Montana gets better!!!
It's been awhile, and there is much to say (I think...it always seems like more than it is). After our blog in Livingston (which is a RAD little town and I want to go back someday to hang out more) we went to the grocery store to stock up on sale energy bats and peanut butter, and ran into our new friends George, Gus and Sony(j?)a outside. George very graciously offered us 2 stinky dirty cyclists a place to camp out in their backyard!! We met Katherine at home and had a lovely time with this lovely family. They made us dinner AND breakfast, let us shower, had 2 dogs and a cat to play with and even had our favorite salad dressing! Yay! Thanks again, guys. Our ride out to Bozeman the next day was short and sweet, 20 miles over Bozeman Pass which turned out to be quite easy. We got to Bozeman around lunchtime and ate at the local co-op which might be better than Willy Street! Not as much vegan stuff, but it's bigger and has a huuuge Deli and a little cafe upstairs! We spent the rest of the day drinking coffee and wandering around town until 5 when we went to the Tuesday night Farmers Market. We had dinner and people watched for awhile until we met Tom and Robbie(y?) who let us stay in an empty rental apartment of theirs. Once again, thank you and our stay was wonderful. Bozeman is a cool little town...very Madisony with LOTS of bikes, but very unpretentious bikes. Just a city full of people on 2 wheels.
The next day we rode out to Lewis and Clark caverns. It was a fairly uneventful ride...we met another cyclist at the park who sat down for dinner with us. He was headed the opposite direction, so our visit was short and I hope he's doing well out there!
The next day we rode to Dillon...another nice easy ride. Dillon is a cute town, but unfortunately all the people we cam into contact with were kind of mean and we couldn't find anywhere under $30 to sleep. Laaame.
OK, the NEXT day we had not one, but 2 mountain passes to climb. I think we've been building up these passes in our heads, so they end up being easier than we expect. Obviously, it's still kind of hard, several miles up a very steep grade will be, but we made it to the other side without fault and felt invigorated at the top :) The mosquitos got worse and worse as the day went on, and in Wisdom where we slept you couldn't stand still without being compeletly enveloped in a swarm of them. We decided to eat at a restaurant to avoid them, and shared a sandwich and some soup to save money. We got chatted up by another tourer who wasn't touring at the moment, and he ended up buying our dinner for us! Niceness abound everywhere we turn in this state! We're on a section of the ride that intersects with the Transamerica route, so we've been seeing more bikers than usual, and that night there were 3 camping in the same park as us. One guy was travelling with his dog which I thought was way cool. Maybe next time I go I'll take Buckley :)
After that we had one more pass (where we crossed the continental divide) and lots of downhill all the way to Missoula. We met a couple cyclists from the Netherlands which was cool. Missoula is a really nice place...even more bikes than Bozeman, lots of vegan food and super bike friendly (not to mention quite flat). We visited the Adventure Cylcling office this morning where we got free ice cream and our picture put up on their wall o' bikers. We saw all the photos of people we've met along the way and talked to the folks that worked their. Heard a story about someone running into a bear on their bike (yikes). AND we found Curran, our backwards biking friend again!
So thats the short story, theres more stuff in between, and I could go on for pages and pages here but I'd run out of time on my computer. Everything is getting more and more beautiful (we're in the Bitteroot mountain valley now) and it's getting hotter and hotter out. We're starting to miss home a little bit. We've got about 500 miles to Portland which is a strange feeling.
Ok I have to go to the bathroom so I'm going to cut it short here...I love yous!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Livingston! (for the second time)
Hey!
We're back from Yellowstone and man are our thumbs tired.
The park was sweet, I mean, as sweet as a place can be with so many tourists and that much markup. We took a day to hitch-hike around the park and see the sites, and another to hang out at the famous Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and people watch. In case you're ever curious, the state who's capitol is represented incorrectly on the giant wood inlay map in the lounge of the hotel is Delaware.
I think next time we'll try and take a car to the park, though. It really is too big to see in a couple of days on bikes.
Anyway, we're back in Livingston now, and we're going to hit the pass into Bozeman tomorrow. It's supposed to be a cool town, so we're pretty excited.
So far, Montana is being really good to us. The scenery is beautiful, the roads are well paved, and the price is right. But who knows, maybe it's just the weather.
