Bike Ride Cross Country - LAST DAY...
Mood:  incredulous
Topic: Cycling Trip

Durham, NH to Gloucester, MA
On the final day of the ride, we woke up to pouring rain. While disappointing to have to ride in the rain, we considered ourselves lucky since it was only the sixth day of rain we had had for 63 days. We headed over to the dining hall at the University of New Hampshire for our final all-you-can eat meal, stuffing ourselves full of calories to haul us the final 63 miles of our coast-to-coast ride. After breakfast, we gathered a group of about 12 coast-to-coast riders and headed out for our final ride together.

At about mile 10, I (Marisa) had my only crash of the entire 4400 ride. It happened like this: We were approaching a stop sign at a T-intersection to turn left onto Rte 155A. I was the third rider in the line of about 15 riders. About 100 yards in front of me, Keith headed out into the intersection and yelled "clear" to signal that no cars were coming and that it was clear to make the turn without stopping. Then Brian, the second rider in line, about 20 yards in front of me, yelled "car left" to signify that a car was now approaching left and to be careful when making the turn. When I got to the intersection, I saw the car to my left and could have made the left-hand turn, no problem. However, I knew that there were another 12 riders behind me and if I gunned it and went for the turn before the car came, other riders behind me might follow and do the same, even if I yelled back to them "car left". So I yelled "slowing" to signify my intention to stop. But considering that it was pouring rain, it was 1) hard to hear anything and 2) nearly impossible to use our breaks since they were totally wet. So when I stopped at the intersection, David Butler who was riding a short distance behind me was gunning it to make the turn based on Keith's first call of "clear" (he didn't hear Brian's call of "car left"), and ran into me from behind. Luckily, he swerved at the last minute so he didn't hit me head on -- and best of all, when he took me down, he went down first and I landed on him, so he made a soft cushion. :) Just a little "road rash" (the term used to describe the area where lose skin to the pavement) on my elbow. Everyone gathered around us and helped untangle us our bikes -- David's foot was caught in a wierd position under my front chain ring. After that, we thought it would be safest if we all road our own pace and strung the pack out so we weren't so many riders together.

The rest of the ride was definitely a challenge. The rain was relentless and we were on busy roads with tons of traffic -- welcome back to civilization! We headed south on Rt 125 through Plaistow and southern New Hampshire on into Haverhill, Massachusetts. We stopped for our final picnic lunch along the Merrimack River, and then headed east on Rt 133 towards the ocean. It's amazing we made it through the ride in one piece, as the roads were some of the most dangerous and poorly maintained ones we've seen. There was so much water on the road that it would form huge puddles and you had no idea what was under the water -- big potholes? huge cracks? sand? So in order to be safe, we had to ride out in the lane of traffic a lot. Luckily, the Massachusetts drivers gave us room and not a single car beeped their horn. I can't imagine what this ride would have been like in Michigan...scary thought.

Just three miles from the end of the ride, our friend Colin got a flat tire. And yes, a whole group of us stopped and helped him change the flat so we could all ride in together. We arrived to Gloucester High School to a group of cheering friends and relatives. With about an hour before we would leave for our police escort to the oceanfront for our tire dipping ceremony, Molly and I toasted champagne with my parents and good family friends Ira and Laura Lassman, and introduced as many of our riding friends to them as we could.

At 1:45 PM, we gathered in one large group, riders and staff, and were escorted on our bikes by the police through Gloucester and the crowded streets of their annual waterfront festival down to the ocean. As the sirens screamed and I pedaled the final 200 feet, I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and let my head drop in a feeling of complete and utter amazement that for the second time I had safely made it across the entire country with the power of my own two legs. We crowded onto the rocky beach front and sprinted with our bikes in hand into the ocean. There was even a police boat in the water making sure that we could safely celebrate. I hear the ocean water was 63 degrees (brrrr) but I would have never known -- the feeling of frolicking with our new friends in the ocean after not seeing an ocean for 4400 miles was incredible. One of the best parts was seeing our riding friends from the UK -- Jane, Colin and Len -- feel so proud to be flying their Union Jack and dancing in their same ocean.

That evening we all borded a boat for an evening cruise. As we pulled away from the dock, the relentless rain finally came to an end and the clouds parted giving us a beautiful sunset over Gloucester harbor. The perfect end to a perfect experience.

