Welcome to Washington (Bent rims and flat tires)

Day 40

We spent another day with Paula in Sandpoint which was nice. We went to the beach on lake Pend O'reille and did some internet surfing at home. We finally got to meet Paula and her friend Scott when they got back from their hiking trip. Later Paula let us borrow a couple of kayaks and we went out on the lake, unfortunately they weren't made for lake use so we had quite a bit of difficulty trying to maneuver them about. Anywho, we went to a get together for Paula's staff where Manda and I went undefeated playing ladder ball (testicle toss, whatever you want to call it). And then we got to meet her kids! They were all really fun and I'm glad that we got to meet all of them. Thanks again Paula for all that you did for us!

Day 41

Manda found out that she could get a ride to Spokane because Paula's intern Brooke was driving her Mom to the airport. So I decided to still bike down there(I've got to at least try to bike this whole trip) and we both had a pleasant day apart from each other for the first time in a long time. I made pretty good time, but the traffic on route 2 outside of spokane was nasty and things got worse as I got closer but I made it downtown and ate a huge veggie sandwich at the deli manda was at.

Later we went to a bike shop here to get my wheel checked out (I bent the rim way back in Williston, ND). There wasn't really anything they could do about it and I'd have to replace it eventually, so the mechanic cut me a deal on some nice rims that were almost new that he had bought for quite cheap before. So currently my bike is in the shop getting a set of new rims! We still had to get to Bob and Barb's house, so I got them to lend me a crappy bike to get there. Anyway I got about a mile away and Manda apparently thought some kids threw firecrackers at me, but really I just blew out the rear tire and had to walk the rest of the way. Anyway me later that night when I was asleep Kevin who was fixing my bike called my and told me about what he did and that he was really drunk and kind of babbled on for a while and then i realized it was almost 2 in the morning.

Bob and Barb and their family are really great. They all went on a cross country trip earlier this year, so we've been sharing stories and tips and hanging out with their very active kids and we even got a couple new things to take with us. I got a nice camping spork, some tubes to put things like peanut butter or jelly in, a 'toaster' to put over our stove and a map of washington and Oregon. So we should be heading NW towards the Cascade mountains and we will head over to the Olympic penninsula and probably end up taking a ferry to Seattle instead of trying to bike through the mess that it's sure to be. I hope everyone is doing well and I miss you all, please come visit! We may spend a while in Austin, TX during January, so take a trip while you're off of school or just need to get out that Wisconsin winter.

Forty Days and Forty Nights

Just a few things weve learned....

Chamois cream= Mandas best friend
There is a certain smell, that after riding alongside a highway for this long you know what it is...road kill. You smell it, look up, and theres the deer. I havent figured out if the stench is worse fresh or fully decayed.
Weve seen: deer, big horn sheep, sheep, dogs, dogs, dogs, foxes, a dead bear(does that count?) coyotes, hawks, maybe an eagle or two, some big spiders. No moose yet...
The extremes are the worst, if its 98 degrees, you want wind, if its windy, you want it at your back, if its 38, you want heat
Dont let Billy dutch oven you when you zip your bags together
Best diet ever: 7,000 calories a day, 7 hours of riding = 15lbs lost this month
You can ALWAYS eat more
The kindness of strangers makes our days, whether a honk, wave, or warm bed

Montana and Idaho

Sunday September 20th Day 33

So Sam and Jo fed us well. We so far have had: (homemade, mind you) guacamole, baked garlic, crustini, trays of fruit, peach and cherry cobblers, pad thai, spring rolls, grilled veggies on a bun, big salad, grilled bagels with cheese and veggies, ice cream sundaes, sourdough pancakes, eggs, veggies and cheese, bagels, coffee, tea...all in two days time...

Thank you Sam, Jo, Thomas, Monet and Thirsty(the last three are cats)

We stayed at the lodge tonight, thank you Jane and Bill Baader!!! It was the night of our first(and only so far) frost so it was a great night spent indoors reading by a fire. we ate a Sarannos, East Glaciers famous mexican resturant and joined a nice semi retired couple from Louisville, Kentucky who bought us our meal, drinks and dessert!\

Happy 18th birthday Cassi!!!


