kalispell

Middle of washington

Seattle!

Our way back!

After getting a crazy ride down from alaska we made it all the way across washington to kalispell and are back at the aunts. We will post videos tomorrow about how we got back.

Day 106 We have arrived in Anchorage! (LeAnn)

Today we finished up our last 50 miles into Anchorage. Luckily there are a few people in town to host us for the next week or so, as we finally try to figure out our next move for the trip. My second cousin Julie is letting us stay for the night. We are healthy and ready for some good food and rest.

Yesterday we surprisingly reached our record of 102 miles after a two hour round of stick fighting and not leaving until 10:30am.

Day 99 - 20 MILES TO THE ALASKA BORDER!!! (LeAnn)

We will cross the border and be in Alaska tonight! One week to go and we will be in Anchorage. We saw a male and female moose crossing a river yesterday! They were the first moose that I have ever seen in the wild. Our bear count is now up to 7 grizzlies and 9 black bears. This morning we ate a delicious breakfast of oatmeal filled to the brim of the pot with raisens, several handfulls of wild cranberries, honey and 1/2 pound of dates. As we were about to leave Ben saw a lynx the size of a large dog cross the road right in front of him. The weather has been wonderful with lots of sunshine and a strong tail wind pushing us along on the last few hundred miles of our journey. The endless clear, cold lakes are swarming with trumpeter swans and families of ducks. Everything seems to be getting more wild and alive the closer we get to Alaska. I love this life!

Yukon day-before snow

After this by some crays random not so good happen stance, i too broke a spoke on the freewheel side. Though again by some luck i(ben) bent a spoke and threded int though a small crack enough to hold my wheel steady. THe weather is sunny for the first and the last day this week. 50 k from white horse and a new tire. If we ahve to walk our bikes it will be good training for the marathon.

cheers

Day 85 Dease Lake- the middle of wilderness

Ben had a fairly bad crash on his bike, but is still in working order. We are battling constant rain, hail and cold but are surviving in Dease Lake right now. Everything is beautiful and complete wilderness. We are still sticking with our goal to finish 15 days from today. We are stocking up for another 7 days of wilderness and will further update when we reach civilization once again.

Leaving from Smithers (LeAnn)

 Last night we stayed at a couple's house from the Warmshowers website in Smithers. We biked a hard 90 miles yesterday after waking up fairly late in the morning and were very happy to have a comfortable, warm bed to sleep in.

We are just about to leave from Smithers, BC and head up the Stewart-Cassiar Hwy. We have about 1200km of beautiful open highway in front of us before we hit any major towns, so we are stocking up on lots and lots of pasta and staples for the long road ahead. I am very excited to be in the heart of wilderness in British Columbia! About 3 more weeks to Anchorage!

Day 72 One more day in Prince George (LeAnn)

We are staying in Prince George another night due to some bike repairs. The weather has been amazing so far with clear skies and beautiful sunny weather. Yesterday, a man pulled over on the side of the highway as we were entering the city, handed us a colorful $5 canadian bill and told us to buy ourselves some icecream. (Canadians sure love their icecream!)

Last night we stayed with a very nice couple and their dog and cat in the city. We ate sweet corn and shish kabobs roasted over the fire for dinner. Then this morning they made us some delicious homemade waffles topped with icecream and warm blueberry syrup. Good food and a nice warm bed have helped us regain our strength again for the miles ahead.

Prince george-day 71

We have arrived at prince george, only a few bear incidents, no deaths, only broken spokes. We have been in the most beautiful wilderness we have ever seen. And now we leave for the 1000 k stretch of absolute wilderness, farwell, we will hopefully come back.

Day 69 We made it to Dunster!

Over 500 miles into Canada, we just stayed with a wonderful couple in Dunster. They even let us sleep in their sheep wagon last night! We are a few days from Prince George and should be able to further update the blog when we get there. Everything is going well and we are having the time of our lives. British Columbia is absolutely amazing!

Day 60 Leaving for Canada!

We are finally on our way. We are planning on making it to the border by tonight. Updates and photos from the past few weeks will be added next time we hit a library. I'm not sure when that will be, possibly not for a couple of weeks, so don't worry too much if we haven't posted anything for a while. Alaska here we come!

Day 54 Preparing for Canada (LeAnn)

After resting and recovering in one of the most beautiful places on earth for almost a week, I regained most of my strength and energy. Ben's aunt Val has been the most amazing host I have ever had and has taken very good care of us. She has cooked us some of the best vegetarian dishes I have tasted and I feel very lucky to be here. Her home has a very peaceful and rejuvenating feel and I have loved being able to spend some time here.

Ben is still not feeling quite up to par. He has pretty severe pain in his mouth and still hasn't been able to eat  as much. We are hoping to be able to leave for Canada sometime toward the end of this week, and still have a lot of preparation to do before we head out on the last leg of our trip.

Day 53 Into town (LeAnn)

Ben and I felt well enough to bike into town today. There is a 10 mile paved bike path that goes right into Kalispell. It was a nice ride to start off with after we had been resting for so long. Though it was difficult to control our bikes with no gear on the back or front to weigh them down. We stopped at a few bike shops and outdoor stores and bought the rest of what we need to prepare for canada.

Day 51-52 Still Recovering (LeAnn)

I finally got outside to explore a bit. The gardens are beautiful with giant sunflowers and even a strawberry patch with a few late season stragglers still growing. Aunt Val also has 25 acres of beautiful woods and a genuine tepee. I am eating a bit more now, but still feel very weak. Ben is also still quite tired and not able to eat much.

Day 48-50 Sick in Bed (LeAnn)

Ben and I were both out for 3 days. We both slept a ton and we couldn't eat much of anything. All of Aunt Val's animals kept us company. She has five dogs, eight cats, a bunch of chickens, two horses, one pony and a big old turkey that sits outside the sliding door of the basement and constantly gobbles at his own reflection. Thank god we got here just on time.

Day 47 We made it to Kalispell! (LeAnn)

Ben woke up still feeling somewhat ill this morning. I let him rest a while. We had a visitor come in to check us out. It was a little brown and white Least Weasel. He snooped around in our clothes and played around crawling in and out of my gloves, then hopping towards us to peer into our tent and take a look at the odd creatures that were inhabiting his home.

