Scoperta

San Juan Bicycle Trip - Day 7

2008-07-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

The final day of the trip. You might be wondering where all the pictures are...well, I didn't take any. With a bit of rain coming down and the desire to get the trip over with, I never took the time to enjoy the scenery around me.

The day started with Carey and I getting up pretty early. After a short discussion on ferry times, we decided that we might have enough time to make the early ferry at 9:30AM. We packed up as quick as possible and set off. We were about 14 miles from the ferry terminal and had about an hour to get there...for you math fans, that pretty much meant we needed to average 14 mph to make it in time. Faster than we had gone the whole trip. It was going to be tough, but we had to give it a try.

We gave it a hell of a try, but just barely didn't make it. I had pushed myself to the limit, feeling the blood flowing like I was racing in the Tour de France, and just as I arrived at the loading area they let one last car on and raised the gates. I checked my clock and I still think they closed the gate 5 minutes early, but there isn't much one can do as the boat quickly pulls away. Next available ferry, 12:30PM. That gave Carey and I 3 hours to kill at a ferry port with just a few stores. We ended up spending the time playing penny poker and charging up our cell phones after a week of little use.

The final 55 miles of the day seem like a blur. It was boring, the wind was knocking us around most of the time, and we were back in the hustle and bustle of the mainland. Going from the San Juans back onto the Washington State mainland kind of felt like going from the West Coast to the East Coast where I used to live. In the West things are at a slower pace and not quite as crowded, similar to the San Juans. Out East, everyone is rushing every which way and no matter where you turn you see something that has been created by society. This is how this last day felt. Cars rushing by, the Anacortes oil refinery scarring the landscape, and on a bike you just felt really small.

As the final miles were approaching, I started to get that end of summer feeling. On Monday I'd need to be back at work, my week long vacation would come to a smashing halt. I really wanted to get off the bike and clean up, but I also wanted to keep riding. I love my job, condo, and life in Portland, but it sure would be nice to keep the adventures rolling. Those travel tv hosts sure have it good...I'd sure like to know the downside of those jobs, because they seem perfect.

The worst part of the day was in the last home stretch. Unlike Carey, I had a bike computer and pretty much knew when the trip should end based on the mileage. I knew we were close to the end, so when Carey said he wanted to stop at Dairy Queen, I said I'd push on alone. I tend to do this with all things in my life...hold off certain things in my life, just to get to the end. The other day I was cleaning my condo and kept going and going, skipping lunch and hardly using the restroom. Once I focus on that end goal, hardly anything can get in my way. Turns out I was so focused, that I totally missed the turn to get back to my truck. And I knew I was close to the end, so I was pedaling like crazy. When I finally made up my mind that it was all wrong, I had to back track. Ended up going 13 more miles than I needed to. Quite a lot considering it was supposed to only be a 56 mile day. Moral of the story, when your riding partner suggests stopping at Dairy Queen, join him. No need to get lost after a long windy day of bike riding.

Next bicycle adventure? I don't know. I'd like to do some canoeing or kayaking...will try and get out backpacking as well. Have hopes to travel to Hawaii with Sarah in the near future. So much to do, so little time.

Day 7: 68.96 Miles, 12.94 AVS, 5:19:45 STP, 36.9 Max, 279 Total Miles

San Juan Bicycle Trip - Day 6

2008-07-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

We didn't do many miles today, but it was still productive. Yesterday on a hike around the park we had come across the non-primative campsites that had super nice bathrooms with showers! Our motivation wasn't super high this morning and we were feeling pretty gross, so we marched down to the other campground and each enjoyed a nice 3 minute shower for 50 cents. Could have been longer, but it felt great! Can't wait for a full on shower tomorrow or Sunday.

After the clean up we got the motivation to get on our bikes for a ride down to Olga and Obstruction Pass State Park. Nothing overly exciting. Got a cup of coffee in Olga. Hung out at the beach at the State Park. Pretty much the whole day was being setup for the ride up Mt. Constitution. So, after lunch we took a quick nap just to make sure we were ready.

Around 6pm we said we better get done with this and pushed off. The 2,409-foot summit took us about 45 minutes. Was challenging, but not impossible. I guess I made it over so many hills last summer, that this was just anoterh one among many. I actually liked the uphill more than the downhill. Don't think many people would say that. I guess I've never been a speed junky, so the challenge of the climb is more fun than the speed I could achieve going down. I ended up riding the brakes most the time with all the curves and cutbacks the road makes. Carey was/is much more into the speed and easily blasted his way down the hill ahead of me. The top had some amazing views. Could see all around the area, 360 degrees. I took some pictures, but I know they won't do the view justice. Somethign like this really needs to be experienced first hand. Similar to seeing an eagle fly or a pod of whales pass by. Camera just doesn't cut it.

Well, tomorrow is our final day. We will most likely catch a 12:20pm ferry back to Anacortes. From that point it's a 40 mile ride back to my truck. The Orcas miles plus that should make it our longest day. Good way to end a 7 day bicycle trip!

Day 6: 19.21 Miles, 9.54 AVS, 2:00:46 STP, 35.1 Max Speed, 210 Total Miles

San Juan Bicycle Trip - Day 5

2008-07-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

The second half (upper) of San Island wasn't as nice as the first. WE made a ride into Roche Harbor, a place we didn't fit in. It was full of the yachting families getting the triple espresso and bottle of wine for a day out at sea. Even though we were out of place we still didn't care. One of the nice things about being dirty and stinky while on one of these trips. Because you put the work into getting to where you are on a bicycle, you feel like the stank is justified. That you have earned it. Not sure if the people who glared at us agreed.

After buying some donuts we hopped back on the bikes and headed to Friday Harbor to see if we could catch the 11:35AM Ferry. It think we would have made it, except we had our first bicycle problem. BOB trailer got a flat. Having somewhat become a pro at finding and fixing a hole causinga flat, it only took me about 10 minutes to pull the tube out, patch it up, put it back in, re-bead the tire, and get my gear all put away. Quick fix, but we still didn't make it in time. So, we spent the next few hours in Friday Harbor until we could catch the 2:20PM Ferry. This gave us a chance to look around.

Our first stop was to warm up with some coffee and tea while looking through some crazy postcards that were only a quarter each. Carey had been getting too cold at night and wanted a stocking cap, so we found the local thrift store. He picked up a nice pink San Juan island cap that is totally his style. After picking up dinner supplies at the local market, we had lunch and boarded the ferry for Orcas Island.

Orcas is hilly! Our fourth island is going to be a challenge over the next few days. From the get go your nailed with hills and it didn't seem like they'd ever stop. First stop on our way to Moran State Park was Eastsound. We walked around, but this tourist stop didn't have much for us. We did hit up the library to check our email. NOthing important, but I did clean out hte 104 junk emails I didn't need to read.

After Eastsound it was a hilly trek to where we would be camping. Moran State Park is a great place to camp, must be with 160 or so sites that the ranger said were almsot all gone. Good thing places like this set aside bike/hiker spots that don't require any reservations. The park is awesome. Spread out campsites. Some with lake front property. Tons of wildlife. In our short time here I think I've seen 5 or 6 deer.

The park also has Mt. Constitution. A task we face tomorrow. But, not before going back down from the hill we are up on to check out soem coastal place like Obstruction Pass State Park. We won't do a ton of miles tomorrow, but we'll get a workout. Than the next day, back to my truck in what should be our longest biking miles day.

Day 5: 34.32 Miles, 11.10 AVS, 3:05:28 STP, 36.9 Max Speed, 191 Total Miles

San Juan Island Bicycle Trip - Day 4

2008-07-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

We did the opposite again in getting up. Instead of sleeping in it was 7 AM when we were both too cold to stay in bed. It was good we got up early as it gave us some time to hit up Ms. B's Bakery in town and one more Lopez Island beach before getting on the ferry. Ms. B made an amazing cinnamon roll that hit the spot. Warmed us right up. The place was so hopping, it's amazing Ms. B is closed on Tuesdays.

