tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49464327460460692182024-02-20T16:50:29.355-07:00Stop Your Crying and Get on Your BikeThe Galinat's bike tour across America. Ten weeks. 65 miles a day.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-60083645874579375862014-08-16T13:32:00.000-06:002014-08-16T13:32:13.904-06:00From Sea to Shining Sea!On Sunday night, after a fun game of Let's-Make-Dinner-From-The-Convenience-Store, we did get an edible meal on Sunday night at the Dayville Presbyterian Church. That night we ended up sharing the church with a young British couple. They were touring the states for a while, then planned to head to Mexico, hopefully allowing for a stop at Burning Man later in the year. Overall, they were a lot of fun.<br />
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Monday morning we woke up really early and rolled out of the church by 6:30 to beat the heat. We climbed slowly but surely for about 30 miles, then hit a huge descent into the little town of Mitchell for second breakfast. The climb wound through old John Day fossil beds and painted rocks, making for a lovely scenic ride. The climb back out of Mitchell was considerably less fun. That one was 6-7% steep for a while. Though it started warming up on us, conditions could have been much worse. The road passed through a recent forest fire area, which had burned so hot part of the road had been melted and needed repaving.<br />
The ride down the other side required some pedaling, a free ride by no means. Nearing the end, we were all getting pretty tired. At mile 83, when we were a mere two miles out of our Prineville destination, we saw a car pulled over on the side of the road flagging us down. The owner of the car introduced himself as Walt. Apparently he had hosted other cyclists at his house over the years and was offering to let us spend the night with him and his wife. Dad was quick to accept this offer, so we turned around and rode the two miles East to his house. Mom and I were a little hesitant about agreeing to stay with this guy, not knowing what to expect and being completely out of food. Once we arrived though, all of that changed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Walt, Pat, Manny, Moo, and Tiger</td></tr>
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Walt and his wife Pat were a great couple, no strangers to cycle touring, nordic skiing, and scuba diving. Both were retired teachers, and Walt had taught 9th and 12th grade English classes. Convenient for Shelby and I. They were the most gracious hosts. They and their three dogs welcomed us into their home, let us sleep in their basement, and made us some delicious chicken and corn for supper. It was real food. Walt also had a fairly extensive banjo collection, and was pretty good on the guitar, so the rest of the night was full of old-timey music and song. The total for the day was 86 miles, and we slept soundly in the cold basement, away from the stormy night.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got rained on again.</td></tr>
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Though the morning looked clear, the radar showed some storms approaching. We got up and headed out hoping to beat the rain at least to the town of Sisters. We were only 2 miles from town when the skies opened up. By the time we made it to a restaurant, we were soaked. Just as we started attempting to dry off, a waitress came outside and told us we couldn't eat there because it was a bar and Shelby and I were minors. So we had to brave the rain one more time to find another restaurant that would put up with us. By the time we had finished eating, we were shaking from sitting in cold wet clothes, so we headed to the laundromat to dry out and warm up. During the entire time we were at the laundromat, the rain stopped and the sun came out. When we were finally finished and ready to head up McKenzie Pass, the rain started again. This time it didn't look like it would stop, so we pulled into the first hotel we saw and got a room for the night. The day ended up being only 45 miles. It rained through the night.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On top of McKenzie Pass.</td></tr>
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On Wednesday morning when the alarm went off, Mom and Dad checked the weather and determined that rain was inevitable and climbing & descending over the Cascades in the rain would be irresponsible and dangerous. Shelby and I finally woke up on our own to realize that no one was moving and were told that it would be a rest day. It was disappointing to hear that so close to the finish line. We weren't exactly thrilled. To add some salt to the wound, it did not rain in town until evening.<br />
The day was saved by a visit from our friend Scott Mizee from Portland. He was in Bend on business and stopped by to have lunch and catch up with us. The day wasn't completely wasted that way. He also informed us that it had been raining on top of the pass, which made the decision to stay a bit more reasonable.<br />
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Thursday we woke up to really cloudy skies and 100% humidity in Sisters. We rode up the pass, gaining about 2,000 feet of elevation. McKenzie Pass is the old back highway over the Cascade mountains, so it was virtually empty. It was also the scenic route, ending at the top with winding roads through lava fields. Typically one would have a great view of the mountains from the top, but it started raining on us at the top. We put on all of our warm clothes and prepared for a freezing descent. Our hands and toes were going numb, the road was slick with water, and the corners were tighter than we've seen all trip long. It was good that cars don't typically take McKenzie Pass, because there was no shoulder available, and the turns were so tight we were way out in the middle of the road on the way down.<br />
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McKenzie dropped us down about 4,500 feet from the top, thankfully warming up the farther we went. The road started getting loud as we rode on towards Eugene and the coast. Our day was longer than we expected, putting us at 108 miles to get to a campground on the west side of Eugene. All we could find for breakfast on the way were some convenience store peaches, so we picked those up on the way. When we arrived there, Mrs. Kuklinski, a wonderful family friend and our Boise transport, flagged us down and welcomed us in. We all went to bed pretty quick, exhausted from a long day.<br />
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Friday we hoped would be our final day of the tour. We hurried to pack and eat our peach so we could get to a town with real food as soon as possible. Bike tourists are always hungry. Apparently, my peach wasn't very good, because my stomach rejected it an hour later. Dad started getting worried that I either had the flu or food poisoning and wouldn't be able to ride. I was afraid that he would put me in the car for the last 60 miles to the coast just so he could finish the ride. Thankfully, after that one system reset, I was good to go. So we took one more bike ride for the trip.<br />
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Around noon, we made it to Florence, Oregon. A truly momentous occasion. Our next order of business was to head to Mo's for some clam chowder on the coast, then to the beach for a tire dipping. The beach was more fun than we expected. It was finally real. It's fun to stand in the Pacific Ocean and tell the world that you just rode your bike there from Maine. We rode our bikes right into the water. Sea to shining sea.<br />
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We didn't get around to leaving the coast until about 3pm Pacific Time. Sadly the 9 hour drive took longer than we hoped, and we didn't get home until 4:30am. We drove almost all night and dragged Mrs. K through it, so we're all extraordinary thankful that she puts up with us. She's the definition of a great friend.<br />
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Now, we're home in Boise, safe in our own house with our dogs again. It's going to be a bit strange trying to transition back to normal life. Whether its getting back into work and school, time apart from family, or even just trying to eat less as we exercise less, it's a lot different.<br />
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If it did anything, this trip allowed us time together, uninterrupted. Even if we got on each others nerves every once in a while, being forced to be together was a good thing. We spend so much time in separate lives, especially now, that this trip was important for us. All I can say now is that I have an awesome family. We made it.<br />
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Thanks to all for following our adventure!<br />
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Love,<br />
The Galinats<br />
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For the statistic nerds in our lives (we know you're out there), here's some info on how far we went, how many times we camped, how many times people crashed, what songs we sang, etc: <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gocdEbBmxD_b1-53Fh3KdPuPr8uOcwxzlR6vxljxOvM/edit#gid=0">Statistics </a>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-46010277024508166722014-08-10T20:38:00.000-06:002014-08-10T21:05:46.470-06:00Smoking HotFriday morning we tried to pack up early to get out of Hells Canyon before it got too hot. Unfortunately leaving a canyon means a whole lot of climbing, and we definitely did our fair share of it that day. It was pretty desolate country for a while. Lots of sagebrush.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Darin and the PBR.</td></tr>
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We were following the old Oregon Trail route for a while. I think we all agree that being on the wagon train through that stretch of country would be no fun whatsoever. The ride was difficult.<br />
At one point we were riding along, uphill of course, when a car rolls up really slow beside us. Then we all see some lady handing a PBR to my dad. He takes it and asks, "Is it open?"<br />
"Put it in your pocket!" comes the response from the vehicle.<br />
"Darin! My buddy!" says dad, and we all ride up to meet the car and chat with Dad's co-worker who was traveling with his family for a vacation. It was great to see someone from home. We're finally feeling close. Later in the day, only 10 miles from Baker, we had to break out the emergency backup suckers for some sugar power the rest of the way.<br />
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Once we made it to Baker we rode to Albertsons, which was also a wonderful thing to see, which conveniently had a clinic with a PA who could take out Mom's stitches. Overall this was a pretty difficult day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rceQqe6_6-pbOYfxBvKPfKwVavoSge0sjTihkMCu3AQcTiilUZ658vxvhpzbzmyYU5RsLPjLM1NRVvqM2UchIgzz692bvKtcuk4nVQnCD9pM6vkR_xQqJmK244ajqAdmQf8n6UYl6yVw/s1600/IMG_1483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rceQqe6_6-pbOYfxBvKPfKwVavoSge0sjTihkMCu3AQcTiilUZ658vxvhpzbzmyYU5RsLPjLM1NRVvqM2UchIgzz692bvKtcuk4nVQnCD9pM6vkR_xQqJmK244ajqAdmQf8n6UYl6yVw/s1600/IMG_1483.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lollipop lollipop.</td></tr>
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Saturday we got a bit of a late start as it was so cold in the morning. We had a lot more climbing to do that day, over three different passes, one right after the other. Thankfully there was a little restaurant after the second climb to refuel at with some blackberry cobbler and ice cream. We rode 70 miles into Prairie City that day, where the air was pretty smoky from all of the forest fires nearby.<br />
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This morning was all downhill, a nice break from the climbs the past couple days. By the time we finished the 45 miles to Dayville, it was a little after noon and really starting to warm up. Ahead of us all we had to look forward to was a ton of climbing. So, we decided to take an easy day and hang out in town. We found free cyclist lodging in the local Presbyterian church. They're letting us sleep in the sanctuary and use their full kitchen, shower, and laundry, so staying here didn't take much convincing. We spent part of the afternoon playing a rousing game of Bible Trivia. Mom won.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78CDSbvKt5-07KIck4oyNhpHh58D0x4AbnCNnhbQW09OjzWFsmTeKZ5qBdE7xczmMnzBCE-sriyBkm_hjV0jRcPB9CF26HwpuT9HWhOxVqDeQbHMiNkADXZ0hUYBdJLh1OMOIl6dEBHbK/s1600/IMG_1499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78CDSbvKt5-07KIck4oyNhpHh58D0x4AbnCNnhbQW09OjzWFsmTeKZ5qBdE7xczmMnzBCE-sriyBkm_hjV0jRcPB9CF26HwpuT9HWhOxVqDeQbHMiNkADXZ0hUYBdJLh1OMOIl6dEBHbK/s1600/IMG_1499.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelby's view.</td></tr>
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Tomorrow we have to climb not only the giant pass we skipped today but another one just like it. Each is about 3,000 feet of elevation gain. The good news is that we are still ahead of schedule and hope to be back a day early.<br />
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Roadkill Report: Bird, Deer, Bird, Bird, Snake, Deer, Raccoon, Bird, Bird, Deer, Bird, Bird, Bird, Bambi, Bird<br />
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Money Found: $1.00Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-65612851081780367692014-08-08T07:39:00.001-06:002014-08-08T07:39:54.052-06:00Take Me Back To Idaho<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO0SMVK-ple2IpY2phIi1mDOr1tB21BnBBYegQNrF1TU4RBqK3lKiOm4YaV9yp5JLCLyn1frTZ25CnxH1VYyd3PH3KXdP7AgavLMtPhbk4Y3zRq0cYU4BszNpCTsGO8gnHNvnW8a64oxhV/s1600/IMG_1409.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></div>
Monday was our biggest day yet. After leaving the campground at Lolo with the square dancing folks, we headed up Lolo Pass. The climb wasn't bad because we did it early in the morning. Highlights of the climb include riding right past a bull moose laying in the dirt with only one antler left, and Dad finding $5 in the bushes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CkdidVMU3jjPZz7vf_MwUOQWW-u9vB75U4W890dHVArnuLFHXDEomU99IWa1LYABNz25RRYImjo_kc40zpUlMCkFUJ0KvDYTQwMZnA5WdxPiltmcH0QrSfihvgvyzieysLAl5OVSkVX5/s1600/IMG_1413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CkdidVMU3jjPZz7vf_MwUOQWW-u9vB75U4W890dHVArnuLFHXDEomU99IWa1LYABNz25RRYImjo_kc40zpUlMCkFUJ0KvDYTQwMZnA5WdxPiltmcH0QrSfihvgvyzieysLAl5OVSkVX5/s1600/IMG_1413.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooling off in the Lochsa.</td></tr>
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At the top we crossed into the best state ever, Idaho. It was also the continental divide, but the fact that we hit Idaho was probably more exciting. After crossing the pass, we had a huge descent. The first part was steep, taking us to the beautiful Lochsa Lodge. Though we considered staying there, it was only lunchtime and 43 miles into a day upon our arrival. So, we decided to continue riding, even though it would be 60+ miles to the next campground.<br />
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The good news was the ride was slightly downhill the whole way, dropping us to about 1500 feet from 5200 at the top of Lolo. It definitely warmed up as we lost elevation, but the ride wound on a beautiful road along the Lochsa River, which gave us a couple of opportunities to get in and cool off in the water.<br />
Our total mileage for the day was a whopping 109. This was the first century ride ever for Mom, Shelby, and myself. We pulled in to Three Rivers Resort later than usual that evening.<br />
After dinner we talked to the lady across from our campsite about our trip, answering the typical questions. As we talked, we found out that she was from Boise. Later, when her husband and 3 boys pulled up from their fishing trip, I realized she was married to my thumb therapist. Now we were really feeling close to home.<br />
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Tuesday we paid for our downhill day with a lot of uphill. Right out of Kooskia we hit a road called "Lamb's Grade" that we took to Grangeville. This road would have more appropriately been named "Lamb to the Slaughter" or even "Satan's Switchbacks". The gentle idea the word "lamb" brings to mind was entirely incorrect. For a while we were climbing at at steady 10-13% grade in worse heat than we've experienced in a while. We were thankful for the few "flat" sections of only 5%.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdCqzzGaEC8GybvEShXHpexNim1aME1WMzMKVFduXXMKl20kU7p7ceqBTV-Sl5yJOMj8hB7zrOjVwdKcVZ2IHubF3omqy4aoGJYyvZyo6Vu8iYmWp4m3a22e0UYotQcgb8YgExfQAZAT1/s1600/IMG_1429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdCqzzGaEC8GybvEShXHpexNim1aME1WMzMKVFduXXMKl20kU7p7ceqBTV-Sl5yJOMj8hB7zrOjVwdKcVZ2IHubF3omqy4aoGJYyvZyo6Vu8iYmWp4m3a22e0UYotQcgb8YgExfQAZAT1/s1600/IMG_1429.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad's so concerned he takes my picture.</td></tr>
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I must have tried to climb this hill a little too hard because after an especially steep section, I stopped and tried to catch my breath. Apparently I couldn't catch it, because after a minute, my brain went a little fuzzy and then my world went black. I woke up on the ground and in the weeds to Shelby seeming concerned and Dad taking pictures.<br />