Luckily, Ben started to feel better, so we continued biking until we made it to Polson for the Cherry festival. As we were walking our bikes through the tents of merchandise, three younger teenage boys asked Ben if he was in the movie Troy. That wasn't the first time that Ben has been mistaken for the actor Eric Bana. I guess I'm dating a movie star lookalike.

After Polson, we pushed it up several steep climbs all the way around Flathead Lake until we found a bike path just outside of Kalispell and followed it the rest of the way into the city. Ben's aunt offered to pick us up in Kalispell, since she lived a few miles out of town in Kila and said her house was difficult to find.

Underneath the street lights we were cheerfully greeted by a white pickup truck, a spry woman and tiny black poodle named Buddy. Finally, we were safe and sound for a little while.

Day 46 Wildlife Sanctuary (LeAnn)

Today, we continued biking on what is known as one of the most deadly highways in Montana. Highway 93 has more crosses on the side of the road than I have ever seen in my life. We stopped at a little grocery store in Arlee and bought the fixings to make corn tortillas with beans and veggies. I always like to buy a few pieces of fruit as well, any kind of fresh produce just tastes so much better when you're on the road.

We made it almost to Ronan when Ben started to feel a little ill. Thankfully we came across a wildlife sanctuary. Ben and I left our bikes and found a little overgrown trail that led straight into the woods. The trail led to a tunnel-like entrance with wooden walls on either side sprinkled with little holes to view the wildlife. The walls led to stairs and in we climbed to a wooden shelter with a bench in the middle and more holes built into the walls for bird watchers and the like. Beneath the floorboards, tiny little purple and yellow bell flowers crept up on spiraling tendrils. The entire place had magical feel. We brought our bikes in and Ben laid down to rest while I cooked a dinner of lentil and vegetable soup. Poor Ben was having hot and cold sweats throughout the night.

Day 45 The Adventure Cycling Association (LeAnn)

We were two miles outside of Missoula, still trapped on the busy highway when I got a flat. Luckily, we had a spare tube and quickly replaced it so we could get into town and refill our empty water bottles.

The Adventure Cycling Association was extremely helpful. They had a freezer full of ice cream treats and ice cold water for us to drink. We were able to sign up for a year long membership for free and had our pictures taken and stories documented for the cyclist wall of fame. We also bought front pannier bags for both of our bikes, because Ben's were starting to fall apart and we decided we needed to be better prepared for the Canadian wilderness and not take quite so many risks. They gave us a map of the town and we went about our errands- bike shops, outdoor gear store and finally Mongolian Grill!
The Mongolian Grill was unfortunately not quite as good the second time around and Ben being the extremist that he is decided that he was done eating buffets. (We'll see how long that will last).

Biking outside of Missoula, we searched and searched for a spot to camp along the busy highway. There was nothing but houses. The dark night had settled in and it was very difficult to see the road as the headlights from cars glared in front of and behind us. Then I got another flat, I pumped my tire up just long enough to keep some air in it for a few more miles and we eventually found a spot off the side of the road just secluded enough behind some trees to settle in for the night. There was a flat spot on some grass next to a creek, just big enough for two people to sleep.

Day 44 I love rest stops! (LeAnn)

This morning we woke up to the sunrise, around 5:30am. Our down sleeping bags were pretty soaked from the night before and we needed to find a less conspicuous spot to rest. So we packed up our things and headed for the next rest stop a few miles down the road. It was perfect. There were picnic tables covered by roofs and walls for privacy. That was all we needed. If a person really wanted to, they could bike all through the night and then sleep during the day because for some reason it isn't illegal to sleep at rest stops and picnic areas during the day, but it is at night. Of course, then you would miss the scenery.

Even though I hadn't gotten much sleep, I was wide awake. We heated up frozen bean and cheese burritos for breakfast and then I gave Ben a much needed massage and let him sleep for a couple of hours. I caught up on my pushups, and sit ups (that was something we had decided to do along with biking everyday, but had slacked off for a while).

After resting, we biked to the next rest stop where there was a beautiful pond to swim in. Ben and I swam with a family of ducks and I came out with a bunch of baby leeches attached to my feet. Then we practiced rolls and falls for a while and Ben taught me how to properly roll on the ground when leaping into the air and then doing a somersault.

We continued biking toward Missoula and found a perfect spot to camp in the national forest just a few miles off the highway. We followed the road until we came to a little turnoff for a fishing spot at a river and carried our things across the river to a tiny island where the river forked and ran on both sides. There were little white and yellow daisies growing everywhere and a full moon lit up the sky.

Day 43 Butte (LeAnn)

A few more miles and we were in Butte. Our first stop was Denny's. They have all you can eat whole wheat pancakes for only $4. We gorged on fluffy, syrupy goodness and played cards. Then we found a bike shop in town that was much more helpful than we had anticipated. They catered specifically to bicycle tourists and let us into their back room where they had tons of snacks and refreshments for us to take along.

As we were getting our bikes ready to leave outside of the bike shop, a man with a bright green cast on one arm carrying a plastic bag came up to us and happily gave us a bag of powdered donuts and some sparkling water. He said a lady had thrown the bag out of her car window to him as he was holding up a sign for money. But he said he didn't need any food, just a little extra cash. Ben and I were just the opposite. All we needed was a little food and we were good for another hundred miles.

On our way out of Butte, we stopped at the visitor center to cool off from the heat, then precariously made our way back out onto the crazy highway that had road construction everywhere. It was scary, but we got through the worse of it and found shelter underneath a freeway overpass right before a rainstorm came pelting down.

Walking up the steep cement slope of the overpass, I found the temporary home of many a passerby. There was the perfect spot for a bed. Old sweaters, blankets and plastic containers covered the ground. Graffiti colored the walls on both sides with names and dates of old travelers. Some had left quotes about finding Jesus and clues about the kind of people they were and what they were searching for.

As the rain cleared up, Ben and I made our way to the small town of Deer Lodge. Stopped at the grocery store for some dinner and found a spot to camp just outside of town, up a gravel road and on top of a hill in the middle of a field. Even though we could feel another storm coming in, we didn't pitch up our tent and simply laid our sleeping bags down on a tarp so we wouldn't be seen by anyone. That decision proved to be less than comfortable as the night drew on and it began to rain.