Bike Ride Cross Country - Final Days
Mood:  happy
Topic: Cycling Trip

Burlington, VT to Stowe VT
What an incredible ride! The main route for the day was only listed at 48 miles. It was a great chance to do touristy Vermont activities -- such as touring the Ben & Jerry's factory, Cabot Creamery, chocolate factories, glass blowing etc. At lunch, Molly and I went our separate ways -- Molly to B&J's and I headed straight past Stowe and onto Route 108 -- towards Smuggler's Notch. Anyone who has ever grown up in New England is probably aware of this Notch (the eastern term for a mountain pass). It heads past Stowe ski area and up a steep mountain with sharp switch backs that are built around huge granite boulders. It was the first time in my entire cycling history that I had to stop partway up a climb. The road was so steep that my heart rate was beyond reason, even though my breathing was fine, and so I stopped to rest. Little did I realize that the summit was about 4 switchbacks up the road. Being the first rider to reach the top, I was able to descend and tell the others what to expect. Definitely my most memorable climb to date!

That night several of us wanted to go out in downtown Stowe. We called a taxi and after an hour of waiting, decided to hitch hike with a pick-up truck that was from the catering company that fed us dinner. We piled 15 people into the back of the pick-up and headed off for some beers. That brings the total number of hitched rides on the trip to 5. :)

Stowe, VT to Littleton, NH
The word of the day -- "climb". This was one hell of a ride -- Green Mountains and White Mountains all in one day. Lots of steep climbing on roads with no shoulder and tons of cars - oh joy. And did I mention the roads stink because the winters are so sever? So even though we rode through beautiful landscapes today, I think I only looked at the pavement in front of me to avoid crashing. Sigh.

Littleton is home of the "worlds longest penny candy aisle" and boy did we stock up on treats! We also had the best meal of the trip in Littleton, it only took 60 days and 4200 miles. :)

Littleton, NH to Fryeburg, ME
This was one of the coolest rides for me (Marisa) because I cycled past lots of places I used to visit as a kid. We crossed straight through NH's White Mountains and passed some old favorites, including the Mt. Washington Hotel, Crawford Notch, Kangamangus Highway, White Mountain National Forest, Conway and more. Lunch stop was at Attitash ski area. Molly, Colleen, Kevin and I took the chair lift up to the summit and watched the rain roll in. We got down just in time to get on our bikes and sprint away from the bad weather. Of course -- we weren't quite fast enough. Before heading to camp, a bunch of us stopped for pizza -- what Molly calls the "new icecream". We also celebrated Colleen and Kevin's successful ascent up Hurricane Ridge -- a multi-mile, rediculously steep climb that Molly and I chickened out of.

That night we slept at the fairgrounds in Fryeburg -- which held its first county fair in 1851! We slept in the building where people display their produce, so we slept in large wooden vegetable trays. :)

Fryeburg, ME to Durham, NH
A beautiful ride weaving through quiet backroads with few cars for the first half of the ride. Lots of pretty small lakes along the way. We road with Karina, a women who joined us for Week 9 of the trip. Around mile 30, we stopped at Provence Lake to dip our feet in the water. At lunch, we had our picnic on the property of a gelato shop -- the shopkeeper opened his store a 1/2 hour early to accommodate many of the cyclists...since we eat lunch at 10:30 a.m.! Molly got two scoops to share -- coconut and ginger. They both had real pieces of fruit in them. The best icecream of the trip!

We road into Durham -- 80+ miles pretty fast since Molly and I both had haircuts to prepare for re-entering the civilized world and attending a party my parents had planned for us on Sunday. The ladies at "A Nu Du" on Maybury Street in Durham were great, we recommend them!

That night, we stayed at Durham High School. The indoor sleeping option was cramped and there was no air flow -- and we couldn't open the side door for risk of skunks coming in during the night. We had all set up our sleeping area on the floor just inches from one another. At about 9:00, despite the intermittent thunderstorms, Molly and I decided we couldn't handle the stench of the crowded indoor sleeping and went outside and pitched our tent. Ahh, fresh air! Even though we had severe thunderstorms most of the night...our tent remained perfectly dry inside. Referred to by several riders as the Taj Mahal, the fort, the McMansion, our tent has proved to be one of our best purchases for this entire trip. For those of you in the market and not concerned about the weight of the tent, we recommend the Sierra Design Bedoin 4 person. It rocks!

