The S.S. Badger -- Ferry crossing Lake Michigan

Just a quick update.  We rode mostly in the rain from Plymouth, Wisconsin to Manitowoc, Wisconsin in the morning.   Went to the local bike shop for some warm wool socks to wear on the S.S. Badger -- a four hour ferry taking us across Lake Michigan to Ludington, Michigan.  Will hole up in Ludington for Sunday. 

Day 42 -- riding into town like horses

Just arrived into Plymouth, Wisconsin after a 69 mile ride from . . . wait a minute . . . where was I yesterday?  Beaver Dam, that's right.   Typically, I have to look at the route sheet we are given each day to remember both the date and current location.  This ride definately takes us into a different dimension of trying to figure out where we are and what date it is.  

Now that I'm oriented a bit -- let me say a few words about last night.  We stayed at Beaver Dam High School and it so happened that the local Beaver Dam Community Theatre company was doing Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical, Carousel.   So after dinner at a local Ponderosa Steak House -- we destroyed the buffett -- I came back to the High School and bought a ticket to the musical starting at 7:30 p.m.    The musical was good but not great.   I think one of the actor's grandmothers stood up to give it a standing ovation so the rest of us stood up as well.  As it ran late until 10: 30 p.m. I was dying to stand up anyhow.   That said, I"ve never seen the musical and it was worth sitting in the air conditioned theatre for three hours anyhow.    I know, not a raving review, but they sang well enough and it was good to have a diversion for the night.  

I've been on quite a run for evening entertainment.  Three days ago it was the Bike Museum in Sparta.  Then to the shows at the Circus World Museum in Baraboo and then the musical last night in Beaver Dam.   I'm a bit stumped what tonight may bring here in Plymouth.   I'm easily distracted and prone to wander the town for such things -- but I do need to do laundry and clean my bike and even rest a bit so if nothing big comes up I'm very happy to take it easy tonight.  

Not a lot to say about the ride.   The highlight was riding through one of the state national park areas with the shade from the forest canopy just after our picnic near the Butler Lake Recreaion area.   Plenty of rolling hills . . up and down . .  up and down.  I rode mostly alone today and linked up with a few riders here and there.   I think I took one photo of some cows next to a wind farm.  

It is fun to ride into our final town for the day.  It always feels like we are riding into town on horses.  I look a the small towns and can spot the bikes of fellow riders on each side of the small downtowns in each town. It has that feel of horses just tied up outside of a saloon.  Today a line of seven bikes were gathered together . . . sure sign that the coffee /  ice cream shop has been found.  I stopped for my root beer float at the Exchange Bank Coffee Shop and then headed for the Plymouth Public Library.  From here I saw a used book store that I'll drop in for a few minutes and then head over to the Plymouth High School to set up my tent (and air it out from last night's dew). 

A final look at my route sheet tells me this is day 42 of the 64 day trip.   Wow.   Tomorrow we will have only three more weeks to go having put six weeks behind us.   Thanks for reading along.

A light at the end of the tunnel

Yesterday was an interesting day as we rode from Sparta to Baraboo, Wisconsin.  Much of the early part of the day was on the Sparta-Elroy Trail, one of the first trail to rail routes ever created.    These bike trails can be tricky.   On one hand they are a welcome change as there are no semi-trucks edging the side of the road and traffic is limited to other bikers and an occasional bird watcher or jogger.   On the other hand, the trail was crushed limestone and was a bit slick after the rain which slowed us down a little and even caused a handful of accidents for some of our fellow riders.   On a couple points we stopped and walked our bikes through some tunnels (one was just short of a mile long) that were completely black when you started them and then you could literally see a small light at the end getting bigger and bigger.  All around us water was pouring out of the ground above us -- these were all tunnels built for the railroads in the late 1800's.    We all brought along small flashlights as it was pitch dark.   As you walked out of the dark tunnel and into the light it felt like we were stepping into paradise, a very great experience. 

It was a longer day with the slower trail -- about 75 miles.  I was glad to get into Baraboo, home of Circus World Museum.   I bounced into the school we were staying at (Jack Young Middle School), threw my sleeping pad on the gym floor, hit the showers and made it to Circus World by 3:30 p.m., just in time for their last performance.    They had a good small circus show with acrobats, jugglers and elephants.  I later saw a magic show and wandered around the musuem looking at all the colorful circus posters and even remembered a few acts that I saw as a kid in San Diego when the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus came there in the 1970's.    It was all good fun and I asked a museum employee for a restaurant in the area as I was out too late to join the rest of our biker folks.    I was led to the Village Cafe -- an awesome little cafe with a southwestern theme -- a nice tuna burger did the trick for me along with a cappacino and piece of pecan something pie.  Really went high on the hog but it was nice to relax and be alone for a few hours. 