Day 42 Quesadillos (LeAnn)

From Ennis, we biked toward Whitehall. There were some beautiful rolling hills along the way (notice I say beautiful because they were mostly downhill in our favor). We had bought a two pound bag of shredded cheese the night before because it was on sale and two pounds of tortillas, so that was our late lunch. Ben and I generally eat about two pounds of food per meal. So that ends up being around six pounds of food a day between the two of us. I think I have at least doubled my caloric intake and still continue to lose weight.

After eating lunch, we left just as a storm was coming in like we always do. I had second thoughts about getting on the major interstate of Montana especially in a storm, but we did anyway. During the first couple of miles, we barely moved because the wind and rain were coming head on into us. We were fortunate to have a nice wide shoulder to bike on. Soon we found ourselves in Whitehall taking refuge at another library to wait out the storm.

The worse of the storm passed after a few hours and we kept pedaling up the highway. Another rainbow shone behind us, I wouldn't have noticed it if Ben hadn't looked back. Then we had an uphill stretch to tackle. It was Homestake Pass at 6,356 feet. We made it over, just before nightfall and found a truck stop to sleep at for the night. I made some very cheesy pasta for dinner, (we had to use the rest of the cheese before it went bad) as Ben filtered some water at a nearby stream and put up the tent.

Day 41 Behind Another Dirt Pile (LeAnn)

We biked the rest of the way to Ennis. The town had a very nice library. We stopped at the grocery store and bought food just on time before a storm came rolling in. The Lion's park picnic shelter was a perfect spot for dinner and we made pasta and played cards while waiting out the storm. After the rain had stopped a man came by and told us there was a campground just on the other side of the road that we could stay at and it was only $4 a night. We hadn't stayed at a campground yet and decided that it might be nice to not have to worry about getting caught for one night.

So we hung out at the Lion's park for a while longer, played frisbee with our cooking pot cover and practiced some martial arts. My new game involved a stick covered in mud at one end (my weapon against Ben) He had to avoid getting covered with mud while I attacked him.
We saw another double rainbow hanging over the mountains as the sun began to set and soon made our way over to the campsite. Unfortunately, the campsite was specifically for fishermen. You needed a valid Montana fishing license to get the cheap camping rate, otherwise it was $30.

It's hard when you're on the road in open spaces and there isn't any public land for a person to legally camp on for free. We rode out of town and found a nice big dirt pile off the side of the highway that was the perfect cover for us to sleep behind.

Day 40 Most Beautiful Campsite (LeAnn)

Today I biked back into West Yellowstone for a few more supplies. An old man working at the local bike shop was really helpful and taught me all about spokes. He used to build over a thousand bicycle wheels every summer and knew the ins and outs of every detail. I stopped at a farmers stand on the way back "home" and bought a pint of raspberries. I enjoy having "home" be just wherever we feel like spending some time in the woods. It doesn't have to be anything permanent, just a place to rest for a while.

We continued biking toward Ennis. After making our way around Hebgen Lake, we came across an area that had felt the strongest earthquake recorded in Montana. We passed a landmark sign saying "Destruction highway" and were too curious to pass it up. After a beautiful stroll on a winding old sidewalk covered on both sides with wildflowers, I came to the river where pieces from an old house were still floating in the water. The resort owner had lived in the house until the historic earthquake of 1959 had rumbled through and destroyed the campground, houses, and highway in the area.

We decided it was the perfect spot for dinner and I made my version of pad thai while out on the trail. After dinner, we biked a few more miles to a little dirt road in the middle of nowhere called Beaver Creek road. Thats where we found one of my favorite spots so far. It looked like one of those picturesque landscapes of Montana that you see in documentaries or in great wild nature paintings hung on office walls. On one side, a river ran through a steep ravine and up from the river grew a great mountain covered in wild Montana grasses and flowers. On our side of the river, there was an open patch of sedges and Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Montana's wild version of the sunflower, the soft big leaves of this plant are also my choice substitute for toilet paper). We set up camp and Ben did his best to hang a bear bag with our obnoxiously heavy, twenty something pound bag of food. I eventually convinced him to just climb the tree himself, (I actually just wanted to see if he could do it) and I tossed the bag up to him.

Day 39 Yellowstone (LeAnn)

Ben and I biked to the major tourist areas today. We saw Old Faithful and several other geysers shoot their steaming water up into the sky. There were hot pools of every color of the rainbow and mud pots that bubbled a mixture of silica, clay and sulfuric acid. On our way out from Old Faithful, we took a short bike path through the woods and saw several bison only a few feet off the path. They were still shedding their winter coats and were accustomed to seeing humans, so they didn't even flinch as we rode past them.

On our way out of the park, we stopped at a picnic rest area dedicated to the Nez Perce band. It was a group of over 800 native americans and 2000 horses that had traveled over 1000 miles during the summer of 1877 to reach the Canadian border. They hadn't sold their land to the U.S. government or signed any treaty and simply wanted to find a new home where they could have freedom. The U.S. army eventually caught up with them when they were only 40 miles from the border and forced them onto reservation land.

Once we made our way out of the park, we found ourselves in the town of West Yellowstone on the side of the local grocery store. Ben was fixing another popped tire and we were both pretty tired and about to go into the store for some dinner, when a man came up to us and asked us the usual question: "Where are from and where are you going?" It's one of my favorites when traveling, because people are always curious and give us very positive feedback when we tell them. This man had bicycled toured before and seemed a little more enthused about our adventure than most people. After talking for a while, he asked if he could buy us dinner and we gladly accepted his offer as he placed a twenty dollar bill in my hand.

The support that we have gotten from people along the way has meant so much to us. We have seen kindness come in all shapes and forms during our journey and would just like to thank everyone again for their support and generosity.

After buying groceries, we biked a few miles north of town and found a spot to camp in the national forest off the side of the highway.

Day 38 To Yellowstone (LeAnn)

Uphill we biked most of the day and crossed the Continental Divide 3 more times (they won't be our last). We planned on actually staying at a campsite this time, but as night drew on we found out from a park ranger that there were no campsites for another 45 miles. We biked and biked into the night, trying to find a suitable spot to just put up a tent and sleep. Ben's tire tube got a leak and by the time we fixed it, it was drawing close to 11pm. We were exhausted and ready for sleep, so we just decided to pitch up our tent at a picnic area (no harm right).

