“Bad Lands, Good People”

I saw this written on a sign in South Dakota and it fits my South Dakota experience.

Rapid City to Kadoka- 101 miles: This was an amazing day. We traveled through the Bad Lands of South Dakota and it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. I was very happy to be on a bike because I don’t think I would have appreciated the scenery as much had I been in a car. It was a nice day out and I biked very leisurely with plenty of stops because I was enjoying the Bad Lands so much. I really don’t know how to describe them well so I would suggest googling some images. We made it into Kadoka where we were welcomed in the town park by the mayor. He had several other titles including Postal Office worker, general store manager, Pastor, restaurant owner, parole officer, electrician and plumber. Ok I’m making up some of those titles but I wouldn’t doubt if he did do most of those jobs because the town was pretty tiny. While we were eating dinner in the local restaurant, the sherrif came to the park to watch our bikes in case an hooligans messed with them while we were eating.

Kadoka to PIerre: We reached the Missouri River!!!! We are officially in the Mid-East and no longer in the Mid West. This was my first real experience with the prairies and I guess I have a pretty good idea of what they look like after 95 miles. Of course I had a good idea of what they look like after 4 miles and nothing really changed until we got to Pierre….but hey its all part of the experience. There is a saying amoung the Big Riders “EFI” “Every… Inch” meaning every peddle of every mile counts. The second part of the day went by really quickly because I rode with a big group into the capital and we got there by 1:15pm. We showered at a local motel and it was amazing!! We had fresh, big, white towels, hot water with good pressure and privacy to change. Afterwards I lay on one of the beds and watched TV for a couple of hours while other people used the bathroom to shower and felt incredibly refreshed by dinner. It was a $12 night which means our ride leader gave us $12 and we could spend it wherever, so Catie and I went to a local bar and got humungo buffalo burgers and onion rings. It was a day to remember and I realized that South Dakota maybe wasn’t that bad afterall.

Pierre to Miller, SD-72 miles: I was wrong. It is that bad. This was one of the toughest days on the ride for me so far because I was pretty tired from the 197 miles that I had ridden the previous two days and I was almost immediately greeted with a stiff headwind when I got on my bike in the morning. The headwind lasted all day. There were no hills to climb, no trees to look at, no animals to spot besides the dead ones on the road and hardly any towns to stop in. This is where the “good people” part comes in. Rachel told Catie and I some riddles she had heard and we spent a good 20 miles solving them. Later in the afternoon we pace-lined to break up the wind and were able to finish the last 25 miles in record time. That night we had dinner at the local restaurant again and then stayed out to celebrate Chad (from Nebraska)’s birthday. It was tons of fun and although I wasn’t in bed until 11:30 it was completely worth it. Oh, I’ve also forgotten to mention that as the ride has progressed I have been going to bed much later because I am not nearly as tired. Its great because it allows for extra time to hang out and get to know the other riders better.

Miller to DeSmet: 75.5 miles- The scenery was exactly the same as the day before. In fact, I might have ridden in the opposite direction and not even noticed had I not been guided by other riders. I heard over camp breakfast that the wind was supposed to shift in the afternoon and become a headwind so I was determined to get in as many miles as possible before that happened. Simon had a similar mindset and we pushed off of camp at a steady 17 mph. It was a beautiful morning and I did enjoy this part of the prairie because it was cool outside and the sun was rising over the horizon as we peddled on. We maintained the speed all day with a long lunch at the halfway point. We made it exactly halfway across the country!!!! With an extra burst of adreneline after the last sag stop, Simon and I made it into camp second. I was there by 1:00pm and used the rest of the afternoon to do some laundry, walk around the town and take a nap. It turns out that DeSmet, SD is the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder who wrote “Little House on the Prairie”. I think I will have a greater appreciation for those books from here on out.

