Bighorn mountains

Here's how the bighorns look...30 miles up, 103 degrees, no shade, a 4,100 foot climb from Buffalo, WY to Powder River Pass at 9,666 feet, no shade, breathtaking scenery with distant snow peaks, several liters of ice water donated by other tourists and campers, no shade, prairie dogs and deer, one flat tire, and two really tired bikers, no shade

Honestly though today was amazing. The brass ring prize for us was the 18 mile downhill ride through the Ten Sleep Canyon. OMG! Talk about feeling like a very tiny speck in a great big world...a trip through this canyon drives that home. Centuries or erosion has exposed the walls of the canyon and the US 16 road drops travelers down into the middle of it all. Oh, and there is no shade in the canyon either.

Jess may just have to splurge for the 100 SPF sunscreen when she buys her next bottle - she is currently on her fifth bottle!
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Century Ride!

We biked over 100 miles today! I am exhausted. Good night!

Wyoming

If I were a state I want to be Wyoming! It's rugged, seems larger than life and remains untamed!
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Buffalo . . . Check!

We saw hundreds of buffalo today!! While we were stopped to watch them
an entire herd crossed the road around us. In fact one particularly
large buffalo looked directly at us and seemed to decide he was not
comfortable with us. He started walking toward us slowly and grunting.
In a good decision making moment we backed up and went behind another
gawkers car when the buffalo was only about 25 feet away. Eventually
we rode off. Just over the hill were the donkeys! And the pronghorn!
And the prairie dogs! So I highly recommend the Wildlife Loop in
Custer State Park! By the time we saw another herd of buffalo in Wind
Cave National Park they were old news. Okay not really. They are
eternally cool. We also went to a woodcarving museum this morning and
a store called the Claw Antler and Hide Co and had elk burgers for
lunch. No joke! South Dakota has been fun and full of surprises. We
also passed the 3000 mile mark somewhere on a steep slope in the Black
Hills! Perhaps we have passed the halfway mark but who knows?!

Mt. Rushmore

Don't be fooled! I know they are called the Black Hills, but there are really large mountains hiding among them. One big one in particular is Mt. Rushmore! Yeah! We spent the morning biking from Rapid City up through beautiful pine forested spires to the visitor's center. One prideful mountain goat was waiting at the edge of the road to welcome us to the Park.
We also saw the Crazy Horse Memorial; the other mountain carved monument. Though it is not complete.
Today presented us with more total elevation gain than any single day of the trip to date. I don't recommend this section to people on bicycles...it's just ludicrous! But of course we are looking forward to biking more of the Black Hills tomorrow!
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Rodeo!

We heard a loudspeaker as we were leaving lunch and headed over to
check it out. The local 4-H club is having a rodeo!! We have been
watching calf roping and goat tying and cattle riding and bronco
riding and slalom with horses around poles all afternoon. This is
totally awesome!! And all done by middle school and high school age
kids and they know how to handle a horse. How would you like to put
the rodeo club on your resume? I see cowboy boots and a big belt
buckle in my future.

Badlands

The gentleman that took our picture said we are the craziest people he had ever seen! We had met him and his family in the heart of the Badlands atop a large butte overlooking miles of wind and water sculpted hills. We exchanged comments about the temperature being 100 degrees, numerous prairie dog sightings, and queries about rattle snakes.
Then he and his family climbed back in their air conditioned RV and Jess and I pedaled our way out of the park slap into the most ridiculous head wind we have experienced on this trip. I can skip the shower this week - the wind seemed to have removed all the dirt and peeled off my upper most layer of skin.
After cooling off with ice cream from Wall, home of the famous Wall Drug we made our first use of the Interstate for travel. A biking tour group informed us they used this particular section of I 90 due to very few other road options. So we took their advice and braved the big bad road. It wasn't bad. There really isn't that much traffic in SD.
All in all the Badlands were absolutely spectacular and fascinating. They are a must see for anyone vacationing near South Dakota. Next up, the Black Hills.
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Hay Field

We are truly in the Great Plains now! Yesterday we were awakened by a
cow mooing loudly at us for camping near his pasture. I am fairly
certain he was swearing profusely. The other cows came over to see
what the commotion was. They seemed to decide collectively that we
were not very interesting and moved on. Then we headed out to a real
Indian powwow. It was pretty cool! 36 tribes of Sioux danced in a big
circle in handmade costumes with beading and feathers and jingles and
bright colors. Lots of drumming and singing too. Apparently powwows
now involve judging on dancing and dress so everyone works hard to do
it up right. We talked to several Indians about the meaning and
various practices we observed. A neat cultural experience. After a
really long day of biking in hot weather today we are camped behind
some hay bales in a freshly cleared hay field. It was the only cover
for miles! You cant make this stuff up!!

World's Largest...