We huddled in our tent and hoped for the best with our tiny container of pepper spray to ward off the grizzly bears roaming through the country. Soon after settling into bed we heard the crackling sound of tires rolling over gravel and saw headlights piercing through the dark trees. A park ranger came up to our tent flashing her light back and forth and announcing herself in that professional way that all officers do. I thought she'd be courteous and understanding, given our situation. But instead, the woman did her job and slapped a $125 fine on us for camping in a undesignated area. She also had us store our food in the bathroom nearby, just in case bears decided to snoop around.

Ben, being much more of an optimist than myself given the circumstance, decided that the woman had possibly saved our lives by having us stash our food somewhere safer or will save us sometime in the future. We have both decided to be much more careful about where we choose to sleep, especially in national parks and will hide ourselves just as any smart animal would to try and avoid humans.

Aunt vals

We made it to my aunt vals in kila montana just in time, we both got really sick and slept the past two days. As soon as we recover we will
finish updating.

Day 37 To Jenny Lake to climb a mountain (LeAnn)

We biked 15 miles down to Jenny Lake to hike and enjoy a little jaunt up the mountain. Of course anyone who knows Ben well enough understands that a hike up a mountain is everything and more that one could imagine. We left the trail early on and ascended up a slope, steep enough where we needed to grab onto trees at some points and use makeshift walking sticks to hold our ground. We made it to the point where the tree line ended and we began walking through leftover snow drifts. Then we descended back down the cliff on the rocky side and jumped from rock to rock as we precariously made our way back down from the heavens. Five hours later, we drank the purest of water from fresh flowing streams at the base of the mountain.

That night we found a spot to camp among the trees near String Lake (a tiny lake alongside Jenny Lake). As we made dinner, while swarmed by mosquitios once again, a beautiful silver and black fox came over and snooped around looking for scraps.

Day 36 A day at a resort (LeAnn+Ben)

Our friend Cassie works at the Jackson Lake Lodge and has a dream job more or less. We spent the day with her kayaking in Jackson Lake (right at the base of the mountains), lounging and swimming at the outdoor pool, eating tons of good food, then finishing up the day at a bon fire with a bunch of friendly, down to earth people. Plus we met a nice young fellow who had biked across america the year before, who without any thought of payment gave us his back paniers telling us when we have no use for them anymore to give them to someone else in need. Definatly gonna need those with the homemade panniers starting to take a beating.

Day 35 Errands (LeAnn)

Ben had another popped tire, so I rode 20 miles to Moose and 20 miles back to get a few new tubes and another patch kit. There is a beautiful bike trail running along the mountain range and plenty of interesting and supporting people along the way. There is something in the fresh snow capped mountain air that fills the spirit and rejuvenates the soul to the point where one no longer needs a taste of food nor water to have the energy to carry on.

Day 34 4th of July in Jackson (LeAnn)

Ben and I tried to rest a bit longer at our campsite just outside of The Grand Teton park, but we were swarmed by mosquitos all night and day. They didn't even care if the sun was shining, they just wanted to suck our blood. At one point, Ben counted 70 mosquitos attached to the outside of our tent on the small wall, around 200 total!! just buzzing away, pleading with us to let them in. The constant buzzing and heat of the sun, eventually drove me insane, so we left our campsite and headed toward the Grand Tetons to visit our friend Cassie and watch the fireworks. We drove with her and her friends in the big Windstar van to Jackson and saw the best fireworks show I have ever seen. We had front row seats and Ben screamed in fear/excitement a few times when the fireworks blasted right above our heads.

P.S. I think LeAnn is going to lose her blog writing privlages...~ben

Day 33 The Buffalo Valley Ranch (LeAnn)

The Buffalo Valley Ranch cafe has the best food near the base of the Grand Tetons! Today was a chill and rest day at their little screened in porch. We gorged ourselves on veggie burgers, sweet potato fries, and strawberry shakes. We played cards and watched a herd of about 70 horses run past. A very friendly and well traveled cook/waiter working at the ranch sat down at our table to eat and talked to us for a while. He recommended traveling to Vietnam, where the people are friendly and food and lodge are super cheap. Maybe that will be our next destination. It was very refreshing having a conversation with another person (after you travel with Ben for a month nonstop)(HEY NOW~ben). The young man insisted on paying for our lunch. People are so nice and Elliot reminded me of the concept of pay it forward, which is something that I will undoubtably follow through with after all of the positive experiences I have had with people along the way. We went back to the campsite we stayed the first day because it was free in the national park. :)

Day 32 Togwotee pass (The Great Continental Divide) (LeAnn)

 

We stopped in Dubois and stocked up on sweet snacks. We decided that sugar was absolutely necessary if we were going to climb up a 10,000+  foot high mountain. Pudding snacks (the Bannana cream pie is the best) and chocolate chip cookies are all that two very stubborn people need to bike 80 miles through mountains.

Ben insisted on taking most of the gear and proudly piled the back of his bike rediculously high with the extra gear that my bike apparently couldn't handle biking up the pass. (My road bike gears aren't too efficient when going up steep inclines.) I got a taste of fresh melting mountain snow in July and scenery so beautiful it made the climb totally worth it.

After four hours of intense uphill biking, we were rewarded by 15 miles of flying downhill. At the bottom, we made it to the edge of the Grand Teton National park and had completed our goal of making it there by the 4th of July. We biked 250 miles in the past three days and felt on top of the world.

Day 31 100 Mile Day! (LeAnn+Ben)

another popped tire

Our longest ride from Shoshoni to just outside of Dubois. We stopped in Shoshoni to pick up some food to keep us going on the long ride ahead, sadly all they had was donuts which we used to motivate ourselfves every 0 on the mile marker signs.

Everything went well except for a 6 mile detour on a gravel road, due to some major flooding that closed off the main highway to Dubois. This was not a small feat considering we had to walk most of it uphill over the dam.

At a rest stop we ran into a couple of older guys touring and our mouths watered at the sight of their trail mix. It mostly consisted of m&ms and sweet goodness, while our trail mix was a much healthy, but less appetizing option of mostly nuts and seeds. We wished we hadn't skimped on chocolate just because it wasn't on sale. But fortunately, if you wish hard enough for something you are bound to find it. As we left the rest stop, we found two perfectly good, melted mini herseys chocolate bars lying on the side of the highway. When you are on the road long enough and hungry, just about anything tastes good, but nothing can quite compare to a bite sized morsel that's been cooking in the hot sun for an unknown span of time.