After my little fainting episode, none of us were willing to risk biking up the hill anymore. We were gaining elevation fast. Dad tried to ride a little more, but eventually we all gave up and pushed our bikes the rest of the way.<br />
Once in Grangeville, we paid the Taco John's people a lot of money for food and cold drinks. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKeOp7kcRjPKlPqJkQr7Kf_J0_Z0zIsCRSIQk-EJnYZLvrC4eEzhUeEckGEz07HI3T_d4-d30qDYuDlCj-PhZi5u974_MgdmAKsRE0fj7vziygfX_oQjefKd60jux3piX5_hI0ucy7kdj3/s1600/IMG_1433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKeOp7kcRjPKlPqJkQr7Kf_J0_Z0zIsCRSIQk-EJnYZLvrC4eEzhUeEckGEz07HI3T_d4-d30qDYuDlCj-PhZi5u974_MgdmAKsRE0fj7vziygfX_oQjefKd60jux3piX5_hI0ucy7kdj3/s1600/IMG_1433.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pushing Lamb's Grade</td></tr>
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The rest of the way up Whitebird hill was easy compared to Lamb's Grade. It was even shaded on the way up. Down was a bit frightening. Switchbacks on the old road, while free of traffic, are tight and difficult to safely maneuver on heavy bikes. Our hands hurt pretty bad from riding the brakes when we finally got to town. We stayed in an RV park right on the Salmon River that night. The water we SteriPen-ed from the river tasted better than the well water the park provided. We are happy to be back where the rivers run clear, not like the muddy ones out in the midwest. It was 70 miles that day.<br />
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Wednesday we rode to New Meadows, once again pretty uphill on a fairly busy road, which wasn't ideal. We made a pit stop at the fruit stand that sits 5 miles outside of Riggins. We bought some peaches and berries, then an entire huckleberry pie. We sat down in the back of the fruit stand and ate the whole thing for second breakfast. Best purchase<br />
of the entire trip.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1Emc1TytzyYtY2rKhN35fKaHngt3ddGaluhY6hb5oMLgQlFf8O9HbPd9DG3Ymxw1zpZ1yk9EsFUFJaDA9BPYIZlD7XhvbZhnzXYEYSUtR5ZDS7A83mrg9gLg_Mus9kaqD8yfoOpHQIs4/s1600/IMG_1447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1Emc1TytzyYtY2rKhN35fKaHngt3ddGaluhY6hb5oMLgQlFf8O9HbPd9DG3Ymxw1zpZ1yk9EsFUFJaDA9BPYIZlD7XhvbZhnzXYEYSUtR5ZDS7A83mrg9gLg_Mus9kaqD8yfoOpHQIs4/s1600/IMG_1447.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom used the toilet on the back of the van...</td></tr>
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As we approached New Meadows, we thought about staying at Zim's hot springs. Calling there and a hotel in town, we realized we could head to town and sleep inside for only 5 extra dollars. Given my parents' experience at Zim's 20 years ago (something about loud neighbors playing and singing "Brown Eyed Girl" over and over until 2am...), we headed to town. It was 62 miles.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEmTIlL9e1PBSvqvb7K5ayB_1rbuADC_7OUyYTzA1YZSt1X2Ke32M-ccctwvXxsum8S3sxPCr7wQRzthRgT5CUB3bNRrt1y0028v6DkaoZVOwfbOfUw98UYBkFGLuBZ2jazGMZ9eG0Sto/s1600/IMG_1449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEmTIlL9e1PBSvqvb7K5ayB_1rbuADC_7OUyYTzA1YZSt1X2Ke32M-ccctwvXxsum8S3sxPCr7wQRzthRgT5CUB3bNRrt1y0028v6DkaoZVOwfbOfUw98UYBkFGLuBZ2jazGMZ9eG0Sto/s1600/IMG_1449.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hells Canyon.</td></tr>
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Today we thankfully got some downhill in the morning out of New Meadows. It was heating up again today as we climbed up a 4100 ft pass, then descended into Hells Canyon. It is appropriately named. Sure is hot down here. The road had an awesome view along the Snake River through the afternoon.<br />
We crossed the Snake into Oregon today, a truly momentous occasion. The Oregon Sign we snuck onto Mom's trailer made it the whole way as well. We're in Oxbow at an Idaho Power campground, a random oasis in the middle of this desert, 87 miles from New Meadows.Tomorrow we plan to get up early to climb out of the canyon.<br />
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Roadkill Report: Bird, Bird, Deer, Snake, Deer, Bird, Chipmunk, Bird, Bird, Bird, Deer, Raccoon, Bird, Raccoon, Deer, Bird, Bird, Bird<br />
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Money Found: $5.56Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-6667727403347193532014-08-03T21:19:00.000-06:002014-08-03T21:21:07.965-06:00Stitches, Stingers, and a Sag Wagon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wednesday morning we woke up to a cold and rainy day in West Yellowstone. The fog was thick and our rain fly was soaked. So naturally we stayed in bed a while waiting for it to warm up, which it never really did, but we enjoyed sleeping in. Once we went a few miles the fog cleared and we enjoyed a great ride along the Madison River. Late in the morning we went by Earthquake Lake, formed in 1951 by an earthquake (surprise) that caused a landslide into the river. On the day of the earthquake there were lots of vacationers camping along the river, and 28 of them died from drowning or simply being crushed by falling rocks. Suffice it to say, none of us are willing to camp along the side of the Madison River anytime soon.<br />
At the Earthquake Lake visitor center, we met Davida, a guy who had biked cross-country a few years ago and was now riding from Yellowstone up to Glacier. We rode with him the rest of the way that day, letting him get on the drafting train we had going.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVE5PEvggiSDUMeWIiCfK8nV5noO797H112eXOqTZedyIjskPLz877NA8kabKnVLMaREWrzSTEqJ1ygexqoTvlA98Al2AQspVNQoiMa_aJAadeb5UhSv5fn0S51HetAZcEENblXLhMHBmk/s1600/Mom+hospital.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVE5PEvggiSDUMeWIiCfK8nV5noO797H112eXOqTZedyIjskPLz877NA8kabKnVLMaREWrzSTEqJ1ygexqoTvlA98Al2AQspVNQoiMa_aJAadeb5UhSv5fn0S51HetAZcEENblXLhMHBmk/s1600/Mom+hospital.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy in the hospital.</td></tr>
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On the road later in the day the shoulder turned into only a rumble strip. Our options were to ride on the busy road or to squeeze onto the shoulder opposite the rumble strip onto about a foot of pavement. It was a real challenge to stay straight on the smooth pavement, and all of us hit the rumble strip a few times during the day.<br />
About 11 miles from our stopping point for the day, we were cruising right along, all of us feeling great and ready to go further once we reached Ennis at 73 miles. Moving along, I heard a pop and felt my pannier go flying off my bag and land in the road. We heard both Davida and my mother swear, then a scrape and Mom hit the ground, unable to avoid the the bag in the middle of the tiny shoulder. Right away we could tell her arm was cut enough to need stitches. Dad sent me to the side of the road to stick my thumb out for the next truck. The first one we saw hit the brakes immediately and stopped to ask if we needed to go to the hospital.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJIApYRikUYL5Kp5sB86fpYe2cThcvqRqw7UtfY1OG-CGo4qzZ2tRlqC2Ychiob6OAFXXunRQ5YH_a6M18aSLXuf-nW_NBMjVTwzbKRWJ0aAx9VXbe9nm_VciMIQgAtA2ar1jAK_vo-TFp/s1600/IMG_1378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJIApYRikUYL5Kp5sB86fpYe2cThcvqRqw7UtfY1OG-CGo4qzZ2tRlqC2Ychiob6OAFXXunRQ5YH_a6M18aSLXuf-nW_NBMjVTwzbKRWJ0aAx9VXbe9nm_VciMIQgAtA2ar1jAK_vo-TFp/s1600/IMG_1378.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom on ice.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So we sent Mom and her bike with the two construction guys in their truck, planning to pick her up at the local clinic in Ennis. Dad really pushed the pace into Ennis, clearly a little panicked. Davida trailed with us all the way to the clinic on the far side of town. When we arrived, Mom was being well taken care of by the doctor and happy with some morphine in her system. Dad took us to a hotel across the street, where we booked a room while we waited for mom to be sewn back together.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5G1A7o4ZmmKqPpNuJZ2AxB3Zk6AdLuBvsBdpUeRGzGQ9A06U2y7hZN0FbSAttIa_Jjs3epNastVEA_9TzBfHNAcyT2dTc0QEOC2OeHUvgndbFPzidgYbbglJPdzNTFPPbd1F5a9R7T0il/s1600/IMG_1381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5G1A7o4ZmmKqPpNuJZ2AxB3Zk6AdLuBvsBdpUeRGzGQ9A06U2y7hZN0FbSAttIa_Jjs3epNastVEA_9TzBfHNAcyT2dTc0QEOC2OeHUvgndbFPzidgYbbglJPdzNTFPPbd1F5a9R7T0il/s1600/IMG_1381.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Davida at Bike Camp.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We weren't sure how Mom would feel the next morning, so we slept in again to try to get extra healing time. She said she would just follow her motto, "Suck it Up", so off we went to climb a little pass right away in the morning. Her arm didn't hurt terribly bad on the way up, but the descent into Virginia City was bumpy and apparently really painful. Mom is typically pretty tough and has a high tolerance for pain, so when we met her in town and she was in tears, we knew it must have been pretty bad. We spent some time in Virginia City, an old preserved mining town with a high tourist population. Our plans for 65 miles were cut to only 43, stopping in Twin Bridges to give Mom some more time to rest.<br />
Twin Bridges was a nice stop. The town has invested in "Bike Camp". They have a shelter built there for cycle tourists only, complete with a toilet and shower, all free of charge.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9hrn_y3z4_ApUo4xZ6YvNS8Fm-o6wJhFRezeIFZ54GXFosbExxMXDISdqOwIHGpmN91OqsHeYMnXjUEONadk8W4kcQoiQs_e8pN9GdUE8e25jmUq2LrlXuTPTe-1uyWg0KBgTwFeRRyk0/s1600/IMG_1379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9hrn_y3z4_ApUo4xZ6YvNS8Fm-o6wJhFRezeIFZ54GXFosbExxMXDISdqOwIHGpmN91OqsHeYMnXjUEONadk8W4kcQoiQs_e8pN9GdUE8e25jmUq2LrlXuTPTe-1uyWg0KBgTwFeRRyk0/s1600/IMG_1379.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Davida was spending the night there too, so we got to talk to him some more. It was also Mom and Dad's 21st wedding anniversary, so we had anniversary dinner out at "The Shack". They at least had good ice cream. We bought Mom a big bag of ice for her arm.<br />
<br />
Friday we got up and kept pushing on. Mom's arm was really killing her, and the road to Dillon, MT, was bumpy to say the least. When we arrived at the Safeway in town for our traditional 10am coffee and donuts, Mom was in tears again and unable to ride any further. In a bit of a panic, we ran through the options: taking a day off, hitching a ride, putting Mom on the tandem where she could ride one handed, or calling a friend from Boise to drive her around. I do apologize to all of those that we called hoping they could drive up here with our car the 5 and a half hours from Boise. Eventually Dad got the brilliant idea of calling the local car rental, however small it was, and inquiring about one-way rentals. Turns out one-ways were allowed, but there was a two-dollar-per-mile charge to go pick it up.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGcEuxf3DltPoYglduuFSkrao1gkYJJQs8KRGkMNTd1h-Kx6CChi10iid-YmYkt9ULcsA9nsGCPprBEbPAwWfVMKEs64sJPxN-Y2-RmyrcjjmbsZm3fg0oiV6T5xGkRm9OqjkEerpgd9F_/s1600/IMG_1385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGcEuxf3DltPoYglduuFSkrao1gkYJJQs8KRGkMNTd1h-Kx6CChi10iid-YmYkt9ULcsA9nsGCPprBEbPAwWfVMKEs64sJPxN-Y2-RmyrcjjmbsZm3fg0oiV6T5xGkRm9OqjkEerpgd9F_/s1600/IMG_1385.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Car love.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The rental was decided on, and although expensive, it saved some poor friend the inconvenience of having to rescue us in Montana. We figure it was just a test of friendship by asking for a bailout from Boise.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09FpAPe45VDWTpJBpUaG267Y4XqWahd-1ffUNlgRy2Hv07wjbPVVvZOOMF0d-aKR1KMRHhA-ukAGxU7GAu4NBQuYSiWNy857cKL9dN4WSE5P2ZK98Uq90tkiFLTweYiEeJG2fRCAgfO1f/s1600/IMG_1388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09FpAPe45VDWTpJBpUaG267Y4XqWahd-1ffUNlgRy2Hv07wjbPVVvZOOMF0d-aKR1KMRHhA-ukAGxU7GAu4NBQuYSiWNy857cKL9dN4WSE5P2ZK98Uq90tkiFLTweYiEeJG2fRCAgfO1f/s1600/IMG_1388.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
So, Mom drove our official sag wagon over a bunch of mountains for the next two days. With her in the car, we did 76 miles to Jackson, climbing both Beaverhead Pass and Big Hole Pass. In Jackson, we camped outside the only lodge in town. Turns out that lodge was full for a wedding taking place the following day. The lodge is home to a hot spring-fed pool, a boiling 103 degrees. The pool felt nice later in the evening, when it cooled off and started raining a bit. That night, the wedding party enjoyed live and loud music in the lodge, which was heard all the night long until 2am.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZjv3_HsHrEok-zkB4LWAUTCTy0-RN6RNhhCFcklxYsDuNd6Rs3EssoJpHkmUTTe2xfhXROP9dos6IdNjF_kI70WP2McIxZ4q_4Q7be6fWcHdx9RJf_nJ53DLfZlmszhymoSoBQJyhCj6/s1600/IMG_1394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZjv3_HsHrEok-zkB4LWAUTCTy0-RN6RNhhCFcklxYsDuNd6Rs3EssoJpHkmUTTe2xfhXROP9dos6IdNjF_kI70WP2McIxZ4q_4Q7be6fWcHdx9RJf_nJ53DLfZlmszhymoSoBQJyhCj6/s1600/IMG_1394.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
Sunday we still had the sag with us as we rode past Big Hole Battlefield, where the Nez Perce and Chief Joseph were attacked by the US army. Later in the day we climbed up Chief Joseph Pass, then had the joy of descending a few thousand feet. At the top of Chief Joseph we crossed the continental divide, but the route had us come down on the east side of the divide. So basically, we get to cross it twice. We stayed the night in Darby at a nice RV park after 76 miles. There I drove the car to the store to get ice cream. It was a great feeling to be moving without effort for once. That night, we left "the car" there. Sniff.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcIGwxHtpwrKR0CeXKM7J7E3rn0XRSOUJszDInKLbBMHVawl0Zn7et0R0YAr2A-W_wrB-RgEIsryivyoR0YPwSSUv2ez9zWTpelyynrFGUQ7DfMoh_SubtNz_rdcro-C8KgBPSL-bHg-7/s1600/IMG_1399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcIGwxHtpwrKR0CeXKM7J7E3rn0XRSOUJszDInKLbBMHVawl0Zn7et0R0YAr2A-W_wrB-RgEIsryivyoR0YPwSSUv2ez9zWTpelyynrFGUQ7DfMoh_SubtNz_rdcro-C8KgBPSL-bHg-7/s1600/IMG_1399.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right on the lip!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This morning we rode to Lolo, right at the bottom of Lolo Pass which we will get to climb tomorrow. Early on our way this morning Dad was talking up a storm. As usual. This time, however, his mouth got the better of him. A bee flew into his mouth and stung him right on the lip. We were remembering the VeggieTales song "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF-XYBVwR5Q">I Love My Lips</a>!" with "That kid named Oscar who got stung by a bee, right on the lip!". His top lip is a little swollen now.<br />
Later we saw our friends the Johnsons out on the road driving back to Boise from their big summer trip. They stopped on the side of the road and talked to us for a while. Mom's arm still hurts a bit, so we stopped early at only 57 miles today.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjaSHJmp6ke05Rb-LwyB6fZ-301iy1RlsHaadiBM-q3LAggrSWCh51VcGYGJAwxG2nGSwBmidqB2XdI1OUZ-bwX7cOQ6St-ps3Sbb-yy_MmIZAwO0oxE50xfUTASi9-0lIi8nVfoiQSaK/s1600/IMG_1401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjaSHJmp6ke05Rb-LwyB6fZ-301iy1RlsHaadiBM-q3LAggrSWCh51VcGYGJAwxG2nGSwBmidqB2XdI1OUZ-bwX7cOQ6St-ps3Sbb-yy_MmIZAwO0oxE50xfUTASi9-0lIi8nVfoiQSaK/s1600/IMG_1401.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Harrison of many jobs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We also met a guy today who is biking from Alaska to Florida. He's a filmmaker/tourguide/audience commander for The Price is Right. Interesting fella.<br />
Now we are at an RV park that doubles as a square dance hall. We're currently sitting right next to the hall, enjoying the free snacks, and watching a bunch of elderly couples square dance. They are all really good and in really awesome costumes and having a lot of fun. It's an entertaining atmosphere.<br />
<br />Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-80035579477949913162014-07-29T20:47:00.001-06:002014-07-29T20:57:52.657-06:00One Sleep, Ten Sleep, Bad Sleep, Good Sleep<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc89O9aOC9Z85BfazML8WQOHK2WHT6SS709CWdkUOB0-j2LJ20vECZ8faXQpcCxHNaL5pWzUstX-gY2aWVE4IiaFvj6ZOM3nWkSbVFwi79kKRO6T_Oj4_C7ufeaV_4AnGNaqUgyxSYLBLN/s1600/IMG_1267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc89O9aOC9Z85BfazML8WQOHK2WHT6SS709CWdkUOB0-j2LJ20vECZ8faXQpcCxHNaL5pWzUstX-gY2aWVE4IiaFvj6ZOM3nWkSbVFwi79kKRO6T_Oj4_C7ufeaV_4AnGNaqUgyxSYLBLN/s1600/IMG_1267.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWP5c4PVZSNdTpMoPJsgy_Dh3JLXWODD-qyz5jezlMXEzNJcbtThZpMAUfLDtCENJsXRBjToMbFYWv1KiHXFE0kfEBSRIu32eJd7rgvKjIe_QkJRWPRtxdhbu16NW4MiG5pGHjIj7AWcfo/s1600/IMG_1246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWP5c4PVZSNdTpMoPJsgy_Dh3JLXWODD-qyz5jezlMXEzNJcbtThZpMAUfLDtCENJsXRBjToMbFYWv1KiHXFE0kfEBSRIu32eJd7rgvKjIe_QkJRWPRtxdhbu16NW4MiG5pGHjIj7AWcfo/s1600/IMG_1246.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's on wheels!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friday we left Buffalo and immediately hit the mountains.
