Day 29

Napoleon,ND - Gackle,ND (38 miles)

Today we didn't make it as far as planned. There was minimal wind, however there was a storm cloud stalking us. We stopped in Gackle to get some lunch and it started raining on us, but luck was on our side and there was a warmshowers host (Jason and Ginny) just down the road. So we road over, parked our bikes in their garage and did our laundry. And then the sun came out...and the question became, do we stay the night is do we push on? We got rained on the day before, did we want to chance getting wet again, possibly thunderstormed on? Nope, so we stayed in Gackle at the Honey Hub. I'm really glad that we did because we got to talk with the Millers about their large scale beekeeping operation.

Tomorrow we are supposed to have a tail wind....Fargo or bust!

Day 28

Bismarck,ND - Napoleon,ND (70 miles)

Today was by far our most challenging day, both physically and mentally.

We knew it was going to be difficult (thank you weather underground!) so we were kind of prepared. We got up early to avoid the brutal head winds, but universe was not on our side. Casey needed to change his back tire, which ended up being a disaster. Three tubes later he got the tire on and ready to go...well, kinda...the tire wasn't the best and because it had been rolled up it wasn't completely round. The tire was wabbly but okay for the first 40 minutes or so, but after that he got a flat, that was beyond repair. So off went the new tire and on went the old one. We all crossed our fingers that it would hold up just a little longer. There isn't a bike shop until Fargo, so hopefully luck is on our side.

Going to Hazelton we had both 20 mile per hour head and side winds with gusts up to 27 miles per hour. What a work out!  Plus it was overcast and 60 degrees. In Hazelton we ate and contemplated going further. It would be 26 more miles of wind. We decided to push on, but North Dakota had more in store for us. Three minutes into our ride to Napoleon it started to sprinkle, but there was no turning back, we see going to make it!

Dark clouds were chasing us, and the winds were unyielding. Finally it started to rain, but at that point we had already gone ten miles. Fight the up hill. Turtle speed down hill. Whoosh, a gust of side wind pushes us into the middle of the road. Three more miles.

Then the clouds broke, the sun came our and we saw hawks laying on hay nails, a weasel, a heron, nine pelicans, and a rainbow! North Dakota gave us a gift and it made the entire day worth it.

Day 27

New Salem,ND - Bismarck,ND (37 miles)

Today was a productive rest day. We road into Bismarck (on a bike path!), had some lunch, watched the Pirate game (sadly they lost), went library, did our laundry, picked up some groceries, and I got another pair of bike shorts (I swear I've been using sun screen!). There wasn't too much happening in town since it was Sunday, but Bismarck looked like a neat place.

Break Day: Bismarck, North Dakota

Descending from the Rocky Mountains into the high plains was a major milestone in our trip. For the first 21 days of riding, Jamie, Sara, and me slogged it up and down mountain passes. Our legs were exhausted, yet our spirits were high. Upon reaching our last "official" pass of the Rocky Mountains, Marias Pass (a beautiful climb that takes you up and over the continental divide), we all three rode as if we were shot out of a cannon. The wind was blowing from the west and the terrain before us splayed itself out flat in all directions. We rode nearly 100 miles in our first day on the plains. And we kept it coming. For four consecutive days we rode with and like the wind, picking up amazing speed on downhills and cruising at 20 mph a clip. Then North Dakota came. Contrary to expectations, North Dakota--at least the western half--is nothing like  the flat, cold waste-land you were taught to believe. Rather, it's a region of towering buttes, eroded sandstone, rolling hills, and vicious winds. The North Dakota badlands shock the rider out of their stupor not only by their beauty, but by the extreme way in which they come upon the scene--suddenly. Grass-shrouded hills turn into crumbling,stratified sandstone in exactly 10 seconds flat. The hues of brown, orange, and red radiate out from deep valleys that stretch on to the horizon. The badlands are so visceral and immediate that it's as if you can actually hear the erosion taking place.

For those of you unaccustomed to burning over 10,000 calories a day, I will now attempt to give you a run-down as to how cyclists eat. It all starts with a searing hunger that awakens you at night. You ignore it. You roll over and forget about the rumblings in your stomach; the morning will be there soon. If your hunger is stubborn, it will force upon your mind dreams of hamburgers, cheesecakes, and Chinese buffets (It's happened, trust me). When you can't take it anymore, or the sun has risen above the horizon, you awake to that still-grumbling stomach. To satiate its urges, you immediately rip open a pop tart pack and eat the 400 calories in exactly 10 seconds flat. This was not enough. So you dig through your panniers to find the holy of all holies, Peanut Butter. Upon getting the peanut butter jar out, you proceed to spread it on everything you can think of. No bread!? No problem. Peanut butter is good on pop tarts, on fruit, on cereal, in oatmeal, on chocolate, on tortillas, and with chips. Of course, eating a spoon of it plain does the body good. After this lovely breakfast, you go to the grocery store in town (if there is one) and you buy yogurt and a lot of donuts. You eat these too. Then you drink a lot of water. You're most likely behind about 4,000 calories starting the day, but you ignore it and pedal on. After 20 to 30 miles of riding (depending on the wind)  you stop for lunch. The best lunch days are those in buffets. You eat a minimum of four plates of literally EVERYTHING. Fried food? Eat it. Rice? Eat it. Mac and Cheese? Eat it. Ice cream? Eat it. Little octopuses at the Chinese buffet in Dickinson? Don't eat. Lunch is the time for you to literally engorge yourself. You want to eat as many calories as possible for you know dinner is a long way off--I try to shoot for 3,000 at a sitting. After lunch, you ride another 30 miles to your camping destination. The bikes are then leaned against a tree, where once again you commence to dig through your panniers for at least two frozen-dried meals--these babies pack over 600 calories a punch are served LAVA hot...all the time. You eat both of them. Then you eat chocolate. Ask your wife for some gatorade. And then, finally, after it is all said and done, drink a few beers. You go to sleep knowing that even though you have eaten 5,000 calories in one day, you're still most likely short by another 3,000.