Cycling Trip Cross Country -- Final Week!!!
Mood:  bright
Topic: Cycling Trip
Mission: New England
Day 1 -- Lake Placid, NY to Burlington, VT ~ 54 miles; cloudy, 68 degrees

Well we have finally made it to our final week. We're writing this message from the home of David Rome, a rider we met during week 1 of the tour -- he lives just outside of Burlington, VT. He came and met us as we got off the ferry that took us over Lake Champlain which crossed us from NY to VT. He has a beautiful home on 10 acres off a dirt road in Essex Junction, VT. A totally idyllic spot. And it just so happened to be a rainy and cool afternoon during which we didn't have to set up our tent with the rest of the group. :) David is hosting Molly and me, Matt Olson "Molson" (from Iowa), and Jane from England. We just returned from downtown Burlington where we met up with the rest of the cyclists for dinner and tour talk, and then we went on to walk around the Church Street area and stopped at Sweets Cafe for a second dinner. :) We just can't seem to get enough calories!

Tomorrow we cycle a short ride -- 49 miles from Burlington to Stowe -- it should be absolutely beautiful. Along the way we plan to stop and get a tour of Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory, Cabot cheese factory and any other place along the way that will offer free samples. At the end of the day, there is an additional 20 mile option to climb Smugglers Notch. I'm still debating the option...the final 3 miles has a minimum of 10% grade with grades going up as steep as 20% -- that's steep enough to hope that your front tire doesn't come off the road while you're riding. The Tour de France doesn't go over 10% in the hardest Alps section.

Last week we weaved our way through New York State. We spent three days hugging Lake Ontario before cutting across the northern section of the state. The final two days of the ride were awesome -- we were in the Adirondack Mountains. The Adirondacks have tons of lakes -- we stayed on Friday night at Star Lake and over the weekend at Lake Placid. We also experienced our first multiple days of cool rainy weather last week. Days when you set up your tent in the rain and wake up and take the tent down in the rain and then ride all day in the rain. But tomorrow we are supposed to have a sunny day, fingers crossed!

Lake Placid was a great place for a day off. We indulged by staying at a hotel again, since the campground where everyone was was 2+ miles out of town and we preferred to be right downtown. We took a boat tour on Sunday on the historic boat -- Lady of the Lake, which was built in the 1930's. There is so much history on that lake and tons of preserved open space so it will always remain pristine and minimally developed. It is also one of the cleanest lakes in America.

Well, it's late and I'm too tired to remember any more details. Just five more days of riding until we dip our tire in the Atlantic Ocean. Amazing that this journey is almost complete. We promise to upload photos as soon as the trip is over, if not before.

xoxo,

Marisa and Molly

Cycling Cross Country -- 2 Weeks To Go!!!
Mood:  cheeky
Topic: Cycling Trip
Back in the USA -- Mission New York State

Greetings from Albion, NY. Molly and I are well rested after *2* nights in a hotel this weekend in Niagara Falls, and ready to take on the mountains of NY and New England. We began our final two weeks today with a flat 75 mile ride along the coast of Lake Ontario. It was a beautiful, sunny, cool day on incredible country roads with almost no cars. A dream come true. The last road we took into town had been recently re-sealed and we all had an incredibly strange experience -- the surface was grabbing at our tires and pulling us in like quick-sand. We all instantly thought we had flat tires but then saw other tires marks weaving through the pavement ahead of us. It was like cycling through glue. What an experience!

Niagara Falls is definitely the kitchiest place we have ever been. It's like Vegas and the Wildwood boardwalk all wrapped up in one. But the falls themselves were beautiful. Molly and I walked from the Canadian side over to the US through the border to the far end of the US falls to go on the Wind of the Caves tour. The tour takes you down in an elevator and out on a wooden catwalk that takes you under and to the side of the falls where the spray completely soaks you (they gave us plastic bag-like smocks to wear). It was exhilarating to be so close to the roaring water.

Week 7 wrapped up with wonderful, rural roads through the farmland of Ontario. Fruit orchards, asparagus fields and sweet corn lined the roads. Oh yes, and blueberries, lots of berries.

We had a bunch of riders join us this week from all over the country. So we're now about 70 people. Today's lunch spot was right on Lake Ontario, so we sat for 2 hours just relaxing in the sun since we had reached our 50-mile mark by 10:30 AM -- a typical phenomenon these days -- and didn't want to arrive in Albion, NY too early in the day (there isn't much here...but Oliver North is coming to speak in a week and lots of people are holding signs on the corner of Main Street to let us know that Jesus saves.).

Well, my time limit is up here at the library, and I must turn over the computer to a fellow cycling-mate who has been waiting patiently.

Love to you all, and thanks for the comments, e-mails and well wishes -- keep them coming!