Day 20: Update from Rapid City, SD

I have now crossed the states of Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. I have some serious bike tan going on, some serious thigh muscles and a odd attachment to my bicycle. I’ve learned more about many of the other riders in 3 weeks than I’ve learned about other people from months of acquaintance and I am still not sick of peanut butter and jelly. Yesterday I ate my 44th peanut butter and jelly of the trip and I could eat another one right now. I guess I’ll let the footlong from Subway digest before I do that. I have climbed more hills than I thought possible and find myself comparing hill grades, quality of shoulder pavement and the benefits of riding on a busier road with large trucks pulling you in the right direction as they whiz by versus a quieter road where I can enjoy the scenery and chat with other riders. I have been warned to stay away from buffalo, used an outhouse and survived 30 to 50 mph headwinds(see below). This trip is one of the neatest things I’ve ever done and it has definitely broadened my horizons.

We road 112 miles on Wednesday from Sheridan, WY to Gillete, WY. It was a great day. Don’t worry, I’m not suffering from heat stroke or rotten meat or poor well water. Its possible that I’m a little crazy, but at least I have the consolation of knowing that 37 other people are crazy in the same way, so thats a relief. I really did enjoy this day. I have mentioned several times that we have passed through isolated areas. We passed a town with a sign that read Pop: 25. I looked around and there were about 4 houses and a 4-way stop as well as a small sign for an art gallery. I’m surprised they are allowed to call themselves a town. I think my family should just decide that our area of land in SC is a town, name it Williamston and have a sign that says Pop: 15. If they can do it out here why not in SC too? Around the 76 mile mark we stopped at a bar in Crazy Horse, WY. There is a consistent drought in that area of the state, so we were asked to use the outhouse. Catie got stung on the bum from a wasp that had been hanging out there for who knows how long. I held my breath and prayed that God would protect me from weird Wyoming germs. I might be able to sleep in a tent every night but I have a hard time with some of the sanitation principles in this area. I’ve learned not to trust a word of what the locals say because they clearly have no concept of what traveling by bicycle really involves. I’ve been told “oh its mostly flat till…” and then faced 20 hills in a row or “oh you have one small hill to climb a couple of miles out but the shoulder’s real good” afterwhich I proceed to climb miniature mountains that I suppose they never noticed as I hug the white line and wish that that person knew that that its pretty hard to ride a shoulder when it consists of a strip of grass alongside the highway.

The day after the 112 miler, we road 77.9 miles into Newcastle, WY where we camped out in some rooms of their senior center. I got my 6th flat of the trip about a mile outside of town but was able to change it in record time. Practice makes perfect as my Mom always says. This was actually a much harder ride for me than the ride of the day before and I learned about “accumulative dehydration”.. as in every ride should end with at least 4 bottles of water and I should probably not celebrate with a Starbucks. Luckily, I had Team Blue at my side (Rachel, Catie and I all have 2 blue jerseys and we have been dubbed Team Blue as well as Charlie’s Angels, The God Squad and the DC girls) and I enjoyed the day. When we rolled into the senior center I went to a local grocery store with Reuben and Edward (two other Big Riders who had probably finished at least an hour before me) and bought a plum and a big can of pineapple as well as a donut and a fiber bar to go along with some Doritos, Wheat Thins and gummy Worms provide by our ride leader to tide me over until dinner. I decided to take a nap and didn’t realize that several people were looking for me until I woke up to my dinner alarm. I found out later that they couldn’t find me because I was completely hidden by my sleeping bag. Now I know what to do if I need some privacy…