That day, we climbed 7,000 feet, a new record from our 6,000 vertical feet days
in the East. The climb was long and steady, with about 5% grades to the top. We
ate “lunch” on the side of the road on the way up. We’re getting really good at having lunch while sitting on the ground. Powder River Pass was at 9,666 feet, our highest point
yet. While on the Buffalo side we had some ups and down, once on the other side
it was straight down at 6%. The ride into the town of Ten Sleep was a great
cruise, our prettiest ride yet through the gorge. Luckily we found a little ski
resort/lodge thing and had some 3:30 burgers on the way down. We were
officially back in the mountains of the West, and very happy to be there. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQ4y_0d91a2-c2nQmAybebjA5rt6yzCeU20z1rVPZJA7qltcgm8FoFSwaUHXBG2fkkwXJro9Z79a8tVLtr6aAe5a3oUTRY2jXCUX4q5oGpZRnUAGCybMulSZjEzLeFZJyogacY-y_yyEA/s1600/IMG_1271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQ4y_0d91a2-c2nQmAybebjA5rt6yzCeU20z1rVPZJA7qltcgm8FoFSwaUHXBG2fkkwXJro9Z79a8tVLtr6aAe5a3oUTRY2jXCUX4q5oGpZRnUAGCybMulSZjEzLeFZJyogacY-y_yyEA/s1600/IMG_1271.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRW9M9ReJlF6WRC8LF-nDeXk4KzjlCHvBNaIl38zOR_Y75umI45lQZx8R3_djKOstJLa1Wi-7kzIbWmgONbq6GraVhqZU8b8yuYiRY_f5Vm8x9jLgm27Ops5i0WQik0KjfbuOHmqL33tp/s1600/IMG_1281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRW9M9ReJlF6WRC8LF-nDeXk4KzjlCHvBNaIl38zOR_Y75umI45lQZx8R3_djKOstJLa1Wi-7kzIbWmgONbq6GraVhqZU8b8yuYiRY_f5Vm8x9jLgm27Ops5i0WQik0KjfbuOHmqL33tp/s1600/IMG_1281.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Once in Ten Sleep, it was roasting, but thankfully the tiny
town had its own public splash pad to cool off in. Supper was really just some
ice cream and pie in the town café. We did learn that the town of Ten Sleep got
its name from the Native American tribes who lived in the area. The town
was “ten sleeps” from Casper and ten more sleeps to Bridger. We stayed at this RV park run by a
cowboy who was housing a lot of other rodeo people and a group of people with a
lot of mules. The cowboy also had a small bear of a dog. Lots of fun creatures
there. It was 65 miles that day.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pX8Ug8v79gv4kuVyURbUlrDWemSD7de6BJtie0wBFW685opfU5jmbxXzKRqOp4CG6B44xtz-YHU3MGPPgUjuLplI7Aaa8emj6PdWxg85ytqOWe9WwrudJc02a_yipe25qy4Asea9LJtA/s1600/IMG_1290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pX8Ug8v79gv4kuVyURbUlrDWemSD7de6BJtie0wBFW685opfU5jmbxXzKRqOp4CG6B44xtz-YHU3MGPPgUjuLplI7Aaa8emj6PdWxg85ytqOWe9WwrudJc02a_yipe25qy4Asea9LJtA/s1600/IMG_1290.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snacks on the side of the road.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day we rode to the town of Greybull, 66 miles
total. We were definitely riding through the desert, seeing a bunch of cacti
and painted rock. We reached our first fruit stand of the tour that day and stocked
up on fresh food. Our ride was ultimately somewhat boring that day, but we
stayed the night in the Antler Inn to reminisce our trip to South Dakota and
stay there a few years back. The town hasn’t changed since then, in case
anybody was wondering. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day we rode from Greybull to Cody, another boring
day of desert, but we could see the mountains approaching. In Cody we had a lot
of food at Taco Johns, then went on our way to an RV park about 10 more miles
down the road in order to be closer to the park. It was 73 miles that day. By
the time we got there, we had a huge tailwind, and some of us wanted to keep
going, but like last time, Mother got her way and we stayed where we were. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That night we met a couple of other guys from Madison, WI,
who were biking from there to Salt Lake City. They had just graduated from
college and have been nicknamed “The Arabians” for their supposedly cooling
head scarves, lack of helmets, and sandals. They continued down the road from
us, so we were the only tent at the RV park that night. Or so we thought. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7WRLGMHEx0w_IRqBoOZjVWNGOWyS_VRq-CyrsJrHZa1GWWt25WctDxBXtTZSaE-i12yAwjAmBgxyB1JXGuiiUIaF0m1426SZZZjLTYtsvHz9QFwBhqLEw_lCNlLDIcAedS6nBWIXfzIqQ/s1600/IMG_1307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7WRLGMHEx0w_IRqBoOZjVWNGOWyS_VRq-CyrsJrHZa1GWWt25WctDxBXtTZSaE-i12yAwjAmBgxyB1JXGuiiUIaF0m1426SZZZjLTYtsvHz9QFwBhqLEw_lCNlLDIcAedS6nBWIXfzIqQ/s1600/IMG_1307.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grumpy with the Oreo Express back there.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At approximately 1:30AM, a big black church-camp looking van
pulled up next to us and started setting up camp. More and more people kept
getting out of the van and attempting to set up their huge tent. Then they turned
on the air mattress inflator, which woke up our whole family if we hadn’t been
awake already. The effort of this other family to talk to each other over the
racket of the inflator was not what we wanted in the wee hours of the morning. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Eventually they settled down. When we woke up in the
morning, we looked over to see a huge tent, people sleeping in the van, and two
people sleeping outside right on the dirt. As they woke up, I counted 9
children and 2 parents. Their van read “The Oreo Express: Yellowstone or Bust!
No Stops!” This Kansas family clearly underestimated how long it would take
them to get to their campground. </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLqNKiRj-yERU4B_VkjrTZcknk8cYqc1_sabPW4ijOQsaZM1KbzAzFd6BiteqMZLZqDEmOzNMx5pRslSK4DETnVlswhjxoVjkGTuOBBpUipSD7KvGzzzwVaH-V8eTRuz1WklGRvV-KUkl/s1600/IMG_1326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLqNKiRj-yERU4B_VkjrTZcknk8cYqc1_sabPW4ijOQsaZM1KbzAzFd6BiteqMZLZqDEmOzNMx5pRslSK4DETnVlswhjxoVjkGTuOBBpUipSD7KvGzzzwVaH-V8eTRuz1WklGRvV-KUkl/s1600/IMG_1326.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filling a water bottle on the roadside.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Monday we rode into Yellowstone National Park. A word of
warning: it costs more to take 3 bikes in than it does a single car. It was
slightly uphill all the way to the entrance, but really kicked up once we were
inside the park. The amount of traffic through Yellowstone granted us a lot of
cheers and thumbs up from drivers and motorcyclists on the way up the mountain,
even though this one was much more tame than the Big Horns were. Sylvan Pass
was at 8530 ft. At the top, we met a guy from Boise. Finally getting to see
someone from home, even though we had no idea who they were, was a great
feeling.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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The park ranger people were all a bit concerned about where
we would be able to camp in the park, given that July is busy season and all
the campgrounds were listed as full. We were referred to Bay Bridge, a
campground slightly off route, but one that had pity on us as bikers and
allowed us to stay. Sadly we did not get showers that night, even after
sweating up the pass. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It rained all night long in Yellowstone, keeping us in bed
until 7 when it finally let up. We had to pack a wet tent.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That buffalo is too close for comfort.</td></tr>
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This morning was cool and pleasant riding all through the
park. Yellowstone kept the ride interesting, with animals and geothermal
activity to view from the road just about anywhere. There are a lot of posted
warning signs about staying in your car when near wildlife, but that was a
luxury this trip did not afford us. Viewing the buffalo herds off in the
distance was fine, but one of them planted himself right at the edge of the
roadway. We get stared at by animals all the time, but being stared down by a
buffalo while on a bike is the last thing I wanted to do. We were all the way out
in the other lane of traffic, trying to give this guy as wide a berth as
possible. It was scary stuff. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KZzOdVjCV_M/U9hZ8Y3aJwI/AAAAAAAAAg4/ajolyc_TppM/s1600/IMG_1350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KZzOdVjCV_M/U9hZ8Y3aJwI/AAAAAAAAAg4/ajolyc_TppM/s1600/IMG_1350.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Suckers power us.</td></tr>
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After the bison encounter (Tatanka) it was mostly downhill
out to the park’s west entrance. We’re here in West Yellowstone, Montana, at
the third campground we stopped at because of busy season and all. It’s already
rained again tonight. Our total for the day is 61 miles. We are now officially
back on the Adventure Cycling route, though now it is the Trans America. Only
three states to go.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXp5hUijkC5tXcbZpnhITe7_EzFdrL5cZjX2gU2qwtkwCSSapL1QuOsqF3cw20gmuq-ysZwRKRIDx3kXgyvTCmrMrB3WrL-HzjlvBmR6in9yulODPWT0G519wN_O52yX1QDWLFntm8DYW/s1600/IMG_1354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXp5hUijkC5tXcbZpnhITe7_EzFdrL5cZjX2gU2qwtkwCSSapL1QuOsqF3cw20gmuq-ysZwRKRIDx3kXgyvTCmrMrB3WrL-HzjlvBmR6in9yulODPWT0G519wN_O52yX1QDWLFntm8DYW/s1600/IMG_1354.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-58737288606745098972014-07-24T21:20:00.002-06:002014-07-24T21:20:31.951-06:00Sad Faces, Dark Places<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1lt7Y7hgAkaf5JWyPUjho_diKmj-GaERK6wkhs92lZoX2gT9_F0Eg_ILhoRzfoz4mbVNsFxvmFD6fwVAqyYpSOr-g6d7-cVi2G0AArl5bQPHeB7GJP5sdYarnt4VVOR16vJYPoMm9kAH/s1600/IMG_1185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1lt7Y7hgAkaf5JWyPUjho_diKmj-GaERK6wkhs92lZoX2gT9_F0Eg_ILhoRzfoz4mbVNsFxvmFD6fwVAqyYpSOr-g6d7-cVi2G0AArl5bQPHeB7GJP5sdYarnt4VVOR16vJYPoMm9kAH/s1600/IMG_1185.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Aunt Kristen, Keith, and Kane</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZvwzfEV2c2LP4874V7SLDYTqo-EmBbY6iHUALO1VhlEk9yWvE5n-Jc_YGbtI6P0kS7I5PuzWI6PrCT8yna1pnlrYmwV4kEUvHWltCM3WqTonbs2ltAgwdOm7Hk__A-xTvGi3Z0-k8ngAO/s1600/IMG_1192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZvwzfEV2c2LP4874V7SLDYTqo-EmBbY6iHUALO1VhlEk9yWvE5n-Jc_YGbtI6P0kS7I5PuzWI6PrCT8yna1pnlrYmwV4kEUvHWltCM3WqTonbs2ltAgwdOm7Hk__A-xTvGi3Z0-k8ngAO/s1600/IMG_1192.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the Black Hills.</td></tr>
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Sunday, in Rapid City, the plan had been to continue biking once the temperature dropped a bit in the evening and make it to Keystone. As it turns out, the temperature never decreased, and the ride to Keystone threatened too much climbing to sound like a good idea. So instead, we stayed the night in Rapid, getting to catch up with Mom's Aunt Kristen and her family who were in town. We hit Rapid during Hills Alive, a big Christian Music Festival, which this year featured the Newsboys. They closed out the weekend, so we all hiked down to the park to watch the show. It was easily the best part of the trip so far. Shelby and I made our way to the front near the stage and had a great night.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ziKLP5_PwCRkxfgtA8fgFrPSrdlTZ56wDr5oEBD_HcPfqsgeb5uRCuLce81I-3h-ITFkGte1VC09LkWoNshdoFI-4m-EWNL3lvJI-rto9WKDfjnWFMF5wcNDRFnVYU3R2mBF7sdY8Ey0/s1600/IMG_1194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ziKLP5_PwCRkxfgtA8fgFrPSrdlTZ56wDr5oEBD_HcPfqsgeb5uRCuLce81I-3h-ITFkGte1VC09LkWoNshdoFI-4m-EWNL3lvJI-rto9WKDfjnWFMF5wcNDRFnVYU3R2mBF7sdY8Ey0/s1600/IMG_1194.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rushmore!</td></tr>
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The next morning we climbed and climbed and climbed some more. The Black Hills were steep like New England was, causing some bad flashbacks to the first few painful days of this trip. During a really dark moment we pulled into a tourist campground and I rolled my bike right over a $10 bill. So that helped me through. There was a nice descent into Keystone where we stopped for lunch, then Dairy Queen dessert. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVk3AAwUAQVhw0JyddgJx_bAqoo2h7cbWFT82tcCX44AmKEXmpp9BF8T3D3wAqR8neDcaWHgaPUX16DBvvXKnWneVUQnICTC_EJsN_1xSnIjyoprADMUUJb0BxdQvS2wUybJSOXs2EQMo/s1600/IMG_1202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVk3AAwUAQVhw0JyddgJx_bAqoo2h7cbWFT82tcCX44AmKEXmpp9BF8T3D3wAqR8neDcaWHgaPUX16DBvvXKnWneVUQnICTC_EJsN_1xSnIjyoprADMUUJb0BxdQvS2wUybJSOXs2EQMo/s1600/IMG_1202.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