Haha! World,s largest pheasant! Huron, SD.
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Stormy skies

That scared the h*!! out of me! Somewhere between little-town Minnesota and yes-we-know there-is-a-town-listed-on-the-map-but-it-isn't here-anymore-ville we watched the 95 degree clear day magically transform to horrific thunder clouds. Winds began to whip around us and sent us scurrying into our meager little tent just 10 miles before the South Dakota border. It seemed that the tent was going to rip in half but the trusty shelter held up and all is now calm. When we had the courage to peek outside the sunset views were fabulous. We tried to capture the views in pictures but you really just need to be here!! Seriously.
This was the third ridiculous storm we have encountered in Minnesota. The first was a few days ago when the sky went black at 10:00AM. One would have thought an eclipse was surely taking place. From the safety of a commercial garage we barged into we watched the lightning, rain and hail. And the second storm came later that same day accompanied by lots of tornado warnings. Minnesota is all about making a statement with its weather. Can't you guys just have a little rain like everyone else!
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Daily ride

Everyday we climb on our bikes with the understanding that we will be riding between 45 and 85 miles. It is of utmost importance that we settle in and get as comfortable as possible.

Steps
1) Adjustment of hands on the handlebars: make frequent adjustments from top bar to bottom bar, turn hands in- turn hands out, forward and backwards. Do whatever is necessary to keep the index and middle finger from going numb within 10 minutes. Often this adjustment will be made every 2 to 3 minutes. Wherever the hands are if something hurts or goes numb repeat step one.

2) Adjustment on saddle/seat. Ideally you want to be comfortable here as well but in reality you are just trying to offend that region as little as possible. Really how comfortable is a fence post with a piece of cow hide stretched over it. They aren't fooling anyone with that cover up. It is still just a fence post! So when you get tired of the moving forward and backwards on your fence post, or are coming over yet another of mother natures obstacle course style hills, and have to stand up to pedal... go back to step one and readjust the hand position.

3) When everything else is positioned where you feel it needs to be, try relaxing the neck, shoulders and back. At some point in the day it occurs to you that nothing is trying to get you and you can let your guard down and relax. Try to enjoy the ride. Right about that moment a semi truck whirs by showering small pieces of road gravel all over you...you take a hand off the handlebar in a defensive move...go back to step one. After repeating steps 1, 2 and 3 and relaxing again a bumblebee the size of Manhattan with a vendetta against bikers slams into the side of your cheek. Go back and repeat steps 1,2 and 3. Minutes later you make a calculated decision to ride the rumble strip in an effort to avoid the unidentified road kill in your path. Go back and repeat steps 1, 2 and 3. After 15 more minutes in a maniacal manner you finally kill the deer fly that has been doing laps around your head. Go back and repeat steps 1, 2 and 3. Just then a gust of wind from out of where you will never know hurls your bike into oncoming traffic. You barely avoid missing the semi truck that then showers you with gravel...repeat steps 1, 2 and 3!

4) Remember this is fun!!!

Jess wanted me to add that we are camping near New London, MN!!! This IS fun!!
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Goodbye Wisconsin! Hello Minnesota!

We only spent 2 nights and 150 miles in Wisconsin. They were beautiful miles though. I will remember my time there fondly.

I realized that we haven't really told you what our daily routine is like. It can vary significantly, of course, but generally.... We wake up at 6:30 am and biking by 7:30 am. Three packets of instant oatmeal for breakfast (Quaker Oats only. We both prefer the fruit and cream flavors. We have tried other brands but they don't compare well). We take a break about every 90 minutes or so and eat a granola/trail bar or dried fruit or nuts or some combination of that stuff). We have eaten lunch in a town every day of the trip. Might be a little extravagant, but delicious and helps us get a better balance of nutrition. Also good for charging electronics and cooling off in air-conditioning.

The afternoon is much the same as the morning, except that one of the breaks often includes ice cream. Waffle cone, please! When we get tired in the evening we look for a camping spot. We have been having good luck in the last few weeks since we have been going through so much forest land with lots of little access roads that make it easy for bikers to get into the forest and away from the road. We cook dinner at the tent (aka "the bug-free zone"), write in our journals, and then we have been taking turns reading out loud from a couple of books we have with us. We had serious, reflect-on-your-life books in the first part of the trip, but have traded those in for the light and comedic voice of Bill Bryson. Once this one is done we will move onto the adventure of "Into Thin Air".

The daily routine may be broken up by various sight-seeing things we find along the way, and also mundane things such as grocery shopping and laundry. No daily target for mileage. We averaged about 40 miles a day for the first part of the trip and have bumped it up to about 60 miles per day for the last few weeks. Stronger and faster every day.

Wisconsin!

We love Wisconsin! Took us over 2,100 miles to get her by golly here we are! Beautiful scenery, mature forest land, rolling well maintained and little used roads, clear skies, and clear sailing. We are finding it relatively easy to find campsites along the road and convenient to find food and water when we need it. The folks in these parts toss around words like wolf, bear and elk much like most people talk about the weather. They have caution lights set up as you might expect to see around a high school for students crossing the street, only these say Elk crossing! Sadly we have not seen any of this wildlife but we are still vigilant.