Other thoughts on food: It is incredibly difficult to find fresh produce and fruit in the plains of the United States. Ironically, the "grain basket" of America has extremely paltry offerings. Thus, I am forced to eat little debbie snack cakes in place of  more healthy fair (not that I'm TOTALLY against eating an entire box of keebler fudge shop cookies). Additionally, fruit and veggies are the best, really. However, they lack the calorie count one needs to maintain energy. Thus, every cyclists goes through periods of "healthy eating" and "binge eating." I'm not so sure if this actually good or not, but it's something one has to do to keep those legs churning.

Two of the greatest myths we tell ourselves are these: 1) That North Dakota is flat and 2) that there is such a thing as a "Westerly Wind." Both are false. They are lies straight from the pit of hell. For when one climbs upon the saddle to seemingly glide across the plains states, one thinks they should go from West to East. Makes sense, right? Westerly winds = tailwind = speed. LIES. Lies. lies. Out of the 15 days we've been on the high plains, we've had a tailwind for exactly four days. Wind comes from every direction. It comes from the front, from the back, from the side, and sometimes from underneath. It's hard to explain. I don't know. But what I do know, is that it NEVER pushes me up a hill or down a descent. To the contrary, the wind makes cycling incredibly difficult and frustrating. The constant rushing of the wind past the ears literally drives you insane. Legs strain under the weight of the bike and against the seemingly endless gusts. Thirty miles turn into one hundred. Gradual rolling hills turn into mountain passes of 7,000 feet or more. And at the end of the day, one feels spent. I'm beginning to realize that each region of this country has its challenges. Mountains, of course, are difficult in that the climbs are exhausting. The plains--the "easy states"--are cursed with a malicious wind that is relentless. The great lakes dunes, I'm sure, will be arduous. And then you have the Appalachians. Each new state is a challenge. Few are easier or more difficult than the previous. If anything, this trip across the country humbles you; it makes you realize that traveling in a car inculcates you from the elements. Rarely are we Americans exposed to the ruggedness of the seemingly placid and calm farms of Eastern Montana. Nor are we accustomed to feeling the sudden temperature and pressure drops from ascending and descending the Cascades. Travelling this great land, in some sense, has become too easy. Biking it (or walking it) brings with the experience a sense of intimacy that rarely can be captured in a train, car, or plane. You feel, as you ride as though you are a part of the lands aches, pains, and most extravagant expressions. It makes me feel alive. And in a strange sense, more American.

More on what it is like to drink across the country when I  get another chance to sit in a library. Happy travelling!

Day 26

Taylor,ND - New Salem,ND (54 miles)

Earlier this week the goal been to get to Bismark by today. We didn't make it for a number of reasons, a constant head wind being on of them. More unexpected was Horse Fest in Taylor. Yesterday we were told there wad going to be a parade and other horse and cowboy related festivities. How could we pass that up?! So we agreed that before leaving Taylor we would watch the parade and get some pie.

We got going around noon, but we didn't get too far before needing a bathroom break. And this is when we met Tim. Tim is the local butcher who let us use his bathroom (the door on the left, the other one is the smoker).  Zandy and me started talking to him a bit about his business, and before we knew it we were getting a tour and a lesson on how to butcher a cow. I had seen my dad butcher deer before, but I never realized how big a side of beef is!

Oh, and we lost and hour with a time zone change. We are in the central time zone!

Slowly the landscape has been changing. We are long out of the badlands and the rolling hills have gradually begun to flatten out. I really have no clue what the rest of North Dakota will bring.

Day 25

Medora,ND - Taylor,ND (60 miles)

Day 24

Glendive,MT - Medora,ND (70 miles)

We got a slow start out of Glendive today,but it was totally worth it. We went back to Makoshika State Park to look around since yesterday's trip was cut short. I think it is the coolest place we have been thus far. All the colors and the texture of the formations were incredible.  In the visitor's center we found out that the name means "the bad lands" in Lakota, and that it is famous for the dinosaur fossils that have been found there. After exploring for a bit we hit the road.