Our plan is to spend just one night on San Juan Island and the next wo on Orcas. Orcas will have more to do, plus a 10% grade up Mt. Constitution that I'm sure will be challenging. We should be able to do a full loop of San Juan Island, the bottom half today and than the top half tomorrow. It will hopefully work out well...campsite is at about the half way point, so it's perfect.

The coolest thing about today was seeing a pod of Orcas Whales off the coast. I don't know if it's that they are beautiful amazing creatures that makes it exciting, or the fact that they are rare and not many people can say that they saw Orcas Whales. Either way, it was a pleasant surprise to be biking along and than pull over to see what the crowds of people are looking at and discover it's whales. None of them did jumps out of the water, but they did surface and do some small flops. All the picture I took has is a black dot, so you will have to trust me that it is a whale surrounded by a bunch of his friends and family.

For the evening we are staying at the San Juan County Park. One of the few places to camp on one of the most wealthiest and large island in the area. They also have the campsites on top of each other. The family next to us has been yapping away about nothing. WE od have a sweet view to the West. First thing I'll see in the morning is the Haro Straight.

So, the plan is to boke the Northern edge of San Juan tomorrow morning. Afternoon ferry to Orcas Island. And ride to Moran State Park. Camp their Thursday and Friday night. Ferry back to Anacortes in the AM of SAtuday with the 40+ mile ride back to where my truck is on the same day. We should put in plenty of miles that day.

Not too much left and I'll be heading back ot the grind of Portland.

Day 4: 37.2 Miles, 10.8 AVS, 3:26:36 AVS, 36.7 Max Speed, 156 Total Miles

San Juan Island Bicycle Trip - Day 3

2008-07-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

Up early yesterday. Totally slep in today. My plan was to wait until Carey got up, and I guess this was his plan as well. So, it was a slow morning, but we did eventually push off. We started off by going through the small Lopez Village to pick up some lunch and see about some pastries for breakfast. No luckh with the pastries as the lone bakery int own is closed on Tuesday. But, we did get some lunch at the grocery store and headed south to Shark Reef Park.

This was a pretty cool place to visit. We had just missed the Orca pos some other travelers had told us, but we were treated with some sea lions and a beautiful landscape to eat our lunch at. One nice thing with this trip compared to crossing the country is how many breaks we take. Last summer it was up early, bike all day, eat, to bed early. We had one goal in mind, to make it across. With this trip the goal is to bike, but also to enjoy these beautiful islands and all they have to offer. After a lengthy time at Shark Reef we headed north to Otis Perkins Park. Once again ditching our bike shoes so we could walk along the nice warm sand. This was followed by a trip to the Fishermans Reef Memorial and spit. This wasn't marked on the map, but we came across it. It actually turns out that the two places I've liked the most haven't been on the map. Funny how that works.

Tomorrow we are headed to our third island, probably Orcas. We are in for a rude awakening as it is supposed to have a lot more hills than the nice Shaw and Lopez island we have been blessed with.

Day 3:
23.61 Miles
11.23 AVS
2:06:07 AVS
33.8 Max Speed
119 Total Miles

San Juan Island Bicycle Trip - Day 2

2008-06-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

SHAW ISLAND

Day two started off way too early for me. When ever I'm camping during the summer I always think it is later than it actually is, causing me to get up early and be tired most of the day. Hopefully I don't repeat that tomorrow.

After getting things packed up for the morning, we took off to see the rest of Shaw Island making our way to the other side of the island. Not much to see over that way, but it was perfect riding. Empty roads and a beautiful landscape. We ended up doing around 12 miles and than headed to the ferry dock to move onto island two. We had no plan of what island we'd hit enxt, with the plan being to just jump on the next ferry that came. This left us with about an hour and a half to kill sitting in front of the only store in town, playing some 10,000. A game I'm currently killing Carey in. I also got a chance to scarf down a Snickers, quickly becoming my bicycle riding favorite. Last summer I had three in one day as I put in a 130+ miles.

After a short ferry ride we were on the 2nd smallest island we will visit, Lopez. The plan was to hit up the campsite, drop out gear, and check out the island. At this point we had only gone about 16 miles and I was beat. T his is hard for the ego to take. My brain still thinks I can ride 130 miles in one day, but my legs and lungs have something else in mind.

After a quick rest we headed to the Southern part of Lopez. Beautiful roads again...a bikers paradise. Our destination being Agate Beach County Park. From the name on the map it looed like a big park, but the actual beach part was pretty small. Still a great view of Outer Bay and about 5 islands set off from the Lopez mainland.

We than took a tip from another bicyclist we met to check out Watmough Bight Nature Preserve. It was great advice, even with having to ride on some dirt roads. Gorgeous little cove that just shimmered in the sun light. I think we both would have wanted to stay longer, but it was getting late and out tummies would soon be screaming.

After getting lost on a 4 mile wrong turn, we made out way back, very hungry. Carey even had to pull up with a 1/2 mile to go to eat some trail mix. Being on the bikes all day makes you hungry! Tomorrow is more of Lopez Island and we'll probably stay a 2nd night.

Day 2:
47.43 Miles
11.13 AVS
4:15:34 STP
36.1 Max Speed
Total: 96 Miles

San Juan Island Bicycle Trip - Day 1

2008-06-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

We get out of Seattle to our take off point (Campanno Island) at about 10 AM. As we pakced up and donned our tight fitting bike clothes, the neighbor lady chatted us up. Even offering to give us a ride to where we needed to catch the ferry. This token offer happened quite a bit on the trek across county, which is funny because it is the last thing we want. Although, it would have been nice. I was feeling the affects of what a body feels like that has done little training for this type of ride. I could feel it on those first five miles. Doesn't help that we didn't eat right. Always, always eat a good meal before riding. I guess I was so eager to get going that I thought a granola bar in 90+ heat would get me by.

Our adventure started and was halted in the first block. Only took a few pedals to realize something is wrong. This being Carey's panniers, hooked a little close to his seat, causing him to hit them on each pump of the legs. Quick fix and were were on our way.

Another good advice is to bring a map of where you are going. Just because it looks easy when you are in Google Maps doesn't mean all those roads are going to be marked. So, we did what most gujys don't like...asked directions. More than once. "Which way to Anacortes?" "Where can we camp?" It is nice that we asked because one guy led us to a nice bike path that led us clear into Anacortes. NOt a direct route, but it was cool over an old railroad bridge that has been converted into a bicycle path.

Once nice thing about walking bikes onto the San Juan Ferries is that you pay one price (~$15) and than the inter island cost is free. We could just hop back and forth on the ferries to our hearts content. Makes a trip like this affordable.

Our first island, Shaw, is jacked. Hardly anyone lives here, so as we left the ferry terminal not a single car passed us. We did cross a cat. There are people at the campground, but you get the sense that you have most of this island to yourself. We cooked up some dinner (old fav I cooked across country) and took our food out to the gorgeous beach to eat. No one else around. Nice island. Tomorrow it is probably Lopez, but we might just play it by ear depending on what time we make it to the ferry terminal.

Day 1:
47.96 Miles
12.25 AVS
3:55:14 STP
34.9 Max Speed
Total: 48 Miles

Crater Lake

2008-06-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

This was a trip to Crater Lake that Sarah and I took the last weekend in June. We had first planned to camp in the National Park, but a week before the trip I got a call from the campsite and they weren't going to be open yet. Still a heavy snow pack into late June! And as you can tell from the pictures below, there was still a lot of snow.