Today we rode a short 62 miles to Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.  Wisconsin is a charming place to ride -- nice rolling hills with farms.  But, not really a place that you need to pull your camera out so much -- maybe for a couple old one room school houses here and there -- but otherwise it was good just to ride with fellow bikers and chat along the way.   I ride a lot with many of the Europeans in our group from France, Holland and the United Kingdom and I'm enjoying their questions and perspectives as we bounce from one small town to the next. 

We are heading soon to Michigan and will take a ferry aross the Great Lakes and into Canada. I'm looking forward to arriving at the Niagra Falls by the end of next week.

Sparta, Wisconsin -- Bicycling Capital of America

Every town we ride through has their own distinctive niche that the town rallies around.  For example, De Smet, South Dakota was the Laura Ingalls Wilder center of the universe.   Today we rode from Pepin to Sparta, Wisconsin.   There is also a Laura Ingalls Wilder museum in Pepin as she was born in this very small town.  But now that we are 94 long miles away in Sparta we have learned that Sparta has proclaimed itself the "Bicycling Captial of America."   According to one local person I spoke with, it is because they were the first town to convert the railroad lines into bike paths sometimes known as the "Rail to Trails" paths.   They now have the Elroy-Sparta Trail which is connected to three other trails making 101 miles of connected State Trails.    I imagine and hope that we will travel a few miles on one of them tomorrow.

Today's ride was long and hot.  It reminded me of Aesop's fable of the wind and the sun and their argument to see which was stronger.   I (and my co-riders) felt especially targeted by both through out the day.  Oh, it also rained but that was a welcome relief to the wind and sun.  Ten miles from the finish, Martin Price, a good friend I've been riding with on several days declared, "I could kill for an ice cream right now."   But there was nothing around -- and little shade.   Still we pushed on as we do each day and found ourselves at Sparta's High School.  I'm sleeping in the gym as it is blazing hot outside -- actually it has cooled down to about 90 degrees.   To be fair, much of the earlier sections of the ride were rolling hills through small hills and farms -- very scenic and a welcome change from the standard corn and soybean farms through Minnesota and South Dakota.  But by the last 10 miles we faced a rough headwind that mostly destroyed us all. 

After a quick shower I rode into town and visited the Duke Slayton Memorial Space and Bicycle Museum -- strange combination but I also saw a brochure for a train and doll musuem somewhere around here so they must see the value in these kind of combinations.  Still, it was a nice place with tons of old bicycles and flight odds and ends. From my understanding, Duke Slayton was a Mercury astronaut from the Sparta area.    I'm excited about tomorrow -- I believe we are going to Baraboo, Wisconsin, famous for Circus World Museum.  They have a small theme park with old Circus Wagons and even a small one ring circus that I hope we make it in town to attend.  

Reporting from the Sparta Free Public Library.

Week Six Schedule--"Heartland Patchwork"

The group is now in cheese-land AKA Wisconsin.  Here's the schedule for the week:

Monday: Northfield MN - Pepin WI  69 miles
Tuesday: Pepin - Sparta 94 miles
Wednesday: Sparta - Baraboo 76 miles  Special Note:  Baraboo is home to the Circus World Museum!
Thursday: Baraboo - Beaver Dam 65 miles
Friday: Beaver Dam - Plymouth 60 miles
Saturday: Plymouth - Manitowoc 38 miles (plus catching the ferry across Lake Michigan)

Welcome to Wisconsin

Biked from Northfield to Pepin Wisconsin today (69 miles).  We crossed the Mississippi River and rode through Red Wing and on parts of the Cannon Valley bike trail, which was very shady and everyone loved it.  It was a nice change from the corn and soybean fields from the past few days.

(Cindy) It's been great to see Scott for a few days while the Cycle America team bikes through Minnesota.  Sunday afternoon we drove back to Northfield and I had a chance to meet many of Scott's fellow cyclists and listen in on the team meeting where they received an overview of the week and details for the next day's ride.  We were looking at a map of the US and it was amazing to think that these cyclists had pedaled from Washington state to Minnesota.  Wow!  Today I drove over to Pepin to meet up with Scott again before he continues eastward.