The DQ turned out to be a bad idea just half an hour later. Despite how delicious it was, stomachs started turning as we climbed the steep and hot two miles to Mount Rushmore. It would have been much easier to go around, especially since all of us have seen it at least five times. But of course, "what would a cross country bike tour be without a picture in front of Rushmore?"So, here you have it. We made it. Hooray.<br />
After a little Rushmore visit, we were all exhausted, so we called it quits at the Palmer Gulch KOA, a gigantic town-like campground resort near the monument. We may have only done 31 miles that day, but we climbed 3600 ft at elevation in that time. That night, we went to dinner after setting up the tent. While we were there, a storm cloud passed over and sprinkled a bit, then started a full on downpour. The rain fly was, of course, not on the tent. Shelby and I sprinted the half mile through the RVs to the tent, only to cover up a contained puddle on top of all of our sleeping bags and pillows. So those all had to be dried.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizS_ubKEFNu3mXbFQoNTQTxILbjyhRYv6Vm-9uOOqY01TLUoW2UKHDo7A3tW4GTOOrzwKJYDpL0jllkt_XqWCVMxhyFh4Y737ydIvyvHXZIxPrrB8JMjoMW-iY-bZqtfzlH1_JCmHb2Pmm/s1600/IMG_1212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizS_ubKEFNu3mXbFQoNTQTxILbjyhRYv6Vm-9uOOqY01TLUoW2UKHDo7A3tW4GTOOrzwKJYDpL0jllkt_XqWCVMxhyFh4Y737ydIvyvHXZIxPrrB8JMjoMW-iY-bZqtfzlH1_JCmHb2Pmm/s1600/IMG_1212.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelby got a new saddle. Here she is chucking the old one. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ck6T1cjNE279-TrTRrJzDG8l2h6QuWyWn7kuhqmVRFLt5952OkjwKVBa2KAyFlQ7EaEwHcG4kCgjZqm5b9Starc2qLXuGeAj_mBmFlhLAHMoRQDJptB7ZuWwAE7lMtX1K6237c_ufINz/s1600/IMG_1214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ck6T1cjNE279-TrTRrJzDG8l2h6QuWyWn7kuhqmVRFLt5952OkjwKVBa2KAyFlQ7EaEwHcG4kCgjZqm5b9Starc2qLXuGeAj_mBmFlhLAHMoRQDJptB7ZuWwAE7lMtX1K6237c_ufINz/s1600/IMG_1214.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crazy Horse is back there.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBap6AADiYOF8xiBy2pkSDkWcSP3X0MobX1w1kLxmVUDUkmXTKYldSiKNV96E93X08fQqn_N7wsq4ZMreAI9so0Mirtz-4epBPVVKIR5INaFGD5TKcnTzXA8V5f472HCTrVPiwDid4NUv/s1600/IMG_1217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBap6AADiYOF8xiBy2pkSDkWcSP3X0MobX1w1kLxmVUDUkmXTKYldSiKNV96E93X08fQqn_N7wsq4ZMreAI9so0Mirtz-4epBPVVKIR5INaFGD5TKcnTzXA8V5f472HCTrVPiwDid4NUv/s1600/IMG_1217.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hitching a ride.</td></tr>
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That night a major thunderstorm passed over us, so we were up at 4 with lightning strikes and pouring rain. Thankfully the ride to Newcastle, WY was mostly downhill as we left the hills and made it back to the desert. As we were leaving Custer, the sheriff pulled us over to let us know that the road to Jewel Cave was under massive construction. Unfortunately the only way around it meant adding 60 miles to our journey, so we headed for Jewel Cave anyway.<br />
The road was in fact under construction. There wasn't really a road at all for 3 miles, so we were forced to get a ride in the pilot car. It was a bumpy ride for sure, and certainly difficult for smaller vehicles. There was no way we could have ridden it, so we were grateful for the lift with the construction lady who liked her country music and sunflower seeds. We got to Newcastle early and took naps in the hotel there because of the rude thunderstorm awakening. It stormed even more in the early evening, dropping some huge hail for a while. We were grateful to have a roof. The mileage for the day was 52.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJkZfLu0xLMCMY1ldlDLXLn4lyH-GnWoxS27_lLYtJJ5pxc27xsLmzaw2zCW5nAhQ_Kr7i6G_ofBQ6XQQdEPxCMERgd1cyWsw222w8FnZAAw0t_haF2Ld3Z-C4PQDGXQIdt1pEOom4G8aJ/s1600/IMG_1230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJkZfLu0xLMCMY1ldlDLXLn4lyH-GnWoxS27_lLYtJJ5pxc27xsLmzaw2zCW5nAhQ_Kr7i6G_ofBQ6XQQdEPxCMERgd1cyWsw222w8FnZAAw0t_haF2Ld3Z-C4PQDGXQIdt1pEOom4G8aJ/s1600/IMG_1230.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tailwinds make us smile.</td></tr>
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Wednesday was a long day to Gillette, about 78 miles. Fortunately we woke up to SE winds as we headed NW. It was nothing short of a miracle. We've been waiting and waiting for a tailwind across the plains, and Wednesday was our day. We were averaging about 19mph that morning with little effort. Once we got to Gillette, Dad and I were ready to ride the tailwind to Buffalo, a full 67 miles up the road. Mother, however, disagreed, saying it was too far and that there could be thunderstorms. So we were forced to comply with her wishes, staying in a hotel in case of storms.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaD2mK8w6HU_0UaWxXBcg11q10dThoGuCign2u263i-aIjw6meFJKOgT0HP74bgz4egOrQTh_ts9srrSww3VFP6tMzIz3ln93alBjcND1kyyeRdQCCpkZZpAfBvGEBOANWb0e5V-qbJFwz/s1600/IMG_1242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaD2mK8w6HU_0UaWxXBcg11q10dThoGuCign2u263i-aIjw6meFJKOgT0HP74bgz4egOrQTh_ts9srrSww3VFP6tMzIz3ln93alBjcND1kyyeRdQCCpkZZpAfBvGEBOANWb0e5V-qbJFwz/s1600/IMG_1242.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In a dark place.</td></tr>
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These storms never showed up. This morning the winds were howling out of the SW at 17 when we woke up, and only worsened as the day went on. The only thing between Gillette and Buffalo is a little rest stop where we planned to have a snack and get some more water. Turns out there was no vending or air conditioning at the rest stop, and the water was salty. We had plenty of food, and thought we had plenty of water, so we pushed on. The winds got really bad shortly after leaving. The wind out here is completely demoralizing when its in your face, making riding tedious and exhausting. For a while we were going 7mph, maybe getting up to 10 on a downhill if we were lucky. Soon we were having to stop every mile, and starting to run out of water. It was a hot day, too. The water we had left was what we filled at the rest stop, and the salty taste only left us wanting more water. We stopped at a "parking area" on the side of the road and hid under the shade of a dumpster there. We were blessed by the sight of an RV parked there. Dad rode up to it and asked for water, and the owner emerged from the RV with an entire gallon of it just for us. It was the greatest thing we had seen all day. I could have sworn there was light streaming from the heavens on that gallon. We drank the whole thing and filled up our bottles under the dumpster. Shelby and I were looking pathetic enough sitting there that when another car stopped, they offered us some Cokes and another bottle of water. It was enough to get us through to the nearest gas station with Gatorade and ice cream.<br />
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So now we're in Buffalo at the Indian Campground after 68 miles, preparing ourselves to climb over the Bighorn Mountains tomorrow. It's dry, cooling off over night, and there's no bugs. Love it.<br />
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Roadkill Report: Gigantic Snake, Deer, Antelope, Deer, Bunny, Bunny, Snake, Deer, Bunny, Frog, Turtle, Turtle, Bird, Bird, Bird, Rabbit, Bird<br />
Money Found: $10.02<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIT_Auf-ID-JmAA5kBfu5fKCcMkaOy0P1j9JQAiGGBBtoxOMbRh4IAAX0dc5K6eylnbnbDQnRWgt0SunFuPRAjohRuwUYRVaQOC4_XkDfaqRzfm73KT4TcTUTxJKdTQy0b5NLIQnnJP0tg/s1600/IMG_1221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIT_Auf-ID-JmAA5kBfu5fKCcMkaOy0P1j9JQAiGGBBtoxOMbRh4IAAX0dc5K6eylnbnbDQnRWgt0SunFuPRAjohRuwUYRVaQOC4_XkDfaqRzfm73KT4TcTUTxJKdTQy0b5NLIQnnJP0tg/s1600/IMG_1221.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-1905925935181922532014-07-20T16:53:00.000-06:002014-07-20T16:53:19.694-06:00Head for the Hills<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhIgRf1gbjKllokXM21-siUMGdgkLymaU2j6IJIqFSMSVfmKaCyVdAQhgayBASUHzIwaqft82Xhc02mz70nqzDBm65kivzkaf6yPMfCzv1p51ZF8mLO0BqijhaQM3zt_QiJ5rOQPwaroB/s1600/IMG_1161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhIgRf1gbjKllokXM21-siUMGdgkLymaU2j6IJIqFSMSVfmKaCyVdAQhgayBASUHzIwaqft82Xhc02mz70nqzDBm65kivzkaf6yPMfCzv1p51ZF8mLO0BqijhaQM3zt_QiJ5rOQPwaroB/s1600/IMG_1161.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Made the <i>Capital Journal!</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpdeWw_Xpz_qSwqaxEJFsgr_gS6COwQOxCh3x0lq9Smp-4g8WitJaTHpVb2z8lbD972AWbfOol_EMdkhgmJuWBe6Rui5ANvvoOzQOZmPCNHH5lmJsv3yRn8S86gyg6eKagyH59YBc2znK/s1600/IMG_1143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpdeWw_Xpz_qSwqaxEJFsgr_gS6COwQOxCh3x0lq9Smp-4g8WitJaTHpVb2z8lbD972AWbfOol_EMdkhgmJuWBe6Rui5ANvvoOzQOZmPCNHH5lmJsv3yRn8S86gyg6eKagyH59YBc2znK/s1600/IMG_1143.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Grandpa and Norma.</td></tr>
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Thursday we woke up to another windy day in the great state of South Dakota. We took our time that morning because we only had to get to Pierre that day. Everyone warned us about the "Blunt Hill" that we would hit right outside of the bustling town of Blunt that morning. The hills west of the river are much worse than that little 100 foot climb was, I promise. We survived it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGyGhA3cC8CeGCVREJPo-7Fvh2V5Uod5zJ5OO9sltNBsZKMFF9NTcICr9OoIxgoqXHEx_-xejgi0bCTzDXgxTShGe9atHzTO7LFra1ATMrmyvXuDiVXHPTxMxLaNk7OhLsImFfDx9piwr/s1600/IMG_1147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGyGhA3cC8CeGCVREJPo-7Fvh2V5Uod5zJ5OO9sltNBsZKMFF9NTcICr9OoIxgoqXHEx_-xejgi0bCTzDXgxTShGe9atHzTO7LFra1ATMrmyvXuDiVXHPTxMxLaNk7OhLsImFfDx9piwr/s1600/IMG_1147.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Grandpa and Grandma Galinat.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApetMWW_Sc0zQiLAbqTHNOEcr_95gd_wg81dWDLJJGbiGccAbCirY39Vzx9NpND_btu3cZHRUhAwa1pdiJXgymx8bKGD5yKkdhcSdGvRCjkpBJrtcxyhaT6A4D0riiGSw5M4wmv1MiE9t/s1600/IMG_1154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApetMWW_Sc0zQiLAbqTHNOEcr_95gd_wg81dWDLJJGbiGccAbCirY39Vzx9NpND_btu3cZHRUhAwa1pdiJXgymx8bKGD5yKkdhcSdGvRCjkpBJrtcxyhaT6A4D0riiGSw5M4wmv1MiE9t/s1600/IMG_1154.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Great Grandma Cooper.</td></tr>
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At mile 17 we stopped at the Junction truck stop to get lunch with Aunt Kristen and her family one more time. Grandma Galinat and Grandma Cooper came over from Harrold to eat with us as well. We filled nearly all the tables in the place, but it was nice to have some company again. The miles to Pierre, though few in number, were still tough because of the winds. We arrived about 2:30, and set up at Great Grandma Stirling's house. After a shower we were met by David the <i>Capital Journal</i> newspaper reporter, asking for an interview. We chatted with him for a while. He informed us that there was another cross-country bicyclist in town that night, but he was raising money for the rotary club. The other guy's story made the front page, but our story was included with it. We picked up a copy the following day. After that interview, we had to go down to the radio station and do a recorded interview with a guy down there. We're practically celebrities.<br />
That night we had the necessary dinner at the Cattlemen's Steakhouse and dessert at the Zesto, completing our visit to the capital city. We did 35 miles that day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkF1V-euW_lsqTr8tveze646AxN6jNcUYQoUSGa0YvGCE69l8-p6J39NesPSqV2bj-2RRjHJOh1lYducyUtBYGmu3qOiQa1K7CiVh3GGStKV-t41_Tns1WhPtot5bW7d1xbxDyJvc1kJE/s1600/IMG_1155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkF1V-euW_lsqTr8tveze646AxN6jNcUYQoUSGa0YvGCE69l8-p6J39NesPSqV2bj-2RRjHJOh1lYducyUtBYGmu3qOiQa1K7CiVh3GGStKV-t41_Tns1WhPtot5bW7d1xbxDyJvc1kJE/s1600/IMG_1155.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Great Grandma Stirling.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAcN8CsRns55suzR4v9H4VOh91qQ4JJkdcWBu1mIPE2fER_88YKWg4LNAWcMSyrwkF7VeJx220Tt4pzcGZxfsn4fFfPYa8qqymOpx134R8YD6Nbzg7kVeReyQy8ENqZ-X4zZ_NFEpvkB7P/s1600/IMG_1164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAcN8CsRns55suzR4v9H4VOh91qQ4JJkdcWBu1mIPE2fER_88YKWg4LNAWcMSyrwkF7VeJx220Tt4pzcGZxfsn4fFfPYa8qqymOpx134R8YD6Nbzg7kVeReyQy8ENqZ-X4zZ_NFEpvkB7P/s1600/IMG_1164.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Friday morning we left Pierre and entered the Middle of Nowhere. It's bad news when you're on a bike and pass a "No Services" sign. Thankfully we had stocked up on emergency granola bars and beef jerky in Fort Pierre, so we made it to Midland without too much of a problem. Not being able to stop sure makes the arrival time sooner. The mostly dead town of Hayes did have a "roadside stop" so we sort of picnicked at a crappy table there. Norma gave us a bag full of cookies before she left, which were definitely a big help in getting us to Midland.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYigvYlHUpf0dI1jh2EEsgoMNduXDscdQVgDwG0nrb0p7wR7BnAIIIFiwwTE7QxXzw9alTSHcdP-fqSjTHFN2uawpPAcE4Jd-Au8D8qkMdohDinNk0QbUGPoL2XAxnrqYbVoMMVex3jRS/s1600/IMG_1165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYigvYlHUpf0dI1jh2EEsgoMNduXDscdQVgDwG0nrb0p7wR7BnAIIIFiwwTE7QxXzw9alTSHcdP-fqSjTHFN2uawpPAcE4Jd-Au8D8qkMdohDinNk0QbUGPoL2XAxnrqYbVoMMVex3jRS/s1600/IMG_1165.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelby's cookie selfie.</td></tr>