Today had a few things in store for us. First, Sara left us to head down to Nebraska. It's sad not having her around.  We rode together for nearly three weeks.  Secondly, we had to ride on the interstate. Which honestly wasn't bad at all. We had been preparing for the worst, but it turned out to be a rather pleasant ride.  There was a huge shoulder the entire way and all the trucks would move to the left lane to pass us. But I'm not going to lie, the first on ramp we took was a little terrifying!  Generally you want to stay as far away from the interstate as possible when on a bike. Lastly, we made it to North Dakota! Hooray!11

North Dakota is nothing like I expected. It's supposed to be flat, grassy and boring. What we have seen of the state so far (all 25 miles) has been nothing of the sort. Right off the bat we entered into the National Grasslands. But they weren't your typical grasslands. It looked more like the badlands, but covered with grass. It was stunning.

Medora is also not as expected. The town basically exists because there is a National Park. It's super touristy so sadly everything is over priced. It does have a bike path though, so we can't complain.

Depending on the winds tomorrow might be a rest day in Dickinson, ND. But if we catch a tail wind we'll ride it as far as we can. You can never pass up a tail wind!

Day 22

Wolf Point,MT - Circle,MT (55 miles)

Today had another rainy start. We had a huge thunderstorm just after midnight, and then another cell rumbled through 11am. We have been really lucky with rain thus far, and other than on Sherman pass we haven't had to ride in it.

We got on the road to Circle around 1pm and it was smooth riding the entire way. No rain and no head wind.

It is interesting how rural it is out here. We road 55 miles, but we were only in three towns. And towns have limits, and you'll ride 15 miles or so, and there will be nothing before you get to another town. But not all the little towns have services to offer. For instance, tomorrow we will ride 50 or so miles before there will be a town with services (food, water, restrooms).

Day 23

Circle,MT - Glendive,MT (47 miles)

We didn't get a far as we had hoped today. We are being followed by thunderstorms. But Glendive is a cute little town. There is a state park we will have to check out a little more tomorrow since we got rained out.  It has rock formations similar to the badlands and there are dinosaur fossils. Cool.

Since we got stormed on we decided to go to the movies. We saw Turbo, the newest Pixar movie about a snail who wants to be a race car driver. It was cute, but it wasn't as good as we had hoped. Oh well, still beat being out in the storm!

Day 21

Glasgow,MT - Wolf Point,MT (53 miles)

Today might have been the hardest day yet. It took us 7 hours to ride 53 miles due to 10-15 mile per hour head winds. It is amazing the difference in how far you can ride depending on the direction of the wind.  The wind not only slows you down, but at times the sound it makes can be deafening.

Even with the wind it was still a beautiful ride. Not too hot, the wind took care of most of the insects, and as always we met some curious and friendly people. 

We are spending the night in a public park next to a pool, so while we showered (open room style) all the little girls were super curious about us. Our hair, our tan lines, and our weird "bathing suits" (aka bras and underwear).  But after all their questions fought over who was going to share their shower with us and showed us some dance moves.  Jeremy and Casey got to shower with little boys, so you can only imagine what their shower time consisted of!

Oh, and we decided to treat ourselves to some cookies tonight since we worked so hard today (and we could us the extra calories). Cinnamon rolls, duplex cookies, vanilla oreos, and cookie dough. Yum!

Tonight the weather is calling for thunderstorms, so I guess we'll see. The rainfly is on, our clothing is drying in the bathroom and we have checked the lawn for sprinklers. We should be set!

Day 20

Dodson,MT - Glasgow,MT (90 miles)

Today we met up with two other bikers, Casey and Zandy, who are also going east to Maine. It's always fun to ride with more people, and we become a larger presence on the road.

The ride to Glasgow was amazing. We did have a weird side-head wind for the first 20 miles, but then it was more or less at our backs after that.

The best part of the day was seeing on a full Montana map just how far we have gone! Looks like we only have a few more days until North Dakota!

Day 19

Havre,MT - Dodson,MT (74 miles)

Oh Havre, we truely will not miss you. Today started with getting rained on at 1am. Fine. No problem. We can deal with rain (rainfly on).

Then at 3am we heard rushing water, and then our tent was getting hit, and then it was calm. 30 seconds later it got hit again. We opened the tent only to almost get hit with the sprinklers. "Quick! Zip up the tent! Holy crap, now what!?" Our tent got hit again, splashsplash. "We gotta do something. Quick, put something on the sprinkler." Splashsplash. "Like what?" Splashsplash. "I donno, a bag or something. Sara, is that you?" Splashsplash. "Hey, go stick your waterbottle on the sprinkler." Splashsplash. "Is that going to work? Won't it fly off?" Splashsplash. "I donno, just try it." Surprisingly it did work. So Sara and I ran around and placed waterbottles while Jeremy played "general" andw directed us from the tent (men).  We were fine for a bit and then different sprinklers turned on, but we knew how to quickly disarm them.