Home Sweet Home -- for 24 hours

Yesterday I rode as hard as I reasonably could, being helped along by my British friends, Martin Price and Jo Allen, who helped me arrive in Northfield, MN by 2 p.m.   I left at 7 a.m. and knew that this could be a long 100 miles from Hutchinson, MN to Northfield.     Generally the wind was in our favor and the hills just aren't the same as we experienced earlier in the Black Hills of South Dakota.   So we made good time and arrived at the Northfield High School where I showered and was met by Cindy who whisked me to our home in Richfield.

Great to be home and experience the small comforts.   Like sitting on my own sofa.  I was talking with Martin as we rode along a few days ago coming out of Watertown, South Dakota.  Martin briefly sat down on a sofa in the downtown area and simply reflected on this glorious experience and shared something simple, "It felt great, what a wonderful feeling just to sit on a sofa again."

Cindy and I then went out to a Mexican restaurant, had enchiladas and got caught up on our lives since we last saw each other more than five weeks ago before I left for Seattle.  Then we made quick stops to pick up a new camera and bike jersey before coming home to pet to the dog, do laundry and relax at home.   Oh, and I slept in until 5:50 a.m. this morning. 

Last night it was fun to look through some of the photos of the trip and just think back at all that we've seen along the way.  Attached is a shot of me in front of Devils Tower, Wyoming.   The truth is that I didn't even know it existed until this trip.  

Cindy will join me for parts of the next few nights -- attend our team dinner and meeting tonight in Northfield, meet some of the other riders, and then link up with me in Pepin, WI for a night before I continue on towards the east coast.  

Uff-Da -- arrived in Minnesota

We arrived in Minnesota with little fanfare. After leaving Watertown, South Dakota we rolled along Highway 20 (South Dakota) and found the roads immediately improved a bit upon entering Highway 40 (Minnesota). 

As a group we often enjoy stopping at the borders to take a picture of the "Welcome to (fill in the state) ___"  sign.    But in this case, my dear adopted state didn't have any such sign.   So our volunteer staff who route our course each day with yellow arrows telling us where to go spray painted a line in the road and wrote "MN" on one side and "SD" on the other.   This simple mark on the road was all we needed to take photos and enjoy crossing one more state together.

As you can expect we continued to roll along lots of corn fields and farms and 84 miles later we arrived in Montevideo, MN.    My general course of action is to ride through each town, find the local coffee shop, bike shop and library -- noting the hours of each.  That gives me a feel for how to plan each afternoon. 

Strange thing happened last night.   Many of us were sleeping in our tents in a field next to the Watertown Middle School.   It rained for several hours.  But then a wind came through and, for the most part, dried them out -- at least much more than I expected.    I continue to sleep hard each night which has been a blessing.

Okay -- off to the coffee shop!  Glad to be in Minnesota.

A Day to Remember

There are so many events that come and go along the way that make it impossible to remember them all.  But today few will forget our visit to Bryant Parkview Care Center, a nursing home facility of about 34 residents in Bryant, South Dakota.

Each day after about 15-20 miles or so we have a water break. Cycle America locks a few water coolers to a tree or post along the road allowing us to fill our bottles and move on.  Today we had our water break at this small nursing home that provided us with coffee and rolls and opened up their facility for us to come in and sit down and have a chat with their residents for about an hour as we moved along our ride.  I met with Leone Acres, a 89-year-old resident who homesteaded in South Dakota many, many years ago.  It was fun to see so many of the cyclists enjoy this special time of interacting and chating with so many of the residents.  

I was especially touched as it reminded me of my own Parkview Care Center in Buffalo, MN where my 87 year-old father-in-law, Earle,  is staying.   It allowed me a chance to pray for Earle and the chaplain, Pastor Highland Goodman.   Each day I dedicate a ride to a friend or family member.  Today it was for Highland Goodman and my friends in San Diego, Cottery and Rose Bryant, as we were in Bryant, South Dakota.    It is a simple thing but these are small ways I can engage with those in my life even though I can't be with them because of this ride.  

Well, we moved on and I had an opportunity to visit the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame (lots of old gloves and pictures), and the Toy Museum with shelves full of farm toys in Lake Norden.  They were both off the route but because our ride was shorter (60 plus miles) it gave us a chance to do some other things along the way.

Even though it was shorter ride, I rode with a few other cyclists through a closed road that was flooded to save about 10 additional miles of going around it.   We rode through the flooded road -- slowly trying to avoid slipping into the water as it came close to our lower gears and sprayed up at us as we crossed.    Yesterday our tour organizers saw carp crossing at this very point.  It was all great fun until one of the riders slipped into the water and snapped off his handle bars -- completely broken.   Even on shorter days things can sometimes go awry.   He has a recumbent bike and it may be hard to find the replacement parts quickly.  