6/30/11 No water, but fruit will do (LeAnn+Ben)

We biked all day to make it to a town with water. Luckily a nice hippy lady with a long flowing white skirt pulled over on the side of the road and offered us a bag of organic fruits: pears, oranges and nectarines. After we made to Powder River and couldn't find any sign of water (just another ghost town), the fruit tasted so good and kept us going another 20 miles until the next rest stop.

Triple rainbow....that is all that must be said. 

That night we found a good spot to camp along the side of the road. Behind a big bush

6/28/11-6/29/11 Casper (LeAnn)

The lady from Glenrock let us take showers in the morning and then brought us out to eat for breakfast at the restaurant in town. All one really needs is some good food and a little soap and water every once in a while to keep the spirits soaring. We said our goodbys and headed toward Casper. We took care of a few loose odds and ends: bike shop, library, natural foods coop, etc. That night we slept comfortably in an rv in the backyard of the daughter of the lady from Glenrock.

Next day: very hot, crazy wind, storm. Spent more time at library, practiced some martial arts in the park. Left the town late. One last goodbye wave from the lady we stayed with the night before as she drove the school bus across the last intersection as we left Casper. Crazy random happenstance

6/27/11 Off to Douglas (LeAnn)

After a state patrol officer came to warn us about sleeping on the side of the road in ditches, we rode along the highway a few miles until we reached a tiny town with a population of 101 called Manville. Ben loved it of course! We stopped to use the restroom at the little truckside diner and were amused to find a little sign posted on the front class door of the Mower Man. There was a picture of a larger man riding a lawn mower at the bottom of the page and the ad stated that the man would mow lawns for reasonable prices ranging from $5-$15.

After Manville, we passed through Lost Springs, which had a population of only 4 people and finally made it to Douglas. We stopped at the library and a few young boys talked to us and told us where all of the good places in town were. Then we went to the used book shop in town, bought a couple of books to keep us entertained on the rainy days and finally went to the Maverick gas station for $1 yogurt ice cream cones which we piled higher than one could imagine was possible. Mine completely fell over and covered my hand with sticky goodness, but it was well worth it.

We continued on the rolling highway toward Glenrock and enjoyed some of the most amazing downhill stretches ever. We must have hit 40 mph as we sped down some of the hills.

Finally, as the sun was setting, we pulled off the side of the road for a quick dinner. Then, out of nowhere two older woman pulled over on the side of the road and asked us where we were planning on sleeping for the night. As usual, we always played it by ear and the lady from Glenrock graciously offered us a place to pitch our tent in her backyard in Glenrock alongside a little lamb that she was caring for. It was so nice to have a spot on the soft flat ground and a safe place to sleep for the night.

6/26/11 Hail storm...power outage (LeAnn)

It's always nice waking up to a beautiful clear day with blue skies as far as the eye can see. Our goal was to make it to Lusk, the first city in Wyoming so we could refuel on water and food. The city was at an elevation of a little over 5,000 and if we had had some forethought, we would have realized the challenge that lay in front of us. At 30 miles away form Lusk, we were running short on water and the hills and wind were killing us. We pushed through as always and made it to town with nothing to spare. Then came a surprise, the entire city was having a power outage. The grocery store was closed and we were lucky to find a gas station without lights or gas, but was still running it's cash register on a generator. We stopped for a lunch of tortillas and peanut butter and decided to splurge on Gatoraide(since it was 2 for $3).

Then the storm came in. Pea sized hail and pouring rain fell down on the city with its people driving in and out of the gas station, frustrated about not having gas. Ben and I patiently waited for the storm to pass underneath the roof of the gas station and enjoyed the break from the heat.

After the storm cleared, we biked a few miles down the road to a roadside rest area and Ben cooked a bean and rice dinner while I washed dishes and refilled our water. A few more miles down the highway we made camp again just off the roadside. There was nothing but fences and prairie pasture as far as the eye could see. Another beautiful sunset ended the day.

6/25/11 Last leg of the Mickelson Trail (Ben and LeAnn)

Down hill.... down the hill goes, no need to peddle, no need to sweat all i hear is the rushing of wind and the melodious voice of my girlfriend joyously singing about how all she can see all day is her boyfriends butt, because he always is in front.

It will be the next hit.

We finished the last 30 miles of the Mickelson Trail with ease and pulled into Edgemont. Then off to the grocery store (which i might add had a For Sale sign in front of it,) got a few vittles for the road ahead(mainly tortillas). We stopped at a gas station on the way out of town to refill on water and take shelter from the heat. As we strolled the aisles dreaming of cool beverages(like Gatoraide which was on sale for $1.50, we had a man and his daughter come up to us and ask if we wanted some Gatoraide. They both just happened to be from Hermantown. Thankful and surprised, we accepted the Gatoraide and manderine oranges that he gave us. We decided to wait for the heat to cool off and sat underneath the shade of the gas station roof at a little table, play cards and drink Gaitoraide. I don't think I have ever tasted a beverage quite as satisfying before. A while later, we headed out trying to get past the border by sundown.

As we left Edgemont, ND storm clouds of loomed all around us. They looked quite nasty and dark. There was that one point when we looked into the distance and could see nothing but constant strikes of lightning shooting all the way to the earth. We decided no storm could stop us from getting to Wyoming, and away we went. Lucky again, the edge of the storm was all we got. There was a short period of strong winds and heavy rain, but soon it was over, the skies cleared and we made it to the border. We rode a few more miles into Wyoming, then camped along the side of the highway for the night.

6/24/11-HAIL STORM... or not

We woke up early and slowly got ready to leave, both of us loathed the thought of leaving the woods in exchange for the city. We had to take our gear piece by piece down the hill so the ranger wouldn't see that we were camping in the woods. After we finally got all the gear down we had to repair a popped tire, pump some water and jump in the lake.

After a detour to the library we headed out on the Micklson trail. The road was crushed gravel which i had no problem conquering  with my larger tires but LeAnn was less then pleased. We biked until Custer which was the last big city for a long while.Then the clouds started showing up. Huge billowing clouds at which we dutifully ignored. Until the locals stopped us worrying about us dying in the golf ball sized hail. At least we have helmets.


We took shelter at park, ate dinner and talked to a feisty  woman who i could see totally following us to Alaska if she were a bit younger.