We didn't leave as early as we wanted due to the lack of sleep, and right as we were getting on the road, Sara's back tire went flat. We just couldn't leave!

Finally by noon we were on the road. It was a weird day up until we got to Dodson. Dodson was a little odd too, but we got to go to the fair, camp for free, and shower. It was a great experience. Tons of young dudes in stetsons and young girls in daisy dukes. There was live music, cheeseburgers, and kettlecorn. After a frustrating evening/morning in Havre, Dodson was the perfect salve.

Day 18

Galata,MT - Havre,MT (80 miles)

"This isn't the end of the world, but I can see it from my window!"

Our second day in the high plains, and there are somethings I have noticed. The first being how pretty they are. Most everyone I talked to before made the plains sound terribly boring. Maybe it's because we are on bicycle and get to see more detail than those wizzing by in a car. The second being that by no means are they flat! Well, at least right now they aren't. All 170 miles the last two days have been rolling hills, thankfully with the wind at our backs most of the time. The third being all the grain elevators. Every town and had-been town has at least one, and I can't help but wonder if they all get filled each growing season. Just as interesting of a thought are all the towns that simply no longer exist, and maybe never really existed to begin with. There were far too many grain elevators that stood alone in the middle of nowhere without a house or wheat field in sight.

So the high plains have brought with them tons to think about, wide open sky, history, about a billion ground squirrel (super cute!), and a break for all of our knees. Our butts however, that is another story!

Day 17

East Glacier,MT - Galata,MT (93 miles)

Out of the mountains and onto the plains!

Day 16

near Essex,MT - East Glacier,MT (40 miles)

Today we did our last pass until New England. I almost can't believe it. We have been riding through the mountains since day 2, and tomorrow we will venture into the high plains.  It will be bittersweet since the mountains have been stunning, however it will be exciting to see something new!

The Marias pass was definitely one of our favorites. It didn't top Washington, but it was still incredibly beautiful. And surprisingly easy. I was a little shocked once we got to the top, and later was told that it is the lowest part of the continental divide.  It was also surprising how quickly the landscape changed. Mountains before the divide and the beginnings of the high plains after it. The vegetation completely changed and the water started flowing the other direction.

Tonight we are staying with a couple, Sam and Jo. Sam works at Glacier NP in the summers, and Jo works in the library system, and she has an incredible garden. They also have 3 unbelievably cute cats!  So it was great chatting with them about life in this area and the history, the winters, and of course the park. Together they have a handful of wildlife encounter stories, but neither one of them are afraid of going into the part or surrounding area. There are wild animals, but they respect their space, for their safety and the safety of the animals.

Tomorrow we are off to Shelby!

Day 15

Whitefish,MT - near Essex,MT (50 miles)

We decided to do the alternate route around Glacier National Park, mainly because we didn't bring our passports, but also because we had heard the road over Logan pass was not ideal. So to compromise, we decided we would still ride to the park, but we would take the shuttle up to Logan pass, hike around and the ride a bit longer before camping for the night.

I am so glad we went on the shuttle! Going-to-the-sun road isn't very steep, so going over the pass wouldn't have been any more difficult than Washington pass. But, there was no shoulder, limited times that cyclists could be on the road, and way too many places were there was a straight drop off with you only protection being a rock wall a foot and a half high. No thank you.

That being said, the trip in the shuttle was great! We still got to see all the views, plus we got to hike around the top of Logan pass a bit too. What absolute beauty! It is safe to say that Glacier gas topped everything we have seen to this point. Crystal clear water, waterfalls, massive snow peaked mountains, huge valleys and lakes, and the plant life was surprisingly colorful. It was definitely a place I would like to come back and spend a week.

The alternate route is along Route 2, and so fat it has been pleasant. There is low traffic and the pass isn't as high.  Tomorrow we will ride to East Glacier and hopefully have time to go back into the park for another hike.

Day 14

Whitefish,MT (0 miles)

Today was a much needed day off. Riding your bike everyday is hard work! But in all seriousness, this rest for our legs was long past due. We have all been really excited about riding everyday, so much that we have ignored the fatigue.

Today our legs, and bottoms, rejoiced as we ran some errands, hungout at the city beach, caught up on our calories, and chatted with our warmshowers hosts.

Tomorrow we are off to Glacier NP!

Day 13

Rexford,MT - Whitefish,MT (64 miles)

I think it is safe to say that today's ride was the least pleasant ride thus far. All three of us were tired and the road was awful. Route 93 was not bike friendly.

But that being said, we still had a good time laughing and carrying on. By the way it is difficult to giggle and ride a bike at the same time, especially when going up hill.

Now back to Route 93. Before we left today, our host, Richard, wished us the best and told us to ride safe. I have always thought it was kind of  an odd thing to say, because for a cyclist, safety is only partially in out control. We can wear a helmet and bright colors, have lights at night, choose safe routes, and follow all the rules of the road, but that is only part of being safe. The other part is up to everyone else on the road: drivers and other cyclists.