Marisa and Molly

Bike Ride Cross Country -- Week 7
Mood:  happy
Topic: Cycling Trip
Michigan & Ontario -- lots of miles and cooler temperatures

Greetings from West Lorne, Ontario. Just a short note since my time is limited on the library computers. Wow, thank goodness for Canada...after Michigan that is. What a week it's been. We've had lots of miles: Monday - 110+; Tuesday - 90; Wednesday - 91+ and today was a short 71...until the headwinds picked up around mile 10. But all problems were solved when we crossed the St. Claire River and landed in Ontario. Michigan has been by far everyone's least favorite state. In a nutshell, the drivers SUCK and are MEAN, MEAN, MEAN, and...they all drive the largest possible trucks and SUVs allowed on the roads. We had more horns honked at us and fingers flipped in three days then we have in the entire preceeding 3,000 miles. So we have been cycling all week with one thing in mind - Canada - where the roads are quieter, the drivers nicer and the politics a little more peaceful. :)

In the few short hours we've been in Ontario, we've been treated superbly, invited to a local neighbor's house to swim, and given free reign of the roads. Now that's more like it.

Just two more days and we'll arrive in Niagara Falls where Molly and I hope to sleep in a real bed for one night at a hotel. :) Then it's two remaining weeks -- one in New York and the final one in New England.

That's it for now. More when we have a better connection and more time. Hugs to all of you.

Marisa and Molly

Bike Ride Across Country --> Week 6 = Wisconsin
Mood:  cheeky
Topic: Cycling Trip
Week 6: Wisconsin

Greetings from Plymouth, WI in Sheboygan County. We are just 40 miles away from catching the ferry in Manitowoc to head east over water to Michigan.

Well it finally happened...we had our first day of pouring rain. Not bad, considering we've been riding since June 20th. There's nothing quite like emerging from a warm, dry school building, in your warm, dry cycling gear and getting aboard your bike as the rain is pouring down on top of you. You remain dry for all of about 3 minutes, and then everything you have on is soaked to the core. Luckily it was a short day ~ 56 miles, and the temperatures were in the upper 60's and low 70's so we didn't freeze.

Wisconsin has been incredibly beautiful. Rolling farm country -- mainly dairy farms -- with a perfectly situated red barn atop each hill. We've hit some steep rollers this week ~ 15-20% grades in the road for 1/4 mile. Just in case we forgot how to engage our hamstring muscles (the muscles on the back of the thigh for those of you who are athletically challenged) while on the flats in Minnesota, Wisconsin has prepared us for the upcoming climbs in NY and New England.

Some of the highlights of this week include the Spartan-Elroy Bike Trail -- a 34 mile trail that weaved through the countryside taking us back into the hills and farms that you can see far off in the distance when driving on the main roads and wondering what's tucked back in the hills. Well we got to see it first hand, and it was beautiful. The trail took us through 3 tunnels that were all constructed in the 1870's for the railroads. They were cold and wet inside, with the beginnings of the formations of stalagtites -- cave-like. The first tunnel was 3/4 of a mile long with no lighting -- it was as black as night in there. We traveled through in a group with small bike lights and flashlights taking care not to slip into the river that was flowing on either side of the dirt path. The sound of the trickling water and the absolute darkness were amazing. Unfortunately, we had a few people go down on the dirt/gravel for various reasons and some injuries and bike damage, so this trail won't be used on this route in the future. We're glad we had a chance to experience it!

Today we enjoyed the Kettle Moraine State Park and Scenic Drive -- simply beautiful. Marsh land and thick forest intermingling. Even though we were looking at it through rain covered glasses, we could still appreciate the incredible beauty. Molly spotted the first owl of the trip.

But the true highlight of the week was doing our laundry in the town of Baraboo, WI(home of the Ringling Bros. Circus) and found a laundrymat that had a TV where we could watch the Democratic Convention. We finished our laundry and stayed for an extra hour to watch various speakers, since we didn't think the local bar would be willing to put on PBS. :) Hurray for laundrymats (for more reason than one!).

Tonight is the second week of the road relic competition. Molly was a hero last week when she unitentionally won the competition and then donated her winnings back into this week's pot. I found an interesting little lego person on the road, and intend to enter it. Fingers crossed. :)

Well, just three weeks to go. It's amazing how these days are flying by. We have our longest day of the ride this coming Monday -- 120 miles. Wish us luck.

Love to you all.

Marisa and Molly

Cycling Across Country
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: Cycling Trip
Hello from Hutchenson, MN! Yes, yesterday we crossed the border into Minnesota and we are excited. We actually heard NPR on the radio at lunch. We have been riding the last two days on flat farm land -- corn and soybeans. The days have been long but the weather cool.

