing this a touring couple, Dominic & Amie, came up to us. They started in New Jersey as well and are doing a crazy zig zag route. They started July 5th in New Jersey, only four days after the wedding, so this is actually their honeymoon. Totally Jacked! I want to meet a girl who will go on a crazy adventure as a honeymoon. Taking resumes now! If you want to check out Dom and Amie's Honeymoon Blog, here is the web address: http://crazyguyonabike.com/doc/domandamie

The word we've been getting from the other westbound bikers is we are going to have a pretty serious tail wind tomorrow, so not only will we be heading into Montana, we might make it a century ride.

Day 29 - 87 Miles

Total = 2,192
Dodge to Watford City

Today was a hard day. Possibly the longest day of riding we've had yet. The combination of head winds and rolling hills kept us from ever getting a good speed going. You would think that the 20 miles extra we did yesterday was harder, but it wasn't even close. We made it through yesterday without any bike problems, but the ugly beast struck again. This time a broken cable for the rear derailure on Armin's bike. This happened before a pretty sizeable hill that I had to go to my lowest gear to get up. Armin was stuck in a gear 7 to 8 times harder. I really don't know how he had the strength to make it up. When this trip is over, Armin gets the strongest heart award for sure.

Anyways, as a result of the bike issue we are going to take a slight detour to make it to a shop tomorrow. Hopefully we will still make it into Montana by the end of the day.

One nice thing about this hard day was passing through the Badlands. I've never known much about the area, but it is very beautiful. I don't think pictures will do it justice. It was nice to have the canyons to look at instead of hay farms.

Here in Watford City we are staying at Tourist Park. Nice little joint East of town.

Day 28 - 104 Miles

Total = 2,105 Miles
Bismarck to Dodge

The conditions were right again for our second century ride. Wind at our backs and overcast for most of the day. We did get some rain, but it didn't last long and actually felt kind of nice. Our long day brought us closer to the border of this state we've all enjoyed. Everyone always says how flat and boring North Dakota is, but we've found that to be not true. If you get off the interstate, you'll find that there are rolling hills and though different, the landscape is pretty in it's own minimalistic way. Perhaps most impressive about North Dakota is the people. Everyone we have met has been very friendly.

Tonight we are in the really small town of Dodge. Despite its size, the town has done a great job with the local park that is open to RV's and campers. They even built a nice bathroom and shower that I plan to make use of. I could easily go longer without a shower, but why pass up the opportunity when it's right in front of me.

Today I took the opportunity to "stop and smell the roses." There weren't any roses, but four friendly horses who let me pet them and feed them some yummy weeds they couldn't reach. When touring you don't always feel like stopping for things if your in a good rythmn or had a recent break. But, I was feeling the desire to stop and being able to hang out with some horses was nice.

Tomorrow will be our last night in North Dakota. A strange time zone thing is going to happen. We crossed into the Mountain Zone today, will cross back into Central close to where we will stay tomorrow, and than back into Mountain on Thursday. Not sure what they were thinking when they drafted the line, it's all over the place.

Day Off 5-8, 73 Miles

Total = 2,001 Miles

On day's off 1-4, we were in Chicago and didn't touch our bikes the whole time. On this break Armin and I needed to get around, so we were zipping all over the place to do various activities. Go out to breakfast, see some movies, attend an art gallery opening, and enjoy the beautiful Missouri River. Some how we managed to stay busy and tomorrow we get going West again.

I spent some time at the library looking at a possible route for the remaining states. I figure we got about 1,330 more miles to go, plus the random miles you pick up riding around town trying to find the only pay phone in North Dakota. I don't know how long this will take. With wind, hills, weather, and bike repairs to factor in there are just too many unknowns.

I do know that I'm looking forward to being back in Portland. Trying to slip back into the city I left four years ago in what was supposed to be a one year hiatus. I look forward to getting lost in the thousand's of books at Powells. Visiting my favorite watering holes for nice cold PBR's or one of the many micro beers to be found around town. Hitting the trail for a weekend day hike in the Columbia Gorge (btw, I don't have a car, anyone want to go hiking?). Spending Sunday evenings at one of the many coffee shops adding to the journaling I started 7 years ago. Watching Gonzaga basketball games with other fans and not having to stay up until 2am due to the west coast/east coast time differences. I could go on and on.