I was thinking about this a lot today. Our maps do a good job of putting us on low traffic routes when available, but there are times when that is not possible. Like today. While on Route 93 we did our best to signal, stay on the white line, and be as visible as possible, however about 25 percent of the drivers around us didn't realize or care that they were putting us in danger. It got to the point that if I saw someone in my mirror who didn't look like they were going to move over I would put my arm out to show them how close they were about to get. It worked for the most part, but I still got buzzed occasionally. I'm not sure where everyone was going in such a hot hurry, but I really appreciated those drivers who took the time to slow down and move over, even if that ment waiting 20 seconds for the car in the other lane to go by before passing us.

Rest Day: Whitefish, Montana.

It's been fourteen days since we've embarked on our journey. It's been fourteen days since computer access. Fourteen days since Jamie and me dipped our back tire in the lapping Puget Sound around Anacrotes, WA. Fourteen days of sweating, agonizing, huffing, careening, and rolling. We've gone from high-desert trails that make your mouth as dry as a raisin, to mountain passes entombed in snow. We've seen dozens of Bald Eagles, innumerable deer, and bundles of Ospreys--I've even had the personal pleasure of riding within ONE FOOT of a group of big-horned sheep (I know, I could have been charged, but I thought about the danger only AFTER the fact). We've crossed three state lines--Washington, Idaho, and Montana--and now anxiously await our descent into the high plains, where the terrain will flatten out and, hopefully, with wind at our back, we'll be able to cruise at a clip of 80 - 100 miles a day. We've pushed our way through the Cascade peaks, through hail, into forgotten hollows and around mom-and-pop stores. We've met a travelling partner, Sara, from Lynden, Washington who has brought energy and youthful exuberance to our trip. We are all now taking a break. After fourteen days of riding our knees (mainly our minds) needed the rest. Tomorrow we will enter into Glacier National Park, our last major mountain pass until the Appalachians in New York.

Falling in love with my touring bike has been a process of patience and frustration. For those of you not attuned to or knowledgeable about cycling, I'll let you in on a little secret: Touring bikes are heavy as hell. Their frames are always made of steel for durability and when they are loaded with panniers (bike talk for "Saddle Bags") the weight can get up to 70 or 90 pounds. Even for the most seasoned cyclist, that is a load to carry. The first place one feels the weight is in the arms (surprised, right!?). A well-loaded bike should have about 60% of the weight on the front rack. Your arms are given the responsibility of controlling the side-to-side sway of the front fork of your bike. The way you control the weight at the front, is by keeping your arms fairly stiff, using your triceps and biceps to balance. This gets tiring. By putting most of theweight in the front, the bike will be more stable and ride smoother-- the added weight in the front actually pulls the head of the bike downhill, thus giving your legs some help with forward momentum. The next locale on the body that the weight is felt, is in the knees. If you ride with clips (cleats that attach to the pedals), you will have an easier time dealing with the weight, as you can engage all of your leg muscles when pedaling, however, the weight will cause you to strain on your down-stroke. To minimize this pain, you are taught to shift the bike into a lighter gear, where your RPM (leg revolutions per minute) is higher and the resistance lighter. This makes you go slow. Naturally, the tendency of all riders (especially males) is to downshift, ignore the pain, and pedal-push as hard as humanly possible. You go faster, of course, but your ultimately left with swollen and sore knees. The first two weeks have been a process of "locking" my body into a rhythm. I haven't done it just yet, but my knees are not nearly as sore as the first three days of riding and my arms, well, they are looking more "brawny" each and every day :). The bike itself has been holding up well and I'm now very comfortable riding with the weight. In fact, if I ride unloaded I lose all semblance of balance and look like a clown riding a noodle.

For those of you concerned with our safety, I'd like to just briefly touch upon what it is like to ride along windy, mountain roads with minimum berm: It's terrifyingly exhilarating. In all honesty, 95% of drivers are respectful and give you space. However, there are the few aggressive "doobs" in the mix who always seem to get a kick out of getting AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE without actually clipping your arm. Semi-trucks are scary for their weight and speed, but most of the drivers wave and move over. Cars are annoying in that they go too fast and whip around bends. Motorcycles are startling in that they are loud. And RVs, well, they are the worst. I don't know what it is about a recreational vehicle that now makes my skin crawl, but every time I see a Ford F-250 coming up behind me, pulling a 36 foot "fifth wheel," I prepare to take cover as if blitzkrieg is about to get underway. They swerve. They go too fast. They tailgate. And worst of all, they are usually inexperienced drivers who seem to pay no attention to how long (or wide) their trailer is. I've seen all sorts of dazzling assortments of arrangements: trucks pulling trailers, trailers pulling boats, and trailers pulling people. I'm sorry to all of you who enjoy your weekend cruise to the local camp ground in the "fifth wheel," but be aware that your driving skills are not as good as those licensed truckers. Why is that any mid-aged insurance salesmen can drive a 39 foot RV around a hair-pin curve and not need a specialized license? Does this make any sense!? And please, do be mindful of the fact that three feet of space around a cyclist is NOT enough to mitigate against the powerful back draft of air that rushes along the road as you travel, blissfully, at 80 miles per hour. But, as I have stated, a vast majority of drivers are courteous and curious. So don't be alarmed. We're alright.