We all arrived rather early into Watertown, South Dakota.  I connected with the first bike shop I found and bought a new tire -- my back tires were completely worn down from all the miles since we began the trip.  So far I've somehow avoided any punctures but yesterday I could see there wasn't much rubber left on the tire and it was time for a replacement.    My tent is now pitched at the Watertown Middle School -- looks like we may have some rain tonight. 

Little Bike on the Prairie -- now in De Smet, South Dakota

The major milestone today was that we celebrated our half-way point today just outside of Miller, South Dakota near Willie's Bar and Grill on Highway 14E.   Cycle America drew a chalk line on the side of the road indicating our half-way mark.  We all stopped and signed our names in chalk on the other side of the line -- we have passed the point of no return -- completing 2100 miles of our 4200 mile journey.  It was a low-key but nice thing to do together as we all stopped and took photos together. 

I rode with the Jan Train again (Jan, Marnix, Martin, Chuck and myself) today -- with a good tailwind for much of the day.   Our average speed was about 18 miles an hour.  These guys really stretch me -- but it is a good way to pass the miles and miles of prairie and farms.   We stopped at a local Country Store in Iroquois -- sort of a local hangout for the town.  I noticed that we have clearly seen the change from cowboy hats to seed hats in this part of South Dakota.   Folks are all nice -- always asking where we are from and where we are going. 

The ride was 77 miles from Miller to De Smet and we arrived early at about 1:15 p.m.   I visited the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and picked up some post cards.  This is the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder so they have a map and tours of all kinds of Wilder sites -- the Surveyor's House (1879-80),  Ingalls home (1887-1928), Almanzo and Laura's home (1894), and the Original Loftus Store -- I really have little idea what this all means but thought some of you may know more about it all!   I sort of feel like the wrong person in the wrong place -- but it is good fun to think of my wife, Cindy, and sister, Dawn, and how much they enjoyed reading these books!  To hear the young college ladies at the information desk in the museum  talk about "Pa" as if he were alive was a bit strange indeed.  These gals also shared about a family with three young girls who came yesterday all dressed up in prairie outfits and even persuaded their dad to wear suspenders like Pa. They had small round metal lunch boxes and even carried slate chalk boards as they came to visit the mecca of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Books.  

I normally ride around town a bit before checking in -- once I've showered, set up my tent and become settled it is hard to get back on the bike and go into town.  I'll bike around some of the sights -- have a root beer float maybe at the Loftus Store and wander over to the De Smet High School.

Lastly, I should note that we rode by the Worlds Largest Pheasant just outside the town of Huron.  It was one of those large giant side of the road displays were we stopped, took a photo and rode on.  

"The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes -- it is in the everyday things around us that the beauty of life lies"   -- Laura Ingalls Wilder.

FROGS

If the theme of the last few rides has been grasshoppers -- today's emphasis was frogs -- not as many as the grasshoppers but plenty indeed along the road -- and lots of dead ones from the cars (and I suppose a few of our bicycles?).   

Today's report comes from the Miller Public Library in South Dakota. We are in the eastern part of South Dakota -- all the monuments and most of the mountains are finished - so this is full of heartland rides with plenty of wheat fields and crops being harvested.   Hardly a gas station or road side shop to be found for most of the 88 miles we rode from Pierre to Miller.  We did come across a wind farm with dozens of wind turbines (333 feet high) and a roadside marker (in the mud messying up several bikes).  But we did find some popsicles in the small town of Highmore, 63.8 miles into our ride.    Yep, those were the highlights -- frogs, popsicles, wind farms and wheat fields.   I'm on my way now to the Miller High School -- I think it will be a tent night rather than the gym.  

Yesterday was our day off in Pierre, South Dakota.  Surprisingly, I spent a lot of time riding around the city on my bike.  On Saturday, after a 90 mile day ride, I rode another 11 miles around the town including checking out the Lewis and Clark markers and trails.   I ate dinner at a small charming local Italian restaurant called La Ministra right in the heart of town.   Sunday I put on another 15 miles riding around the town -- breakfast at a Perkins (a sure sign I'm close to Minnesota), went to church with a fellow rider, bounced into the library, YMCA and the Pierre Mall for more sunblock, which I am buying now in bulk.   It was also relaxing to ride along the Missouri River and hit the local ice cream shop for another rootbeer float.    By the time I came back to our dorm at the Pierre Indian Learning Center I found I had biked around for at least 15 miles.   So, my day off time included at least 26 additional miles outside our normal 80-90 mile rides.   The thing is I'm enjoying it -- but the legs seemed a little tired today.  