The next day we started out for South Dakota with a mere 80 miles facing us. I’m so happy that I have no idea about the geography of this area because to much knowledge would simply be discouraging. As it is, I wake up, enjoy a hearty breakfast and enjoy the company of fellow riders before I push off in the cool morning hours. There are several morning people on the trip so its generally unnoticed if I don’t say a word for the first 1 1/2 hours because they talk excessively. The other day I accidentally collapsed my tent with all my gear inside so I was helped a little extra that day (I hope that at some point 5:30am begins to feel like morning and not the middle of the night) and on another day I was blankly staring at the coffee pot with a cup in my hand and didn’t even realize until one of the riders took pity on me and began filling my cup for me. Other than that I usually manage to get dressed with my clothes on correctly and all my gear stuffed back into the duffels. Anyways we started off with some steep ups and downs through the Black Hills as we crossed into South Dakota. It was SO good to see trees again!!! The hills were completely do-able despite some rather steep grades and I made it to mile 37 feeling like an all around champ. After two peanut butter and jellies (with one stored in the seat bag for later) I climbed back on my bike and was able to enjoy the most amazing 18 mile downhill/curvy stretch of road that I’ve ever seen in my life. And then the wind hit. And when I say hit I mean Slammed, Destroyed, Pounded, Pummeled, Battered and Beat me. The steady wind was from 25mph to 35 mph with gusts up to 50mph. I could not keep my bike straight. At times I was pedaling as fast as possible and barely maintaining 5 mph. My handlebars would not stay facing forward and I was thanking God consistently for putting me on a road with a big shoulder because I felt like there were strings attached to the front wheel pulling me in every direction but forward. At one of the toughest moments in the wind as I thought I was going to be pushed backwards down the hill (or maybe just fly through the air like the cows in the movie Twister) I looked to my left and saw a statue of Mary. There was a sign right next to it that said “Our Lady of Pilgrims, pray for….” I filled in the dots with plenty of different requests. The wind lasted for 23 miles right up to the doorstep of the School of Mines in Rapid City where we are staying. Catie and I pulled into the parking lot, looked at each other and just started laughing. It was so crazy. It was one of those times that is hard to ever imagine, because if you imagined it there is no way that you’d go through with it. Rather, when faced with it all of a sudden and knowing that it has to be done- its best to just grab onto whatever optimistic thoughts present themselves and enjoy the ride. Let me tell you, the riders celebrated that night and as we get ready for tomorrow we’re all hoping that the rest of South Dakota treats us a little bit better.
Thank you all for your support and encouragement. I love reading the comments and knowing that you are praying for me. I would not be able to do this without the positive encouragement and I hope that you’re enjoying hearing the bits that I tell you about from the trip. Please let me know if you’re curious about any aspect of the ride. Until my next rest day~Letty

Wyoming

Reasons to bike through Wyoming

1.) Your ride leader hands you a cue sheet with directions through Wyoming.

2.) The scenery is beautiful and unlike anything on the east coast. The entire part we biked through seemed almost completely undeveloped and wild. There are some amazing rock formations set out on the plains and tons of wildflowers. In addition, there were hardly any cars which is very nice for biking.

3.) You actually get to see “the deer and the antelope play”

4.) The roads are paved red in a lot of the state-a pretty exciting change when you spend 5-8 hours on them every day

5.) The people are really nice. Unlike Montana, drivers in Wyoming hardly honk at bicyclists. It was a welcome change. I was also treated to free coffee and cake on separate days while I was there and had some good conversations with locals. One lady told me that the antelope that I was so excited to see were actually considered varmints in the area and she had petitioned the warden to let her shoot them “like I shoot them coyotes”.

Reasons not to bike in Wyoming

1.) Road kill: apparently picking up road kill is not a priority and there are not enough crows or vultures to take care of the carcasses. I’ve never seen so much road kill in all my life. I even rolled over something. I was busy trying not to vomit so I didn’t look back to see what it was.

2.) “Paved” is a generous word to use when describing the conditions of the roads. There are cracks about every 9-12 feet in many of the counties. Most likely you can’t notice them in a car, but on a bike its equivalent to running over a squirrel in a car (every three seconds).

3.) The hills grow. Most of the hills are actually at least 1/2 a mile longer than they appear when you first start to climb them and then halfway up, it looks like you’ve made no progress because the second half of the hill wasn’t visible at the beginning.

Wyoming actually treated me pretty well despite the above mentioned factors.  Our group has come together nicely and even if its a tough riding day, the afternoons and nights make up for it. This really is an amazing adventure. I’ll write more tomorrow with some extra details.