The beauty of the west is stunning. It's as grand and big as I imagined it to be. The mountain lakes are a radiant turquoise color and the mountain valleys are lush and colorful in their summer splendor. The wildlife is unchained and roams freely--sometimes right down main street, as was the case in Rexford, Montana. The stands of cedar, fir, and pine make for towering shadows along the road and sage brush dominates the desert. Rocks are a myriad of hues--brown, red, green, black, gray, and orange--and the sunsets are peaceful with streaks of pink and magenta. This country is vast both in its beauty and size.

One of the more unpleasant experiences of travelling across the country by bike, is the sweat. You sweat buckets during the day. It starts on your back and arms, crosses over to your forehead, and then drips down your nose. And it's always in your crotch. Your legs get wet. Your hair gets wet. Your shirt gets soaked. And your underwear, well, you can imagine. When you stop riding for the day and decided to set up camp, you often don't have access to a shower. The sweat then dries. It crusts into salt crystals. The salt gets into your eyes, stings them, then rubs off on your fingers. The mosquitoes start biting, so then you spray bug spray on top of your granulated skin, which only makes you sticky and smelly. Then you go to sleep in a sleeping bag that makes your feet sweat. The next day, you throw on the same shirt from the day before, ignore the fact that your shirt's collar is stiff from the salt crystals, and pedal onward. The time you take a shower is relished. You can scrub the salt from your temples and the grease marks from your calves. Thank god for warmshowers.org, it's an amazing site, full of wonderful families and people (which will be the next post).

My time is now up at the library. Cheers and happy travelling!

Day 11

Heron,MT - Libby,MT (51 miles)
Last night we slept at our first campground in bear country. There were warning signs everywhere, a bear box for food, and the camp hosts made a point to let everyone know that recently there had been bears in the camp. Great... And of course Jeremy does his best to get a rise out of my bear-fearing self. So I slept with ear plugs in so I wouldn't be jumping at every noise and told my bladder I wouldn't be getting up to pee in the night, no matter how full it got!
In the morning we were all fine and surprisingly got a decent night's sleep. Now it was off to Libby!
It was an extremely enjoyable ride. And I think it was partly due to the route and partly our pace. We took our time and made a number of stops. Our favorite being the Koocanusa waterfall and swinging bridge. The river was spectacular. Rushing water, vibrant shades of blue-green, and a rocky shoreline filled with fossils. The bridge was a little freaky, but completely worth it for the view!
We got into Libby early evening and wondered around until we found our warmshowers host, Stacy. Instantly we knew it was going to be a great night. Stacy and his family are wonderful, and the conversations had and the time we spent together in their house and over pizza is something that will be cherished.
Oh, I almost forgot! On our way to Libby we saw about a dozen bighorn sheep (does and kids) along the road!

Day 12

Libby,MT - Rexford,MT (64 miles)
I'm going to admit it was really hard to get up this morning. It was so comfortable in our tent, all warm in our sleeping bags in the crisp air. But we managed to still get on the road by 9am.
Today's ride took us past the Libby dam and along the lake behind it, so the views were spectacular. The water coming out of the mountains is such an amazing shade of blue-green and crystal clear. None of the pictures we have taken will be able to do it justice. And again we plodded along at a leisurely pace, taking in the beauty around us and enjoying one another's company.
This evening we are staying with and older man named Richard, who is just wonderful. His playful manor reminds me of my Grandpa D and his cooking reminds me of my Grandpa G. I still can't believe how generous and kind people have been to open up their homes to us! And to let us into their lives. With each conversation I feel like we are learning not only about the person we are talking to, but also about the continent we are riding across.
Tomorrow we are off to Whitefish for two days, and then to Glacier National Park on Tuesday. We'll do our best to post, but service is limited, so we are having to rely on WiFi.

Day 10

Sandpoint,ID - Heron,MT (50 miles)

After leaving Sandpoint, we road into a town of 200 people called Hope,ID. What is interesting about Hope is it is the oldest town in Idaho, established in 1809 as a trading post. Hope is also located next to a large glacial lake. Cool.

Clark Fort was the next town along the way. There was a small shop that sold homemade baked goods and preserves, and there was a deli and other pantry items. They also had these giant cookie ice cream sandwichs, so we split one three ways - it was seriously that huge! And delicious.

At this point we were so close to Montana that we ate our ice cream and got on our way. The ride so far had been lovely, but it was only going to get better! We only ventured 20 miles into Montana, but what we have seen so far is breathtaking: the river, mountains, homesteads, and pastures. I have a feeling Montana might capture a piece of my heart.

Thinking back, an interesting thing I have noticed about Washington and Idaho is the love of espresso. Starbucks did originate in Seattle, but it seems like every town, village, parking lot or random turn off has an espresso hut. Today in Sandpoint we went to the store and there were two in the same parking lot! Funny thing is I have never once seen someone at any of the huts. It'll be fun to see if Montana is crazy about espresso too!