Monday September 21st Day 34

Jo took us to Two Medicine lake in East Glacier Park. We drove alongside these curvy mountain roads and my ears popped and my stomach was a little icky when I looked down and saw how high up we were. It was so beautiful, there really arent words to describe it. Jo gave us a lesson on the mountains and there names, most named after natives and why they were important.


Tuesday September 22nd Day 35

What an easy ride! After being rested up we road 12 miles to Marias pass, which I believe is the lowest pass in the Rockies in the US, it was about a mile above sea level. It wasnt hard mountainous hills like I expected. After that it was coasting downhill for like 15 miles. We just flew. It was about 60 miles for the days total and we stayed in West Glacier. We walked to the lake within the park and a heavy fog hung over it as we sat on the sand and enjoyed the view.


Wednesday September 23rd Day 36

We road just over 30 miles to Kalispell where we spent the day doing errands. I finally finally got to see Inglorious Bastards, which, to any Tarintino fan who hasnt seen it, for shame. It was great. We had about and hour before the movie and were trying to find a pizza place when we stumbled upon pizza hut, and being hungry(we hadnt eaten since first lunch) and running out of time we decided to eat there. Back in Williston we ate at a pizza hut. And it did not sit well with me at all and we both decided no more pizza hut, EVER....but we did it again. And it turned out fine for me...but really not worth the money.


Thursday September 24th Day 37

2,000 miles today!!!! We rode 70 miles to Hot Springs. We went to Rose's hot spring pool and sat in the water, which according to locals only a spot in Germany has better spring water than here. The water felt thin in your hands, slippery like oil and soothed our sore muscles. We met a nice couple, Lola and Mac and they offered us their yard to camp in. Thank you!! The deer walked right into their back yard to get the apple trees and there would be like 5 or 6 at a time and they didnt mind us.


Friday September 25th Day 38

Today we went 70 miles to Trout Creek. What a gorgeous ride. Im so glad to be out of the prarie! Lots of deer, some big horn sheep. There were dry pine needles on the ground and the air smelled like northern Wisconsin. And so much huckleberry ice cream!!!I met a motorcyclist who used to bike tour and he gave me a cliff bar and some trip advice.

Saturday September 26th Day 39

Easy, beautiful ride about 65 miles to Sandpoint Idaho. We stopped at a thrift store and Billy traded some sunglasses so we each got a new pair(dont worry Cassi, yours are in great shape). And I got a belt for $.25. I need a belt for my leggings. A silly concept no doubt but weve each lost about 15lbs so far. We were taking break in Clark Fork(which is also the name of the river we have been following) and Billy got stung by a bee on his finger. I was quick with ice and benadryl but better him that me cause we still had another 25 miles to go. We got to Paulas house, who were staying with and she ended up being gone for the night and gave us directions to eat all of her food, do our laundry, sleep in a bed(she said shed be offended if we didnt use the sheets she put on it) and take her car to a pub for a drink and some garlic fries. We did all of it and the fries were the best part!! Her car is stick shift so both Billy and I had fun with that. I took a bath and it may have been one of the most rewarding hours of the trip. There is a chubby grey cat here with some coon stripes named Hank and he slept with us all night and meowed until we found his food. He is a hungry cat.

Western Montana (I think i see mountains!)

Day 29
So we left Harlem and had quite an easy day to get to Havre. It was only about 40 miles and we had the wind at our backs, so it took us little over 2 hrs! We explored the town a little bit and ate a delicious meal of veggie burgers and a shake at a local diner. Our campground was in the local fairground which was rather dumpy but just fine for us. I did the laundry and bought some new books. I got the time traveler and war of the worlds for myself and the 2nd and 3rd lord of the rings for manda. I thought we should have kept biking since the wind was so nice, but we just rested.