Billings, MT to Hardin, MT- 52 miles

Hardin to Sheridan, WY: 84 miles

Sheridan to Gillete: 112 miles

Gillete to Newcastle: 75 miles

Newcastle to Rapid City, SD: 80 miles

Total miles in between rest days: 403

I forgot to mention

5-hr Energy has gotten me through 3 tough rides. It has just the right amount of caffeine to give me a boost to get through the last 20 miles. I usually share half the bottle with Rachel because we don’t want our hearts to explode, but its easy to carry and pretty effective. Thanks Crosby~Volmer, I miss you guys. Especially the spanish corridor of love. See you in DC!

Harlowton to Billings-90 miles

This ride completely made up for the day before. We had a strong tailwind, great weather and the promise of a rest day to motivate us and we made 90 miles in 6 hours including 4 stops. It was incredible. I think it did a lot to raise the spirts of the group because with the storm and the fireworks we hadn’t been able to sleep much and everyone was feeling pretty out of it. The day flew by though and we were in Billings before I knew it. All of the younger group rode together and had a great time. Riding together all day and camping together at night really speeds up the getting to know each other process and its been great to share this adventure with others who for some reason or another decided to pack up their life into two duffel bags and sit their bum on a bicyle seat for 7 weeks.

I feel way stronger than before. The first rest day I crashed and pretty much just laid around and slept all day The second rest day I felt better but still slept 12 hours and took a nap. This last rest day I felt great and pretty much back to normal. My legs and not nearly as sore as before and I feel energized to begin biking again. Montana has been an experience and a half. There is so much wildlife and so few people!! When we were in Harlowton the other morning for instance, the ride leader told us that he would get us breakfast at the cafe. We asked “which cafe?” The answer? THE cafe. In a town like Harlowton there is only one cafe, one general store etc. I love it. The people that we have run into for the most part have been very friendly and very interested in the trip. They drive like crazy on the roads, but talk like they have the rest of the day to finish the sentence. In the last 6 days of riding, I have seen fewer than 10 other cylists on the road except for the Big Riders. We make a mark on whatever town we’re in. When the little kids were helping me wash my hair the other day they said “are you one of those biking girls?” I told them “yes, I’m riding my bicyle” and they were like “oh, we heard you were comin through”. I’m pretty sure this is the closest I’ll ever come to being a celebrity-even if its the kind thats referred to as a “d— hippie”. Whenever we eat somewhere, they have to prepare enough food for about 80 people instead of the 40 that we are because everyone eats so much. I’ve seen riders take down three absolutely full plates, and then have room for dessert. Some of the riders have the luxury of stopping at cafes for lunch, but I’ve been sticking faithfully to my peanut butter and jelly. They threw in some honey the other day and I almost had a heart attack. Do you know how many more possibilities of a sandwich that creates? In case you’ve never had peanut butter and honey warmed up in the sun for 2 or 3 hours, I’d suggest you don’t try. The honey sort of sets into the peanut butter and gives it a soured taste. A honey sandwich by itself is good though and for extra energy I’ll do a honey and jelly sandwich. I’ve perfected my eating and riding technique and I can now reach behind me, open my back bag, get out my sandwich, unwrap it and eat it while still pedaling. Please send congratulation cards to Rapid City stop. 

Well I have an easy 52 miles ahead of me to ride today so I guess I’ll stop writing for now. We found out that the library was open at 7:30am, so we decided not to start riding until later. We’re headed to Harding, MT and from what I’ve heard there we shouldn’t be in much of a hurry to get there. If I get the chance, I’ll write again on my next rest day. Until then, please keep me in your prayers and let me know if you have any prayer requests because I’ll be more than happy to offer up a couple of hills for you- heck maybe even a headwind  Hasta pronto!