One of the reasons I had never been to Crater Lake before is that it is just far enough away to make a weekend trip a bit of a pain. But, I was able to get off work early on Friday, as was Sarah. We hit I-5 south and missed most of the traffic that plagues Portland on Friday evenings. With Crater Lake being so far away, we stayed the first night in Grants Pass. I had zipped through this area on a California bound trip, but had never stopped. It looks like a pretty nice town. We had dinner at a burger joint that has some 40 variety of burgers and 80+ variety of milk shakes. The next morning we had time to hit up the local farmers market and unfortunately bought bread for lunch that can with a surprise hair.

Even though Crater Lake was the focus of this trip, we actually didn't spend that much time in the National Park. It was cold, rainy, and I would have liked to have gone on a hike, but the snow pack was really high. Kind of a bummer with it being listed in the 1,000 places to see before you die. I've seen it, but I'm not quite sure I can check it off the bucket list yet. We did drive around a bit, took some pictures, and headed north to find a place to camp for the night.

On the way into Crater Lake we passed about 5 campground we could have stayed at, on the way out...none! We figured we would come across one as we headed north towards Bend, but none were on the roadside. Actually this isn't true...at one point when we were closer to Bend we passed one commercial looking campground, but Sarah and I were so wrapped up in playing a car game (A to Z) that we decided to skip it. She won by the way...we both got to Z and she spotted a zipper before I could spot a kid with a zit! This was despite me making up rules along the way to keep her from winning!

Once we hit Bend we did find a little city park that had camping, but as soon as we pulled in a large sign said they were full. This left us with no options, so after driving around a bit we came across a Barnes & Nobles that allowed us to do some quick research on campground. What I came up with was the Crooked River State Park area, that was within an hours drive. Just east of Bend, the Crooked River has numerous rustic campgrounds that are spread along the river. It is actually a nice place to camp, with the river down in a small canyon. And with it raining most of the day, we lucked out with finding a spot that seemed to be missing all the rain clouds. Thankful for this as that last time Sarah and I went camping we got dumped on.

This is the only picture that I have from our camping area. Not sure if Sarah is approving of this photo, but considering she deleted all the other photos on my camera that I took of her, this must have passed the filter. Very cute if you ask me!!

The third day of our weekend trip was spent driving north to the Dalles. We hadn't done any hiking on the trip, so we did a quick hike at one of the many Colubmia River Gorge hiking locations. It was windy as all heck, so it wasn't much of a hike. For any of you planning a trip to Crater Lake, highly recommend late summer. Make sure all the snow is gone. I'll be back someday...maybe after I tackle the other 999 things to see before I die.

Armin gets hit by a Hummer

2007-09-14T17:11:00.000-07:00

Armin gets hit by a Hummer! My riding partner Armin has continued his bicycling adventure by heading down to San Francisco. His second day in Lincoln City an H2 Hummer hit him. Read his account at the link below. I'm so jealous!

http://dirteatersanonymous.blogspot.com/

Video's from the 2nd half of trip

2007-09-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

Video of me passing Armin on the road:

Julie biking past me:

Armin biking past a sunflower farm in North Dakota:

Armin singing while biking:

Dancers at a bar in Missoula. (Note to self -- learn to dance so I can twirl girls around at bars and weddings):

Friend Dan playing "Question" by Rhett Miller and welcome back BBQ.

Cost of the Trip

2007-09-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

A common question I would get and would often wonder myself before I started is how much a trip like this would cost. So, from the very start I've kept very detailed records of how much I spent. As a general warning, I went about this very cheaply. From buying major items on Ebay to not paying for places to sleep along the way. If that isn't your style, these figures won't apply to you.

Initial Costs (Before Trip Started)

Bike - $405.00
BOB Trailer - $234.31
Camera - $210.00
Bicycle Repair Class - $231.00
Other - $1,201.84
SUBTOTAL = $2,282.15

On the Road Costs

Cash (used mainly for food) - $414.00
Chicago - $62.76
Food - $266.75
Mail - $46.77
Misc - $33.52
Repair - $204.04
SUBTOTAL = $1,027.84

TOTAL COST = $3,309.99

Day 45 - 57 Miles

2007-09-01T18:30:00.001-07:00

Stevenson, WA to Portland, OR
Total = 3,485 Miles

FINISHED!!! Three thousand, four hundred, and eighty-five miles. Lincoln Park, NJ to Portland, OR. July 10th to September 1st. 45 days of biking, 9 days off. 54 days on the road. In total we average 75 miles per biking day. To start off with I was hoping that we would at least average 60, so 75 is fantastic!

Our last day of riding wasn't too bad. We were more inland along the gorge, so wind wasn't a big factor. We had a decent hill to climb, but nothing we hadn't been through before. At the start of the trip my official weight was 180. Final weight - 161. I lost 19 pounds!! Wow. I could feel that I had lost weight, but not that much. Crazy. It will be interesting to see if I put it back on right away, because there is no way I can keep up that much exercise. Who has time to workout 6 to 7 hours a day?

We finally made to an OCB like place. My brother Ryan was kind enough to come with us and watch us pig out. I seriously did not feel well after my 5th plate. Binge eating is not for everyone, but it felt good after 3400+ miles. HomeTown Buffet isn't the OCB, but is owned by the same company.

Mmmmmm, plate #3.

The blog is coming to an end. In the next few days I'm going to have a few more posts. Let you know what my fellow bike riders are up to. Give a break down in the costs involved with the trip. Maybe give some advice on what you should do if you are planning on biking across country yourself. It really isn't that hard if you put your mind to it. If you can get the mental part down, the physical side of things will either come around eventually or you'll just have to deal with it. Either way, I would encourage everyone to make time for an adventure of this magnitude. It really changes you and it's one heck of a weight loss program.

Day 44 - 63 Miles

2007-09-01T07:00:00.001-07:00

Maryhill State Park to Stevenson
Total = 3,428

We met back up Armin this morning. He toughed it out up on the ridge last night. Not the best conditions to sleep in, but he made it out just fine. We had tough winds again today, but it wasn't as hot as yesterday thankfully. One exciting and dangerous thing we had to do today was pass through seven tunnels. At the start of each tunnel is a button bicylists push, warning drivers behind us with a flashing light to slow down. The tunnels are pretty short, but the difficult part is they create a tremendous amount of wind or a "wind tunnel." One was so strong it knocked you down to almost a stand still. I had fun with them, but it sure would have been nice to be going the other way and get pushed through by the wind.

The first person I asked about a place to stay in Stevenson, Sarah, offered to let us stay on her families property a mile or two away. This is our last night on the road and it was nice to once again find a kind person who was so willing to lend a hand. We got to meet her family up at the property and they all were very nice.

Tomorrow is it. About 45 miles into Vancouver and than the short trip into North Portland where my brother and sister-in-law live. I can't wait to become normal again. Listen to music, get frustrated by the Mariners losing, and showering more than once a week!

Day 43 - 73 Miles

2007-08-31T07:06:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-29T08:34:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-28T08:33:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-27T08:41:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-24T09:15:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-23T14:57:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-22T07:11:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-21T08:17:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-20T06:19:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-19T05:56:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-18T08:26:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-17T11:06:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-16T07:38:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-15T08:39:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-14T12:20:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-11T07:27:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-08T17:46:00.003-07:00

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

2007-08-08T17:46:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-07T07:57:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-06T06:35:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-05T06:37:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-03T19:12:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-03T07:39:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-01T17:05:00.001-07:00

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!

Day 18 - 81 Miles

2007-07-31T17:37:00.001-07:00

Total = 1201
Mazomanie to Westby

One thing about bicycle touring is that you become a human bug shield. Just think about the last time you took a long drive in the country and how filthy your windshield became. Well, for us we get to experience that up front and personal. I've had bugs zip into my mouth, crash off my helmet, and fly full speed into my sunglasses. The last of which is kind of scary.

Tonight we are staying in Westby. A nice little town. We got a place at a Lutheran church right off the main strip. Nice accept for a ton of ants and no shade at all. So, we went around to the front of the church to make dinner. Tonight we tried out chilli for the first time and as we prepared and downed our meal we got plenty of strange looks from the locals passing by. Must not get dirty bicyclist eating meals on the front porch of the biggest church in town very often.