Day 30
So we really should have kept going from havre the day before because it was hot and windy(the wrong way) today. We managed to get about 44ish miles before calling it quits in Rudyard, Mt. We stopped earlier in the day at a nice park in Kremlin and a nice grocery store in another town along the way. We asked where we could camp at the local bar in Rudyard and ended up staying and chatting with Debbie and Inga who were kind enough to buy us a few drinks and get us a little bit drunk before we went off to camp. Thanks so much, we had a lot of fun with you! We made mac'n' cheese tacos for dinner which were surprisingly delicious: put mac'n'cheese in tortillas, add taco seasoning and there you have it.

Day 31
There was little wind today and we managed to wake up at about 6. It was freezing in the morning but we made it to Chester by about 9 and had a couple donuts with coffee and then pushed on. We stopped in Shelby and went to a cafe to rest for a bit and get some tasty drinks. It was up to 95f again today. We made it to Cut Bank or Cut Throat as we wish it was called by evening. We went to get some fries at the mcdonalds in town and when we came back some people or an animal must have gotten to the bread we left out and taken it(there wasn't much left at least). So we did about 87 miles this day and it was less than 50 to East Glacier Park.

Day 32
So we rode out of town and it became apparent pretty early that the wind was not going to be our friend today. It took us an hour and a half to do the first 10 miles of this supposedly short and easy day. We kept on going and made it to Blackfoot by about 4. At this point I had eaten 3 or 4 granola bars, a pop tart and half a bagel with peanut butter since breakfast and we had only come about 27 miles in the long time we'd been riding. Our average speed was just over 5mph, how pitiful! Realizing that it would take us far too long to get to east glacier, we called Jo and Sam with whom we'd planned on spending the night and the agreed to pick us up. What a relief. So we made it and got lots and lots of delicious food, played with their cats, and talked about the park and where next to go.

Day 33
So we're still with Sam and Jo, eating well and taking the day off. They've been incredibly nice to us and we thank you so much. Tonight we'll be staying in the East Glacier Lodge thanks to my parents and then its off to West Glacier tomorrow if the weather is alight, otherwise we wouldn't mind spending another night here.

-billy

North Dakota and Montana

Day 24th September 11th

Poor Billy's bike. We were sitting outside a cafe, about to go in and read for a bit when a lovely lady named Yvonne stopped to talk to us. She said shed love to invite us over for the night but she would have to convince her husband. We told her no worries if he said no, but we would love it if he said yes. We went inside and not more than 20 minutes later she came into the cafe and told us that she forgot they had plans for the night and told us it was going to rain and we should get a hotel room and gave us $50! We were astonished. We then spent the night at the super 8 and soaked it up in the hot tub and had a great breakfast. Thank you, Yvonne!


Day 25 Saturday September 12th

We were going to go an easy 40 miles to Culbertson but we ventured out of the way to go to Fort Union trading post. We spent several hours talking with two of the employees there, about fur and tribes and the history of the place. It slowed us down a bit but he was quite funny. 1804, the road we were on turned into gravel so we had to take hwy 5, which was 12 miles of some vicious hills. I saw a big snake and it tried to eat me. It gave me the creeps. We met up withe hwy 2 and got into Montana and went through 13 miles of pain in the ass construction. We ended the day going 70 miles .


Day 26 Saturday September 13th

107miles. My oh my. We got wine to celebrate once we got to Glassgow, in time to ride with a beautiful sunset and lots of lightning(but no rain).


Day 27 Sunday September 14th

I was so sore. We only rode about 45 miles to Saco. The wind was working against us and my muscles were overworked. The mosquitos were so bad in this area, if I was going up a hill they devoured me until I could get my speed up again. We slept about 10 feet from the train tracks which woke us up enough, the ground would shake when we would go by. I put the tent(sorry, Billy) a little too close to the sprinklers so at 2 am when they started we had to move the tent. The night was as rough as the day.


Day 28 Monday September 15th

It was a hot day, we road from Saco to Harlem adn it was 78 miles. We were going to go out to eat in Harlem but all the(the two) resturants closed at 7 and we were a half hour too late.