The people on the trip are really amazing. Tonight we say goodbye to Alan from Australia who has been with us from the start. He is a charming brute of a man who has made everyone laugh. He calls us the perfect couple.

We are also having a Road Relic contest tonight-something that I dreamed up. All week folks have been picking up stuff that they find on the road. Tonight we will all vote for the best and the winner will get the pot ($1 contributions to play). I have a child's sandal that I will call Cinderella's's missing slipper. I saw that Matt found a full size baby bathtub and carried it the whole way on his bike. He may just win for that one.

As far as introspection on this trip (finding oneself while riding for hours and hours) I have to say it does not happen. It seems that all I have in my head is the same dumb song over and over, or I'm counting the rumble strips or the bumpy cracks in the road as I go. Shrug.

Yesterday in the cute town that of Montevideo, MN the local choir had a fund raiser in the town square. Karaoke! I convinced some of my fellow riders to perform. We then went to the smokiest bar in the world to watch the Tour de France. Today we saw some elk and rode through the corn capital. Our friend Kevin (the guy who broke is collar bone but is back on the bike) joined my in my crazy pledge and dyed his hair blue yesterday. I hope to put a picture online soon. Check out the pictures from the "cycling pictures page". love you, miss you.

Molly and Marisa

Bike Trip Across Country - Week 5
Mood:  rushed
Topic: Cycling Trip
Mission: South Dakota -- lots of miles; hot and humid

Greetings from DeSmet, SD. We've now been in flat, hot farming country for a couple of hundred miles, and we're in need of some serious change of terrain -- e.g. some hills -- but I think we're SOL until we hit NY. Nonetheless, it is incredible out here, so much space, and South Dakotans are super nice. We have our first tornado watch tonight. gulp! We passed by Manchester, SD on our ride today -- a town that is no longer due to the F5 tornado that ripped through last June and demolished the town. No one lives there anymore.

The past two days we have faced incredible head winds. Monday morning, it was to the point of comedy. I was in my triple ring (used for climbing steep hills) on the flat road and going 7 miles per hour!! Usually on the flat we can ride comfortably at 18-20 mph -- so when you're going 7 mph and you have 90 miles in the day, what more can you do but laugh -- in disbelief! We made it through the day after passing through a huge wind farm with dozens of wind mills -- smart use of wind! We gathered six riders and put together a nice rotating paceline for the final 25 miles of the day and were able to average about 16 mph once the wind shifted a bit. And of course, stopping at the Frosty Freeze before turning onto our final highway of the day made all the difference.

Well, the library closes in a few minutes. Hello to all of you, we miss you! We have uploaded a link to view pictures from weeks 1-2 if you visit the website (marisaandmolly.tripod.com) and click on "Cycling Photos".

We're Minnesota bound -- so we'll check in with you soon.

By the way...we have hit our 1/2 way mark! 2100 miles under our belt and it wasn't until today that we had our first rain while riding. We've been very lucky. :)

xoxo,

Marisa and Molly

Bike Ride Cross Country: Week 4
Mood:  bright
Topic: Cycling Trip
Wed 7/14 Custer, SD to Rapid City, SD -- 71 miles, sunny 90 degrees
Thurs 7/15 Rapid City, SD to Interior, SD -- 84 miles, sunny 90 degrees
Fri 7/16 Interior, SD - Philip, SD -- 68 miles, sunny 90 degrees
Sat 7/17 Philip, SD - Pierre, SD -- 90 miles, sunny 95 degrees

Greetings from the public library in Pierre, South Dakota -- the second smallest state capitol in the US. We're taking shelter from the 101 F temperatures outside. We've just finished our 4th week of riding and are 2,000 miles into our 4,200 mile journey.
This week has been amazing. We saw the tail end of Wyoming and the first 1/3 of South Dakota. The week started with our climbing through the Black Hills. Some of the highlights included the Needles Highway (HWY 875) through Custer State Park ( amazingly beautiful), Mt. Rushmore, and these amazing one-lane tunnels that have been blasted through the mountain rock. They are so narrow, that our support vehicles had to ditch us for 25 miles of our route because they couldn't fit through them. ( We hope to get pics up soon -- we're having trouble with our camera, public computers and time...). Thursday was our fastest day yet. We pulled out of Rapid City, SD had breakfast at Tully's downtown and headed to Interior, SD -- gateway to the Badlands. A tail-wind (our first this ride!!!) pushed us so fast that we were pulling up to the 2nd water stop (mile 32) by 8:15 in the morning just as the support vehicle was arriving to put out the water containers! We flew into Interior and enjoyed the hot afternoon at the KOA pool.

