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.