I am now a cyclist

I think that after the last 4 days, I can truly consider myself a cyclist. The first week I was figuring a lot of things out and I still have a lot to learn but I feel so much better over all and I have been able to relax a lot more and just enjoy the ride. Missoula to Avon MT was 102 miles and I had a wonderful day. I rode with one of the other riders Joe, who I hadn’t had a chance to talk to much, for about 60 miles. The road was really smooth and it was a wonderful 75 degrees outside. Avon,MT is one of the most isolated places I’ve ever seen. They have a cafe which is known for its pie-so I suppose that draws people in- but other than the pie place and a general store which sold “water, beer and pop” there wasn’t anything except the campground. Avon is pretty high up in the Rockies so the next morning we had an  11 mile climb and made it to the top of the Continental Divide. That was one of the most exciting moments of the trip so far for me. I have moments every day where I find myself smiling at the sheer craziness of this adventure, but this was more of a feeling of satisfaction. We were at about 6300 feet and the view was outstanding. Rachel and I climbed up a radio tower (Rachel higher than me) and we could see even more. That day was the shortest one on the ride so far, only 60 miles, so we took it easy and rested whenever we felt like it. We made it to Townsend, MT in the early afternoon and got ourselves a bottle of wine to continue the relaxation theme of the day.  That night was crazy. Some locals were driving by harrassing us and one group of guys yelled “get a job you damn hippies”. I dont think they see bikers much. Some of the men on this trip wanted to fight them, but then a huge storm hit and we forgot about the locals. We were camped on a football field outside the highschool and the storm was directly over our heads with the thunder and lightening within a second of each other. Daniel, our ride leader, made everyone get out of their tents and go into the school to wait it out. Several of the tents ripped, blew over or flooded but I was lucky and my NorthFace held strong and I was able to fall asleep fairly quickly once we got back inside. It was a short night though because by time the storm cleared it was past 10:30 and the wakeup time was still set for 5am.

Townsend, MT to Harlowton-99.4 miles. WHAT A DAY!! The saying that ”the wind is a cyclist best friend or worst enemy” couldn’t be truer, we were peddling to get downhill. The wind was coming at us from every angle except for the back and I felt like it was a battle that the wind would win, especially during some of the middle miles. Once again we were riding through nowhere land with long, long stretches of road and I think I counted 4 houses for the entire day. During one stretch of the road about 1:00pm or so when it was nice and hot, we had a particularly strong headwind, the road was pretty rough and badly paved and there were some seriously steep hills. For one hill I put my bike in the granny gear, tucked my head down and tried not to look up until I felt less resistance on my legs which meant the end of the hill. It was probably the hardest I’ve worked yet on any hill. During the last 25 miles we got really sick of fighting the wind and Rachel and I began drafting off each other taking 1 mile intervals. Drafting is wonderful for fighting the wind, but it requires a lot of concentration and you can’t look at much except the back of the cylist in front of you, so its only good when you just need to get through some miles. Catie joined in at the end and we were able to maintain a nice crusing speed to finish up the ride. To top off the struggles of the day, when we got to camp we found out that there was no chance to shower. I almost cried. We were camped out in the town park however and there were some horse stables nearby and some little kids helped me wash my hair. They held the hose and gave me shampoo while I leaned over and scrubbed. I’m sure it wasn’t the most environmentally friendly action, but a girls gotta do waht a girls gotta do. One of the guys went out and bought a whole bunch of fireworks and beer and we had ourselves a little 4th of July celebration. I didn’t really drink the beer because it makes me sleepy, but I enjoyed the fireworks.

T

Thompson Falls, MT to Missoula, MT 102 Miles

My first century! Thats bike lingo for a hundred mile ride. Its the furthest I’ve ever ridden my bike in one day and it sure is far. Not too hard though after all the 80 and 90 mile days we’ve done. I felt strong again which was nice after struggling a bit for the previous two days. We were fed a great breakfast at Minni’s Cafe in Thompson Falls, MT which has inspired me to write down a food blog of the day.

2 restaurant size pancakes, one egg, two slices of bacon, one cup of coffee, one granola bar, two bags of trail mix (sandwich baggie size) 3 cookies, one banana, two peanutbutter and jellies, one espresso,a bagel, a bag of gummy bears, more trailmix, a chicken salad, a bowl of pasta and a rice crispie treat.

