June 30 - to the Summit

I’m still climbing toward Hoosier pass, 1300+ miles so far. Spent last night in a funky old hotel in Kremmling. Absolutely stunning scenery along several tributaries to the Colorado. Pedaled 57 miles today, 2000-ft elevation increase to Breckinridge where I’m in a hostel in which all guests are grown men and the concierge washes my clothes. Passed through Silverthorne, CO where nobody’s poor and nobody’s fat… Took the 20-mile bike path from Silverthorne to Breckinridge. Mike Smyth is my traveling partner – 68 years old and in excellent shape – he’s an expat, spends winters in the Yucatan. We’re staying tonight in a “hostel” run by an English couple. Breckinridge, with its kitsch atmosphere, boutique shops, is jarring after the economic decline and poverty I’ve seen in dozens of towns on the route. Looking forward to cresting the Rockies tomorrow.

Continental Divide

June 29 - rode 183 mi (total to date 1274 mi) in the last three days on a road that was a 19th century highway. I’ve ridden from the treeless expanse of Wyoming to the lush North Park area of Colorado fed by the Platte River to the headwaters of the Colorado itself. What I've done in the past 10 days has been to crisscross the Continental Divide getting a close up view of the watersheds of the Missouri, Snake, and Colorado Rivers. I've seen wildlife surprised by the silence of the bicycle. I have met about 15 young people making the Virginia-Oregon trip and fewer retired people. The young, products of each coast, seem surprised and shocked by the style of American life they saw traveling slowly through Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas. One aspect of this experience I didn’t anticipate has been probably a quarter of the riders I meet are not Americans… my favorites so far are Fred and Barbara Seymour, both 77, Aussies, on a Commotion Tandem having “the time of their lives” riding from Yorktown to Astoria, joking about how jealous their children are…The "intelligence sharing" by riders going opposite directions huddled on the highway shoulder: "avoid this town", "this campground is great", "don't miss this hotspring”…we are like 21st century hobos (with some money) riding the backroads of the country. I have been riding the main river valleys of the mountain states, slowly ascending the spine of the Rockies until, in two days, I expect to crest Hoosier Pass (11,500 ft) and descend into the plains. I’m feeling good…I usually am tired at the end of a riding day…I’m getting stronger but my hallmarks are heart and endurance

june 26--still in the rockies

In the last four days I've ridden 280 mi out of yellowstone-tetons into the rockies. Total mi to date:1080. Each day has required substantial climbing and I've had to work. I've ridden dozens of miles at a time without seeing trees or humans. The wind has been fierce. Knocked down today by the backwash of a truck. Occasionally I get an encouraging "honk" from a passing motorist--today I ran out of water and was rescued (with more water) by a nice younger couple. Lander WY was strange: I saw dozens of people in their 20s who were fit and not obese--turns out lander is the location of the natl outdoor leadership school!
The dance that cyclists do when they see another distance rider is to cross the road, greet them, and have a conversation about "where did you start?" "Where are you going?" "What do you have tell me about where I'm going?" Etc The roadside conversations are fun! Yesterday (mind you in a windy treeless high plain) I met rich and ryan young guys who quit their manhattan jobs to do the ride...ryan preceded rich by an hour because he was intent on meeting his girlfriend in landerr what wonderful motivation; soon after I met fritz ("who but a german would be called fritz?")and karin, gp's who had quit their hamburg jobs to do a cycling hegira (4000 mi so far) starting in detroit via chattanooga ending in L LA--fritz thought I was joking when I told him he was approaching a town full of fit young ami's;shawn mcginnis director of real estate for u of wyoming who met me at a rest stop and showed real curiosity about why someone would do this;erin and jason, recent u of colorado grads (majors: philosophy of religion and journalism) on their way to bellingham;mike smyth; retired pr person and freelance writer, age 68, whom I met in a makeshift camp at muddy gap after a very hard riding day for both of us...he invited me and nancy (genuinely) to visit him and his wife at their residemce in the yucutan...I'll likely see mike again. Saw two more englishmen this morning from yorkshire and as we were talking their wives passed, shouting english unspeakables, in their rented motorhome. In case anyone's curious the people pulling BOB trailers I've met haven't been satisfied with them.
I'm mindful that hundreds of thousands of people passed the same trails (mormon, oregon, california) I've been tracing over the past week...when I read the roadside historical markers (which I wouldn't consider in a car) I can begin to imagine what the great trek meant for them. I also read with sadness markers about warring tribes as they were pushed insistently further west into one another's hunting grounds.
In the next couple of days I'll move south into colorado just a bit west of the rocky mt national park. I have about 300 mi left in the mountains before I drop into the america that bakes.