Day 9

Usk,WA - Sandpoint,ID (53 miles)

Today was hot! And hilly. But all and all it was a great day! We stopped in Newport,WA at a place called Owen's for lunch. It was awesome! They make their own icecream, so we split a pint of it three ways before heading to Idaho. We a did a little dance infront of the Idaho sign (as shown in picture). It's incredible that we already have ridden our bikes across the state of Washington!

We stopped in Sandpoint for the evening. What a cool town. We swam in the river, ate dinner at a local place with live music, and chatted with our neighbors at the RV park. Tomorrow we'll head to the post office to pick up my towel. I had forgotten it at the place we stayed in Mazana, and the owner mailed it to me. Thanks Jim!

And then off to Montana!

Day 8

Coleville,WA - Usk,WA (75 miles)

This morning we woke up in the bike hostel in Coleville completely refreshed! What a great place to stay: warm shower, comfy beds, a kitchen to use and a space to relax in. The Bacon family really do an amazing job with it.

Today we set out to do our last pass in Washington. It wasn't nearly as large as the others, but what made it truly enjoyable was the road we were on. It was a tar-n-chip state highway, but it was almost void of cars. Cedars cover all the mountains, but todays trees stuck out more than the others. Maybe it was because we where at tree level for the majority of the time. Most of the trees had long, hair-like moss hanging from them.  The roads were also lined with wildflower, ferns, different colored grasses, and wild strawberry plants! Yum, strawberries!

It's pretty incredible how quickly the landscape in Washington changes. Temperate rain forrest, mountains, high desert, and range land. All beautiful.

Tomorrow we'll get to see what Idaho has in store for us!

Day 7

Republic,WA - Coleville,WA (63 miles)

Today was hard. We had the challenge if going over Sherman pass, which would be our highest pass thus far. It seemed endless. The last 4 miles felt like each turn could be the top. It was around that same time that we noticed the storm clouds following us up the mountain. Then the thunder started.
Once we finally got to the top, all of us exhausted, I asked Sara what that temperature was. 57 degrees, 33 degrees cooler than when we had started our ascent. No wonder I was freezing! And it only felt colder as we rode down the mountain, attempting to beat the storm.

We were almost to the bottom when the rain started. Quickly we stopped to put on our rain jackets. No more than two minutes later there was a flash of lightening, a crash of thunder, and the rain was coming down hard. Really hard, but we weren't getting wet, it was hail. Moments later we were on the side of the road frantically unfolding our tarp for protection. Under the safety of the tarp all three of us couldn't help but laugh. The hail turned to rain and as abruptly as it began it ended.

Exhausted, cold and wet we made it to the bottom, and our quest for food began. We started talking about our favorite foods and if we thought Kettle Falls would have a buffet or not. They do not, but we found a little Mexican resturant - burritos all around!

With full bellies we made our way toward Coleville where we would be sleeping. It was a beautiful ride, up and down rolling hills. It really reminded Jeremy and me of the Laurel highlands in PA. However my body was tired of the hills and the final few before our destination I'll admit that walked my bike up them.

It will feel great to sleep in a bed tonight! Tomorrow we have one last small climb before it flattens out for a bit.

Day 6

Tonasket,WA - Republic,WA (47 miles)

Today we did another short day, but with a pass. So during our 47 miles we ended up climbing 3,310 feet, not too shabby.

Today we dealt with the first flat of the trip. About 10 miles outside of Tonasket Sara's rear tube popped. At first we thought someone had shot a gun, but then we realized that Sara's back wheel was flat as a pancake. No big deal though. She had an extra and after she changed tubes we were on our way.

Going over the passes have not been as terrible as I expected. That being said, they are still difficult, just not as bad as the elevation charts make them look. Turns out when the chart looks like you will be going straight up a wall it doesn't end up being as steep as the drawing....then again, they wouldn't be making roads with a 90 degree incline! Going downhill for me (Jamie) is just as terrifing as I thought. I find myself squeezing my breaks so hard that my hands ache, and that if my full attention is not on my path, I get a little squirrely and end up scaring myself even more. I would much rather be climbing a mountain than going down it! Jeremy on the other hand would rather be going down. The climbs have been a challenge with his knee, but he goes at his own pace - slow and steady.

The different flora and fauna thus far have been magnificent! There are tons of birds we have never seen before and countless plants. Today we saw gofers and rock chucks for the first time, both really cute! Earlier in the week we saw Steller's jays and quails!

Another great thing about our trip so far has been all the small towns we have gone through. Lord knows if we weren't riding our bikes we would never go through any of these places. And again, our maps sometimes make them seem larger than they are. Today we went through Wauconda, and our map showed that were was a post office, gas station, cafe and grocery store. When we got there we realized that all those things were in one small service station. That was the town.

Tomorrow we will do our largest pass of the trip! Wish us luck and we will keep you updated!