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We had headwinds the last 21 miles to Midland. Riding was getting really difficult, so much that we were stopping every 7 miles to take a break. For those of you who don't know, Midland is famous for its natural mineral baths, now located at the Stroppel Inn. Due to lack of showers in the city park, we sprung for another hotel room with the cash discount. Dad even took a complimentary mineral bath.<br />
When Dad was making a gas station snack trip, he took my bike so he wouldn't have to pull the tandem around. He flatted the back tire in an instant, also busting the tire. There went our one spare tire.<br />
The lady running the place let us know about the Friday night farmer's market in the park, so we headed to that for dinner served by the local 4H Club. We also got some fresh cucumbers and radishes to have with some banana bread that we picked up for breakfast. Midland was overall a great place to stay. 62 miles total that day.<br />
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The weather forecast claimed Saturday would have an East wind, with gusts up to 20 mph. We made big plans to push over 100 miles to Rapid City that night.<br />
The morning proved the weather guys wrong, unfortunately. The wind turned out to be a strong crosswind, making us stop in Wall instead only 58 miles in. On our way, we passed through Phillip, home of the Scotties, and were interviewed once more for the <i>Phillip Review</i>This left lots of time to kill at Wall Drug at lunchtime, which was kind of fun.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjQerrYFhl1Gde9eX4yIN0nVhwhlM7oiUJxbj-FpxfRMQRVksI1hdE-Reg2G8AtvsgiMEdquC-NxexepPDNlwquUxbNgt2om8VjWoYkINw-_U3bYWwkMsoY3mYIBxqp7PEnq9OS3DT5vC/s1600/IMG_1174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjQerrYFhl1Gde9eX4yIN0nVhwhlM7oiUJxbj-FpxfRMQRVksI1hdE-Reg2G8AtvsgiMEdquC-NxexepPDNlwquUxbNgt2om8VjWoYkINw-_U3bYWwkMsoY3mYIBxqp7PEnq9OS3DT5vC/s1600/IMG_1174.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>Just two miles out of Wall, my tire went flat. Very flat. We pumped it up and I rode it to Wall Drug, but as soon as we got there it was flattened again. Turns out I had run over some sharp metal thing. Thankfully the tire was okay this time, but my bike was definitely struggling in the wheel department.<br />
We took the 6-foot Rabbit and Jackalope pictures at Wall Drug, then were off to find a campground. Thankfully the one we stayed at had a pool. It has sadly been heating up the past few days, so any body of water is much appreciated.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZPtRrloXkOh0h7vy5tk_iw7sDBhROF5eisPybFgArGQSpruPXcU1X2NTCi7H5w7V6qcWnl3T39vNpE8vXtMmSLIqupV0J525lM2TEDxe7xJxiww08wz3ECfAlLlcFuX7Pl7XbdUVV3Uz/s1600/IMG_1178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZPtRrloXkOh0h7vy5tk_iw7sDBhROF5eisPybFgArGQSpruPXcU1X2NTCi7H5w7V6qcWnl3T39vNpE8vXtMmSLIqupV0J525lM2TEDxe7xJxiww08wz3ECfAlLlcFuX7Pl7XbdUVV3Uz/s1600/IMG_1178.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
This morning we woke up to more crosswinds and lots of hills. We've been on Highway 14 all across the state, but now had to take I-90. The interstate wasn't as bad as we feared because of its huge shoulder. We made it to Rapid about noon, 52 miles into our day. We stopped at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and a bike shop to restock our spare tubes and tires. Now we're just killing time, eating ice cream, drinking tea, making good use of the Main Street Square Splash Pad, waiting and hoping for cool evening weather. We plan on getting to Keystone tonight, pushing out of Rapid around 6.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SDSM&T</td></tr>
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Roadkill Report: Frog, Frog, Bird, Bird, Bird, Bird, Bird, Deer, Bird, Cat, Bambi, Turtle, Turtle, Bird, Frog, Mouse, Turtle, Turtle<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-44360052843249513352014-07-16T22:19:00.001-06:002014-07-19T20:17:38.797-06:00Great Faces, Great Places<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdR6111Ee-yd5e4I_z3MEh0-0bRbLyaPKVCnfKczFXtoCuASUY8lw6_5eya5Qmr2RfJhIVT05V8n1QLukaPZQsjGoddJDK22y6zC0h1VnQynyj9F2e4z5k_CE84z-HquMfa8gHX7kotq1Z/s1600/IMG_1049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdR6111Ee-yd5e4I_z3MEh0-0bRbLyaPKVCnfKczFXtoCuASUY8lw6_5eya5Qmr2RfJhIVT05V8n1QLukaPZQsjGoddJDK22y6zC0h1VnQynyj9F2e4z5k_CE84z-HquMfa8gHX7kotq1Z/s1600/IMG_1049.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum.</td></tr>
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Saturday morning we woke up to 100% humidity in Sleepy Eye. Not the rain variety, just fog. We braved the elements on our way out, riding despite the inevitable rain. It started only about 7 miles into our ride, just sprinkling at first, then downpouring - the kind of rain that stings when it hits. Thankfully it quit only a couple miles later, but it rained enough to completely soak us. We changed clothes in the next town's laundromat and had some coffee to warm up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQQPuN-4rkM2xE-O2CB5T5WnWlrLlVZj0IJ_A3qDa7byuHUMugFQGaU36ubsd7FkEL1R4mm6_Kh9hSejhLK_rNAALFNRs_AN-l9Ihxk3b_SsiUgHjN47dBnSqTP8isXZhLwEFvIsbkr2j/s1600/IMG_1054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQQPuN-4rkM2xE-O2CB5T5WnWlrLlVZj0IJ_A3qDa7byuHUMugFQGaU36ubsd7FkEL1R4mm6_Kh9hSejhLK_rNAALFNRs_AN-l9Ihxk3b_SsiUgHjN47dBnSqTP8isXZhLwEFvIsbkr2j/s1600/IMG_1054.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelby in the corn...</td></tr>
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We are incredibly lucky to have done this tour during one of the coldest summer weeks of upper midwest history. While we've always imagined sweating through the hot and humid plains, the past few days have actually been quite pleasant for riding, even requiring us to start out wearing sweatshirts.<br />
Saturday we also went through Walnut Grove, MN, home of Laura Ingalls Wilder and featured in her book <i>On the Banks of Plum Creek</i>. We hit the town just in time for the annual pageant weekend, so there was a big celebration going on in the park.<br />
We spent the night in Tracy after 50 miles. We were suffering some headwinds and general exhaustion. Though we thought about continuing another 12 miles to a campground, apparently the hotel we had called to hold a room for us in Tracy was going to charge us for the room whether we stayed there or not, being that it was pageant weekend and all. The hotel had a pool though, so that was a bonus.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qD6uhRedBFF7r087O1DjUI8KTwLADoOzfsd3N5YVVUwGsW4Qmo-EQaNXquApE9njJiKXLYbJIsy1XZhFApJEdmCdMwJf-mSesHHAZbpUYXBflGHc4o3fbL89_qdJyGgLbWi7mx5ffUQy/s1600/IMG_1069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qD6uhRedBFF7r087O1DjUI8KTwLADoOzfsd3N5YVVUwGsW4Qmo-EQaNXquApE9njJiKXLYbJIsy1XZhFApJEdmCdMwJf-mSesHHAZbpUYXBflGHc4o3fbL89_qdJyGgLbWi7mx5ffUQy/s1600/IMG_1069.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">God's Country</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglzuy4uepJZTW3M-wr91Veoe4knd0yShurO_BxfbNQW-moZncpcLx1fQOlQH42DUkqShp4NREVem4Pc9inJqEHrCXuYz1r1OX9bM0syjSrWv6vbz5W-SzhJcizN6GtXMf-hl94opKtq-8C/s1600/IMG_1080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglzuy4uepJZTW3M-wr91Veoe4knd0yShurO_BxfbNQW-moZncpcLx1fQOlQH42DUkqShp4NREVem4Pc9inJqEHrCXuYz1r1OX9bM0syjSrWv6vbz5W-SzhJcizN6GtXMf-hl94opKtq-8C/s1600/IMG_1080.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Sunday morning we got up and headed to Aunt Mary's in White, South Dakota. More headwinds, especially in the afternoon, so riding wasn't exactly easy. When we crossed the state sign, a couple who lived across the street offered us some water and took our picture for us. About 5 miles later, we were greeted by cousin Jason and Aunt Mary from the other direction, flying American flags and pinwheels out their window for us. As we got into town, they led us in parade-style.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiiWvuXoXKgTJc05OylmL2P0ekVN3OVTZww9Dt5IFDNRwLAjMcCOVYOWYLy5Y5kRgAgdzFT7MicqAhG6E6IApyK9K0PUGba5myBzIzG72WRCMyWDmk-UgX3-BkPNt7kmTeftw5c9dinuq/s1600/IMG_1088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiiWvuXoXKgTJc05OylmL2P0ekVN3OVTZww9Dt5IFDNRwLAjMcCOVYOWYLy5Y5kRgAgdzFT7MicqAhG6E6IApyK9K0PUGba5myBzIzG72WRCMyWDmk-UgX3-BkPNt7kmTeftw5c9dinuq/s1600/IMG_1088.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Jackie, Ted, Jenna, and Kellen Quinn</td></tr>
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Aunt Jackie, Uncle Ted, Jenna, and Kellen were in Brookings for Jenna's swim meet, so they drove up to White to meet us as well. Jason's family came out, as did Allison and her fiance Cory. Kellen got a ride on the tandem, which was definitely a highlight of the night. Uncle Bruce grilled us up a great meal, and all around our little family reunion was a great time. It was 67 miles that day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_0M7OL28mktf_sbXEgX1uOI9j0M42-ccwUVXlU-lh8nbP-BOP1TXCn_Kmw8qBL6UtT4YeaqBslVbqJw4wtbouwYRLCY2qxqSVkWPECyxxFMP3RlbV2LdWFf8s_pyqeFwU9K9ZqgWAdZx/s1600/IMG_1089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_0M7OL28mktf_sbXEgX1uOI9j0M42-ccwUVXlU-lh8nbP-BOP1TXCn_Kmw8qBL6UtT4YeaqBslVbqJw4wtbouwYRLCY2qxqSVkWPECyxxFMP3RlbV2LdWFf8s_pyqeFwU9K9ZqgWAdZx/s1600/IMG_1089.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Jason, Lacey, Brooklyn, and Aylah Roberts</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfRjnVkzDjW7q1QcVqcq4mcVcyDlOP3m0ZRNevawTmW4wzwjGCjZI563X6NqyTkj90RxSBlaiPgc8aS5RQTnu3ILaugg4sWnKVR_6j1pMvTbjltjr_G90QrLqPAMF1Jl1GOP8TzY0WXAP/s1600/IMG_1091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfRjnVkzDjW7q1QcVqcq4mcVcyDlOP3m0ZRNevawTmW4wzwjGCjZI563X6NqyTkj90RxSBlaiPgc8aS5RQTnu3ILaugg4sWnKVR_6j1pMvTbjltjr_G90QrLqPAMF1Jl1GOP8TzY0WXAP/s1600/IMG_1091.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Allison and Cory</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2AIw0VgITcd92RECAFgDOYWuwghmrOJd7zv1R3n3ZAkpkNHPCnOnx4o1kzE0c0qF0Z-CKmm5v_4-e5XilZI2JBtJnJk-L8bKDztN_tCbXtvNZWJ0aO26wcftiCODKGrJPOz3xTMWGqSjZ/s1600/IMG_1093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2AIw0VgITcd92RECAFgDOYWuwghmrOJd7zv1R3n3ZAkpkNHPCnOnx4o1kzE0c0qF0Z-CKmm5v_4-e5XilZI2JBtJnJk-L8bKDztN_tCbXtvNZWJ0aO26wcftiCODKGrJPOz3xTMWGqSjZ/s1600/IMG_1093.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Mary, Bruce, and Adam Norman</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmCScLiSWeBrdeKj12wjlHt0DVMIrQwPB2hJ_ctpViadezLropeOgJvT0kyBbdy732Yb_uiKsnE16I4iwdVf7hG5Kxj4Tu7wmCrprUXEXyysKt8yEDO8AaF9uJLtAxAenrfZu5VsvdIzI/s1600/IMG_1097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmCScLiSWeBrdeKj12wjlHt0DVMIrQwPB2hJ_ctpViadezLropeOgJvT0kyBbdy732Yb_uiKsnE16I4iwdVf7hG5Kxj4Tu7wmCrprUXEXyysKt8yEDO8AaF9uJLtAxAenrfZu5VsvdIzI/s1600/IMG_1097.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-crash.</td></tr>