We also saw incredibly strong thunderstorms this week with lightening shows that would make anyone's hair stand. And the stars...well there are trillions of them and you can see so much with the naked eye. It's awesome.

Badlands was fabulous and there were thousands of little prairie dogs squeaking at us as we cycled by. The rocks are incredible shades of rose pink and whites and rise out of the earth in jagged formations. (again -- pictures to follow soon)

We begin week five tomorrow and round up South Dakota in a few days and then on into Minnesota -- land of the mosquitos. Only 2 new riders join us for this week -- guess it's not the most exciting terrain. A peddling' we go. Hope you're all well.

xoxo,
Marisa and Molly

Hi Molly here. Our saddle sores are healed and we are feeling well except for a mild case of diaper rash. We feel like we are getting stronger but neither of us have any noticeable change in our bodies. My orange hair has faded to a nice Blondie.. and it is true that we have more fun! It is nice to have a day off and i spent some of the morning floating in the Missouri river. (very nice). We are staying quite a way from the downtown so unfortunately we had to get on our bikes today to eat, do laundry and come to the library. We have been sleeping on the gym floor for the last week to avoid the whole hassle of taking down and putting up the tent. The foul shot line is our spot! We have been eating lots of cheese and potato's and dreaming of Thai food.

Cycling Trip
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Cycling Trip
Mon 7/5 Jackson, WY - Dubois 100
Tues 7/6 Dubois - Riverton 77
Wed 7/7 Riverton - Worland 90
Thurs 7/8 Worland - Buffalo 91
Fri 7/9 Buffalo - Gillette 72
Sat 7/10 Gillette - Devils Tower, WY 68
Mon 7/12 Devils Tower, WY - New Castle, WY 73
Tue 7/13 New Castle, WY - Custer, SD 40

Hi folks. So I guess you get it that there are not many opportunities for Internet access in Wyoming. But we are here now in Custer, SD and happy. Wyoming was beautiful and I can proudly say that we climbed the Big Horn Mountains (the Rockies!) We have also made our way over the Blackhills of South Dakota. Marisa is amazing on the mountains, and she took the hills like a rocket. Everyone on the trip is in good spirits and having fun. Last Friday we had a no-talent show in Devils Tower that included a dramatic monologue, and some silly songs.

The terrain was diverse, lots of antelope running in the sage, then we moved into pine forests. The day of our climb we rode along the Tensleep Creek which was running hard.

Last week I dyed my hair a crazy Ronald McDonald orange! I went to the beauty school in Riverton, WY and the girls were great. The whole thing was $25 - - and it looks it. We hope to get pictures loaded soon!

Bike Ride Cross Country: Days 11-14
Mood:  happy
Topic: Cycling Trip
Townsend, MT to Ennis, MT -- 76 miles, Sunny 75 degrees
Ennis, MT to West Yellowstone, MT -- 65 miles, Sunny 80 degrees
West Yellowstone, MT to Ashton, ID -- 56 miles, Sunny 80 degrees
Ashton, ID to Jackson, WY -- 68 miles, Sunny 70 degrees

This week has felt like "home" to Molly and I. We traveled most of the miles that we rode this week in 2002 when we joined Cycle America for their Yellowstone/Teton National Park Tour. So it was nice to be back in familiar territory.

This was the week of cooler temperatures and multiple crossings of the Continental Divide -- hence the lower mileage days due to the climbing. It was also the week of headwinds. Yes, the state of Montana is indeed the land of the great wide open, and the wind for the most part blew entirely EAST to WEST!! Ugh. So our 65 and 75 mile days felt like centuries -- so much for lesser mileage. But the geography and land were amazingly beautiful with very little development and tons of animals -- antelope, elk, deer, bison, our first rattle snake, a terantula (spotted by a friend), and bear.

In the town of Ennis, we met with a real estate agent to look at some land up in the mountains (something Marisa has been thinking of every since we came through Ennis in 2002). We said we wanted something "remote" and away from the valley. Well, that's sure what she showed us. Up we climbed in her SUV with huge nobby tires far into the mountains and indeed, away from almost everything and everyone. The roads were so steep and rocky, that we could only make it up to see 2 of the 3 parcels of land -- and this was a good road day - dry, etc. Guess us city girls didn't realize that "remote" in Montana standards isn't remote from city/suburb standards! A learning experience.