Tomorrow we will make it to the mighty Mississippi. We will be heading North along a scenic route that should be pretty sweet...I mean JACKEDDDD!!!!

Day 17 - 81 Miles

2007-07-31T04:49:00.001-07:00

Total = 1120 Miles
Emeralds Grove to Mazomanie

We survived the drunken Ray of last night. We all shared our stories today of what we thought might happen if he really went off the deep end. Thankfully none of that happened and we got an early exit out of that place.

Our first stop was in Janesville just down the road. They had a bike shop that opened up fairly early (9 AM) and Armin was sick of his spokes continually breaking and wanted a new rim. We were the first customers and they got us what we needed. Another town, another bike shop. For the record, Armin said that the guy who helped him was no Josh. The man crush continues.

We found ourselves back in some hills today. Kind of nice, but at the end of the day when you want to just kick back and eat some mac & cheese, even a small hill is tiring. Our first try at a place to stay was in a town called Black Earth. We tried a few spots, but nothing was coming together. Someone suggested we try a Catholic Church in another town four miles down the road. So, we headed off.

Once you get in your head that you've made it to your last town, going four extra miles is a killer. Your hungry, tired, thirsty and the last thing you want to do is continue on. Luckily the priest at the church was home and he gave us permission to use the expansive church property. Picnic tables, grass, and access to water.

Day 16 - 92 Miles

2007-07-30T07:17:00.001-07:00

Total = 1039
Chicago, IL to Emerald Grove, WI
16 Biking Days, 4 Days Off

On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again....ah, felt good to be back in the saddle. A tiring 92 miles led us from the Shafer household in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park all the way into the great state of Wisconsin. Even though we were all ready to get going on our west bound journey, Chicago was a nice stay over. The Shafer's were very kind to let us park our bikes and gear in the garage and put Armin and I up for a few nights. Adam even let me sleep in his room. Thanks Lisa, Ron, Adam, and Emily for being so kind to us during our extended stay!!

In total we only spent two actual biking days in Illinois. A very quick dash through the Northern portion of the state. Shortly before the state line we had our first outwardly mean person encounter. Julie and I were resting in some shade off the highway on someone's lawn. It was a pretty big lawn and we weren't any where close to the house. But, a lady came out, gave us a whistle and said, "hit the road." Come on, is it that big of a deal for us to take a ten minute break in the shade? So, we hit the other side of the road and I was able to get a picture of the mean lady. At the same time I also checked the trip odometer which read "999", but I was looking at it upside down, "666". Hmmmmmm.......

Oh, and I was wrong, Illinois didn't have the worst state line sign. Wisconsin didn't even have one for us. There goes that picture taking series. That's what you get for taking the back country roads.

Tonight we are in the small town of Emerald Grove. The one church in town has a real nice lawn that we could have probably just put up tents at, but nobody related to the church is in town. As we were knocking on the door, the neighbors across the street, Ray & Janet, told us nobody is ever around. In the process we told them our story and they offered up their land. Very nice people, but also very drunk. Ray keeps stumbling over to us and offering us all beer, shrimp, and the use of things in his "bar". He even brought us a plate of fresh fruit, which happened to have very good muskmelon. As we are making dinner and setting up camp Ray continues to drink with friends and is bumping some old school rap. RIP Tupac. Every now and than we hear Ray yelling. Sometimes at the dog, sometimes at his kid (or stepson). At around 7pm there was a really big fight/ yelling scene that really made us nervous. It seems to have ended and the old school rap turned off. I don't usually sleep w!
ith a knife at hand, but tonight I probably will. Ray is nice, but you never know what a drunk is capable of.

Tomorrow we might hit up a bike shop in the next town. Poor Armin broke another spoke. Than were going to keep pouring on the miles. The plan is to head NW until we hit the Mississippi and than follow a scenic route along the river.

Chicago

2007-07-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

Armin hitting a winning shot:

All you can eat Sushi at House of Sushi and Noodles:

Armin boxing:

Armin & Emily white water rafting:

Adam boxing:

Video's from the trip

2007-07-25T05:51:00.000-07:00

Armin biking:

Armin and Julie rocking out:

Amish Buggy:

Day 15 - 64 miles

2007-07-24T16:50:00.001-07:00

* Total = 946
* Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore to Chicago

We made it to Chicago!!!! Our morning started out by checking out the dunes. As far as we could tell there wasn't any dunes, but it was nice wading in the water that someone told us was a warm 71 degrees.

We than made it through Gary, which wasn't even close to as bad as people said it was going to be. They made it seem like we were putting our life on the line. Gary led to East Chicago and than perhaps the lamest state border sign we will come across on the whole trip.

The ride into Chicago was nice once we hit the Lakeshore Bike Path. We took that all the way past Navy Pier and the main downtown area, before hitting the streets of Chicago for the ride West to Oak Park.

Right now were sitting in Adam's backyard resting until him and his family comes home. We have plans to eat, visit friends, and rest during our time here. We will take off for Day 16 of riding on Sunday the 29th. Until than you can give me a call if you want to chat.

Day 14 - 65 Miles

2007-07-24T07:09:00.001-07:00

* Total = 882
* Elkhart to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

We left really really late today. Sandy insisted on showing us where the bicycle shop was instead of just giving us directions. It really sucked losing our freedom to just go. Even though we could have just pedaled away, societal norms chained us down. Turns out that when we called the bike shops said they were too busy to fix any bicycle spokes. Once we got that news we high tailed it out of Elkhart and haven't stopped cracking jokes about Sandy & Tom since.

Only six miles into our already late start of a biking day, we came across a bicycle shop. The House of Bicycles (10140 McKinley, Osceola, IN 46561). We pulled in to see if they had time to work on Armins bike and they did. The Head Mechanic at this shop, Josh, was great! He quickly went to work on replacing the broken spokes while telling us stories about his unicycling adventures. He commutes an hour to work on one and takes them on downhill mountain bike courses as well. Josh was so good that Julie and I had him take a look at our bikes as well and he made the necessary tweaks to get rid of the squeaks we had been hearing. If your in the South Bend/Osceola area, Josh is the man to take your bike problems to. As a side note, Armin has a man crush on Josh and would like him to be his best friend.

By the time we got out of the bike shop it was around 1pm and we had gone only 6 miles. We are usually this far along before 8am. We had a lot of catching up to do. One thing helping us out was going through a time zone today, so we had an extra hour to work with. We also decided to make reservations at a campground instead of having to ask around for a backyard to camp in. At only $15, the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Campground seemed like a great deal.
So, on our 14th day we finally pay for a place. So, were averging about $1 a night for housing on this trip. Nice thing about this method of touring is we buy whatever food we want because it is really our main expense. We also took hot showers and made s'mores tonight...still joking about the crazy people of Indiana. You will have to read Julie's next blog to learn about the lady we thought might try and kill us.

Tomorrow is Chicago! We all have various plans: all you can eat sushi, Harry Potter, friends birthday party, and I have a phone interview on Thursday. Most important thing will be letting our bodies rest after 15 straight days of being on the road.

Day 13 - 81 Miles

2007-07-23T07:37:00.001-07:00

* Total = 816
* Montpelier, OH to Elkhart, IN

We've crossed the 800 mile threshhold and made it to another state all in one day. Our last little stretch of Ohio was met with our first real dog chase. Dogs have a stange desire to attack bicyclist like we were stealing their favorite chew toy. I was the first to come across a house with two dogs that made a run for me. They didn't look that scary, but I was more worried about running them over and hurting the both of us. I have pepper spray just incase, but in this instance I put all my energy into going as fast as possible and I was able to drop them. At the next meet up point I asked Julie and Armin if they were also attacked. Both of them were and ended up stopping and starting again while the dogs barked nearby. Armin's plan has been to pull a knife out, but in the heat of the moment, he didn't remember to grab for it. If he comes acros Cujo, he's a dead man. Right before the border a little ankle biter also attacked. He wasn't scary at all, but sure could run fast.