Obviously I've been thinking about it quite a bit. One of the many thoughts that gets me through an 80 to 90 mile day. One thing I've pondered is what is the first thing I will want to do. I imagine we will cross from Vancouver, WA into Portland on the I-5 bridge. Than it's just a short ride into North Portland where my brother and sister-in-law live. The first thing I picture myself doing is what Lance Armstrong got to do seven times. Cross the finish line drinking a glass of champagne. And maybe if Sheryl Crow is reading this blog and has gotten over being dumped she can meet me at the finish line for one hell of a first kiss. I will not be wearing a yellow jersey or submitting a blood sample for steroid testing, but I'd still like to end this journey in style.

The second thing I do? Well, if the Sheryl Crow thing doesn't work out, I'll have to pick something off the list started above. Maybe I should add showering, finding a job, and work on stop being a bum who sleeps in yards for free.

Day 27 - 72 Miles

Total = 1928 Miles
Linton to Bismarck

I did say that we were going to take two days to roll into Bismarck, but plans changed. The three towns we passed through between Linton and Bismarck were very very small, so we decided to keep going.

Our first order of business was to of course make it to a bike shop. The only bike shop in town. Getting into a bike shop seems to always be a big priority for us. I needed to pick up a few items, Armin....well, it's amazing how far he can make it with broken spokes. In jest I thought his road name should be "spoke". Not to worry though, we are outfitted and ready to hit the Rockies.

Julie is leaving us tomorrow to attend a wedding in Chicago. She plans to be back on Monday. That gives Armin and I a chance to bum around this grand capital of North Dakota. Our plans include: crashing continental breakfast at local hotels, internet time at the library, finding an all you can eat buffet, going to see a movie (any suggestions??), and getting some reading in.

This stop over, combined with Chicago, will bring our none bike touring days up to 8. I have a feeling we might take one or two more "off days", maybe Missoula being one of them. Day 28 of biking will start back up on Tuesday.

Day 26 - 85 Miles

Total = 1856 Miles
Edgeley to Linton

Sorry about not getting the post out yesterday. North Dakota doesn't have many towns and even less pay phones. I might not get this post out either before Bismarck.

When bicycling for extended periods of time one does Strange things to pass time. I was so tired at one point that I sang 100 bottles of beer just to get through the end of the days ride. And yes, I did get to the last beer and instead of passing it around I drank it. Another common thing is singing, a task which helps to remember all the lyrics. I'm terrible at this and end up sounding like a broken record, Armin is the best. The past week I've started talking to animals. Sometimes I talk to Mr. Lama, but often times I'm mooing at the cows. Two days ago got one to run a few feet after getting scared. Since than I've taken it up a notch. Today I got about 50 head of cattle enjoying themselves next to a pond to run away scared. The trick is to scare one and get him running. Once this happens the herd follows along...I think it's similar to junior high where everybody started wearing overalls with one strap down. Herd mentality.

Tonight we are staying in Linton. A metropolis compared to some towns we've passed through. Except no pay phone's. Once again staying at a church, this time St. Anthony's. Great spot for the night. We are only about 60 to 70 miles from Bismarck, so we are going to split it up so we don't get to town until Friday. That means two really short days of riding! The rest will be nice.

Day 25 - 92 Miles

Total = 1771 Miles
Wyndmere to Edgeley

When estimating how long it might take us to cross the country I had figured about 50 days of biking and 10 days off, or 60 days. At Day 25, it appears that we are going faster than my estimate and we have only used up 4 of the 10 days off. So, unless something bad happens, we should make it to Portland in just under two months.

Earlier I had written about all the road kill we see. For the most part it has lessened in the midwest, but we still come across some interesting road side deaths. Since we have entered North Dakota we have seen tons of dead frogs. Some have been picked apart by birds, but most lay spread out on the pavement, bellies up. What is killing these frogs? They aren't being run over. It really appears that they were poisoned and were running to the road for help couldn't flag down any cars before croaking. I really think this could be the first episode for CSI North Dakota. They could do a little chalk outline around the body and send the little guy in for a toxocolgy report. This mystery must be solved!