Well it looks like my time is up here, so we're off to find some cheap (or free) camping and some grub for the night, so take care y'all!
We're back from Yellowstone and man are our thumbs tired.
The park was sweet, I mean, as sweet as a place can be with so many tourists and that much markup. We took a day to hitch-hike around the park and see the sites, and another to hang out at the famous Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and people watch. In case you're ever curious, the state who's capitol is represented incorrectly on the giant wood inlay map in the lounge of the hotel is Delaware.
I think next time we'll try and take a car to the park, though. It really is too big to see in a couple of days on bikes.
Anyway, we're back in Livingston now, and we're going to hit the pass into Bozeman tomorrow. It's supposed to be a cool town, so we're pretty excited.
So far, Montana is being really good to us. The scenery is beautiful, the roads are well paved, and the price is right. But who knows, maybe it's just the weather.
Well it looks like my time is up here, so we're off to find some cheap (or free) camping and some grub for the night, so take care y'all!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Billings, Montana
We love Montana! The weather has made an amazing turn, with light winds or tailwinds every day and lots of sun (maybe a little too much...I got burned big time yesterday). The scenery just keeps getting better, and we'll be able to see the mountains by the end of today. Lots has happened, none of which really relates to the other (except that it has to do with biking) so I'll write about it in the form of a numbered list.
1. Vegan food is good. I'll admit it...we've been bad, bad vegans out here. But hey, it's hard when you need to eat 5,000 calories a day and the only stores around are gas stations or small town food markets! We still check labels, and are as vegan as we can for the most part, but there have been many cheats along the way. Here in Billings we found a health food store and had a hummus/vegan potato salad/cous-cous/soy yogurt lunch, and stocked up on tofu jerkey for the road. Bozeman and Missoula are just a few days down the road, both of which also have vegan food stores, and then theres PORTLAND our vegan mecca. I can't WAIT to start eating real non-junk food!
2. In South Dakota I found a Batman action figure on the side of the road. Here in Montana I found Spiderman. I can only assume Superman isn't far ahead. This is a good omen, I can tell. Now whenever we're stuck in bad weather or going up a big hill I imagine I'm a superhero...it makes things easier :)
3. The world is filled with amazing people. We met a guy biking BACKWARDS across the US on a little BMX bike to raise awareness for HIV/AIDS, homelessness and medical marijuana. He's a really remarkable guy doing a really incredible thing. Check out his website! www.bikingbackwards.us. He took a video clip of me and Dylan that might be somewhere on the site. Annnnnd last night we got into Billings after a very long very hot day and met another biker named Dusty who very graciously offered us a place to stay for the night. We got a good meal, a good shower and a VERY comfortable bed! We can't thank him and his family enough!
4. Hills are remarkable easy without a headwind
5. Biking is a million times more fun to do with nice weather...with all the bad weather we'd had I had forgotten how much I love riding. Now Dylan and I wake up early and get on our bikes as soon as we can.
OK I know I had more things, but now I've forgotten. As you can guess, one has many thoughts when they're just riding a bike hour after hour. I always think about what to say to you, our adoring fans, and the blogs I have in my head are always clever and elaborate. Then I sit down in front of a computer and go blank.
We were chatting with Dusty las night and he said Portland is 850 miles away. Thats via the interstate, So obviously its a little bit farther for us, but still a lot closer than we were a month ago. It his me then that this will all actually come to an end someday. It's strange to think about. We've grown so used to doing this, setting up camp every night, breaking it down in the morning, riding, resting, riding, eating, riding, sleeping and on and on...it'll be wierd when it's over. To sleep indoors every night??? Yikes!
But We're still a few weeks from the end, and theres still much to see and do. We've only had one bottle of Montana beer so far! We need more before we leave! Yellowstone is only a few days away! Bozeman! Missoula! Mountains! Rivers! Oregon!
I swear I'll convince Dylan to write something in here sometime.
1. Vegan food is good. I'll admit it...we've been bad, bad vegans out here. But hey, it's hard when you need to eat 5,000 calories a day and the only stores around are gas stations or small town food markets! We still check labels, and are as vegan as we can for the most part, but there have been many cheats along the way. Here in Billings we found a health food store and had a hummus/vegan potato salad/cous-cous/soy yogurt lunch, and stocked up on tofu jerkey for the road. Bozeman and Missoula are just a few days down the road, both of which also have vegan food stores, and then theres PORTLAND our vegan mecca. I can't WAIT to start eating real non-junk food!