Day 5

Okanogan,WA - Tonasket,WA (28 miles)

Today we decided to rest our legs a bit before the next mountain pass, but the weather had other thoughts! Even though we only road for 28 miles, we faced a head wind the entire time so it wasn't as easy as we had planned.

Another thing we noticed was all the roadkill. It was significantly more than the other days:  one deer,  four snakes, a little brown bat, countless birds, and numerous unidentifiable furry creatures. It was like we were riding through a death zone. Of course it didn't help that it was 90 degrees and dry as bone.

In Tonasket we met Ivette, who we found on warmshowers.org, and she welcomed us into her home. We spent a lovely evening with her talking about family and past experiences. She baked us two batches of cookies, allowed us to take a shower, prepared a fantastic dinner, offered us beds, and allowed us to do our laundry. Her hospitality was outstanding. We are experiencing both the natural and human beauty of the united states.

Day 4

Mazana,WA - Okanagon,WA (60 miles).

Last night we stayed at the Bicycle Barn in Mazana. What a great place! Jim has his yard set up for cyclists with a warm shower, composting toilet, tap with drinking water, WiFi, and plenty on space for camping! After going without a real shower for a few sweaty days it was nice to be able to remove ALL the salt. And a little added bonus was a clear night sky filled with millions of stars. I haven't seen that stars that brightly in a long time!

Today we went over another mountain pass (Loup Loup), which wasn't as steep or as long as the ones yesterday, but man was it hot! We are now riding through the high desert so the temperature has risen significantly and it's extremely dry. So the 7.5 mile pass still took us a good 3 hours.

What is really intesting about this part of the state, besides it's beauty, is this is where all the apples are grown. But apples need a lot of water and this is a desert...so this means TONS of irrigation. Every yard and field in the valley has sprinklers running, so they are lush and green. Everywhere else is brown.  As I lay in our tent I can hear the gentle clicking of the sprinkler in the field next to us. In the evening we passes an organic apple farm, which was cool to see, but I couldn't help but think that the entire process was entirely unsustainable. The heat is good for growing apples, but there is a lot of water being diverted to keep those trees alive.

Tomorrow we have a lighter day planned before we tackle the next too passes.

Day 3

Newhalem,WA - Mazana,WA (70 miles)

The Cascades are huge!

Yesterday evening we met up with three other riders and decided to do today's ride with one of them. Her name is Sara. Turns out she is also going to Maine, and here's why: when she was younger she asked her dad what the furthest state from Washington was. He told her Maine, and she replied that they should bike there.

So this morning we headed out to conquer the Cascades! We had two mountain passes to cross, Rainy and Washington, both above 4,000 ft. I know I keep saying this, but it is true, today's ride was the most beautiful yet!  The size of the mountains alone was breathtaking - yet also frightening.

As we plodded along like three snails up the mountains I was surprised by the care that most drivers took to give our space and the amount of help and encouragement we received along the way. Three separate cars gave us more water when we needed it!

Once we reached the top of each pass the sense of achivement was overwhelming. We made it! And we didn't walk once! Next we had to go down...this was terrifying! I have never squeezed my breaks as hard as I did today, but again we made it, safe and sound.

Tomorrow we'll do it all again!

Day 2

Sedro-Woolley,WA - Newhalem,WA (53 miles)

Today's ride was by far the most beautiful! Endless mountains, cascading waterfalls, trees covered in moss, clear blue skies, and one really great pizza shop (Annie's)!

Riding through western Washington has stirred up memories of our time in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Especially today as we rode past cabins nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

Tomorrow is going to be a big day. We are going to ride over the mountains, out of the western Washington rain forrest and into the eastern Washington desert.

Day 1

Deception Pass, WA - Anacortes,WA - Sedro-Wooley,WA (40 miles)

Today we official started our trip on the Northern Tier bike route! We dipped our tires are we headed out.

It wasn't far into our ride that we found ourselves a little lost. We knew there was a path to follow to go over the bridge connecting the island to the main land, but we couldn't seem to locate it.  Just then Tony rolled up on his bike and told us we could follow him across the bridge since he was going the same way. What luck!  We ended up riding about 5 miles with Tony before parting ways. He gave us some pointers about the upcoming mountain passes and chatted about life.

Today's ride took us to Sedro-Wooley where we met Erin and her 5 daughters through warmshowers.org. Erin and her husband have a camper and end up hosting tons of hikers and bikers. So tonight we spent the evening chatting and playing with Squermies. The best part was that Erin's  family was from Beaver Falls, PA! What a small world!

All in all today was great! Beautiful landscapes, wonderful people and all around pleasant cycling. I can't wait for what tomorrow has in store! Oh, and we saw 6 more bald eagles.

Prologue

Yesterday our friend Nelko drove up just past Bremerton,WA. We said our farewells and Jeremy started our trek up to Anacortas,WA.

The scenery was breathtaking, Port Townsend was alittle gem, and camping at Deception Pass was absolutely incredibly. AND we saw 8 bald eagles! This trip is going to be awesome.