Tonight we are staying at a Catholic Church in Edgeley. Nice green space right on the main street of town. The priest has even given us permission to use the bathrooms inside. Jackpot! The town also has a tasty freeze that is open until 9PM. We also met this really cool kid who is going to be in the 5th grade. He is a cowboy and is actually going to ride a bull towards the end of summer. Mom, how come I didn't get to ride bulls in the 5th grade? It sounds so cool.

Tomorrow we continue on 13 headed West. More small towns and dead frogs await.

Day 24 - 90 Miles

Total = 1679 Miles
Henning, MN to Wyndmere, ND

The cops never showed up and kicked us off the property, so it was a good night! We got another day of pretty good weather and flat roads, so we had our 90 miles done by 3PM. It felt good to have another state checked off the list, only 5 to go. North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.

A friend yesterday asked me what the biggest surprise on the trip has been. At first I said not getting sick of eating mac & cheese, but now that I've had more time to think about it my answer has changed. The first thing I've been surprised by is the weather. I thought for sure we would get some 100+ days that would bake us alive. Maybe we still will, but up to this point it hasn't been too hot and we haven't been rained on much. Besides today where we had about 20 miles of rain.

The other thing that I've been surprised by is how easy it is to find a place to setup our tents. People in small towns are so nice and don't harbor the same fear that those in the cities do. Tonight when I asked the pastor at the local Lutheran Church for permission, he didn't hesitate to say yes. I thought before the trip that we would be hiding behind abandoned buildings to find places to sleep, but that hasn't been the case. Besides a few towns, it has been totally easy.

Tomorrow we keep pushing West. If you get a chance to look at a map we'll be on Route 13. Nothing but a straight flat road that goes on and on.

Day 23 - 107 Miles

Total = 1588 Miles
Sauk Rapids to Henning

I'll see your 100 and raise you 7! Our first century day!! All the conditions played out perfectly to allow the long ride to happen. Started out with comfortable beds and a great breakfast (Thanks again Pam, Gunther, Sharon, and kids). The sky was overcast for 90% of the day and kept the temperature at a cool 60 to 70 degrees. The road we started out on was flat and smooth, so we were riding at a very fast pace. It all added up to our first century ride.

Now that we've gone about half way across the United States I've got a good feeling for the types of dogs who pester us. First of all you have your run of the mill mutt, about medium size, who barks a lot and runs after you, but really isn't that scary. Than we have the little ankle biter who also barks and runs fast, but doesn't have much endurance. Today I was faced with a new type. The silent runner. He never barked at me, so I didn't have much of a warning to pedal faster. All I heard is his nails scrapping the pavement as he chased me down and than his breathing when he got next to me. With the late notice it took me a while to get going faster. I never got a full view of the "silent runner", but as I looked in my rearview mirror I could see a white fluff ball heading back home. Something tells me I might come across Cujo in North Dakota or Montana.

Tonight we are staying out at the fairgrounds in Henning. We don't really have official permission, but were too tired and hungry to continue our search. Plus, they have bathrooms. What happened was we asked the minister at the first church we passed and instead of giving us permission to use the large church grounds, he told us to come out here. We think we are supposed to pay, but with it being Sunday, goodluck finding anything open in a town with a population of 900. We might get kicked out by Officer Bob, but it's worth the chance.

Tomorrow we check Minnesota off the list and begin plugging away at North Dakota. We might go out to dinner to celebrate making it halfway.

Day 22 - 41 Miles

Total = 1481
Big Lake to Sauk Rapids

Ants, ants, ants!! You think you have a sealed tent, but ants are smart. The one's we had last night were really small. So, all through out the night I would feel something crawling on me and I would grab for it, but the ants are so small I couldn't feel anything in my hand. So, all through the night I thought I was just going crazy or had developed some weird skin issue like Julie has been having dealing with. This morning I could see the little suckers that kept me up during the night.

We had a real short ride up to the St. Cloud/Sauk Rapids area. We took the extra time to go around St. Cloud running errands, before going to my cousin Pam's in Sauk Rapids. It was nice to see Pam and her family. Her husband, Gunther, turned me onto a wheat beer out of Kansas City called Boulevard Brewing. As a special treat my aunt Sharon also made the trip up to spend time visiting during our short stay here. This is the end of my family connections until Portland. We will all miss the comforts and kindness that they've provided.