One of the amazing things about today is Armin's bike being able to ride 80 miles. He didn't break one or two spokes yesterday, but four! And at some point today a fifth spoke broke. We passed one bike shop, but being Sunday it was of course closed. The town we are staying in has a shop, so we should be able to get Armin fixed up in the morning. My biggest bike problem of the day was getting my first flat tire on my bike. Seems like nothing compared to riding 80 miles with 5 missing spokes.

One of the funniest things of the day has to be our hosts for the night Sandy and Tom. Sandy is Julie's Mom's second cousin, I think. The first thing is they insisted on meeting us at a major intersection and having us follow them for 10 miles back to the house. So, there we were, a minivan and 3 bikes going 10 to 15 mph down the road. And Tom is quite the character. He has about 8 different things strapped to his belt. This includes a cell phone, 30 keys, flashlight, knife, and a big belt buckle that says, "4WD". In his snap button up shirt pocket he has 10 pens and pencils, another flashlight, and a small notebook of paper. In the other pocket he keeps his cigar. Near as I can tell he doesn't actually smoke them, just chews on the end. He is of course the type who tells interesting (??) stories about breaking in cows, watering trees at his job, and not really caring to leave the county he's always lived in. He said he's been to Chicago once, didn't lose anything, doesn't see any reason to go back. Quite the character Tom is. It was very nice of them to let us stay, even bought us pizza. Don't worry Ms. Yacso, you still hold the hosting title, we are sleeping in the back yard tonight.

Tomorrow we are hoping to make it to the Indiana sand dunes, via South Bend to see the Notre Dame campus.

Day 12 - 80 miles

2007-07-21T16:31:00.001-07:00

* Total = 735
* Woodville to Montpelier

We woke up a little late today, but that didn't stop us from putting in some good miles. The flat land certainly helps with that. At one point today I was riding next to another bicycler, Joe. I had passed him in a town while he was going slow and I made him work to catch up to me, pushing my speed to around 20 mph. He seemed like a nice guy, jealous of the journey we are on. He also said were lucky because normally there are 10-15 mph winds thru this part of the state.

Tonight is our dinner night, so instead of cooking some delicious mac & cheese we plan to find a decent restaurant in Montpelier. I already splurged with an ice cream cone earlier today. Ohio has a ton of ice cream shops, it's tough not to stop at all of them.

Rolling into Montpelier we had a crowd to cheer us on. Today was the end of Montpelier's Bean Festival, which ends with the Bean Parade. We were able to find some grass for our tents in enough time to catch the parade. Being hungry as well, we looked around for a place to eat and came along an all you can eat pizza joint, The Pizza Oven. Pizza, salad, dessert, soft drinks, and some other hot food for $5.34. A dream come true for the touring cyclist.

Armin was by far the biggest eater, which could be a mistake come tomorrow. I was hoping to eat more than I did, but they had Mellow Yellow and I filled up too much on that. Why isn't Mellow Yellow in more places, it tastes so good? We were able to eat and watch the parade at the same time, so it was perfect. These nights out to eat are great.

Tomorrow we cross another state border early in the day!!

Day 11 - 89 Miles

2007-07-21T04:47:00.001-07:00

* Total = 655
* Cleveland to Woodville

I don't have a ton of information to share today. For the most part it was all about miles. By far my longest day of riding ever. It didn't hurt that this part of Ohio were biking through is totally flat.

The day started waking up in Ms. Yacso's wonderful house (Thanks Again!!). Felt good to roll out of a bed as opposed to standing up from a tent. The first half of our ride followed Lake Road out of Cleveland and along Lake Erie. We even had a bike path for part of the way, which is awesome! It's nice having a lane you don't have to share with cars.

Lake Road is Highway 6 and we took this all the way to 20, than pushing into Woodville. Julie started looking around at a few of the churches and parks when we rolled into town. Ended up talking to a neighbor and they motioned over a police officer who said it would be fine to sleep in the town park.

So, we have a nice spot once again. Running water, picnic tables, and a pavillion. Only thing its missing is a bathroom, but Julie doesn't mind squatting and dudes have it easy when it comes to these matters.

Tomorrow we are going to ride pretty close to the Ohio/Indiana border. Than the next night Julie has some family in Elkhart, IN where we can setup tents in the yard. Chicago is not far away!

Day 10 - 40 Miles

2007-07-20T05:39:00.001-07:00

* 40 Miles, Total = 566
* Chesterland to Westlake (Cleveland)

After the long day yesterday it felt great to take a short one. I was faced with an early challenge as my BOB trailer tire was completely flat. Once I took the tube out I couldn't find the hole, so I got out the spare tube that the person who sold the trailer gave me. Totally wrong size! For those planning a trip, this would be a good detail to check beforehand. Back to patching the tube, Armin suggested I use a puddle to find the hole. This worked out, the hole was very small. Patched it up and we were on the way!

Speaking of the BOB trailer, I really like it. It's super easy to pack, gives me plenty of space to bungy things on, and takes some of the load off my bike to the extra wheel. The two big knocks is having to lean it differently at stops and it wobbles on down hills. Nothing serious, but it is a factor. Another benefit is that it keeps things totally dry. At night I pack my shoes and extra gear into it to keep them dry from rain and morning dew.

After we got the wheel fixed this morning we took off for Cleveland. Stopping along the way at a bike shop so I could pick up a spare BOB tube and Armin needed a small fix to his gear shifter. The ride through Cleveland brought us through heavy rain, various levels of traffic, and a stop at Whole Foods to enjoy the free samples.

Next stop, the Yacso household. Former roommate Erica grew up in Cleveland and she was kind enough to ask her mom to host us. And oh boy did she! Hot shower, laundry, internet access, and a wonderful meal. She really went all out for us and has officially taken over the "best host" award that I give to one lucky person. She takes over this award from her daughter, pushing Erica to second place.

Tomorrow we push on West. We figure Ohio and Indiana will take only a few days each. Should be in Chicago in 5 to 6 days.

Pictures

2007-07-19T14:36:00.001-07:00

I posted pictures in the previous blogs if you want to see them.

Day 9 - 68 Miles

2007-07-19T08:14:00.001-07:00

* 6.5 miles walking
* 3 miles hitch hiking
* 62 miles bicycling
* Andover, OH to Chester, OH

Yes Mom, I hitch hiked. Yes, I'm still alive. My lucky number for the month is going to be 22. It was vehicle number 22 that finally stopped to give me and my bike a ride to Linesville, PA. It would have been nice to be done with PA, but it sucked me back in.

So, right now I'm waiting outside the bicycle shop. We got the bent rim back in place, which I'm thankful for because that could really have been a huge issue. They don't replace spokes or true wheels, so I had to go with a new back rim. The bike mechanic is switching over the cassette right now. After that we will find out what kind of hit the rear derailer took. The bike took a hit, but I'm hoping to get out of here by noon. Than it's nine miles back to my gear (hidden in the bushes) and onward into Ohio!!!

Well, in the end the bike basically has a new back end. I'm not totally happy with it, but it works. Up until the point where my bike broke down things were running smoothly. Now I can feel the differences. The slight rubbing, gears not changing smoothly. It might need some adjusting as we go along, so for now its good enough to get me to the next day.

It was a real long day. So long that its late and I'm too tired to write about where and how we got our place to sleep tonight. Tomorrow we stay over in Cleveland.

Day 8 - 54 Miles

2007-07-18T04:44:00.001-07:00

* 54 Miles (Total = 457)
* Union City, PA to Andover, OH

Armin has been having various bike issues and finally I have some of my own. About a mile into Ohio I busted two spokes, might have bent my rear derailer, and possible the frame. Not sure what caused the problem, but it was messed up.