The rain poured, we played cards.

Near dark we left Custer heading for a rest stop on the trail 9 miles away. We were greeted with the wonderful surprise of the trail being completely downhill what a blessing.

We slept out under the stars with only a slight worry of prairie rattle snakes cuddling with us for warmth

6/23/11 Rest day in the Black Hills (LeAnn)

Woke up to a beautiful sun glowing across all the treetops. Finished eating and decided to go down to the lake to pump water and wash clothes. Washing clothes by hand is much more involved than one would think. Wash twice, rinse twice, ring out water three times, hang to dry. I enjoy the simple tasks of living, it really helps me to appreciate everything so much more now, but I don't plan on going back to the easier way any time soon. Walked back up the steep hill to our campsite, lounged, ate dinner, played cards threw pine cones at eachother. After dinner we explored the top of the hill we were staying at and found the stalks of the mullin plant to be the perfect fighting swords. We fought for a while and enjoyed the scenery. Then back down the hill to camp and had peanut butter sandwiches for a late night snack.

6/22/11 Black Hills (LeAnn)

Woke up and ate Malt-O-Meal. Whooohooo, gotta love the malt-o-meal!! Went around town- bike shop, library, grocery store, hardware store bike shop again after my valve on my tire snapped in half as Ben was pumping it with air. Took the bike trail/highway with no shoulder all the way out of Rapid City and to Sheridan Lake. Uphill! This was the most challenging day for me. About 20 miles of steep hills and we were loaded with more fuel, water and food. Exhausted, we finally made it to Sheridan lake and I jumped into the water as fast as I could. It was cold, but not quite as cold as Lake Superior this time of year. We continued biking around the lake to try and find a campsite. Campsite again loaded with Rvs and expensive, so we carryed our bikes up a steep hill off the road. We trudged over lots of fallen red pine trees infested by the mountain pine beetle up the hillside til we finally found an opening good enough to put up our tent. The sun sets early when your smack dab in the middle of the Black Hills. Beautiful!

6/21/11 Rapid City (LeAnn

We biked the rest of the way to Rapid City. We hit rain again halfway. Soaked, tired and hungry we got into the city late and decided to treat ourselves a little. We hadn't eaten much that day besides Malt-o-Meal and granola bars, so we liked the idea of a Buffet. I was happy to introduce Ben to his new favorite restaurante- The Mongolian Grill. We came into the restaurante wet and starving and we happy to fill bowl after bowl full of fresh vegetables, noodles and sauces. Ben absolutely loved it and continues to mention the idea of eating at a Mongolian Grill again when we hit another big city. We've decided to save up our money and splurge when we find one again.

That night we found a picnic shelter at a trailer park to be an ideal spot to set up camp. We just set up our sleeping bags and pads in one corner on the cement and with our bellies full and one set of dry clothes to change into, we were content. Until we heard voices and were woken up by two teenagers (a guy and a girl), who happened to walk into the shelter. Ben talked to them for a while, while I tried to sleep. They were both very friendly. Then back to bed for a good night's rest.

6/20/11 Rainy Badlands (LeAnn)

Woke up early 4:45am! Left the bridge, ate breakfast, then the rain started. Biked back up the crazy steep hill to the Badlands. Rain kept pouring down. We stopped at a little tourist shelter with one wooden table in the center. I set up my sleeping bag and took a nap while Ben returned some petrified bones, kept an eye out for tourists, and played solitaire. Rain kept pouring, I woke up to random tourists gathering around the shelter giving us strange looks and inquiring about our adventure. Ben and I entertained ourselves with card games and fighting eachother (martial arts), until the rain finally let up a little around midday. As we left towards the scenic highway, a very friendly family from Wisconsin pulled up alongside us in their van and asked if they could take our picture, then they stopped again and their little girl came running and offered us $20. At first we refused, but the girl was very insistant, so we excepted the money and continued biking throughout the day. The amount of postive energy that people have toward us on our journey continues to amaze me every day.

We continued biking through the Badlands (again) and made our way to the little abandoned town of Scenic. Made dinner - spaghetti and cheese and a picnic table in town. Continued biking. We found a spot to camp alongside the highway on the top of a beautiful grassy hill.

6/19/11 Badlands Interior (LeAnn)

Woke up late since only grocery store in Philip was open 10am-2pm on Sundays. Got groceries, stocked up on water and headed the to Badlands. A few miles before we saw the most amazing rainbow ever!! It completely covered the sky. Got into the Badlands late as the sun was setting. The park ranger let us in for free, otherwise it cost $7 per person for bikes (rediculous!) Rode through the badlands, night set in, we couldn't stay at a campground filled to the brim with RVs, it just didn't seem right. So we biked another few miles till we found a bridge to sleep under. Set up our sleeping bags and pads in the dirt and ate trail mix and cheese for dinner. Crazy barn swallows with babies that made very strange noises kept Ben up for a good part of the night.

6/18/11 Wind, Hills, and Heat (LeAnn)

We left the roadside park after I took a meditative morning run and swam 1/2 mile in the lake/swamp next to our campsite. Biked west toward Midland through the worse wind and hills yet. It took us all day just to go 20 miles. We were very entertained along the way with lots of cows staring at us (every once in a while we even got them to moo at us). Got to Midland exhausted and hungry. Stopped in at Just Tammy's (the only food source in town besides the gas station) and ate omelets and hashbrowns. Rested for a while, then off to Philip. Storm came in and rain clouds chased us halfway to town until they finally caught up with us. Got to Philip late, grocery store closed early, Malt-O-Meal for dinner. We slept in an abandoned park filled with Cottonwood trees. Good, but exhausting day.

6/17/11 Oahe Damn and Toad (LeAnn)

We left early from Sugar Bear's house. Stopped at the grocery store to restock on food, then headed up to check out the Oahe Damn five miles up and five miles back, but completely worth the detour if you check out the video clip we posted you'll understand. The damn was said to be releasing more water per second than Niagara Falls and had all of its release valves wide open. It was amazing to see how much power water can have.

After seeing the damn, we headed uphill out of the city, west toward Hayes. The hills were the biggest we've biked through yet and again there was nothing but fields and pastures as far as the eye could see. Our new philosophy: bike until we find the perfect spot to set up camp. It's worked perfectly every time so far. So we biked until sunset again and came to one lonely roadside park in the middle of nowhere, right before the town of Hayes.