The day is generally broken up by rest stops that the American LUng Association staff sets up for us every 20 miles or so as I believe I mentioned. When we finally got into Missoula, MT I was ready to be off my bike and ready for the rest day. We had ridden about 265 miles in 3 days. I went to bed at 9pm and slept until 8 and now I feel rested again. Some of the riders who are a little stronger and in better shape probably don’t need to rest as much, but because I’m still adjusting to this, its all I can do to stay awake past 8 every night. Also, I should comment that I have never enjoyed showering more. We met a guy at Thompson FAlls who was riding from Fairbanks, Alaska to somewhere in Colorado aided by the leading dog in his sled team. The dog would alternate between riding on a cart behind the bike, and helping this guy, John, pull his bike. IT was the craziest thing I’ve seen in awhile. When we bumped into him, he hadn’t showered in 10 days and was feeling pretty cheerful about that. He thought we were wimpy for having support staff and I felt like punching him in the face for a minute. There is nothing like riding 85 miles and then having someone tell you you’re a wimp. If I was getting a big ego about this, that would be one thing, but I am simply happy to complete every day, not in the rear and able to ride the next day. Thanks once again for all the support from home!!!

Day 7: Sandpoint, ID to Thompson Falls, MT 87 miles

Our third state!! And our last for awhile. We are going to be in Montana for a long, long time. Luckily its supposed to be one of the most beautiful states that we pass through. So far it is comparable to Washington state and Idaho, but with more mountains. I struggled for a bit this morning because my thighs were extra stiff and I couldn’t seem to get going at a decent speed. Catie and Rachel went ahead and I was peddling along when two of the older guys on the trip-Cliff 69 and Bruce 60 came up alongside me. Cliff has a great southern accent and as he came up beside me he goes “would you like us to ride with you for a bit?” and then Bruce comes up and says “we’ve got you surrounded now Loretta”. It was a great moment. I rode with them and listened to them share interesting facts about the lakes and wildlife and before I knew it, my legs felt good and I was ready to go. It was a hot day, about 101 and some people in the group who are used to riding in the cool northwestern temperatures began having problems with the heat. It is definitely an adjustment because with the amount of miles we are doing, there is no way to beat the heat. I was riding with Catie for awhile, I think around mile 58 or so and a huge deer sprang out of the bushes on one side of the highway and went running across the road right in front of us. It very nearly hit Catie, proabably within 5 feet. We were thanking our lucky stars that it didn’t because A.) that would have been a messy crash for us and B.) we had just had a messy crash and weren’t really looking for another. When we got into Thompson Falls, MT Catie and I went swimming in a lake to cool ourselves off. As we were walking back to our campsite (the local highschool again) our ride leader, Daniel, came rushing down the hill and said “get in the car, get in the car there are bears”. Apparantly the mama bear was on one side of the road and the baby bear on the other and Catie and I were walking right in between. Montana is NOT civilized , but I like it. We ended up sleeping in the gym of the highschool because of the heat and the bears. Unfortunately the mosquitos are crazy in Montana and a bunch got into the school and ate me up while I was sleeping. I guess i’d prefer that over being bear food.

Resting and onwards

The rest day in Spokane was nice and pretty busy. I had to pick up a Camelback to make sure that I got enough water and also a new computer because mine had been hurt by the fall the day before. Days are completely broken up now into rest days or ride days. I have no sense of Sunday through Saturday, no idea really of the date and general idea of the time. Its a very interesting sensation. I can look at my clock for instance and know that I will be riding for the next 7 hours, but from then on its just a question of how many miles I’ve done. Catie and I went to Mass on campus and then had breakfast. It was nice to eat a good lunch later on as our lunches have been stricktly peanut butter and jelly. I have already eaten 15 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but I’m so hungry all the time that my mouth waters at the thought of them when I know its almost time for lunch.