On Saturday, we climbed the mother of all passes -- Teton Pass (until next week, which we've been told is even tougher...). The signs read 10% grade, and you better believe they were that, and then some. On the decent, we had to stop periodically to cool our wheel rims so that they didn't overheat and blow our tires. :) We then decended into Jackson, WY -- total bliss. We're enjoying our day off, celebrating the 4th of July with the locals. We enjoyed beers last night at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, where you can sit on a real horse saddle at the bar. All the men were there with their cowboy hats etc. We then spent the night in a real bed at the historic Wort Hotel -- complete and utter decadence just for one night. :)

We're joined by new riders tonight and begin our week in Wyoming with a 100 mile ride to Dubois. Wish us luck.

Molly and Marisa
P.S. Please e-mail us, we miss you and want to hear from you. :)

Bike Ride Cross Country: Day 9 & 10
Mood:  hungry
Topic: Cycling Trip
Missoula, MT -- Lincoln, MT 81 miles
Lincoln, MT -- Townsen, MT 92 miles

Hi gang. To some up these days .. they were long, beautiful and tiring. Here is some general stuff about the trip. We have an interesting group of people who most agree that we collectively are crazy to put ourselves through this kind of torture. Hey, but we love it. We had one accident on in Idaho the other day and one of our cyclists broke his collar bone. It is very sad because he has been planning this trip for so long and is raising money for melanoma in honor of his father. We also had one nice science teacher who was here on his recumbent. For those of you who don't know, a recumbent is one of those funny bikes where you sit back in a chair. These bikes are very heavy and quite difficult to ride on the kinds of mountains that we have been on. Poor David went home yesterday. Although it was his dream to ride the whole way, his doctor told him that he could not ride for a week or two because he had worn holes in the skin on his back side. Mom, I think you would call them bed sores, but they are pressure blisters. Some days he was on his bike for 12 hours, and was always last. There is lots of other human drama as well. There is a large % of the participants who are men in their 60s or 70s. One man quoted a Dylan Thomas poem about putting off death. They are Strong and determined, but the miles are getting to them.

We also have a group of party types that know how to enjoy the ride. Stopping to swim in the rivers and expire the local culture. Ris and I are somewhere in the middle. We tend to get uptight about the miles and forget to stop and enjoy. The mountains are amazing! It seems that we have been hugging the train tracks the whole way and I see it as good luck. I have put myself in affinity with the train and decided that as long as it keeps moving, so will I. Yesterday and today, I made eye contact with the conductor, who then gave me a nice long pull on the whistle.

Last night in camp there was a cute little Pom that looked allot like Willow, and we thought of him and home and miss everyone very much. I have determined today the day of the dog. We stopped while riding along side a ranch to see hundreds of sheep being herded across the pasture. When I got of my bike to get a closer look, the sheep dogs that were taking care came to me partially to let me know to keep clear, but also to give a friendly pant. Later today as we began to cycle a steep mountain pass, a bloodhound joined me. Running (walking fast), panting and snorting along side my bike the whole way up to the top. She was my cycling friend as safely put me at the top.

Well I'm late for the meeting.. we hope to copy pictures up soon. All our best! The insane ones.

Bike Ride Cross Country: Day 8
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: Cycling Trip
Day of Rest -- Yippee!!!

Finally, a day of rest. Total bliss! We "slept in" this morning to 7:00 AM (big change from the normal 5:00 AM -- you wake up at that hour too on your vacation, don't you?). Off we went to the local laundrymat -- the nicest laundry facility we've ever seen -- it had an icecream bar, a coffee/espresso bar etc. We now have lots of clean clothes. :) Then we went to a wonderful little eatery for breakfast in Missoula on the corner of Broadway and Higgins Streets called the Raven Cafe (or something like that). We had yummy, healthy food -- which partly consisted of tofu! Dreamy. Then off to the bike store so Marisa could buy a new bike seat -- otherwise she was going to have to have her current pelvic area surgically removed and entirely replaced. Molly then went back to camp to rest and read, and Marisa went to go see Michael Moore's new movie -- Farenheit 9/11 -- a must see! We're at a very cool little cafe, Liquid Planet, where they have some local students playing violin and small water fountains hanging on the wall with trickling water. But soon the rest will come to an end as we head back to camp to meet the 12 new riders joining us for the next leg of the ride, which will weave us through Montana, back into Idaho and finally up over Teton Pass next Saturday and on into Jackson, WY.