The Grasshopper Challenge

Today we traveled 90 miles from Philip to Pierre, South Dakota.  The temperature reached 100 degrees.  This was a complete mileage day with hardly any towns between miles and miles of farmland.  This is the part of South Dakota I most dreaded, riding into a headwind on the open plains.  Instead, we had a great tailwind, making the day go fast.  We're staying in dorms at the Pierre Indian Learning Center.

Today's challenge I put out there was if someone caught one of the many grasshoppers in their hand I'd buy them an ice cream cone.  If they caught the grasshopper in their mouth, the prize would be two scoops of ice cream.  The winner (catching the grasshopper in his hand) was Marnix, Jan's son, who joined the bike ride this week and plans to ride the rest of the way to Boston.

After dinner, I biked around Pierre for another 10 miles to explore the city.  I saw part of the Lewis and Clark trail where they had a confrontation with the Teton Sioux in 1804.

Grasshoppers, Mt. Rushmore, Badlands, and Wall Drug

From the title you can see the wild contrast each day can bring.  I'm now writing from the Haakon County Public Library in the town of Philip.  I just arrived and set up my sleeping pad in the gym at Philip High School and wanted to get you caught up on the last few days.

The thing is, you could ask any of the riders where we were yesterday or two days ago and only a handful would even remember -- or at least it takes a bit of thought as we just keep pedalling forward each day.   But some rides are absolutely glorious and riding from Custer to Rapid City, South Dakota was one of those days.   And, that was three days ago (July 14).  

I left Custer around 7 a.m. and rode out alone.  Normally we eat together but I thought it would be nice to eat at a local cafe -- I met a few other riders and had a nice green chile breakfast burrito.   Then the ride through the hills and forest of the Black Hills was cool, shady and perfect weather.  Our route took me through the Needles Highway and the Cathedral rocks weaving through hills and tunnels and bridges ("Pig Tail Bridges") and the Mt Rushmore Monument.    The strange thing is, the ride was so good and perfect that even without Mount Rushmore it would have been a highlight ride.  Still, we climbed a steep grade to see Mt. Rushmore and I rewarded myself with a rootbeer float, sat in the shade and just enjoyed looking at these four great presidents.   The funny thing is is that this ride was one of the more difficult in terms of climbing -- not as bad as we had last week but it was so beautiful and I had so much energy, along with three and a half weeks of riding behind me, that it just was a wonderful ride.  I'm not tiring - but actually enjoying the rides more and more even though there are few "easy" days.

While the Mount Rushmore day was a scenic and challenging ride, the next day was more of a milage day -- riding from point A to Z and killing as many miles as quickly as possible.  Yesterday was a solo ride -- but going longer distances alone with little to see is tougher than tough.  I rode with three other riders in what we affectionally call "The Jan Train."   Jan is from The Netherlands and often rides with his son, Marnix, and Martin from the UK.   Chuck from Missouri also is a founding member of the Jan Train.   They ride fast but it stretches me and it is a great way to kill many long miles as fast as possible.   We rode 84 miles from Rapid City to Interior, South Dakota.  Interior is just outside of the Badlands National Park.  It is one of those three churches, two bars and 67 people kind of places -- with little or no shade in the campground!   The best part was that I could do laundry and it dried on a line in less than a half hour.   The temperatures are increasing and the sun is getting brighter.  Our cold days in Seattle are well behind us and we can feel the heat bringing it on -- the humidity is yet to hit us though -- but it is coming! 

Today is Friday -- July 16.  Every day seems like a Saturday so we often ask each other, "What day is this?"   Normally we look around at each other until someone figures it out.  But mostly we don't care -- the main thing is where we are going the next day and if it is more of a scenic day or a milage day.   But just like our Mount Rushmore day a few days ago, today was another All-Star day -- leaving early and riding in the morning for about 30 miles through the Badlands National Park.   There was little traffic and I felt as if we were as close to riding on the moon as I will ever get -- what an interesting sight.  I've been to the Badlands, but never cycled through it -- and it makes a big difference.  You just have a chance to enjoy it longer and take it in as you go from one rock formation to the next.   For lunch we arrived in the city of Wall, South Dakota  -- had our daily picnic at the local park in  and then wandered through the famous Wall Drug.   Lately with the heat I can't help myself -- I had my second Rootbeer Float of the trip.  Others enjoyed the five cent coffee.   The rest of the day I joined the Jan Train again and we shot out of town for another 35 miles to the town of Phillip.    Today had that nice combination of scenic riding in the Badllands along with some fun cycling at nice pace with a good group of guys in the afternoon.  A day like today was great for me -- a good national park and being stretched with some faster riders.  It was hot -- in the upper 80's -- but a good tail wind made it a nice ride. 