We did have a strange sighting in Ironwood, MI where a deer was running toward us on the main street of town. Seemed he may have felt as out of his element in the center of town as we do. The towns are fun and always provide entertaining stories to talk about later, but the real joy is out on the open road!
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Christmas in July

In the last few days we swam in Lake Superior and saw some waterfalls
and biked a whole lot of miles! We went through a town called
Christmas. Someone actually lives on Mrs Claus Lane and Reindeer Run.
There are a ton to really tall and big trees in the Upper Peninsula.
Remote and crowded at the same. Havent seen any bears or moose yet
though. Always on the lookout! We plan to cross into WI later today.
Finally! We have spent 4 weeks and biked 1000 miles in MI. I lived
here for 32 years but much of what we have seen was entirely new to
me. Great to be surprised everyday!

Taking the ferry

I grew up believing the state of Michigan was shaped like a child's mitten. In reality there is an extra tag of land above the mitten called the upper peninsula. These two land masses are separated by a five mile stretch of water known as the Straits of Mackinac. In the 1950's a great bridge was built to span the Strait but to date no bicycles are permitted access.
So to thwart this inept road system, we took a ferry across the Strait stopping at Mackinaw Island. The island is a huge tourist destination due to its uniqueness. In 1901 cars and other motorized vehicles were banned. The only exceptions being the lone ambulance (no siren) and snowmobiles. Locals get around quickly and easily on bicycles. Heavy labor such as taxiing tourists, hauling building materials and UPS deliveries utilizes the services of horses. So on our exploration of the island we were swallowed up in a virtual sea of bicyclists and horses. Quite a change from our daily routine.
We ate some locally made fudge, browsed some stores, ate lunch, followed an information carriage to glean some history of the Island and it's claim to fame: the Grand Hotel!
We are currently waving goodbye to Mackinaw Island as the ferry pulls in to St. Ignace. At last we can start heading West again. Woohoo!
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Harbor Springs, MI

We are doing laundry in Harbor Springs, MI this morning. Cute, little town way up in tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. We should reach Mackinaw City later today and head over to Mackinac Island tomorrow for a day trip.

Every day I am amazed at the generosity and good-heartedness that we encounter from uncountable strangers along this ride. Some things seem little, but they add up to a lot. Yesterday I was directed to the kitchen in the back of a service station because that is where the cold water was to fill water bottles. Later, we stopped at a gas station briefly and asked for restaurant recommendations from a couple that seemed to be familiar with the area. No only did we get that, we also got wonderful recommendations for a scenic route up the coast and possible campsites along the route that were not just "designated" campsites. And then that guy (aka Dave) bought us lunch. He wrapped it all up by saying "I'm proud of you!" His sincerity was striking and heart-warming. Here we are expressing our independence, doing everything the hard way, and often getting incredulous responses. For some reason this statement from a complete stranger resonated strongly.
Thanks Dave and Joan!!

We have biked over 1600 miles!!

Independence Day!

Fully pleased with ourselves after having watched the fireworks in Cadillac last night, we were not at all concerned about encountering other July 4th festivities. Imagine our surprise when we happened upon a parade route in a town boasting the slogan 'the best 4th in the North!' Fire trucks from three townships, candy flying though the air, decorated floats, clowns, bands, dogs pulling carts, horses pulling carts, kids pulling ponies, kings and queens and princesses oh my! It was in stark contrast to the Luther logging days we stumbled into yesterday... nothing to talk about there. But little Fife Lake with kids swimming and dogs welcomed everywhere, with its strawberry short cake topped by ice cream and whipped cream was perfect.

What a great way to celebrate our country's independence and our right to express our own freedoms! I love this country!



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Fireworks!

We have been calling this an Americana tour so it would not be
complete without fireworks on Independence Day. We are sitting
lakeside in Cadillac MI waiting for the show to start in just a few
minutes. We biked over 80 miles today to get here. Hope you have a fun
and festive holiday too!!

It is not a detour if you do not have a plan

That was our philosophy when we were deciding how to get out of
Michigan. So where are we? Excellent question! No exact answer except
we decided to take the really super long way and head north up thru MI
and then across the Upper Peninsula. Adds about 600 miles to our trip!
All part of the plan to not have a plan. We stopped in Saugatuck and
took the chain ferry across the river. Saw the big red lighthouse near
Holland. Had lunch with Barb and Nelda who are two lovely women in
their 60s who have been biking together for 20 years or so! They
helped us find the bike path the Grand Haven too. We got detailed
directions from a retired UPS driver to navigate thru Muskegon. They
were perfect! Perhaps more notable is that we actually followed them
for once! Heading inland now. Biked several miles on dirt roads today
and finally flagged down a truck to ask where the nearest paved road
to anywhere was. That is a direct quote! No worries! We always have
food and water so the isolated places are fun to explore.