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Monday morning we tried to get up early to avoid the wind, but it was no use. By 20 miles, we were already exhausted, fighting up to 30 mph crosswinds from the North. Each pedal stroke was a struggle to keep the bike upright. So by Arlington, 10 miles later, we were all about ready to call it a day. Only a mile outside of Arlington, I got sucked into the draft of the tandem and hit the back wheel, then fell off the main road onto the shoulder, then ended up crashing to the pavement on the side of the highway. Thankfully I was okay, just a few scrapes and bruises, but Mom screamed and swore when she saw me fall, and a couple of the good people of South Dakota stopped their truck to make sure I didn't need to be hospitalized. Between the crash and the wind, Arlington was our stopping point, so we set up camp in the park and spent some time at the community library.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOkuhN6P7_9xrGf6dHnL9YFl87Nm1Wq7HJW7mBzu1ssk0Ji_JSAcj4Zw8jP6osmWGQOBFoKjVVqWO1eOKMJNlszjxM19ZN8ofIVBB5jB5uCGlvDqbNJ2JkyvWG4VUYLg_DJnIYYoieZHB/s1600/IMG_1105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOkuhN6P7_9xrGf6dHnL9YFl87Nm1Wq7HJW7mBzu1ssk0Ji_JSAcj4Zw8jP6osmWGQOBFoKjVVqWO1eOKMJNlszjxM19ZN8ofIVBB5jB5uCGlvDqbNJ2JkyvWG4VUYLg_DJnIYYoieZHB/s1600/IMG_1105.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcNoB0xCItgvs3NBxNwLShCEKYuLIe7i5-WZUPIl7dmkN4etzv4By7lBwfiwThHkyiuUbxTpsbwdzmzI38HiT9iQF0CwmICSvrFDiUmVjfgVn727ZDIDRI8tkO4V9C3EiLnE0oRVJ35tZ/s1600/IMG_1112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcNoB0xCItgvs3NBxNwLShCEKYuLIe7i5-WZUPIl7dmkN4etzv4By7lBwfiwThHkyiuUbxTpsbwdzmzI38HiT9iQF0CwmICSvrFDiUmVjfgVn727ZDIDRI8tkO4V9C3EiLnE0oRVJ35tZ/s1600/IMG_1112.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My most prestigious university tour yet.</td></tr>
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The next day we rode into Huron. Passing through De Smet for lunch, the waitress asked if we were part of the Cycle America group. Turns out, there was an oncoming group of about 50 riders riding coast to coast from the west in 9 weeks (don't be too impressed, they had vans to carry their gear). For many miles we saw cycle tourists on the other side of the road. It's always nice to know that we aren't the only crazy ones out here. Once in Huron, we set up camp at Memorial Park, then met up with Jackie Steward and her family, another NDSU friend. We had dinner at the Prime Time Tavern, a place that only had filet mignon on the menu, but it was delicious.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2eQX0YD2yNiyb7ZFeAG_DsKlXOOm7k1sYtiOPhkodUvPLfrjI5qi6KEpc9IrkJ2aHIp-MLv8d2SFLJBHRGwd4G1DsTxMrjsct7P0jlm481p0Z-sJxULnFLIoA23gWiTxEgIyK1geShZ5Z/s1600/IMG_1118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2eQX0YD2yNiyb7ZFeAG_DsKlXOOm7k1sYtiOPhkodUvPLfrjI5qi6KEpc9IrkJ2aHIp-MLv8d2SFLJBHRGwd4G1DsTxMrjsct7P0jlm481p0Z-sJxULnFLIoA23gWiTxEgIyK1geShZ5Z/s1600/IMG_1118.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Jackie, Joel, Julia, and Jessie Steward.</td></tr>
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Overnight the temperature reached as low as 48 degrees. We keep wondering "Where are we?" and "What month is this?" Today was a big day, 83 miles all the way to Harrold, the infamous hometown of my father; the "Community of Progress" as the sign reads. On our way we stopped in Miller to have lunch with Carrie Galinat, Dad's cousin, and two of Mom's aunts, Kathy and Sandi. Harrold's population may have doubled with the crowd of family we drew here. The fire is roaring outside and fireworks will soon be shot off to make up for the lack of them in Iowa over the fourth.<br />
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Fun Fact: Huron, SD, is home to the world's largest pheasant, weighing in at 22 tons, and sculpted by an Idahoan. A true work of art.<br />
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Roadkill Report: Bird, Frog, Bird, Bird, Skunk, Skunk, Skunk, Raccoon, Bird, Raccoon, Bambi, Cat, Snake, Cat, Coyote, Frog, Frog, Bird, Bird, Bird,Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-41007858623480729922014-07-11T21:56:00.000-06:002014-07-11T22:01:19.382-06:00College Tours and College Friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8UBui7eO0rHa3vwjv5pZC89Isro6hs3dxHpThiqUUm7xeuqe3wGODD5yQDl86U8MS_B4QxNchMR9kto0ofEpKLWaZd8T4ZZeFG9_AgWJM3YDaqNPqkIYvEkHiU6ajTuOPxSzUWBFJN3a/s1600/IMG_1004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8UBui7eO0rHa3vwjv5pZC89Isro6hs3dxHpThiqUUm7xeuqe3wGODD5yQDl86U8MS_B4QxNchMR9kto0ofEpKLWaZd8T4ZZeFG9_AgWJM3YDaqNPqkIYvEkHiU6ajTuOPxSzUWBFJN3a/s1600/IMG_1004.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh455JXBS-Q2gepFHzAH4M6tbGyTwVuOgKl0_tcO9eCUE5Wu-3TDxdYZYd9g0eVxewo_8okhT1lRKy76YKjDWba0skyEMjUi3mbHbny7PSvKkOqQOJT2mEOyVTWhZAhyphenhyphenBBWG-GOyhpa3nYM/s1600/IMG_1014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh455JXBS-Q2gepFHzAH4M6tbGyTwVuOgKl0_tcO9eCUE5Wu-3TDxdYZYd9g0eVxewo_8okhT1lRKy76YKjDWba0skyEMjUi3mbHbny7PSvKkOqQOJT2mEOyVTWhZAhyphenhyphenBBWG-GOyhpa3nYM/s1600/IMG_1014.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Jeff.</td></tr>
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On Wednesday the winds had thankfully subsided. We rode into Red Wing, MN, where Dad did a lot of reminiscing of his college internship days in that cute little town. At Red Wing, we got on the Cannon Valley Trail, a paved path that took us 20 more miles into the town of Cannon Falls. At this point we left the Adventure Cycling route to carve our own path across South Dakota. Right as we neared the end of the trail, we saw another guy who looked like a bike tourist, complete with an American flag flying from a back pannier. We stopped and talked with him at the trailhead for a while. He was Jeff, the retired railroad conductor from California. He was also biking coast to coast, although he was going west to east. Turns out we had plans to stay at the same campground, so we got to continue chatting with him for quite a while. He was great company. We were happily surprised to see him right after we had left the ACA route.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OYXvFDcM4okmgccKTYwgXV8tDebCnCL3B9fmhpsyuS5j3lxgHEx9s7FBD6inRyY0zpRFrdHKN1igVG4LsiL3wjbR2mfaWiYG91KMx9Pn25PKU9FKI9PVzIKQayyHAoGfbNk9x9fkGdKF/s1600/IMG_1023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OYXvFDcM4okmgccKTYwgXV8tDebCnCL3B9fmhpsyuS5j3lxgHEx9s7FBD6inRyY0zpRFrdHKN1igVG4LsiL3wjbR2mfaWiYG91KMx9Pn25PKU9FKI9PVzIKQayyHAoGfbNk9x9fkGdKF/s1600/IMG_1023.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
That day we only did 58 miles. Its been getting more difficult to find places to stay that are evenly spaced out without our maps to guide us. We stayed at a bug infested campground right on one of the 10,000 lakes.<br />
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Thursday was an exciting day. Carter Muench, Dad's good friend from college, came down from the Twin Cities to ride with us for a while in the morning. He met us at the campground and rode with us into Northfield, whose motto reads "Cows, Colleges, and Contentment". He from then on played our tour guide to St. Olaf and Carleton Colleges, which were beautifully built. We had lunch and caught up with him, a great reunion after some 15 years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-9kMzFIYYzQGQx52XiRLLouzYjutZ0hALe3_SCX7GNmXIhQiPCiVWls_9yX2lSPNGX3DsNBPDyhVijH3RdSt_eGshiXaE2vGbgy4Yqa3r1109yB6rd1p2MZYfSgvddWFP2bGe69UPd0m/s1600/IMG_1024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-9kMzFIYYzQGQx52XiRLLouzYjutZ0hALe3_SCX7GNmXIhQiPCiVWls_9yX2lSPNGX3DsNBPDyhVijH3RdSt_eGshiXaE2vGbgy4Yqa3r1109yB6rd1p2MZYfSgvddWFP2bGe69UPd0m/s1600/IMG_1024.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Carter.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGozhdqL10C5y80UlFqkyNoMsNhaYuRtV5CYSyFRgoj3mmUMq9dkbEqnD6Wm_ADXfZMeJa4dFUP9avDbanoBHkfJgj4Pi1sIBhRV0bbm4OpmTkfD4BG3hiTsVsoIea-lvxDPylWCa-qUyU/s1600/IMG_1031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGozhdqL10C5y80UlFqkyNoMsNhaYuRtV5CYSyFRgoj3mmUMq9dkbEqnD6Wm_ADXfZMeJa4dFUP9avDbanoBHkfJgj4Pi1sIBhRV0bbm4OpmTkfD4BG3hiTsVsoIea-lvxDPylWCa-qUyU/s1600/IMG_1031.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Dana.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpDaF50A3kmPXn31MqnIICnrieR9VXLl3Z_GCg6grXqOqr58uRBNeInlqO_be4j3wQtVh2ujnzKeFYifzObxyxcICQp0sUxADW8ZslKiHLVrnYAVoJz7lhDwzIW6OTvpf5gH7Q0CYvk0q/s1600/IMG_1032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpDaF50A3kmPXn31MqnIICnrieR9VXLl3Z_GCg6grXqOqr58uRBNeInlqO_be4j3wQtVh2ujnzKeFYifzObxyxcICQp0sUxADW8ZslKiHLVrnYAVoJz7lhDwzIW6OTvpf5gH7Q0CYvk0q/s1600/IMG_1032.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ooops, Derrick went to work. With Jamie and Alexis.</td></tr>
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About 20 miles later, we met up with Dana Patenaude, another college friend, on a bike path into Mankato. This ride also included a stop for ice cream, as usual. Distractions make it a lot easier to ride. We did a total of 69 miles that day, stopping at Dad's brother Derrick and his wife Jamie's house. It was great to see them again and be allowed to sleep in their air conditioned house. We've hit a sudden wave of family and friends now that we're entering the midwest, which is great to help break up the monotony of the trip.<br />
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This morning we woke up to thunderstorms, again, at Derrick and Jamie's. Therefore we didn't get to leave until 11, still riding into a bad southwest wind and 80% humidity. I miss the desert.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKDSJOh1Th2qnNhfWGSLOvpToxU5RIZxUaBYfwr1kAZ0HbW2FVWyv5upHcmZNpuB0rt-xbpKJaj0lDuoPcA3Q3EeQns0KP3AprweG3Uj6ebEDCgfcnzozHrvRljATwrE02hOlgnPvtgVNY/s1600/IMG_1003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKDSJOh1Th2qnNhfWGSLOvpToxU5RIZxUaBYfwr1kAZ0HbW2FVWyv5upHcmZNpuB0rt-xbpKJaj0lDuoPcA3Q3EeQns0KP3AprweG3Uj6ebEDCgfcnzozHrvRljATwrE02hOlgnPvtgVNY/s1600/IMG_1003.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelby's view all summer long.</td></tr>
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We stopped at Minnesota State University, Mankato on the way out of town. Turns out it was orientation day at the college, so we stopped at the student union building for lunch since it was open and bustling with students. Although the plan was to get to Redwood Falls by this evening, the wind and humidity slowed us down considerably and zapped a lot of energy. So now, we've only gone 54 miles and are in Sleepy Eye, MN, in a hotel. We plan to be in White to visit Aunt Mary within the next couple of days.<br />
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Today is officially our halfway point, and we are still a little bit ahead of schedule.<br />
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Roadkill Report: Deer, Raccoon, Bird, Cat, Bird, Bird, Bird<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmCxleNZx0yZfvWL2WqRkeCWM_Ylrac_IDsMKwGv_Uj1Spmfgct8ziwsWnm7lIpG1Ipr8aGigQ7q3sajUktWeZfL5tgenY4AsOcLVThF4gU9mPD9jj1GR_fWah2ATRgLXmqHUhwtp3sC4/s1600/IMG_1035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmCxleNZx0yZfvWL2WqRkeCWM_Ylrac_IDsMKwGv_Uj1Spmfgct8ziwsWnm7lIpG1Ipr8aGigQ7q3sajUktWeZfL5tgenY4AsOcLVThF4gU9mPD9jj1GR_fWah2ATRgLXmqHUhwtp3sC4/s1600/IMG_1035.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MSU</td></tr>
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-26486678352661537932014-07-08T20:28:00.000-06:002014-07-09T06:45:22.229-06:00All Creatures Great and Small, Dead or Alive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLAvOmvvZqR5eZNiI-dLAYL8YmogfZkdcIi-qB51ykOihxl7r2AVx6UUh-BvDVR82RVL00GPX4juzuAUlhW_9qeWG3YOwKvCE9xIJSmFZGvkn6tcQMkzNpdyMoisqwNeVTGjWp6X2l5_b/s1600/10454985_10202358412943858_7527758620675306136_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLAvOmvvZqR5eZNiI-dLAYL8YmogfZkdcIi-qB51ykOihxl7r2AVx6UUh-BvDVR82RVL00GPX4juzuAUlhW_9qeWG3YOwKvCE9xIJSmFZGvkn6tcQMkzNpdyMoisqwNeVTGjWp6X2l5_b/s1600/10454985_10202358412943858_7527758620675306136_o.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfK07M2RXcGPUgQcXuAUUHETFfhC5GBg8UcmSHOAsJiFThBw83XLs_3Zq46rAfC6KdFp7PPX3dQy3zOP2NgmAM9_INqOt8LTOzVGncnv9uSDH6lUPfuaDVNFS_MMH81ZocVH5UsnOgN41R/s1600/10507055_10202358416983959_632916852096159472_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfK07M2RXcGPUgQcXuAUUHETFfhC5GBg8UcmSHOAsJiFThBw83XLs_3Zq46rAfC6KdFp7PPX3dQy3zOP2NgmAM9_INqOt8LTOzVGncnv9uSDH6lUPfuaDVNFS_MMH81ZocVH5UsnOgN41R/s1600/10507055_10202358416983959_632916852096159472_o.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>We spent our 4th in the lap of luxury with the Wyse family. Our day was highlighted by a ride in the go kart, a few exciting rounds of Yahtzee, and visits to the chicken coop. When it got dark, we had some completely legal sparklers to light on fire, since any other type of firework is illegal in Iowa, and we're all rule followers here. We may have transferred to the neighbors yard to watch them blow some stuff up that they had smuggled in from Missouri later in the night.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfwjl41rhyrvdHWz7cXPxhdvzAEn9Ny6jXHAQx-fLu3_fZLH35kfNX-yQNCQ3V87J34tZdofbc8mATFeg8rXccn3bAncjiPlKvhtbNXJQ745f306krH0ixwhBuI5reRhy_c4Emi6G0c2i/s1600/IMG_0933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfwjl41rhyrvdHWz7cXPxhdvzAEn9Ny6jXHAQx-fLu3_fZLH35kfNX-yQNCQ3V87J34tZdofbc8mATFeg8rXccn3bAncjiPlKvhtbNXJQ745f306krH0ixwhBuI5reRhy_c4Emi6G0c2i/s1600/IMG_0933.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>All in all, we had a great day off with the Wyse family, and much appreciated the hospitality and a chance to sleep under a real roof.<br />