With the two broken spokes removed, I was able to fix one with a repair kit, but not the other one. The wheel is out of true and not rideable. Luckily we broke down at an insurance agency and they are going to let us camp out behind an old barn. Tomorrow morning a bike shop back about 6 miles away opens at 10AM, so there is nothing to do but wait until than. I might try and hitch a ride, or will just walk it.

We had planned to stay at a friends mom's house in Cleveland tomorrow night, but that is going to have to be put off until Thursday night. There we are hoping to shower, wash some clothes, and maybe even sleep inside! Even though we haven't made it yet, thanks for hooking us up Erica!!

Other than that the ride today was nice. Felt good to be done with a state, even though I'm heading back first thing tomorrow morning. We have gotten to the flat Ohio everyone we talk to has been mentioning. Let's hope this bike shop can get me fixed up tomorrow.

Day 7 - 65 miles

2007-07-17T04:05:00.001-07:00

* 65 Miles (Total = 402)
* Allegheny National Forest to Union City

ONE WEEK!!!! We still have a lot more to go, but I feel one week is a pretty big milestone! We've gone roughly 1/8th of the distance we need to make it to Portland, OR.

It's been four nights since we ate out, so were hoping to find a restaurant tonight. I'd kill for an Old Country Buffet or OCB as it is often referred as.

For sleeping accomidations tonight, Armin talked with the minister from the First United Methodist Church in town. They were kind enough to let us sleep in their backyard, another nice accomidation.

We are only a few blocks from downtown, so we headed out to find a place to eat. We had a couple of different options and ended up going with a chinese restaurant. One with the same exact menus and pictures that were so familiar with. It was fantastic! All food on this trip has just been great, although I didn't try the pink pickled egg Armin bought at a convience store. To cap the meal off I had an ice cream cone from McDonalds...brings back memories of growing up.

Tomorrow we should make it out of the Keystone State and cross into the land of Buckeyes. This state has been good to us, lets hope the rest of the country is.

Day 6 - 62 miles

2007-07-16T04:24:00.001-07:00

Today was a tough day. When we all got to a meet up point towards the end it was tough deciding what to do because we were so exhausted. But, we managed to push on for an additional 8 miles from that point into the Allegheny National Forest. We knew we could camp just about anywhere in any National Forest, but we still stopped by the Rangers Station to ask where a good spot might be. The ranger said we own the land, so basically anywhere is fine. Being tired we chose this cleared out area behind the station. It is actually one of our worst accomidtions. We have always had a water source in our previous 5 stops.

I really haven't talked about what "camp" is like each night, so let me run down the basics.
- When we first get in we want to get out of our bike clothes, so that involves either going out in the woods, or Armin setting up his big ten.
- Than we usually have some relaxation time. I might blog, Julie reads, Armin sleeps or searches for crayfish. Various chores are also completed, like last night we rinsed our clothes out in the creek.
- At some point dinner is started. Armin is usually the lead on this, but we all pitch in with the various cutting or opening tasks.
- After dinner one or two of us will do dishes. We slowly start to prepare for bed by brushing teeth, taking out contacts, or getting our sleeping gear all in place.
- More free time again. I'm still pounding away at my little computer and Armin always takes out his ukulele and we gather around to practice a few songs. We might actually be good by the time we get to Chicago if anyone wants to book us.
- A little after sunset we head to bed for either more reading or just to fall asleep right away.
- Morning comes and we all slowly rise. Talking is limited to just the basics as we shake out the cold and prepare mentally for the day ahead. We have been eating oatmeal, but we just picked up some cereal and powdered milk for tomorrow.
- Than after picking our meet up spots and final destination for the day, were off.

Recap:
* 62 miles (total = 337)
* Denton Hill State Park to Allegheny National Forest (just West of Marshburg)

Day 5 - 52 Miles

2007-07-14T14:27:00.001-07:00

We slept in an extra hour this morning, and it would have been nice excep it was so freaking cold. I wanted to stay in my bivy sack until the fog lifted and we got some sun to warm us up. But, like the last few days we pressed on. Even thouh it was cold I decided not to wear my rain jacket and during those first 5 miles I actually had dew on my arm.

Our first major stop was the beautiful town of Wellsboro. A must see if your passing through on route 6. We all wanted to stop at the bike shop and the store manager ended up being great. Didn't even charge Armin and Julie for some minor service repairs and he was very helpful in picking out some spare brakes for me.

As we were milling about outside another nice guy, Brian O'Shea, started chatting with us and gave us a tip of a place to stay up the road. Denton Hill State Park was his suggestion and that if anyone asked just to say that he sent us.

So, we headed off and were hopeful that his suggestion would work. This part of the route brought us into Potter County, or as they like to call it, "God's Country." A local flyer describes it as, "Vast tracks of forest where man is outnumbered by wildlife - herds of deer, flocks of turkeys, abundant bear and coyotes, and the lighting fast grouse that the Indians called Thunder Birds."

We reached Denton Hill State Park and true to Brians word they were welcoming. We spoke with the ski/mountain bike hill owner Scott, who knows Brian, and he said pitch a tent down by the creek. So, once again we have a beautiful place to stay that includes a creek, picnic tables, and a fire pit we might get going. If we have as much luck in the remaining parts of the country, this trip is going to run smoothly.

Recap:
* 52 miles (total = 275)
* Mainesburg, PA to Denton Hill State Park, PA

Day 4 - 58 miles

2007-07-14T06:35:00.001-07:00

Today had one main thing that we haven't faced much of yet. Wind. In some of my practice rides I had decent wind and didn't like it. Now we have the wind and hills. They call the area around here The Endless Mountains. Nobody seems to know where they end, but we get the feeling pretty close to the Ohio border. We've had a couple people tell us about a very large hill we will face in the next day or two. I almost don't want to know about it because now I have to think about it. In the same respect I wish I didn't know the Rockies existed.

Today was a surprisingly long day. The last stretch seemed to go on forever. When I finally hit Mainesburg it was a lovely site. I stopped at the only store in town, chatted up the teller and drank a root beer. This gave me a chance to ask about places to stay in town. I asked about his land, but he was going to be out of town tonight and thought the neighbors would freak out. Julie showed up and as we were walking away he suggested we try the town park. Once we got to the park it was great, real big and secluded.

Just to be safe we wanted to ask the neighbors to make sure they didn't care. First house we went, Bernies, turned out to be the park supervisor. He said it would be fine and that nobody would bother us. Another town, another nice place to stay for free. Maybe we should write US Bicycle Touring on $5 a day. The only small notch at this sleeping site is the large family that is having a late bbq after a funeral. Hopefully they don't stay too late, we tend to hit the sack early. Once again though, thank you to small town America and welcoming their land to the weary bicycler.

I'm so excited that we are planning on sleeping in tomorrow. 6AM alarm instead of 4:30. I did not want to get up this morning, but biking early in the morning is nice. Armin has been having daily flats to his back tire, so were hoping to find a bicycle shop in the large town 4 1/2 miles down route 6. This might cost us some miles tomorrow, but poor Armin needs to get this issue fixed.

Recap:
* 58 miles (total = 223)
* Laceyville, PA to Mainesburg, PA

Q&A

2007-07-13T04:13:00.001-07:00

A few people have posted questions in the comments section that I wanted to respond to.

Q: Have we showered yet?
A: We have not showered yet, and it could be a while before we do. To get by I make full use of bathrooms along the way. This includes rinsing my hair out, taking my shirt off to wash my body, and washing my face. I really don't feel that dirty, but I do stink.

Q: how are you getting internet service? Do you have a laptop?
A: I don't have a laptop. I've using this device called Pocketmail that allows me to write emails when I have free time and than to transmit I just need to call a 1-800 number on a pay phone. I hold the device up to the phone and it transmit/receives similar to a fax machine. Armin and Julie have been using the internet at small town libraries we pass through if they get the chance.