We have six days to get to Bismarck, so Julie can make it back to a wedding in Chicago. At 400+ miles we will need to put in 80 to 100 mile days. It should be flat and let's just hope the wind and/or rain isn't too bad.

Day 21 - 65 Miles

Total = 1440
Woodbury to Big Lake

Today started off wonderfully. We all woke up in nice soft beds and weren't doing a full day so we didn't feel pressure to get on the road early. Gary & Joyce treated us to a nice big meal this morning...it made leaving the comforts of a nice home tough.

We wound ourselves through the suburbs to avoid downtown St. Paul & Minneapolis. Normally that might be annoying, but they've done a really great job of developing the roads around here and we had wide shoulders most of the way.

Julie finally joined the flat tire club today. She had a small peice of metal in her tire that punctured the tube. It was her first on the road tube change. Sorry, no picture. She was all alone at that point. Armin also had some bike issues today. He puts up with a lot and keeps truckin. Not to be left out I also had to change my BOB trailer tube tonight. It had been slowly leaking and got bad enough that I changed it.

We easily made into Big Lake, MN. We really wanted to stay at a Catholic Church that had some nice land, but we couldn't find the priest. Ended up getting a spot behind an independent church that is nice as well. Beats drunk Ray from a few days ago by a longshot.

Tomorrow we have a short ride to my cousin's house in Sauk Rapids. We plan to make a stop in St. Cloud for some bike shop, bookstore, and library time. And, we might go swimming in one of Minnesotas 10,000 lakes in the morning!

Day 20 - 85 Miles

Total = 1375
Alma, WI to Woodbury, MN

Another state to check off the list! We were hoping to pick up the Wisconsin border sign on our way out of the state, but once again they didn't have it. Even though it is a lovely state, they must not be very welcoming.

Minnesota is actually my birth state, even though I have no memory of having lived here. The great thing is that it still has family from my mom's side. So, today we pushed through quite a few hills and a long day to make it to my Uncle Gary's house in Woodbury (just outside St. Paul). This was a nice stop along the journey that allowed for us to shower, do some laundry, and eat a huge meal. Thanks Gary & Joyce!

The big news in these parts is the bridge colapsing yesterday. We slowly got news of it from those along the road. With limited access to the internet and not buying the paper, news travels very slow to us. The whole thing is tragic and having been an engineer, there are a few engineers who are pretty nervous right now. How would you like to be the person that forgot to carry the 1 and as a result a bridge falls killing probably over 30 people.

Tomorrow we head NW and it should be an shorter day than what we've been doing. We are planning on taking two days to get to Sauk Rapids where my cousin and her family live. No 100 mile day yet Adam, but we have talked about it before and it will probably happen. Maybe in North Dakota.

Day 19 - 89 Miles

Total = 1290
Westby to Alma

Well, we thought we were going to get good views of the Mississippi along the scenic river drive, but up to this point we've mostly been inland and away from the river. At a wayside (Wisconsin for reststop) a dude trying to clean his dirty feet told me once we got past the town of Alma we would start getting more views.

The bike ride today was pretty uneventful. By noon we had gotten 50 miles in and it took us until 5:30 or so to do the remaining 39. Once the heat sets in, the will to bike fast fades and each break with decent shade gets longer. Even with that we put quite a few miles in and are set for a ride across the border and into the Twin Cities area tomorrow.

Our stopping point for the night is St. John Lutheran Church in Alma. Pastor Joel was kind enough to let us setup our tents behind the church. He used to minister at the church we stayed at in Westby last night, so the unintended connection worked out well.

Tonight was our fourth night, which means we went out instead of cooking. We hit up a nice little place in town where I inhaled a pint of cole slaw, a cheeseburger, ranch fries (JoJo's), crackers, and two glasses of ice tea. I still might get some dessert at the Kwik Trip at the end of town.

As I mentioned tomorrrow is St. Paul, MN. We will be staying with Gary & Joyce, relatives of mine. They live outside of St. Paul in Woodbury, so we won't have to fight with any city traffic. Can't wait!