Here in Williston, ND

So after hanging out at the library for a while, we decided to go to the campsite, but stopped at a bike shop on the way. It wasn't really a real bike shop so we left after 2 minutes, but the bike rack outside suck and my bike fell over and bent my rim! The first major damage of the whole trip. Now its trued as best as I can get it, but I couldn't quite bang the bend out of it but maybe when we find another bike shop in probably like 700 miles they could help me. O well. So we're taking this day off and heading through Montana on US route 2. We should be heading through Poplar, Glasgow, Havre, Shelby and getting to Glacier Nat. Park in about 6 or 7 days. I guess you're trip was a couple weeks too early mom and dad.

North Dakota

September 6th Day 19

Today we split up with Dan and Anona, we wer on different schedules and they were moving a little too fast for me. It was fun while it lasted. It was a hot day with a great wind. We stayed in Washburn, which was about 50 miles away. We stayed at Riverside park and Billy and I broke into the ship, the Souix Ferry, we make great pirates. The ship was on land and surrounded by a fence. We had marshmellows by the fire and as I was reading with the setting sun everything felt perfect. Well, until a cop showed up. Ha, it was fine we were just supossed to call the city and let them know we were having a fire(how on earth were we supossed to know that??!!) and he was nice to us.


September 7th Day 20

We rode to Gaarrison, ND today. We got a little lost trying to find Ft. Stevenson, the campground but all was well. We went 50 miles and the sun was shining. The park was really nice, there was a sign for Prarie Dog Town and I was very excited. Unfortunalty we never found any prarie dogs. There was a historic cannon from when the park used to be a Fort and it was made is Wisconsin! wahoo! The sky was clear all day except for when we were cleaning up dinner the sun stayed out and we got drizzled on for maybe ten minutes. We went to bed everything normal. At four am, we didnt know it was four, so sometime in the night we were awoken with heavy rain and tremendous wind. It started to blow our tent over on us. It was terrifing, I thought for sure we were going to wither a) suffocate or b) get blown off the cliff we were on into the river(still Missouri River). Niether happened. We got dressed and picked up the tent and ran to the bathroom, which wasnt that close. We were instantley soaked. We slept the next four hours in the womens bathroom and dryed our tshirts and sleeping bags with the hand dryer...our jeans and my sweatshirt were hopeless.


September 8th Day 21

So we woke up in a bathroom(crappy) and thats just about how the rest of the day went. Billy conned me into waking up only by the temptation of diner breakfast 4 miles away. So we packed up all the wetness and biked to town, dryed our clothes, ate and moved along. We braced ourselves for a late start(about noon instead of nine) and the 80 mile trip ahead. The wind blew hard in our faces, we climbed lots of hills and it rained. If there had been a town maybe we would have stopped but there wasnt anything until about 7 miles east of New Towne. We made it there a little after nine. The last thirteen miles of our trip were on hwy 23, busy and dark. It was cold and scary but we made it to Van Hook park in less than an hour, we rode fast and hard and arriving was quite the reward.

September 9th Day 22

Tpdau we wemt 60 miles, it was almost as hard as yesterday, we had sun but still hills and wind. We had coffee and each ate 700+ calories of coffee cake so we had a great start. We got to the Lewis and Clark State Park a little after eight where we got cola from the campground host, had hot showers and met some of the neighbors. My butt is so sore.

South Dakota and North Dakota

Friday August 28th Day 10

Roday we left Gregs. Due to the intensifing pain in my sprained/twisted ankle we only rode 25 miles. We landed in a tiny town called Arlington. We had mexican food at a small cafe, which seemed to be serving the entire town while we were there. It was more like a cafeteria. The sour cream came in little tubes like in high school, and when i squeezed mine, mold came out. Ew. We decided to splurge and spend $40 on a motel room. It was the pheasant motel, the lady who owned it was the same lady who cooked our food at the cafe!!! We watched three movies and layed in bed all day. It was wonderful. It was a little overdoing it, after the enchiladas we had microwave cheese nuggets, animal crackers and a milkshake. My whole body felt a little awful.