2. In South Dakota I found a Batman action figure on the side of the road. Here in Montana I found Spiderman. I can only assume Superman isn't far ahead. This is a good omen, I can tell. Now whenever we're stuck in bad weather or going up a big hill I imagine I'm a superhero...it makes things easier :)
3. The world is filled with amazing people. We met a guy biking BACKWARDS across the US on a little BMX bike to raise awareness for HIV/AIDS, homelessness and medical marijuana. He's a really remarkable guy doing a really incredible thing. Check out his website! www.bikingbackwards.us. He took a video clip of me and Dylan that might be somewhere on the site. Annnnnd last night we got into Billings after a very long very hot day and met another biker named Dusty who very graciously offered us a place to stay for the night. We got a good meal, a good shower and a VERY comfortable bed! We can't thank him and his family enough!
4. Hills are remarkable easy without a headwind
5. Biking is a million times more fun to do with nice weather...with all the bad weather we'd had I had forgotten how much I love riding. Now Dylan and I wake up early and get on our bikes as soon as we can.
OK I know I had more things, but now I've forgotten. As you can guess, one has many thoughts when they're just riding a bike hour after hour. I always think about what to say to you, our adoring fans, and the blogs I have in my head are always clever and elaborate. Then I sit down in front of a computer and go blank.
We were chatting with Dusty las night and he said Portland is 850 miles away. Thats via the interstate, So obviously its a little bit farther for us, but still a lot closer than we were a month ago. It his me then that this will all actually come to an end someday. It's strange to think about. We've grown so used to doing this, setting up camp every night, breaking it down in the morning, riding, resting, riding, eating, riding, sleeping and on and on...it'll be wierd when it's over. To sleep indoors every night??? Yikes!
But We're still a few weeks from the end, and theres still much to see and do. We've only had one bottle of Montana beer so far! We need more before we leave! Yellowstone is only a few days away! Bozeman! Missoula! Mountains! Rivers! Oregon!
I swear I'll convince Dylan to write something in here sometime.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Miles City, Montana
Just a quick update for everyone...the sun is shining, the winds are calm, the temperature is perfect. After many slow cold windy days, we're ready to get some miles in! We chatted with a woman outside the library yesterday and she told us we're not to the pretty part yet, which is exciting because the whole state has been "the pretty part" for me so far! Yesterday we had some awesome views from the highway, and today should be more of the same. whenever I look out onto the landscapa I imagine it crawling with bison and antelope and bears...it takes my mind off the hills :)
The mountains are coming up soon! Yay! I checked the weather for Yellowstone today and things are looking up. We should be in that area in just under a week.
I hope nobody gets too flooded out there in the midwest, and happy fathers day daddys!
The mountains are coming up soon! Yay! I checked the weather for Yellowstone today and things are looking up. We should be in that area in just under a week.
I hope nobody gets too flooded out there in the midwest, and happy fathers day daddys!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Glendive, Montana
Montana! Woot! Our first day here was sunny and warm. We got into Montana and it promptly started pouring rain, complete with tiny-sized hail. It lasted about 5 minutes and was followed by a PERFECT rainbow! I decided it was a good omen. The small part of the state we've seen is the most beautiful of our trip, and we can't wait for more. However, it looks like we'll have to wait on it, as the weather in this fine state is not all that agreeable at the moment. It's ok where we are - cold, but no colder than its been the past few weeks - but in the Western part it's in the 40's and snowing. We decided we don't want to think back on our trip and only remember cold gloomy days, so we're going to stay still for a few days to see if things improve. We really aren't in any rush, and we have a long time to go before summer is over so why not wait? We've got food and books and cards (I found a book of card games for sale at a library we went to recently...we'll teach ourselves canasta or something) and a grocery store near our campsite that has an excellent beer selection.
Besides that, not much to report. We've got some cool looking cities coming up - Billings, Bozeman and Missoula - that all have some delicious vegetarian thing to offer. I think Bozeman and Missoula have co-ops too! And just when peanut butter sandwiches were beginning to get boring :)
Love and hugs and kisses!!!!