Rockies and Roadies

Total 854 mi thru June 23 … stunning scenery especially the Tetons … riding the last 3 days has been hard because of the climbing (1000s of ft) and the brutal traffic. People I’ve met; two young teachers from Austin outside West Yellowstone determined to go to Seattle; two grads of U of Wyoming, obviously lovers, on their way to Portland; Father-Son from Bend; three Boomers from Eugene, so “PC” and positive on their way to Maine; a Vegas unemployed contractor riding to Prudhoe Bay Alaska. Two Norwegian tourists astonished to see a Yank-on-a-bike come from nowhere at a Wyoming rest stop; a resort accountant who builds 330 lb planes & flies them 1000s of miles. A 26 year old Français, excellent English, riding Denver to SF to see an old flame, impressed that I have a Buddhist son; 20-somethings approach me and ask what I’m doing and express delight in my project --“rad” ‘far out’ “good start, man!”

Spending tonight in Landers, Wyo, summer site of the National Outdoors Leadership School. When I first got here, I wondered why there were so many fit-looking 20-somethings in this town! After today I'll be in the boonies again - nothing but high desert sagebrush for 100 mi.

June 23

Downtown Dubois

Super8, DuBois ...............

Dee called from Dubois ("Dew-Boys") Wyoming, about halfway between Dubois ID and Casper WY. He says he's across the Rockies now, in drier Plains country, near the Wind River. He's staying at the Dubois Super 8 Motel (no campground, and he really needs a shower).

June 22: Dee is in Yellowstone NP and isn't getting much in the way of cell phone reception or internet. He's fine and still enjoying himself except he hasn't been able to shower for four days. I've noticed that there is a correlation between the number of cell phone towers and the number of public showers in a particular location. I think (lots of blips while he was saying this) he is going to negotiate a couple of high (~9,000 ft) mountain passes between Madison Jct and West Thumb today. Anyway, hope we all hear from him soon. (Nancy)

june 19--the madison valley

Cyclist camp, Twin Bridges MT

June 19 - 73.8 mi today from twin bridges MT to windy point on the madison 45 mi north of west yellowstone; climbed elevation 3000+; total miles so far 650.
Bill, the person who established the cool cyclist camp in twin bridges came by to find out who was occupying his camp today and told me some of his story. 69, divorced 6 years ago, a contractor by trade, is lonely and wants to live in a more interesting place with interesting women.
Climbed over the virginia city pass, 2nd highest in MT, to see the madison valley, breathtaking. I see that ranchers are trying to sell their property in small lots and many don't like what that's doing to wildlife.
Late in the afternoon I ducked into a rancher's geodesic pet shelter to sit out a hail storm. The pet shelter was plenty large enough for me so I remained alert for the pet resident, who did not appear for the duration of the hail storm.
I had planned to stay the night in a forest service campground which was closed for renovation with that odious stimulus money. Tired, I rode on a couple of miles and found a BLM fishing access site which showed clear signs of recent renovation with...yes, that's right. The sign clearly says "no camping" so I guess I will test the kindness of the federal govt.

june 18: the beaver's head

Cycled jackson MT to twin bridges MT 79 mi total miles to date 580, climbed elevation today 1500 ft. Traveled from big hole valley to beaverhead valley...there's a large rock in the middle of the valley named by the indians the "beaver's head". Was used by lewisclark in 1805 as a landmark to meet shoshone and get some horses. This is a beautiful state! Met butch baker 27 miles out of jackson...from boston, he flew to el paso to do the continental divide trail. He's 63 and was happy to find "another old fart"...when we got close enough to see each other's (aged) faces we howled with laughter. Later I met josh, a young tasmanian aussie who has cycled from virginia. Ate lunch in dillon at a great mexican restaurant in an old city bus and the proprietor pronounced me "crazy" when he learned of my project. Staying the night in a special, and free, camp for touring cyclists built by one of our own. I have it to myself! I think I'm gradually, slowly, getting road hardened--the long climbs aren't as exhausting and my aches and pains are the normal variety.

june 17 into the big hole

Left 5 boomer bikers taking a leisurely breakfast to climb the nine miles to chief jo pass out of the bitteroot. 37 degrees at the 7200 ft summit snowed for 20 miles up to and after cresting. Stats: 3500 ft total elevation change, 60 mi ride sula to jackson hot springs MT, total500 mi so far in 8 days. Visited big hole battlefield tragic between cavalry and nez perce in 1877. Haunting to me like gettysburg. Wind river overflowing its.banks, washing over the bridge leading into wisdom MT. Staying tonight at the same hot spring capt clark enjoyed in 1806 oh! It was lovely soaking after a chilling day! Saw several majestic raptor birds today awesome.