Day 6 Spokane, WA to Sandpoint, ID

We crossed into our second state!!!!! So what can I say about Idaho….well-their license plates brag about their potatoes “famous potatoes” but we had spaghetti for dinner, bagels for breakfast and peanut butter and jelly for lunch so I can’t comment on those. We were only in Idaho for 60 miles total but it was a very beautiful ride. The miles caught up with my legs finally and I was pretty tired for the whole day. We were fighting a head wind for a long part of the day which made it harder. You know in the Lion KIng where the hyeneas make each other shudder by saying “Mufassa”? That’s how I feel about “tailwind”. A hill is one thing because you can put the bike in whatever gear your legs can handle at the time and you know that not only is there an end, but there is also most likely a sweet reward of a couple of miles of no peddaling with the downhill. A tailwind is different because you feel like you’re going nowhere despite the effort. That being said it was a pretty relaxed day because we only had 77 miles to ride, and we got to take some beautiful pictures and stop whenever we felt like it because we knew we could still get in early. The group camped in the backyard of Sandpoint High School and were served cafeteria food by a very nice lady who cooked everything herself for the whole group. Afterwards, a group of us went to Mass at St. Josephs- the local Catholic church. When we got back we found that the boys had hung Catie, Rachel and I’s bikes up in the tree. We have our revenge planned.

A little more info about the ride so far

Day 3 was Vantage to Odessa

A beautiful day! I felt great! The scenery was pretty for the first 30 miles or so but was brown again towards Odessa. Apparantly there is a type of wheat that grows in the desert climate and thus does not need to be irrigated. It made for an interesting ride because there were beautiful fields of green wheat on one side of the road, and then desert on the other (or some variation of that-such as two sides of green..two sides of brown… trust me you notice these things on a bike). We had a nice tail wind for part of the day and it was a good temperature. When we got to Odessa and showered, Catie and I went into “town” to get a coffee. Now I know what people mean when they say a little podunk town. It was so tiny!!! I went to a cafe that was advertising espresso and other coffee drinks and ordered an espresso.The lady looked at me like I had 20 heads and then said “thats all you want? Coffee in a cup?” I was like “yeah, an espresso”. So she makes the espresso and then comes over and shows it to me and goes “are you sure this is what you want?” NOw at this point I was wondering if she had been out of the cafe any time recently and noticed that she was ADVERTISING ESPRESSO ON THE FRONT LAWN.  But I simply assured her that yes, I wanted the espresso. She charged me 25 cents-I gave her a $20. I dont’ think she figured out that I was from out of town…. We camped on the front lawn of the highschool and some local ladies made us dinner and breakfast. There are a bunch of college age guys on this trip which has been awesome. We played cards after dinner and once again I was in bed before dark.

Day 4 Odessa to Spokane

I couldn’t believe it when I woke up for day 4 and felt great again. I was a little stiff in the thighs starting out, but warmed up quickly. Now before I tell this story-let me assure you that I am ok and that I got up and rode my bike afterwards. We were just peddling out of town and I had put Catie on camara duty (we are sharing a camara between the 3 of us for the most part). Catie tried to take a picture one handed while riding her bike and lost control. I was right behind her, so as she skidded, my tire wedged its way into the side of her bike and threw me over the handlebars, over Catie’s bike and over Catie. I was in the air for awhile and clearly saw the sidewalk coming up to meet my head and I remember thinking “thats going to hurt”, but not being able to react. My helmet saved my life-or at least saved me from a trip to the hospital.  I bruised my cheek and got my shoulder pretty good but other than than I was fine. I was seeing stars and was disoriented but after the stars faded I got back on my bike and we started towards Spokane. I rode really slow for the first 6 miles because I was still pretty dizzy, but that faded eventually too. The best part is that our ride leader had seen the whole thing in his rearview mirror because he was trying to pull over to the side of the road to tell us that we were going the wrong way out of town. What a bunch of bimbos. We had an AMAZING tail wind for a good part of the day and almost the entire group stopped at a small town for breakfast and to hang out because we were moving so fast. We made it into Gonzaga University by 3 easily-eagerly anticipating our rest day

Day 5 Rest day in Spokane

Day 6 Spokane to Sandpoint, ID

Day 7 Sandpoint, ID to Thompson Falls, MT

Day 8 Thompson Falls to Missoula, MT