Besides that, not much to report. We've got some cool looking cities coming up - Billings, Bozeman and Missoula - that all have some delicious vegetarian thing to offer. I think Bozeman and Missoula have co-ops too! And just when peanut butter sandwiches were beginning to get boring :)
Love and hugs and kisses!!!!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Williston, North Dakota
Finally! Williston! It took us far longer than we would have liked to get here, but we're here! The winds have been unforgiving the past 2 days, but we rode through the best we could. Saturday was sunny and warm, but the wind was bad - 4-5 mph on flat ground, 7-10 down hills. Yesterday was more of a crosswind so we went a little faster but it was quite cold. Today we're taking the morning to do some errands then probably a short day into Montana! I checked the weather and am feeling hopeful. Just a few more cold rainy days to get through and by the weekend the sun is supposed to be out.
The night before last we stayed at a park called Little Beaver Bay right next to the river. The campground was nothing special, just an open field with some picnic tables and pit-potties and really bad water, but the surroundings were incredible. Definitely the most beautiful scenery on the trip so far. It was about 3 miles off route, down a gravel road close to the river in a very badlandsy canyon. The formations were epic. It's the only thing like it we saw...I was hoping for more, but alas there was none. I took lots of pictures to try and give others the scope of its beauty, but as usual the camera doesn't really give it justice. We noticed, as we've noticed with a lot of these campgrounds along the river, that there was a big area right next to the park that looked like it once held water. (We stayed at one a couple days ago that had a boat ramp leading into an empty grassy hole) We talked to the groundskeeper and he explained that the Corps of Engineers (who built all the dams in the Dakotas) keep letting the water out of the dams and its all flooding into the southern states. Plus there has been less snowpack in the mountains in Montana for awhile so the river's water level is getting lower and lower. He said about 10 years ago the park was a lot more touristy and pretty, but now the river up here is shallow and muddy until late July. It's kind of sad, really. I wish the river hadn't gotten so dammed up here-it would have made things a lot prettier, I think. The groundskeeper also gave us a ride up the hill to where there was drinkable water...it was our first time in a car since we left!
Last night we pulled into the park here in Williston and found some more bikers! They're doing a supported cross country trek in the opposite direction (lucky them). They're actually doing it for a cause. Heres their website - www.leavecancerinthedust.org/. Check it out! We didn't get to talk to them for too long, but they were really cool folks and we wish them all the best.
So despite some holdups we've been making really good time out here and are expecting to be done much earlier than anticipated, so we're hoping to take a side trip to Yellowstone. We'll only be a days ride away from it soon, so why not, right? Next time I write it'll be from Montana...exciting! It's the state me and Dylan were the most excited for heading into this.
Until next time, stay dry and ride a bike.
The night before last we stayed at a park called Little Beaver Bay right next to the river. The campground was nothing special, just an open field with some picnic tables and pit-potties and really bad water, but the surroundings were incredible. Definitely the most beautiful scenery on the trip so far. It was about 3 miles off route, down a gravel road close to the river in a very badlandsy canyon. The formations were epic. It's the only thing like it we saw...I was hoping for more, but alas there was none. I took lots of pictures to try and give others the scope of its beauty, but as usual the camera doesn't really give it justice. We noticed, as we've noticed with a lot of these campgrounds along the river, that there was a big area right next to the park that looked like it once held water. (We stayed at one a couple days ago that had a boat ramp leading into an empty grassy hole) We talked to the groundskeeper and he explained that the Corps of Engineers (who built all the dams in the Dakotas) keep letting the water out of the dams and its all flooding into the southern states. Plus there has been less snowpack in the mountains in Montana for awhile so the river's water level is getting lower and lower. He said about 10 years ago the park was a lot more touristy and pretty, but now the river up here is shallow and muddy until late July. It's kind of sad, really. I wish the river hadn't gotten so dammed up here-it would have made things a lot prettier, I think. The groundskeeper also gave us a ride up the hill to where there was drinkable water...it was our first time in a car since we left!