out of the bitteroots (almost)

Rained all night some things are wet but will dry eventuallym.Left my english travel companion (asleep in her tent at 830 how could she have ridden 7k miles with such slothful ways?) And rode 31 miles to sula MT, southern end of the bitteroot. The next 21 miles will be a climb up to Lost Trail Pass into the Big Hole Valley--the weather forecast is for freezing temps and snow up there, so I'm waiting things out in sula. A nice man not wearing a huge cowboy hat in darby when he saw me and my bike gave me a wide-eyed "may god be with you". As a well trained methodist I automatically gave him a "and also with you" right in the midst of a breakfast crowd. Ran into two younger riders going from denver to portland sagged by their wives I felt so righteous when they saw my fully loaded trucker. I'm having fun.

Bitterroot river

June 15.

400 miles so far camped on the bank of the river rain and high wind...tomorrow on to the big hole battlefield where the surprised nez perce beat the u.s. Cavalry in 1877.

I'm in my tent watching the Bitterroot River flow by, listening to thunder. This river is high, as was the Clearwater in Idaho ... a mere 15 ft from the tent. It's beautiful and I hope it stays put for the night.

Met a ~60 year old Englishwoman in Lolo. We were just starting the journey down the Bitteroot Valley at the same time. I rode most of the day with her. She was a BritRail telecom manager (probably a five on the Enneagram, for those of you who follow these things). She would have ridden a 7000-mi bike journey around the world - but found China too intimidating. After the trip, having planned and ridden it just the way she wanted, she seems very self-sufficient and at the same time, lonely. We part trails tomorrow.

June 15. 335 mi total as of last night. Spent the last two nights in Lowell Idaho and Lolo Hot Springs. The 14-mi climb up Lolo pass yesterday was tough and at the same time I'm feeling well and glad to have cell phone reception again.

As I left Lowell, a swarm of butterflies surrounded me. Hard to believe they were once caterpillars and transformed. Beautiful.

In Lolo Hot Springs last night the bartender (*Tony* who is fifty-ish) and I got to talking. He travels about half the year. He's fascinated with Southeast asian culture - wants to go to Indiana U to study aboriginal cultures. Interesting guy.

Photo of Lowell is taken from another biker's blog - cycling to raise money for the Central Asian Institute, Greg Mortenson's charity ("Three cups of tea")

~We interrupt this blog for a message from Nancy~

I haven't heard from Dee for a few days. I surmise that:

a) there are no cell phone towers anywhere in the state of Idaho

b) he hasn't been able to charge his cell phone

c) a bear stole his Blackberry thinking it was something to eat.

b) is the most likely answer, so stay tuned....

June 12

Lewiston to Kooskia: 71 mi (225 mi total)

It is beautiful here! I'm now officially on the Transamerica Trail as evidenced by the campground concierge (*Sarge*) who wasn't surprised to see a bike with me on it.

The Clearwater River is so high it is sandbagged; the locals tell me this area has gotten more rain this year than anyone remembers.

Idaho drivers can be buttheads.

And, East of Pomeroy, a ramshackle cottage bearing a sign: "It ain't MY house that's for sale. Now leave me ALONE!"

June 11: 79 miles (154 mi total). Dayton to Lewiston.

Spent the night in the Blue Mountain Motel last night in Dayton. Couldn't find a campground the first night out!

On the way to Lewiston, I met two ladies, 65 and 71 years old, behind the handlebars of their bikes. They are also riding to DC. They call themselves "Women behind bars".

Also ran into 10 riders from Kansas City, going from Blaine to Key West to raise money for Catholic Charities. I conclude from experience that all true Catholics are daft.

june 10

Richland to Dayton, Wa 75.3 mi. Farmworkers outside Burbank cheering me as I pass them.

This is Day One of the Odyssey: Tri-Cities Washington to Washington DC. Approx. 3700 miles, 2 months.

Why I'm doing the bicycle trip

I'm doing the bicycle trip because it will be a fun adventure (!); to do a pilgrimage, and listen; to enjoy the physical world, both my body and nature, as I did when I was a boy; and to make a statement about the bicycle (perhaps the steam engine was a more important 19th century invention!) as part of our liberation from oil.