Saturday August 29th Day 11

We traveled about 60 miles today to Huron, SD. We stayed in a park on the outskirts of town, not before posing for a few pictures with the worlds largest pheasant!!! We had some time to kill so we made a big dinner, read and enjoyed being outdoors.


Sunday August 30th Day 12

Today we planned to go 65 miles or so but once we had gone about 50 I saw a sign for a drive in movie theater playing the 6th Harry Potter movie. Billy was easy to convince to stay so we got wine, carry out from a bar because everything else closed at 5pm, some snack foods and popcorn and biked to the drive in movie. We ended up staying only a little longer than half because we didnt plan for how cold in was going to be. It was about 50 degrees, which made sitting outside in the wind watching a movie unbearable. The next drive in we go to ill bring my sleeping bag, lesson learned.


Monday August 31st Day 13

Today was a very hard day. The first and last 25 miles out of about 80 we had wind blowing at us from the sides and the front. I had heard that a semi could knock a bicycle over and I wasnt sure that was true until now. The cross wind was so powerful that even without a semi's burst of wind it was hard to keep your bike from falling over. There were these strange long load dump trucks that kept passing us and showering our backs with gravel, every 5 minutes one would pass and Id have to get off the very narrow shoulder to make way. We finally made it to Pierre, SD, the capital city. While we were setting up our tent alonside the Missouri river we saw what looked like to be another couple bicycle touring. We chatted with them for a bit and made plans to talk in the morning.


Tuesday September 1st Day 14

Today we took our day off in Pierre(everyone here pronounces it Pier...). We did laundry, Wal Mart shopped...I had to get a wall charger and cord for my ipod and when I was at Wal Mart I found each seperatley for 20 bucks each. I was mad but I know I need music. After a while in the iphone section I came along an all in one and it was only 15 dollars!!! That was a reason to celebrate! I was in a fantastic mood, I started spray painting my panniers(the bags that hold our stuff), listening to music, writting postcards with a beautiful view. Soon, Billy and our new companions, Dan and Anona joined me. They were both from Champaign, IL. We talked about our recent visit there and to the bars C Street and Soma. They had left from St Louis and were moving to Portland, Oregon. We plan to ride with them for a week or so. We had a great dinner of burritos, its easier to shop for 4 people when you dont have a refridgerator instead of 2.
Happy Birthday Jamie!


Wednesday September 2nd Day 15

I saw a dead snake today that was like 5 feet long and the girth of my fist. Scared me shitless. We stopped at this old house on the side of the road and explored it. It was leaning over and we found besides rubble, couch springs an old sink and furance. It was a little eerie. I had one of the best showers of my life.


Thursday September 3rd Day 16

Today we had a hard day. It was suposed to be an easy 40 miles and I was excited for the time off. Instead we went 90. The group asked me if this was okay, and I said yes but I dont think I had a choice. I felt quite left out and incapable of biking as hard and fast as Billy, Dan and Anona. But we made it to Pollock, SD and we found a campground and then went to the local watering hole called the SandBar, there we met Doug, Elaine and a few locals. Elaine was 49(she kept reminding us), and drunk. She kept rubbing my arm telling me how young and thin I was and that boy does she give us credit and that I should marry Billy and that he was real good looking. We each had a drink or two and pizza and learned all about farming in South Dakota. It was great, after being called crazy about 100 times we retired.


Friday September 4th Day 17

Today there were so many hills! The kind of hills I would have walked up two weeks ago, but I didnt! Billy and I went 60 miles and Dan and Anona kept on to Bismark which was another 30+ miles away. We saw a dead porcupine. Tomorrow we will take a half day off in Bismark. Oh yea, state three, North Dakota!!!


Saturday September 5th Day 18

We made it to Bismark by 1030 after meeting some of our nice camper neighbors. We ate a diner breakfast that was incredible! This town seems quite nice, hopefully the rest of the day will be great!

Care Packages

If anyone wants to send us a care package, we are well aware that you cant actually mail us things, so feel free to make a donation and let us know what you want us to use it for! Cookies and diner breakfast's are welcome!!!
paypal: email arimarron@yahoo.com

more to come soon!