Ben and I set up camp and began to brush our teeth in the tent. A middle aged woman and her son pulled up in the parking lot to use the restrooms. We continued brushing our teeth and patiently waited for the people to leave so we could get out of the tent to spit. But they took their time, the woman talked on her phone as the boy (about 6 years old) played with something. It wasn't long before I realized what that something was he was kicking at. In the glow of the one street light that shone down on the sidewalk I saw something hop. We were just close enough for me to see the small hop of the toad and to realize what it was. The boy continued kicking at it and alternated small snickered evil boughts of laughter with picking up the toad and kicking him again. Finally, the mom hollered for the boy to come so they could leave and and the boy threw the toad onto the sidewalk with a splat. I write this in memory of a great beautiful American Toad whose life was taken, but not in vain, for Ben and I decided from that moment on that we would fight for toads across the world and never let our mouths stay closed again, even when they are filled with toothpaste.

6/16/11-Sugar Bear (LeAnn)

We woke up late and had a wonderful breakfast made for us. Added on to everything else we made sandwiches and got fruit and were sent off to Pierre with wonderfully content souls.

It was hard riding, extreme heat, gravel roadsides and west winds don't work well with biking. We got to Pierre late and were just able to do a few of our errands before the stores closed. We spent the rest of the daylight at the library, blogging, looking up routes and trying to find a campground to stay in. The Missouri river was flooding and all the city parks were under water. We looked for a place that would be ok to pitch our tent, there was nothing. Soon a storm came in and as the library was about to close, a very nice woman searched frantically for a place for us to stay.

We waited outside underneath the the library rotunda as the storm raged through and took a few pictures of some very evil looking clouds. After a while, the librarian lady pulled up in a little pickup truck and we shoved our bikes and gear into the back of the cab as the rain completely drenched us. 3 miles down the road we came to a trailer park rested alongside the charter native american school and that is where we met Sugar Bear. We were greeted by the old hippie and his pitbull named Riot as we walked through the door. It was so good to have shelter over our heads and a warm meal as the storm raged on outside and the entire city kept its fingers crossed that the levies wouldn't break that night. We stayed up til midnight talking and joking with Sugar Bear as he sipped on beers and Jag and played his favorite old tunes for us. We had a comfy pullout couch bed for the night and good company. South Dakota has certainly lived up to its name for good people.

6/15/11-Wait it gets better

We got a decent start at 9:30 and biked. We biked straight against 20 mile an hour winds all the way to Miller. This took us quite a lot longer then we expected and we were starving, binging a little we got a ton of cesar salad, strawberry yogurt, a few cookies and ate just about everything. We found the perfect spot to eat- a little table behind the grocery store and it was one of the best meals we have ever tasted. Empowered by our food we decided to bike farther. We biked through Ree Heights and asked for a campground, we found none. We biked through Highmore and asked for a campground. There was none. Exhausted and starting to lose spirits we decided that we would defiantly find a campground in the next city. It was about 9 and the sun was setting. We biked fast and turned our safety lights on, 7 miles to the next city. We saw it on the horizon and our enthusiasm diminished. Holabird, which it was called, was not really a town at all, nor a village, it was more of a sign. with one or two buildings by it. The sun was just about below the horizon as we were starting to realize today was the day to sleep in a ditch.



Just then when all hope was lost a pickup drove by and stopped in the driveway ahead of us. A wonderful man jumped out and invited us to come stay at his house, dumbfounded LeAnn and I nodded.  Our smiles could not have been bigger as we rode the 1 mile down the dirt road to their house and a full glowing orange moon hovered over the endless prairie horizon. Together with his wife and his daughter we were invited complety into their home. We were fed an absolutly wonderful homecooked meal, dried our wet clothes, got answers to all of our random curiousities about South Dakota, and we got a real bed to sleep in. It was a most wonderful experience which we will never forget. And we have never been so glad to lay our aching limbs to rest.

6/14/11-South dakota people are nice

We left Clark late and biked to Redfield against the wind. A big storm was coming and we wanted to do our allotted 40 miles at least a day before it came. Right before we entered Redfield a car stopped and a man told us that there was a big storm a coming and we best seek shelter. Starving we rushed to the grocery store to stock up before we made camp. LeAnn just happen to scare me half to death thinking that my wallet was lost. So i ran out to our bikes to look. And what did i find? There was a man in his 60's covered in paint by our bikes. He was painting a house he explained and had a son who biked across the US. He said the house was being remodeled and there wasn't any furniture but we could stay there the night if we wanted. We were enthusiastic with the big storm coming and gladly took his offer. We slept very well that night.

6/13/11-rest

Stayed in Clark as a rest day. Cleaned clothes, went swimming, got ice cream, and dislocated my shoulder. LeAnn got it back in.

6/11/11-6/12/11- Of rain

Woke up real early and biked to Monte Video, a very wonderful town. Your following the road and turn a corner and go down into this little Italian like city. Freewheel decided to stop being free, had to replace the entire wheel. Though this was made light because of a wonderful little farm stand and a loaf of banana bread and blueberry jelly.
We biked until our limbs were sore and our bodies weary. Trying to outrun the rain. Eventually it overcame us and we were forced to make camp behind a dirt pile.

It rained on and off all morning, packing was hard. Biked hoping to find a diner an hour and a half ride away. Closed.Sundays. Biked some more in the downpour. Found out my rain coat is a wind breaker. Eventually stopped at a bar for fried mushrooms. Not the healthiest but the only vegetarian option. Biked and biked, past threw Watertown, the worst city in the world. No shoulder and no sidewalks. Ate lunch by a river, walked out of town. No sidewalks. Stupid cars.

We biked another 30 miles and stopped in Clark. Made camp in a 4-h fairgrounds. Absolutely beautiful.

6/10/11- Highways suck

We ended the bike trail in Wilmer and stopped for food and some other essentials. After that we got a little lost and ended up 2 miles farther in the wrong direction. This wouldnt be that big of a deal if for the one simple fact that the only road we could take was the highway... this took the rest of our day and brought our moods pretty low and are stress high. It was only 18 miles but it took forever. it sucked. Just as we near the end a storm came. With louder thunder then i have ever heard. It shook the surrounding area. We asked the local officials to sleep in the park in clara and they let us. We spend the rest of the day in a little cafe talking with the locals and eating some good food. A good end to a stressful day.