Oh, and the grasshoppers.  The last few days the roads have been lined with grasshoppers.   We've been crunching them for miles on end.    On occassion they hop on our back and ride along but for the most part they are popping up along the road everwhere.  

We finish our fourth week of cycling across America tomorrow as we go from Philip to Pierre, South Dakota -- a long 89 miles. Looks like it will be a hot one.   Last night, or was it the night before, our leader Greg Walsh mentioned that we have less than 2500 miles to go.   We finish our fourth week out of the nine week trip tomorrow.    Time to get back to the Philip High School and hit the showers.   Thank you for following along. 

Dollar A Mile Update

Thanks so much for your contributions to the Dollar A Mile effort!  You've given $2840 so far, getting Scott through Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.  Only $1360 to go to get Scott all the way to Boston.  All of Scott's expenses are covered for the bike ride so all funds raised are going to our community development ministry with Mission: Moving Mountains, a ministry of the Navigators.  Check out more information about Mission: Moving Mountains here.

H & B Souvenirs, Guns and Switchblades

We just passed Crazy Horse and I'm writing to you from the Custer Public Library.  We are staying tonight at Custer City High School, South Dakota.  Public Libraries are about the only place I can get to with a computer to do the blog so it has been a bit of a Public Library drought of recent.  And, there is always a time limit to sqeeze in emails and then shoot a quick blog entry so editing is not much of an option!

We ended our third week of cycling in a great location, the KOA at the foot of Devils Tower National Park.  And, there is basically only one thing to do there so we enjoyed hiking around Devils Tower, doing laundry and found a place to watch the World Cup (albiet it was in Spanish at a local Saloon).   About four of our riders are from The Netherlands so we supported them -- even though they lost to Spain 1-0.  

Yesterday we rode into South Dakota from Devils Tower (Wyoming).   It was a long 92 mile ride but the view was quiet spectacular as we rode through Spearfish Valley in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  Lots of rolling hills, rivers and forest.  We continued on throught the Black Hills today and rode from Leads to Custer -- 62 miles but lots of hills along the way.   I rode a good portion with Philippe, a semi-retired lawyer from Paris who has a great interest in American culture and a deep interest in the values of the American people -- he has even been riding with an American flag sticking out of his bike.  And, his wife is also a Librarian so it has been a fun to connect with him -- we had a good time hiking around Devils Tower on Sunday as well.  He is a walking encyclopedia of American history and culture. Later I connected with Chuck from Colombia, Missouri and we helped each other through some headwinds and hills to finish the day. The highlight of the day was riding bye the Crazy Horse monument.  Tomorrow we'll spend some time at Mt. Rushmore as we continue towards the Bad Lands.

After the Crazy Horse monument there was a store called "H & B Souvenirs, Guns and Switchblades."   I was sort of hoping for a coffee shop instead so we continued on to the town of Custer.   Well, my computer says my time is finished -- till the next public library . . . thanks so much for following along.   It has been an encouragement to see so many people that are behind us in this ride rooting us on.   Thank you, thank you.

Chewed up and spit out on the Big Horn Mountains

"These mountains are not like the other passes that we have done before.  You don't just go up on one side and go down the other side.  The Big Horn Mountains don't let you go easy. They have a way of chewing you up and spiting you out," explained Greg Walsh, the leader of our tour and President of Cycle America.

Indeed, I was very much chewed up and spit out of these mountains!  They just never ended . . up . . up . . . up . . up . . .up . . up -- and this went on for what may have been at least 30 serious miles of a 92 mile ride. Most of the whole ride was up hill, but that section was simply long and tiring.  The thing is -- is that they were deceptive.  Just when you thought you were finished and over the top, there was another up hill and then another.  And, another.   You get the idea.   The highlight was reaching Powder River Pass at an elevation of 9666 feet, our highest elevation of the trip. There were even patches of snow on the ground.  This was also the hardest day of riding of the trip and my life.

I left Worland, WY at 6:37 a.m and arrived in Buffalo, WY at a hair past 5:30 p.m. -- a seriously long day on the bike.   But the weather and the view of rivers, valleys, and mountains were spectacular.   Funny thing, they were hard to enjoy and appreciate to the fullest as the hills just kept coming!   We ate like horses the next day at the Udder House Soda Cafe in Buffalo, WY -- down the street from the famous Occidental Hotel -- a real 1800's style bar and hotel -- which was having a Blue Grass jam the whole evening.  It was fun to stop over for about 45 minutes after dinner and just watch them all do the banjo, fiddle, and guitar pickin' thing.  I LOVE ending the day on a high and this was helpful.