Q: Did you or your fellow travelmates happen to record your "physicals" before you left? Hair color, weight, height, skin color, number of limbs, etc.? I would imagine after riding across country something might change!
A: I weighed myself (180) and plan to take pictures of my face daily to show change. Armin also weighed himself and took profile shots with his shirt off. Julie also weighed herself and all her gear. I think I heard her say she's really into stats, so besides daily mileage she is recording her average and top speed.

I think that is all the questions. Keep them coming, I'm happy to answer them.

Day 3 - 49 Miles

2007-07-12T16:34:00.001-07:00

Today once again started early and actually cold. A welcome change from sleeping in hot humid conditions. The plan was to meet up in Factoryville for the first major break. Julie and I got their first and took a bathroom break and waited for Armin. At some point Julie turned on her cell phone and had a message from Armin. He had another flat to his back tire and was out of spares. He was forced to turn around and search for the nearest bike shop. So, once we heard back from him we made a plan to meet up in Tunkannock.

We heard from him once again after waiting for a while and he was in route, but because of bad directions still behind us. So, once again we changed the meet up location to Laceyville. I write this as were waiting. It's starting to get late, so once he gets here I imagine it might be our stopping point for the day.

One funny or not so funny thing I noticed today while riding is all the road kill. When driving you see some of it, but miss out on the animals that make it to the roadside grass. Going at a slower speed, the biker gets to see all of it. And if you don't see it, you smell it. The smell of death. In just three days I've see perhaps 20 dead deer and smelled many more. I also came across a wild boar of some type today. Sorry, haven't taken any pictures. I'll write about them, but there is just too much to stop every time.

Well, Armin finally made it and we set off into Laceyville to find a place to sleep. The first lady we talked to on the side of the road suggested we go a block down to the mayors house and ask him. Mayor Ken was very nice and said we could sleep in the secluded area down by the river. Can't beat that, river side property and the mayor of this very small town's permission.

We had been talking about treating ourselves, so we went up to the only restaurant in town, The Wiser Choice. I had the Maryland Crabcakes and they might not have been the best in the world, but they were fantastic after a day of riding! We didn't get a ton of miles in today, but Laceyville has proven to be a great town to rest our weary bodies.

Recap:
* 49 miles (total = 164)
* Carbondale, PA to Laceyville, PA
* Beautiful chilly morning
* Riverside camping

Day 2 - 52 Miles

2007-07-12T05:14:00.001-07:00

Sleep was rough last night. The heat took a while to let up and being on a main avenue, cars were coming by at all hours. But, we still woke up early and were off by 6AM.

We had seen the hill leaving Milford yesterday and I was dreading having to start the day going up it. Hills just take the juice out of you. You go from a nice 15 mph all the way down to 4 mph once you hit a decent hill.

One thing that is nice is the heat has left us for now. We can ride with a little more energy. As I sit at the half way point I'm actually a little cold. Great feeling! And despite the hills the Poconos are a beautiful area.

One thing that is interesting about bicycle touring is the various car honkings and cheering you get. Today has been full of this so far. We have even had some a few local truck drivers pass by honking their horns multiple times and yelling out the window and pumping a fist in joy. Whoever you are, thanks!

After the break we hit the hills for the remaining climb to Canondale, PA. Which was in a valley, so I'm sure tomorrow we'll start with a climb. Oh well, I'll worry about that at 6AM. Right now Julie and I are waiting in the city park for Armin to catch up. Than we will head out once again to find a place to sleep. We can see two churches up and down the road that are good bets. It would be great if they let us sleep inside.

Its been a while since we expected to see Armin. We just had a big rainstorm roll through and that might have stopped him. Hopefully he's okay. Another guy bicycle touring that we passed earlier just rode by. I wonder where he is headed?

Carbondale, PA: fourth oldest city in the state, location of the first underground coal mine in the US.

We finaly found Armin. He had been searching for us for a while in the town. Were not sure how he missed us, but he ended up going an extra 8 miles looking for us. He had already given up and was looking for a place to sleep for the night.

After Armin fixed a flat we searched for places to sleep. Nobody was answering doors at the churchs in town, so we headed west on 6 where Armin had seen some houses that had big yards. Two rejections later one of the owners suggested we sleep in a park around the corner. The park was secluded somewhat, but houses were around, so we went door to door to ask if it was okay. Nobody seemed to really mind, but they did not want us near their property. That was until Julie went to the last house and instead of being okay with the park, Ed & Judy said we could use the side yard. It even has a gazebo that they gave us the permission to use. Ed & Judy rock!! It turns out that Armin talked to Ed earlier in town when he was looking for us. Despite being turned down a few times, Carbondales good name was saved by the grace of Ed & Judy.

Tomorrow were going to try and make it to Wysox, PA. We expect more hills, but the road does follow the mighty Susquehanna River, so that should be pretty.

Recap:
* 52 Miles (total 115)
* Milford, PA to Carbondale, PA
* High Knob Moosic Mountains, elevation 1940 feet (tough climb)
* A lot better weather!!

Day 1 - 64 miles

2007-07-10T16:14:00.001-07:00

I don't even know where to start. Being escorted off a miltary compound, crushing heat, our bicycler friend named Click Shrek, Armin being escorted by the police up a hill at 2mph, making it out of our first state, being lost in the first 15 miles and having a police officer help us, or the kindness of a Presbyterian minister in Milford, PA.

Let me talk about the heat first. As we passes a bank reader board the temperature reading was 108 degrees. A 108!!! Now, it wasn't supposed to get that hot and the bank could be wrong, but it's the only proof I have, so from now on it is a fact in my mind. As I recount this story 20 years from now I will start off by saying it was 108 and the hills were so steep, cars couldn't make it up them.

Within the first 15 miles Julie and I also got lost. Getting out of Jersey required quite a few turns to avoid major roads, and the one we were looking for never showed up. Armin some how figured this about before we did and took a different road. Julie and I ended up in Danville TWP and a nice officer gave us alternative directions that led us back to the waiting Armin.

Not long after this we were in the back woods taking some side roads that we located using Google maps. One road wasn't even paved a had a decent uphill section that forced me off the bike for lack of traction. Once that was done we came upon a small army base and our directions required us to take a road through the middle of it. I got to the road we needed to turn onto first and about 100 yards down they had a military checkpoint. I waited just inside the fence for Armin and Julie to catch up. After about ten minutes the MP's showed up and started asking questions. Where you from, where you going, do you have a bomb in that trailer. After they really grilled me I was asked to not stand inside the fence area. So I moved 10 feet away and the world is a much safer place now.

Of course not all the people on the base are bad. Once Julie and Armin caught up a fellow biker, Click Shrek, came riding by and stopped to say hi. When he found out that we were trying to use the military base road, he agreed to show us the best alternative route. Off we went following Click down the hill. We didn't get to talk to him for too long, but it is people like Click who go out of their way that make this world special.

The day continued with heat, hills, and breaks along the way to cool off and regroup. At one stop Armin shared his experience of being escorted up a hill by a police officer. Armin was going pretty slow and the officer was concerned, so he followed behind him at 2 mph. Luckily the road widdened and Armin could bike in peace.

The final story is about a little Presbyterian Church and Minister in Milford, PA. Finding places to sleep is going to be our biggest challenge, as we don't plan to stay in hotels or campgrounds. Armin is the seasoned veteran at this and he suggested we ask at churches in Milford. The first one we came to, right on Main Street was glad to give us a spot to setup tents and a spicket to get water fromm. Again, it is people like this that I hope to meet more of.