Adios for now. ~ M & M

Bike Ride Cross Country: Day 7
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Cycling Trip
Thompson Fall, MT to Missoula, MT -- 101 miles Partly Sunny, 75 degrees

Our last day of riding before a much needed break. We woke up to chilly temperatures ~ 50 degrees, and packed up our dewy tent before cycling 2 miles down the road to the local Elks club for breakfast. The locals had all come out to show their support, at yes, 6:00 AM!

We then headed down highway 200 in the east direction for the start of nearly 40 miles with head winds, that's right...head winds as we were traveling east! We took turns in a rotating pace line, me, Molly and our friend from England, Jane. The scenery was beautiful -- rolling lush green, grass covered mountains and a roaring river along side of us -- the Clark Fork. We passed through the town of Paradise -- oh yeah, what everybody's been searching their whole lives for -- a little local cafe and general store. Total paradise. :)

We arrived to our lunch pit at mile 57 and fueled up for the next 45 miles. Then it began, we entered onto the scariest road, and probably deadliest road any of us had ever been on. The speed limit was 70 mph and it was two lanes with NO cycling shoulder. This was perhaps the most emotionally draining physical experience any of us had ever been through. You can't imagine what it is like to be riding on the white line as far right as you can go, with thick sand and gravel directly off the pavement (which road tires spin out in) and tandem petroleum trucks whizzing by at 70 mph blowing their horn. When we arrived at camp, we all hugged and thanked God we were alive. It truly was one of the scariest experiences we have ever had. Definitely, not enjoyable.

We all pitched our tents as the thunder and wind blew in, then showered in ice cold showers (they forgot to turn on the hot water heater at the commuity center we were staying at...) and headed into downtown for a real meal at a restaurant with beer and all. :) A good night.

Cross Country Bike Ride: Days 4-6
Mood:  happy
Topic: Cycling Trip
Day 4: Electric City, WA to Spokane, WA ~ 97 miles
Sunny, 95 degrees

Day 5: Spokane, WA to Kellogg, ID ~ 99 miles
Sunny, 90 degrees

Day 6: Kellogg, ID to Thompson Falls, MT - 70 miles
Sunny, 80 degrees

Well, we have learned that making a daily entry for the ride will be difficult, as Internet access is limited in rural America. So this entry is for days 4 through 6 and will encompass highlights.

Over the past three days, we have seen some extraordinarily beautiful country. We crossed our first state, Washington, and passed through the panhandle of Idaho on into Montana, and into our second time zone. So we are definitely making progress. It's no wonder...these guys have us putting in insane mileage -- we had three back-to-back centuries in 90+ degree heat with ZERO shade. Not even Lance does that! The result is that we are happy riders, but extremely exhausted, and suffering from the *worst* case of saddle sores any riders has probably ever seen. We look like we've been wearing soggy diapers for weeks! While this may seem graphic...our bottoms feel as if we have taken a sledge hammer to each butt cheek, and then used a lemon zester to scrape the skin surrounding our private parts. Sorry to be so blunt. :(

But on to more positive things.

We left the incredibly beautiful rolling wheat fields of eastern Washington state behind for a fairly flat and pleasant first day in Idaho. We were super lucky to experience a newly opened "Rails to Trails" (old railroad tracks converted to a bike path) for *50* miles of our ride on Day 5. We were surrounded at all times by a a stream, portions of a lake, wildflowers, wildlife (otters, deer, a bear siting) and the most fragrant pine trees yet. It was magnificent, mostly because it was CAR FREE. Yes, cars are probably the biggest downer thus far. On our way into Idaho we were on two lane roads where huge logging trucks were passing us at 70 miles per hour leaving maybe one foot of room to spare. Too close for comfort. As they pass with their heavy loads, we get blasted by a big cloud of saw dust.

The panhandle of Idaho is mostly flat, and incredibly beautiful. We have riding along side a mountain stream/river for over 75 miles, nestled in mountains. Fabulous! Today we climbed Thompson Pass to cross between Idaho and Montana. It was about a 10% grade for 3 miles and a 6% for another 2 miles. When we got to the top, we had incredible vistas of mountains on all sides, and an amazing picnic lunch awaiting us. We have been super lucky to have sunny skies until today. We are expecting thunderstorms during the night and into tomorrow.

Until now, we have been using older computers (this one has Windows 98!) that don't support a USB port for us to upload our photos, but we hope to do so on our day off in Missoula on Sunday. We're off to sleep, we have yet another 100 mile day tomorrow. Tonight (end of Day 6) is the last night we will spend with those riders who joined us for just this leg of the trip. We had a fun awards ceremony during our evening meeting, it was just like being back at sleep away camp.