Today (Friday) we rode a relaxing 70 miles from Buffalo, WY to Gillette, WY. Almost the entire ride was on the interstate highway.  But out here in Wyoming it wasn't too bad.  I rode with the "Jan Train" again of Jan (Netherlands), Martin (UK) and Chuck (Colombia, Ohio).   We all agreed to make it a "take it easy day."  For the most part it was, outside a few flat tires along the way.   The view was nothing like the Big Horn Mountains but at least I didn't feel chewed up and spit out!

I pitched my tent today on the football field of the local Jr. High School in Gillette, Wyoming.  Walked over to the public library and here I am.  Now off to dinner.   Down the road I'll try to give you an update on the pros and cons of sleeping in a gym with others or out on a field in my tent.  The last two days I've been in a gym after spending the first two and a half weeks tenting.   Today we arrived early so I thought it good to have some fresh air and go outside. 

Fire Truck for Sale

On occassion I see something that I wish I would have stopped to take a photo.  Today we rolled through the town of Thermopolis, Wyoming.   As we rode bye I saw an old fire truck for sale!  Funny thing -- my dad actually bought one in the 1970's and we had it by the side of our home for a few years.  It was a blast to bring to elementary school for "Show and Tell."    So when we rode bye I just thought of this fond memory of my youth -- and sort of wondering how much an old fire truck costs?   Probably better that I rode on!

We rode from Riverton, Wyoming to Worland, Wyoming -- about 92 mile.  But my bike computer broke so I'm at the local library once again downloading instructions on how to fix a Cateye Strada Double Wireless bike computer.  

I rode most of the way with Jan (Netherlands), Chuck (Missouri) and Martin (UK).   Jan and Chuck stopped off in Thermopolis to try to watch Spain vs. Germany in the World Cup match.   Martin and I continued the rest of the way into Worland, a small town of about 5000 people.    This morning Jan led our little line and as we rode through rural Wyoming he promised a free cup of coffee to the first one who could find anything interesting -- something we all could agree was interesting.   I saw a red tire sticking out of the ground but that didn't seem to be suitable for all.   Still, he bought us all coffee when we finally found a small cafe.  These are the small bike games we play as we pass the time from one spot to the next.    Tomorrow is a huge ride --perhaps the biggest of the trip so far -- but I'll get more details tonight on our evening meeting. 

After dinner we all meet to review the next day's route and notable places of interest.   We took it easy today knowing that we have a huge climb to come tomorrow.  

Teton Mountains

I'm writing to you from the local public library in Riverton, Wyoming.   We rode 80 something miles today with lots of wind.  And, it is COLD -- something in the late 40's or early 50's.   I have two wool shirts on, a cycling jersey, arm and leg warmers, and a rain/wind jacket with full finger length gloves and foot covers and it just about did the trick -- but even the locals are surprised with the weather.

Today's ride was sort of a milage day -- a few interesting things as we passed through an Indian Reservation but there were few natural stops for anything.  Lots of the gals on our trip are feeling more and more comfortable about squating just about anywhere -- if you know what I mean.  There was a sign on a bathroom a few days ago that said "No squating with spurs."   Interesting, I saw a man walking through the gas station with spurs on!   Real Cowboy and Indian country here in Wyoming. 

But yesterday's ride was glorious -- through the Teton national park area.  Wow.   The day before we rode over the Teton pass -- and loved coming down it.  But to ride through it for most of the morning was spectacular.   Very sad to turn away and leave it in the distance.  Still the ride must go on.  And on it the day went -- with over 103 miles.   This was in fact our "easiest" century ride as it had an awesome tail wind the last 30 miles or so.    But we had a huge moutain to climb and with road consturction and other dangers such as gravel.  I mention this as we had another rider break her arm yesterday.  We all felt sad to lose her to the ride.

Earlier I mentioned that this ride feels like a circus in a way -- with us setting up and taking down our tents each day.  Well, it also feels like a war or military campaign as we lose riders each week and others come to join us.  So, while the century ride for many of us was our easiest yesterday, there were new riders who were experiencing it for the first day -- and it was a big day with some rough roads and climbing.  Yet those who have been on the ride for the first two weeks are starting to become a little used to it -- even though each day has different struggles.    I metioned that we lost another rider to a broken arm -- Judy.  On the first day of the ride another person broke her arm -- both were signed up for the entire trip.   It has humbled our group a little to know anything can happen along the way.