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Saturday we were back at it. We had Russ drive us back to the exact location we had been picked up at, in order to "avoid any asterisks on our trip" as Dad says, "you know, we rode our bikes across the country... *except for that one time that Russ dropped us off a town before the one we were picked up at".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfXVsJaF_SDVeNuWarcBaHHU9t63vFdnZSXZvmd70kd4nCXiUWbXNXeimuskqTa4biE2vG4jS7cbVPYqIJF6S_w3aBL5SCWw2PlVpd-aYRyO9NYJjRN_GghHfUivfP0iWBGsS64tqMrlH/s1600/IMG_0934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfXVsJaF_SDVeNuWarcBaHHU9t63vFdnZSXZvmd70kd4nCXiUWbXNXeimuskqTa4biE2vG4jS7cbVPYqIJF6S_w3aBL5SCWw2PlVpd-aYRyO9NYJjRN_GghHfUivfP0iWBGsS64tqMrlH/s1600/IMG_0934.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jed Wyse and Chicken Jane</td></tr>
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We took off with a huge tailwind, and found an easy way to cut some miles off of the Adventure Cycling map without even hitting a gravel road, just sticking to the main highway. We only rode 54 miles that day to Dyersville, Iowa, although the map believed we had done 65. Although we hoped to ride the tailwind further, there was no good place to stop further down the road, so we turned in early at a Super 8 in order to avoid an oncoming storm.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXoTo4ffE0UNVUtnelOtPLaJ0lGjJ_Zyb4dK1fCjZ7oe4HZTITbYn9WgpWjPgyNrO5HLzLBJbOme-uHBr1I21-SEPkmR8wRCkrNYzJ0B4YiCruuBAyZM1hmI9ED5l3NsdAPTF2xWlJGZI/s1600/IMG_0937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXoTo4ffE0UNVUtnelOtPLaJ0lGjJ_Zyb4dK1fCjZ7oe4HZTITbYn9WgpWjPgyNrO5HLzLBJbOme-uHBr1I21-SEPkmR8wRCkrNYzJ0B4YiCruuBAyZM1hmI9ED5l3NsdAPTF2xWlJGZI/s1600/IMG_0937.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>That night we met up with Dad's brother Darrin and his wife Anna from Dubuque. They drove down to have dinner with us and we had a great time finally getting to catch up with them and reminisce the good ol' days of working at Cap's Trail Service over some pie.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbl-bGk9IiRIAvlhVUiZNT5NJLkbftaa9nGDEc7NVadKOernXn_BEoSpYQCRwYHOpqQ2pt-mjlHJf-aQIgb5NdskJgYDsxXRmdrVKOc5NfoWD7RhN-hFtigQedLPNqxyeBinaXJGGwXv8h/s1600/IMG_0941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbl-bGk9IiRIAvlhVUiZNT5NJLkbftaa9nGDEc7NVadKOernXn_BEoSpYQCRwYHOpqQ2pt-mjlHJf-aQIgb5NdskJgYDsxXRmdrVKOc5NfoWD7RhN-hFtigQedLPNqxyeBinaXJGGwXv8h/s1600/IMG_0941.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downtown Dyersville, Iowa</td></tr>
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Sunday we rode 64 miles, still heading north, and with a less noticeable tailwind. We were getting back to the Mississippi River valley, and beginning to climb and descend more hills than we've gotten used to. We finally stopped in a tourist-y town at around 3 that was right on the river. The plan was to stay at Pike's Peak State Park, which was only 3 miles outside of the town. Turns out, those three miles were straight uphill. Though we had a fabulous view of the river from the park, we had to climb a lot more than we wanted to at the end of the day and with stomachs full of bad Mexican food.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyZR9nRfcE8zxm2HWOdsnwldicoFTTSk7xoUr1oP5oh2ccEQvUlKOYQZr9_IRHYFP3yRE875Hx7vv3CH88-EXcRAmnHo_sy11RPf5xIuHRzftyzesQ9CNWLUq2eaEtERf9VF18yKNARA0/s1600/IMG_0975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyZR9nRfcE8zxm2HWOdsnwldicoFTTSk7xoUr1oP5oh2ccEQvUlKOYQZr9_IRHYFP3yRE875Hx7vv3CH88-EXcRAmnHo_sy11RPf5xIuHRzftyzesQ9CNWLUq2eaEtERf9VF18yKNARA0/s1600/IMG_0975.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flooded campground</td></tr>
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It rained hard in the early evening, but had cleared up by morning. We biked 72 miles that day to La Crosse, WI. Unfortunately, the campground we had hoped to stay at, an RV resort that advertised its prime location right on the banks of the river, was flooded and closed to camping. We must have looked pathetic enough to convince the manager to let us find a patch of grass and use the bathhouse for the night.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtya8Sl5pDFYrEmqPPWMCX2CQgmq1ehu-NX6T6f162z1CTlM_qH5IeasU6F3XbTTK33rmH_thdOKrPgxHyYKnIrhw45dL5st9ejmnV3x5t25Qq7QzagGwcRzjtQQccdX4tRN0uiyfKzCn/s1600/IMG_0970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtya8Sl5pDFYrEmqPPWMCX2CQgmq1ehu-NX6T6f162z1CTlM_qH5IeasU6F3XbTTK33rmH_thdOKrPgxHyYKnIrhw45dL5st9ejmnV3x5t25Qq7QzagGwcRzjtQQccdX4tRN0uiyfKzCn/s1600/IMG_0970.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where are we again?</td></tr>
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After getting dinner and breakfast supplies downtown in La Crosse, we returned across the bridge on the bike path/sidewalk next to the highway. Cruising the downhill section of the bridge, these two furry river otters pop out from the grass, and begin to scurry across the sidewalk. The first makes it across right in front of the tandem. The second, however, was less fortunate, smashed by the back wheel of the tandem, then left helplessly squirming as I hit it square with both tires. I may have screamed, and I might be traumatized. I have no idea if the otter survived.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeB-1qJq78WldmK8SCaZmq2tmvVeGrYo6ViObl4mCIFjpIvIQKGCQnePIxbWcrL55POirY3heQylati5zUlAjuxMGsnLhrq48Tdngcr40O0RvrYZMjS0p4r-tUY-rm4j_XJopAaLJk-a_/s1600/IMG_0968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeB-1qJq78WldmK8SCaZmq2tmvVeGrYo6ViObl4mCIFjpIvIQKGCQnePIxbWcrL55POirY3heQylati5zUlAjuxMGsnLhrq48Tdngcr40O0RvrYZMjS0p4r-tUY-rm4j_XJopAaLJk-a_/s1600/IMG_0968.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSI5VYFLp8SQTVEslFqpcz8Re3tOLvDEntR_cXkGejPcp3rrgi-sZaSBVnx4j2J2DFiXKvMRGg0IvhWJ_9o5RH1jTe5uzZkJOm4-ANtJ_rz8bJr7gYHD7z3ROf_k81xt_DI7rHqnxPun7/s1600/IMG_0972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSI5VYFLp8SQTVEslFqpcz8Re3tOLvDEntR_cXkGejPcp3rrgi-sZaSBVnx4j2J2DFiXKvMRGg0IvhWJ_9o5RH1jTe5uzZkJOm4-ANtJ_rz8bJr7gYHD7z3ROf_k81xt_DI7rHqnxPun7/s1600/IMG_0972.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>It rained hard again last night, but we woke to a cool morning. Unfortunately the winds were entirely from the wrong direction, hitting us from the Northwest at 15-20 mph. Riding was really tough today, so we stopped at mile 15 for second breakfast at the Kwik Trip. That place is amazing. As we left, we met a lady who wanted to know all about our trip, as many we meet do. This lady in particular was very worried about Shelby and how much she was eating. Despite our attempts to explain that yes, Shelby is normally that skinny, and yes, she eats plenty, and no, this trip is not completely child abuse, she remained concerned. While most people tell us we will look back on this trip as the best experience of our lives, this lady told us that we would only look back and say "What the hell were we thinking???"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguivNhCNzSEbLPgaFeKiyhBRiiBvnbfb9eY_r6DT5LmLAlW4dKtDbUAfqScLy5w3D0maz5CRCocVSbjlCk1XocD8mIXQ8tP-MJPwZ1h3tGpnAu5yXlKPhr-DncK5cg9EmVt4KrW-_XlrRv/s1600/IMG_0987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguivNhCNzSEbLPgaFeKiyhBRiiBvnbfb9eY_r6DT5LmLAlW4dKtDbUAfqScLy5w3D0maz5CRCocVSbjlCk1XocD8mIXQ8tP-MJPwZ1h3tGpnAu5yXlKPhr-DncK5cg9EmVt4KrW-_XlrRv/s1600/IMG_0987.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from above the Mississippi River</td></tr>
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Later on the road, Dad announced that there was roadkill ahead, and a big one. As we got closer, I yelled out, "I don't think that's dead!"Soon we were swerving all over the road, trying desperately to avoid the baby racoon crouched in the road eating a turtle. No one ran over this mammal, thankfully.<br />
69 miles later we're at an RV park in Wabasha, MN. We plan to hit Red Wing tomorrow, then turn west and make our own route across South Dakota.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBV67mGGYeO_YsBSkxKRMs_rPb-35FnTo9HuF4xJp6XkgFtei5E4eeeGVOi9pZiAO6fv1bYaeT2Eat2pjYBSzyJgDzIB2xc4U77_2OPGQ7Hkh-3caTIjg_fXtPmJzh56TMjB4V4XNIVsTe/s1600/IMG_0993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBV67mGGYeO_YsBSkxKRMs_rPb-35FnTo9HuF4xJp6XkgFtei5E4eeeGVOi9pZiAO6fv1bYaeT2Eat2pjYBSzyJgDzIB2xc4U77_2OPGQ7Hkh-3caTIjg_fXtPmJzh56TMjB4V4XNIVsTe/s1600/IMG_0993.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Roadkill Report: Rabbit, Otter, Rabbit, Bird, Snake, Deer, Raccoon, Bird, Bird, Bird, Almost A Deer, Bird, Bird, Bird, Bird, Badger, Turtle, Baby Raccoon, Bird, Mouse, Bambi, Squirrel, Snake, Frog, Turtle, Frog, Bird, Bird, Bird, Frog, Frog, Frog, Frog, Frog, Frog, Turtle, Turtle, Turtle, River Otter Meg Ran OverMeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-1732682298100083052014-07-04T11:04:00.000-06:002014-07-04T12:34:27.821-06:00Off The Grid<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFYlbg08hjxOzykk5zqgTtj35IeygPyNF64ApPD8PZQU9s1RY22oJgVw4CJAq1Zq8sDnL2R2BzE7zKkxladeDSqXpwxOHyZKBNhDLqSMYdBtLG-e4tM4pSHDQ-Vo8v3CBSCcrlJeBErjb/s1600/IMG_0813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFYlbg08hjxOzykk5zqgTtj35IeygPyNF64ApPD8PZQU9s1RY22oJgVw4CJAq1Zq8sDnL2R2BzE7zKkxladeDSqXpwxOHyZKBNhDLqSMYdBtLG-e4tM4pSHDQ-Vo8v3CBSCcrlJeBErjb/s1600/IMG_0813.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
Saturday was into the wind and raining. We've finally been having some strong headwinds. Everybody we ride by seems to be screaming at us "You're going the wrong way!!!".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNz-QMACnEBEV5o5i581-95-wxJHAOBtzYK-40Q2JIMqv4mO__vgSwpS2HmTRHU2Yy80qKa8rfabKIhZE1qFOsJI5h4pZDkt5A-fBtF6gSUuAzYXzk91xFC2ZyvDNYHSys21HJbsU_V_pu/s1600/IMG_0820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNz-QMACnEBEV5o5i581-95-wxJHAOBtzYK-40Q2JIMqv4mO__vgSwpS2HmTRHU2Yy80qKa8rfabKIhZE1qFOsJI5h4pZDkt5A-fBtF6gSUuAzYXzk91xFC2ZyvDNYHSys21HJbsU_V_pu/s1600/IMG_0820.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch in the rain.</td></tr>
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We did get to jump on a nice paved trail for a while in the morning to get back on route from our Wabash detour, the optimum way to catch back up. We did not realize, however, that the western part of Indiana would be lacking in services, at least while following the Adventure Cycling route. It seems as though AC was trying a little too hard to keep us out of populated areas, stores, civilization in general. We rolled into Buffalo's little convenience store, the only open store in town, to find some food at about 3pm, all pretty hungry and getting the shakes. It was the first time we had actually run out of food while on the bike, and so have kept increasingly prepared with backup food the past few days. We did 67 miles that day.<br />
On the way we passed by the farm that our friend Ben would be staying at. The family at the barn had painted on the road an offer for bicyclists to get free water and shade, so we took advantage of that as a rest stop.<br />
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We spent the night at a mosquito infested campground across from a group of people blasting their country music very loudly until 10:30pm. We ate our late lunch and dinner in the rain, and took cold showers at the campground, then slept in the humidity. Welcome to the midwest!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhjmngVVuwdNS0afTLUf0wfssZn8grDJFbctb0ENiaXsntHvgUvTAKN4j8l04gyegZT2l3ZT3OBDmZEOY6NQGv9OS15tJZ6pa_kEF497X4eJqfLwxjy7JdZvAcGrX-J5lWz_tV_rrphhyphenhyphen/s1600/IMG_0832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhjmngVVuwdNS0afTLUf0wfssZn8grDJFbctb0ENiaXsntHvgUvTAKN4j8l04gyegZT2l3ZT3OBDmZEOY6NQGv9OS15tJZ6pa_kEF497X4eJqfLwxjy7JdZvAcGrX-J5lWz_tV_rrphhyphenhyphen/s1600/IMG_0832.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelby stopping for a bathroom break.</td></tr>