Day 1 Recap:
* 64 Miles
* Lincoln Park, NJ to Milford, PA
* HOT & Hilly

12 Hours

2007-07-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

The bike is ready, my gear is packed, food has been purchased, but am I ready? It's really something I won't know until tomorrow and the heat is going to make it a worthy test. Tomorrow it looks like it might get up to 97. Ouch!! Good thing we are planning on getting up at 5:30am. Extended forcast says its going to cool down, maybe into the upper 70's.

We decided not to take two days to bike to the Jersey coast, so tomorrow we leave Lincoln Park, NJ and head West. We are pretty close to PA, so we should make it out of our first state in the first day. Than we plan to stay North, basically following route 6 through the state. I think its around 400 or so miles through PA.

PA Map: We will be following the orange route most likely. Route Y. Source: http://www.bikepa.com/

Last night Armin, Julie, and I went to a wedding of Armins friend from college. Ate so much good food that I was readyto burst. As most people are probably carbo loading a few days before an adventure of this magnitude, we were scarfing down the best food I've ever had at a wedding. Not to mention the multiple glasses of wine and bottles of beer. I'm actually looking forward to this amount of eating on the road as we will be burning up calories like crazy. I'm really looking forward to Chicago where we plan to take an extended break. That first drink of beer is going to taste oh so sweet!

Below is a picture of my face the day before the trip. I'm going to try and take a picture every day and see the changes as I cross the country. I expect to lose weight (I weight about 180 right now), get a really great farmers tan, and as long as it doesn't start bothering me I don't plan on shaving for the duration. So, after two or so months, I should look significantly different.

Only 12 hours and this trip will officially start. Stay tuned to find out how the 90+ degree weather and hitting the Appalachian Mountains on the first day turns out.

Side note for those bored at work:

While exploring the northern coast of Florida in 1528, the members of the Narváez expedition, including Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, found a Native American town which they transliterated as Apalachen. This name and its pronunciation were applied to the Apalachee Indians, as well as a nearby body of water, now spelled Apalachee Bay, to the Apalachicola River, Apalachicola Bay, and the Apalachicola Indians, and to the city known as Apalachicola, Florida. The word "Apalachen" was also applied to an inland mountain range, and through the course of time it became applied to the entire range and its spelling was changed.

Portland Blues Festival

2007-07-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

This is a video from the Portland Blues Festival currently taking place in Portland. This guy was rocking the air guitar the whole set. Got to love it!!

I leave for New York tomorrow night!!!!

Short History of the Ford Focus, 2000-2007

2007-06-29T10:32:00.003-07:00

The Focus died today. This is a short history of its life. If you have memories of time in the Focus, please leave a comment.

- June 2000, purchased focus from lamdmark ford in portland, oregon.

- 3 days later, solo hiking trip to Flat Top Mountain Oregon. The voyage was a trip up a dusty rough road to the trail head. Brand new car, quickly became dirty.

- Fall of 2000, trip to vancover, bc. carey, kirsten, and I. Touched her boobs while Carey was drunk in the other bed. All three of us drove at different points.

- New Years Eve 2000, drove to spokane at the last minute for new years eve party.

- Summer 2001, trip to the coast for the 4th. last time i hung out with Sheila Erickson for an extended period of time.

- 2000 to 2004, numerous trips from Portland to Spokane and back.

- Summer 2002, camping trip to Northern Idaho with Carey & Dan. The Focus was forced onto some rough roads by using an old and inaccurate 1985 hiking guide for Priest Lake.

- 2001-2003, 3 or 4 trips to the Gorge at George for some concerts.

- 2000-2003, mentoring 3 youth they were constantly in the car. Bunping music, telling stories, and sometimes being quiet.

- Summer 2003, hiking trip to Eagle Creek with Carey, Dan, Stephanie, and Chris.

- Summer 2003, road trip across country with Dan. Stops in Boise, Denver, Omaha, Chicago, Philly, DC, and ending in Baltimore.

- Summer 2004, move to Boston, solo drive, fully packed car.

- Nov. 2004, Drive to end of Cape Cod with Robin.

- March 2005, Dan, Carey, and Andy visit Boston, drive to Plymouth Rock.

- June 2005, trip through New England with Ryan & Nicole

- 2004-2005, numerous trips south while in Boston to see Robin. Usually met halfway.

- August 2005, drive back to Baltimore, fully packed car. Start new job and grad school on the same day.

- September 2005, trip to Western Maryland with Robin. Passed on roadside action, relationship doomed.

- November 2005, break up with Robin, drive to McNeils in Virginia the next weekend and got drunk.

- March 2006, Southern Spring Break road trip with Carey & Dan. Stops in Knoxville, New Orleans, Panama City, Savannah, Charleston, back to Baltimore.

- Summer 2006, "summer of Ross", trips to Virginia, West Virginia, and New York for camping/backpacking.

- November 2006, Thanksgiving trip up to New Jersey to spend the holiday with Armins family.

- April-June 2007, dating RaeLynne. Trips to Bethesda. Drive-in movie. Fun times.

- June 22nd, leave Baltimore for good.

- June 28th, RIP, 115,000 miles, 2000 to 2007, Jamestown, ND

Road Trip Day Two

2007-06-29T10:32:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my final day in Baltimore. Honestly Im not too sad to leave the city behind. It had some cool things, but I'm not sure I was ever suited for the East coast. The only thing not included in that is the people I got to know. Coworkers and friends. I wish I could take them all with me and we could all be happy in Portland.

Right now we are about halfway to Cleveland. As we struggle up these large hills in a car, I cant help but think that I will be attempting this on a bike very soon. Than I think about how I didnt train at all this last week because I was sick and busy with getting things together for the move. I need to get my ass into the hotel gym tomorrow morning.

For those of you reading this, the best way to reach me the next few weks is to email: rjonak@pocketmail.com

Cleveland

2007-06-24T17:13:00.001-07:00

Cleveland isn't that bad of a city. When I told people it was one of our first stops on the cross country road trip they would give me a crazy look. But I thought the city was nice. Friendly people, clean streets, really cool rock & roll hall of fame. Two thumbs up!

With it being Saturday night we really hit the town. Started out at the Great Lakes Brewing Company. A place I highly recommend. Good food. Great beer. I recommend the IPA for taste and the nice 8% alcohol level. After dinner we went to a few bars in the area, we all had fun and got pretty drunk at the ABC Tavern and Garage Bar.

Today the morning was a bit slow after the late night. We eventually made it to the Rock & Roll Museum and spent the rest of the day their. Right now were on the road to Detroit, but won't have any time to do anything but grab dinner.

Bicycle Trip Card

2007-06-18T11:06:00.001-07:00

My Riding Partners

2007-06-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

This is who I will be riding with. Armin and Julie. Trip starts July 10th!!

ARMIN

JULIE

Momentum Is Your Friend

2007-06-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

This is a passage out of Momentum Is Your Friend, a book by Portland author Joe Kurmaskie. It sums of perfectly the same feelings I have, "there might be a real chance I could grow brittle and hollow...old before my time. If I didn't do something like ride away, then I might live bored and not know any better." Perfect!!

Training

2007-06-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

Since December I've been training for the trip across country. I started off using a trainer and riding indoors 5-6 times a week. Once it warmed up enough I hit the road on most weekends. Here are some of the rides I did to prepare:

Chesapeake City Loop (twice), 40 to 55 miles

Maryland's Wine Route starting at Linganors Wine Cellars, 22 miles

On the Trail of John Wilkes Booth, 52 miles

Baltimore & Annapolis Trail (twice), 30-45 miles

Eastern Shore to Assateague Island, 53 miles

Gettysburg Loop, 40 miles

Capital Crescent Trail (three times), 14 miles

Rock Creek Trail, 25 miles

North Centeral Railroad Trail (numerous), 20-60 miles

BWI Trail (numerous), 11 mile loop

Delaware Loop, 50+ miles

Taneytown, MD Loop, 33 miles

Baltimore City Rides (numerous)