Last night we pulled into the park here in Williston and found some more bikers! They're doing a supported cross country trek in the opposite direction (lucky them). They're actually doing it for a cause. Heres their website - www.leavecancerinthedust.org/. Check it out! We didn't get to talk to them for too long, but they were really cool folks and we wish them all the best.
So despite some holdups we've been making really good time out here and are expecting to be done much earlier than anticipated, so we're hoping to take a side trip to Yellowstone. We'll only be a days ride away from it soon, so why not, right? Next time I write it'll be from Montana...exciting! It's the state me and Dylan were the most excited for heading into this.
Until next time, stay dry and ride a bike.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Washburn, ND
Another cold, gray, rainy day here in the Dakotas!! Today it was actually rainy-soaked to the bone rainy. But it sure makes us appreciate being indoors! The weather is starting to get really really ridiculous. Come on, nature! Cut us some slack! We're in discussions to wait out the storms here in Washburn. Unfortunately that could mean us being stuck here for a good week. I'm guessing tomorrow we'll be off our bikes-it's supposed to thunderstorm all day. But according to weather.com we'd have tailwinds for awhile if we kept going. Ack! What to do!
OK. Enough of me complaining about the weather. I've been trying to have a sort of zen like tude about things...concentrating on the positive and pushing away the negative. When we get stuck in these situations (rain, wind, hills, cold) I just tell myself that everything comes to end, no matter how difficult it may be. This won't kill me, and when it's over I'll forget about how painful it was! So far it's working. I've only had one minor breakdown on the whole trip! Soon enough the sun will come back, the winds will die down and we'll never want to get off our bikes!
We've made some great progress since Pierre. We had a record breaking 92 mile day, along with a record breaking 250 mile 4 days! Yay! Even with 2 days of crazy crazy headwinds we did it! We took a break in Bismarck and treated ourselves to Indiana Jones and a big tub of popcorn at the local theatre. About 20 miles outside of Bismarck we were flagged down by a fellow in an SUV. Turns out him and his wife are avid cyclists who are also doing the Lewis and Clark trail, but in shorter sections instead of all at once. They just finished Mobridge, ND to Sydney MT. They spotted us in Chaimberlin a few days ago and have been tracking us down ever since...they just missed us in Pollock and found our tent at the Beaver Bay campground but didn't want to disturb us. They finally caught us on the road! They even had a lunch packed for us! We chatted for awhile then parted ways, they said they just like talking to people crazy enough to do what they do. It's been so much fun meeting people. Even short conversations with locals is exciting. They always have some bit of advice or encouragement for us.
We can't want to get to Montana-it might be uninteresting scenery for awhile, but it'll be flat and by the end of the state we'll be in the mountains! Sweet!
As usual, love to everyone and until next time be well.
OK. Enough of me complaining about the weather. I've been trying to have a sort of zen like tude about things...concentrating on the positive and pushing away the negative. When we get stuck in these situations (rain, wind, hills, cold) I just tell myself that everything comes to end, no matter how difficult it may be. This won't kill me, and when it's over I'll forget about how painful it was! So far it's working. I've only had one minor breakdown on the whole trip! Soon enough the sun will come back, the winds will die down and we'll never want to get off our bikes!
We've made some great progress since Pierre. We had a record breaking 92 mile day, along with a record breaking 250 mile 4 days! Yay! Even with 2 days of crazy crazy headwinds we did it! We took a break in Bismarck and treated ourselves to Indiana Jones and a big tub of popcorn at the local theatre. About 20 miles outside of Bismarck we were flagged down by a fellow in an SUV. Turns out him and his wife are avid cyclists who are also doing the Lewis and Clark trail, but in shorter sections instead of all at once. They just finished Mobridge, ND to Sydney MT. They spotted us in Chaimberlin a few days ago and have been tracking us down ever since...they just missed us in Pollock and found our tent at the Beaver Bay campground but didn't want to disturb us. They finally caught us on the road! They even had a lunch packed for us! We chatted for awhile then parted ways, they said they just like talking to people crazy enough to do what they do. It's been so much fun meeting people. Even short conversations with locals is exciting. They always have some bit of advice or encouragement for us.
We can't want to get to Montana-it might be uninteresting scenery for awhile, but it'll be flat and by the end of the state we'll be in the mountains! Sweet!
As usual, love to everyone and until next time be well.
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