6/9/11- We're OFF!!!.... again...

We spent most of the morning throwing out gear that we didnt need, cutting down on clothes(we are now down to one shirt, one par of pants/rainpants, two shorts, three pairs of socks, one fleece, one rainjacket, and one set of long underware per person. That includes what we are wearing. Plus some girl stuff for the girl. after living a very sizable portion at her grandpas, we can now pick up are bikes with one hand, and even when full with water and food they dont wiegh but 40pounds each including the bike. A great improvement. We didnt leave her grandpas until 2 and only then after a sizable lunch of grilled chesse and other amazing food. We biked all day until again we were blessed with a bike trail and found a little nich where we could set up a tent. Equiped with all functions. Had a wonderful soup with some organic quinoa that we got from a friend. And fell wondefully aching into sleep.

6/8/11-Grandpa

Biked from Leanns house to her grandpas on the other side of saint cloud. Easy day, ran a bunch of errands. Getting ready to leave the known. Also picked up saddle bags/rear panniers for LeAnn and shoes for her. I refucse to get rid of my trusty 10 sandles in exchange for biking shoes.

6/4/11-6/7/11-Parties and good stuff

We enjoyed LeAnns grad party and lots of bad for you good tasting food. Thats all that need be said. Aside from us dropping another 20 pounds of weight from are packs.

6/3/11-Race

I woke up after a restless night picking ticks off me and then fell promtly back to sleep. LeAnn had woken up earlier and went swimming, and pumping water letting me great fully catch a few more moments of sleep. She came back exhausted after pumping for an half an hour to get a few water bottles full. Then since i was still sleeping continued to make me breakfast wary of last nights mishap she did everything to make this the perfect meal for a boy who was so troubled. I woke up to a wonderful smell. And came out just in time to see her putting the Cinnamon, the finishing touch on a wonderful bowl of out meal. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! I yelled and raced toward her. But it was to late, i had put curry powder in the Cinnamon bottle to save on space. I guess recycling isn't always the best option. We biked the rest of the day and hard at that. We realized we could get to LeAnn's house in Foley tonight if we raced, then for some reason 8 pm decided to be are goal. It was 7pm and we were 15 miles out and there was a dirt road ahead of us. But we raced each other home. She won. dang gear (of which i was carrying most i might add).

6/2/11 Of chainsaws and first time cooking(second)

 We woke up to the sound of screaming chainsaws and men's voices. We we're surrounded! I leaned out of the tent flap to see what was up.There were four men with chainsaws cutting down trees around us.
 No worries though it was just the conservation core doing tree trimming, and though we were quite a bit closer to the trail then i thought last night they didn't seem to care. we packed up our gear and started off down the trail. We stopped for lunch along side of the road and made some tomato soup with noodles in it and i got a few ticks. Though these incidents may seem trivial it was the beginning of a terrible turn of events. We road on for much of the rest of the day, only stopping briefly to smell the flowers.
We eventually got to willow river and decided to make camp at a little designated campsite. This is where it all began. Within the first few min i had picked off 8 ticks and there wasn't even tall grass it was just dirt. LeAnn decided to make spaghetti and i after the tomato soup tasting so good suggested she put some sauce in with the water. I who started freaking out about all the ticks and pulling off each one as they crawled up on me was then quite preoccupied. Until the smell of burning wafted through the air. 

LeAnn was over the stove trying to scrape the contents in a stirring motion. She had unwittingly added a double large can to half the normal spaghetti that you would use with a normal sized can. This left little to no room for any water, and instead of boiling and making the spaghetti wonderfully tender it decided to burn and make the spaghetti kinda floppy. We dutifully tried to eat at least some, and dumped the rest for the bears (thousands of feet away from our campsite). We then went to bed and i fell asleep (this whole time constantly picking ticks off, did i mention i really don't like ticks?).


I also forgot to mention that every bridge was under construction on the Munger trail so a large part of the day was hauling the outrageously heavy bikes up and down the sides where the path crossed the road. We also had to do it one at a time since we couldn't make it up with our own bike.

6/1/11-We're off!

We woke up early, and realized we would not be leaving at 5 am by some miracle and we would spend the day working our butts off trying to get ready. We went through the gear 4 times each time getting rid of a coat a double of something, a few band aids or some odd piece of food. Slowly we whittled down our gear till it was a slightly smaller gigantic pile in the middle of the living room. we were down to 150 pounds not including water. This was for two people we reasoned and though 150 pounds of gear sounded like a lot 75 per person sounded less and if you added that we would be away from home for 6 months at most it seemed trivial. After settling the gear issue for now we had to make panniers. I ended up taking two children's suitcases and strapping them over the back rack, and borrowing two tidy cat litter containers from the bike cave. Leann having to go without. After a few other errands and gear runs we were ready to go. It was 8pm a few hours later then we had hoped. And we we're off!

We pedaled for a few miles until it started getting dark. Slowly are spirit's fell as the long day finally took a toll on us. Just as all seemed lost fire works started going off in front of us. Huge displays of sound light rocketed toward the sky, we pulled off right by wade stadium and watched with the supposed hundreds of wide eyed fans.

Our spirits much higher and minds lighter we pressed on until we got to the head of the Munger trail. It was pretty late so we decided to make camp a little off the trail. We ate a late dinner of rice and beans over our new stove, and two slightly crabby people fell asleep after the long 19 hour day.

Before-Trip

An idea, that is all it was, until months later when we started hauling 200 pounds of gear plus bikes to my parents. Far to much gear we knew but at the time we couldn't imagine bringing any single item less. Our destination was to ride from Duluth, Minnesota to Montana where my aunt lived on home made bikes. This idea becoming more and more complex as time went by, soon it included the Badlands, Foley, the Grand Tetons and not to say the least Alaska. The latter after hearing about some friends running a marathon up there (that is what you get when two very competitive stubborn people decided to go on an adventure).
We made and altered two bikes at the Bike cave, and after months of preparation the day finally came. We loaded the gear in LeAnn's roommate's truck and brought it down to my parents in lake side. Riding our bikes down there later that night, we were planning on leaving at 5 am the next morning. Did i mention that we had no panniers or trailer or any way to strap 200 pounds of gear on much less move it?