And, while I was riding with a different group last week, I'm now starting to ride with a few others -- spent parts of yesterday and today riding with Stephen (from Wales) and Jim (from Washington).  Also rode with the Newman family -- a husband and wife and their 20 year-old son, Nathan, from California.   Despite the cold and wind -- riding with these folks made the time go a bit faster than it coud have been.

The Range Ride

Week Three kicked off with 103 miles from Jackson to Dubois Wyoming.  Beautiful ride through the Teton National Forest.  Here's the schedule for the rest of this week:

Dubois-Riverton 78 miles
Riverton-Worland 92 miles
Worland-Buffalo 90 miles
Buffalo-Gillette 72 miles
Gillette-Devil's Tower 68 miles

Ashton, Idaho

There are certain places along this route that I know I hope to come back to see more of the sights.  One will be Yellowstone.  We didnt' quite make it into the park but had a couple beautiful rides just outside the park coming into and out of West Yellowstone -- the launching pad for many visitors going into the partk.  Stayed at an RV park -- 95 riders just sort of pitching our tents anywhere we could find grass -- not in designated spots to be sure.  But, it was a great place to get more laundry done and even a bit of fun to go into the tourist trap of a town known as West Yellowstone.  After dinner I caught the 9 p.m. show of Yellowstone at the IMAX -- nice to have a cup of coffee and be inside for a bit.  The movie itself was so-so.  

Rode from West Yellowstone to Ashton, Idaho.  We are going south now and then will be heading to Jackson, Wyoming for the Fourth of July.  All along the road you see fireworks stands -- like the one we saw in Lincoln just outside the High School called "Hong Kong Harry's Fireworks."   I can be sure that it will be impossible to sleep on the Fourth of July!  Mostly I am sleeping from about 11 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. so I'm sort of wondering when I will really have a sleep crash.   The thing is that we wake up every morning running (or cycling) and it is a rush to pack up -- get the wet tent down (and it always seems to be wet) and off to breakfast and on the road by 7 a.m.  This morning was tempting to stay in the mummy bag as it was in the 40's and I had a nice wool hat and long sleave Smart Wool shirt on and all stuffed in my mummy bag.

The highlight was seeing the Upper and Lower Mesa Waterfalls along the Henry Fork portion of the Snake River.  It was like a mini-Niagra Falls (which we will see later on the trip) and well worth the effort to cycle a little out of the way to see it.   Time to go air out my tent next to the Ashton High School football field.

Oh, and to look up and see the Teton mountains from a distance --still with snow caps.  WoW!   Tomorrow we will pass them -- no doubt it will be our most challenging ride to date -- up, up and away --  so tonight I hope will be a real take it easy kind of night.  

Physically I'm doing well -- but a few extremities like my hands and feet are going numb.  It's been a bit hard to shift with my left hand these past few weeks.   And, by the way, have you noticed how expensive sun block is these days?   But, yes, I'm putting it on in bucket loads -- but still starting to get a bit red each day.

Helena, Montana

Here's a picture of the Lobster Line from yesterday when we rode through Helena, Montana.   To pass the time, we played the "Do you know the capital of _____(name that state).  Truly, I'm not smarter than a 5th grader in this regard!   But it was fun to ride through the capital and move on to Ennis.   I just found this photo so this all took place a few days ago.  Still, what is truly amazing is how it is hard to recall where we have been as each night seems like a circus show -- doing the ride from place A to B, setting up the tents, eating, laundry, and packing up and doing it again.  Hard to keep track of each location or even the highlights at times.  Even the Lobster Line looks like it is ending.  Leslie is finishing the ride this week -- she signed up for the first two weeks of the ride.   Jerry and Fred are going off to ride in Yellowstone on their own for a couple days.   And, I couldn't keep up with them when we hit the headwinds in todays ride.  I linked up with a few other guys -- Stephen from Wales and Chuck from Ohio and we rode the last 20 miles or so together in a new line.   My hats off to the Lobster Line though as they really carried me through some tough rides this past week.  In two days we will have finished 1000 miles -- roughly 25 percent of the entire 4200 miles!   

Cattle Run and Trout Shop

We rode 74 miles from Ennis, Montana to West Yellowstone, Montana today.  The slam dunk highlight was riding right past a cattle run -- complete with real live cowboys.  Don't know where they were going but those cattle sure leave a lot of you know what on the side of the road.    Fun to be in West Yellowstone -- we camped at an RV campground and are pitching tents in any space we can find.   Weather up here is wild. Started cold -- light rains -- then sunny -- now super windy.  My tent poles bent last night in Ennis due to the high winds.  I bought a wool cap at Bud Lilly's Trout Shop to keep a little warmer in the night!