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Sunday we rode to Illinois. There's getting to be a whole lot of corn in these states. Illinois wasn't very welcoming with a state sign either. Instead, mom and I got chased by a big dog across the border. Dad yelled at the dog and yelled at us to take off, but we could barely outsprint it. When it finally stopped running after us, it ran off to the side of the road and just sat and watched as the tandem rolled by. Dad got out the Mace and tried to spray it, but our headwind caught the spray and missed the dog anyway. All in all, a poor showing.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcx_xroWGA4AN-mjNxhXnSPD1H2wTmDlyjNrY3Z_U-XcQ4ofHreW2FdqonoJg2Tqn8Uik0TmDR5BYa56eBWXu6E5R3oc_qsrS4pvqxeTvLEK7f1o_en39WopRon-QjNrzTpm5WukL9hyphenhyphenR6/s1600/IMG_0839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcx_xroWGA4AN-mjNxhXnSPD1H2wTmDlyjNrY3Z_U-XcQ4ofHreW2FdqonoJg2Tqn8Uik0TmDR5BYa56eBWXu6E5R3oc_qsrS4pvqxeTvLEK7f1o_en39WopRon-QjNrzTpm5WukL9hyphenhyphenR6/s1600/IMG_0839.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to Illinois, post dog-chasing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIMB-3_LjyezWhs50Gnf1eBUhCMKyxHDZmAhDSFYKV2-D86Lw3e74RS_WlDgwnLj_Umnjs1zXYmokcRNfcUmPjcfJI4uqDYAx7I3Dc1yGkyEiB1nkLxudVufJmlxsu_q5rkNEaKDW0aTJ/s1600/IMG_0856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIMB-3_LjyezWhs50Gnf1eBUhCMKyxHDZmAhDSFYKV2-D86Lw3e74RS_WlDgwnLj_Umnjs1zXYmokcRNfcUmPjcfJI4uqDYAx7I3Dc1yGkyEiB1nkLxudVufJmlxsu_q5rkNEaKDW0aTJ/s1600/IMG_0856.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trash can delivery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicb-SrEc2fP8YkUvkrv9AuGPRbnPYKjTSIiOaC2rLBqKPDHhQe9FBQWVIyjqmgUFkENMl_2vL87WOp1CXWs7FH3XHZGsYbcwp4Nx1OMqcJTijYahu6FKLzpoyeyD8X7RU1zTJyYxLkXju/s1600/IMG_0851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicb-SrEc2fP8YkUvkrv9AuGPRbnPYKjTSIiOaC2rLBqKPDHhQe9FBQWVIyjqmgUFkENMl_2vL87WOp1CXWs7FH3XHZGsYbcwp4Nx1OMqcJTijYahu6FKLzpoyeyD8X7RU1zTJyYxLkXju/s1600/IMG_0851.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>We spent the night in the Ashkum City Park after 83 miles, and got the mayor to open the bathrooms for us. Unfortunately there were no showers available, and the night was hot and incredibly humid. Around 4am, we woke to flashes of lightning and thunder really close to the park. Everybody jumped up, unstaked the tent, grabbed a corner, and hauled it under the park pavilion and out of the storm. We had no idea how bad it was going to be, and at one point were making plans to run to the bathrooms in case of tornado. It finally calmed down around 5:30, so we all were able to get some sleep. Only an hour later, however, the city of Ashkum was getting brand new trash cans. And they were all being unloaded right in front of the park. Trucks pulled up with trash barrels stacked 15 high and filled with water, so the workers just knocked them over to dump the water out, sending them crashing to the ground and sounding like more thunder. Good morning indeed.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP79idUeEnqGTMy2aRiOCMH56KcekRJse4s6Wv0U2G1sxgFuasTAYxmtWoZRPZjwStPHxQerpZN7WKaoPFoNCWZ9qq7cccEnZOc2BRH9NHG_mj7X7-BuiI33JyeN48A2Bmk1TeL5MxW7bc/s1600/IMG_0875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP79idUeEnqGTMy2aRiOCMH56KcekRJse4s6Wv0U2G1sxgFuasTAYxmtWoZRPZjwStPHxQerpZN7WKaoPFoNCWZ9qq7cccEnZOc2BRH9NHG_mj7X7-BuiI33JyeN48A2Bmk1TeL5MxW7bc/s1600/IMG_0875.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a>We spent the next day outrunning an even worse storm, so we got a hotel that night in Streator after 69 miles. We had to go off route to get to that town, because of course the map wouldn't want to take us anywhere with shelter or stores or any sort of traffic. There was some awesome lightning that night, nothing like what we see out west.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bDkaxOqE0wOyiiv0sexcXUr7DP-vcELVv8Jr5cKFQKF5zZcmkdTYbaHqzpjIcdm-x86CYD3P56W-m1_NlKa79tnjJXOyxhGnwXbLpnc176H0Sc7t3o483qKHbvUh_xgT9YlOMQ0Q71Lh/s1600/IMG_0887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bDkaxOqE0wOyiiv0sexcXUr7DP-vcELVv8Jr5cKFQKF5zZcmkdTYbaHqzpjIcdm-x86CYD3P56W-m1_NlKa79tnjJXOyxhGnwXbLpnc176H0Sc7t3o483qKHbvUh_xgT9YlOMQ0Q71Lh/s1600/IMG_0887.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flooding issues.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Tuesday we rode another 70 from Streator to a campground near Sheffield. It was decided earlier in the day that it would be possible to cut off 30 miles and go through larger towns with more services by going off route the rest of the way to Iowa. So we threw the maps to the corn and trusted our adventure to Google Maps. We had to spend a lot of the day on a busier highway, but near the end spent a few miles on the Hennepin Canal Trail, another old towpath like the Erie Canal Trail was, although this one was slightly rougher.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ojfy8QRTTVQITT4AKpna4X7HCodWGtTMeDT1R-4ykQIRxgA-62jN6JAl0jBH1N1zAJWRmKMBv4hfnjb_iOXNveAKl9Lw41D3L6LJ4vg_Ss08glgMGi0A4k_HIHv644B6oSjU3RzIlbWP/s1600/IMG_0893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ojfy8QRTTVQITT4AKpna4X7HCodWGtTMeDT1R-4ykQIRxgA-62jN6JAl0jBH1N1zAJWRmKMBv4hfnjb_iOXNveAKl9Lw41D3L6LJ4vg_Ss08glgMGi0A4k_HIHv644B6oSjU3RzIlbWP/s1600/IMG_0893.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Wednesday we continued on this trail. It wasn't exactly road bike friendly the whole way. In many places it was overgrown and rocky or muddy, but it was still ridable and a nice break from traffic and the wind. This was at least the case until the trail was flooded from all the rainstorms the past few days. That required a lot of re-navigation and wrong turns. The day that was supposed to be in the 50's for mileage ended up being a 70-miler with all of our wrong turns, but we did make it to an Iowa county campground. The Mississippi River has a lot of water in it right now.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUJ9f4uWuB4xCzu1TlcS3VxKB0Mvk2t4rhFCMoyKBqGuyfYlkmcqDMzScNknPgUQPrQuIV9_XkEr8ZoDjcT3p2R7-pggjqh6NjyqqkmaPczIHhBrUpFiGuXgfzTNxitazzDFLr6JPvVNv/s1600/IMG_0912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUJ9f4uWuB4xCzu1TlcS3VxKB0Mvk2t4rhFCMoyKBqGuyfYlkmcqDMzScNknPgUQPrQuIV9_XkEr8ZoDjcT3p2R7-pggjqh6NjyqqkmaPczIHhBrUpFiGuXgfzTNxitazzDFLr6JPvVNv/s1600/IMG_0912.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mississippi River</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCaeLmt-rR01L4TKmqnyKI6Uw9tThc9h3lQQ5sw0z0zSXGW6Ktw1exXcpCNc9NHqVBkFi_W8KBZDElplommKmtPOzRdF89KhpAf0ov7r7Qw5gg10eJ1_3kPlG9IvZqEbMzdmfHO3ZVXPi/s1600/IMG_0915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCaeLmt-rR01L4TKmqnyKI6Uw9tThc9h3lQQ5sw0z0zSXGW6Ktw1exXcpCNc9NHqVBkFi_W8KBZDElplommKmtPOzRdF89KhpAf0ov7r7Qw5gg10eJ1_3kPlG9IvZqEbMzdmfHO3ZVXPi/s1600/IMG_0915.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also no "Welcome to Iowa" sign, so...</td></tr>
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Thursday we hoped to get to Lowden, IA to receive a pick up from Jed and Brenda Wyse, our friends from Cedar Rapids. We claimed we would be there by noon, as we only had to ride 31 miles according to Google. What we didn't know at the time was that Google routed us down many miles of gravel roads, a large percentage of which were made up of loose rock. Gravel riding was extremely slow. We were an hour late to our pickup, and rode 38 miles instead.<br />
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The good news is that we are safe at the Wyse ranch and plan to spend all of today here, not on our bike. Riding in a car on the way here was a strange experience. Cars suddenly can go so fast. And they have air conditioning. Imagine that.<br />
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Happy Fourth of July from all of us here!Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-46195365884143620672014-06-27T21:05:00.001-06:002014-06-27T21:15:37.003-06:00The Land of the Above-Ground Swimming Pools<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKfQAFC050RX8qQxPJt6D4bOBK5EYeScyx57iOd52shHwhB5vDL-ZtKuOZz_O6_lrwcQdttS6TLHUqKnRkeW4W_rNRMEJERRL1zNiOVTefnLhrRR7AH7xVRDP-b8mvK6nMEF02DiBdLUO/s1600/IMG_0749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKfQAFC050RX8qQxPJt6D4bOBK5EYeScyx57iOd52shHwhB5vDL-ZtKuOZz_O6_lrwcQdttS6TLHUqKnRkeW4W_rNRMEJERRL1zNiOVTefnLhrRR7AH7xVRDP-b8mvK6nMEF02DiBdLUO/s1600/IMG_0749.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Cleveland. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Everybody's got their own above-ground pool. Or personal pond. It's crazy.<br />
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Tuesday morning we woke up to some ominous clouds overhead and a forecast of thunderstorms for the day. Because the Cleveland Hostel was such a nice place, and cheap, we thought about taking a rest day. After crunching some numbers, we realized we're already a full day ahead of schedule. So, Dad said, "I'm done being wishy-washy, we're taking a rest day" as well as "I'm off the fence, enjoy your day off".<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6RazAW48yiaqbUhmUNdRE76SVUuoyHo8Sb8KoPF4f3nqcLXhwcyg2NDcoQyyTTxiuIivxMiZ_uQE495Ds4-ARx5afvV-1PoSYwitIsJdHZ8N5dGLa4bHEgdD46cVGhDoEtZtb2ARoihK/s1600/IMG_0796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6RazAW48yiaqbUhmUNdRE76SVUuoyHo8Sb8KoPF4f3nqcLXhwcyg2NDcoQyyTTxiuIivxMiZ_uQE495Ds4-ARx5afvV-1PoSYwitIsJdHZ8N5dGLa4bHEgdD46cVGhDoEtZtb2ARoihK/s1600/IMG_0796.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's the land of above-ground pools.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXkfEZcx7geGpvWEH1cdTUvDdAXzCTPOTDDEZsljczKvDBLtPAchApEZpgJTLoDDaD1yFaABOmKogke9AhrlRQRh41zyqJ6cMmhz4xHN2JaEryXBYPuGCSZh-9d25HfWSrBcJQ20cQMrUl/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXkfEZcx7geGpvWEH1cdTUvDdAXzCTPOTDDEZsljczKvDBLtPAchApEZpgJTLoDDaD1yFaABOmKogke9AhrlRQRh41zyqJ6cMmhz4xHN2JaEryXBYPuGCSZh-9d25HfWSrBcJQ20cQMrUl/s1600/image.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love those DQ gift cards. Thanks, Darin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So we lounged around for a bit, until dad came back upstairs from the front desk to report that the only room that was available for Tuesday night only had one bed.<br />
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The excitement over a rest day plummeted. So we packed up and grudgingly headed out of Cleveland. At least we were able to take a short day of only 44 miles. Along the way we met a couple who was also touring, and convinced them to book the open room at the hostel. At least they were appreciative.<br />
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We also met a British guy at lunch who was apparently touring through all 48 states, no bike shorts, no helmet, just a camo baseball cap. So I guess he's more hardcore than us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OOMrMzOqo7BAx-q69VkRxc3ATyNjEiga1cok0xkEdAEAHo4vYVDp2pVKwgqFG-zCLJ4wykjj_Gii_Ss98jGCWf9-8YmoOVwDixlR3BxYWvR2fbLE-NoBPSYBqhgR4_eBP-FNY10PnoKz/s1600/IMG_0799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OOMrMzOqo7BAx-q69VkRxc3ATyNjEiga1cok0xkEdAEAHo4vYVDp2pVKwgqFG-zCLJ4wykjj_Gii_Ss98jGCWf9-8YmoOVwDixlR3BxYWvR2fbLE-NoBPSYBqhgR4_eBP-FNY10PnoKz/s1600/IMG_0799.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biking through the corn.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifG_02jJTcqmgsloucbBk_-8-BziwgxkmBAiX90lPnyEHH1oBqnCS-BMqZziBa29m9n8GhWHyD8IB4h_AtzUF5cbWFozKr07lSS0fE-FZAv9FKa4ZPwywPMlC4xVJqLHvxoYzLM1OcUX4e/s1600/IMG_0765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifG_02jJTcqmgsloucbBk_-8-BziwgxkmBAiX90lPnyEHH1oBqnCS-BMqZziBa29m9n8GhWHyD8IB4h_AtzUF5cbWFozKr07lSS0fE-FZAv9FKa4ZPwywPMlC4xVJqLHvxoYzLM1OcUX4e/s1600/IMG_0765.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outrunning that storm.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Most of that day was spent trying to outrun a storm. After getting rained on while riding (again) we ended up taking shelter at a laundromat while the rain really started pouring down. As soon as it let up, we raced to Firefly Beach where we got the cash discount for a "cottage" and food at the tavern nearby. Thankfully we had a roof, because it rained all night long.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMn_-R8-xRpD5s-3G_77jaq8TZwzMnJ20ave-BVf-Bin9FY4QXHaO6jF0yjt8F96Xd0O6b18hTNNCi9Fjh8K9Cgw8pvwWUXJChfXUoB8ZFHaAZtji5WwVEN8oGxz47cjfgHLxxhzKfZDQH/s1600/IMG_0771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMn_-R8-xRpD5s-3G_77jaq8TZwzMnJ20ave-BVf-Bin9FY4QXHaO6jF0yjt8F96Xd0O6b18hTNNCi9Fjh8K9Cgw8pvwWUXJChfXUoB8ZFHaAZtji5WwVEN8oGxz47cjfgHLxxhzKfZDQH/s1600/IMG_0771.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BGSU</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next day we rode out to Bowling Green, Ohio, still trying to outrun storms. We avoided some rain at a Subway for a while, then took off to beat the rest. We pushed through the last 20 miles in only an hour, which is flying with a fully loaded bike. Once in Bowling Green, we stayed with Matt, Heidi, Elizabeth, and Noah, a family who offered us food and a shower and a chance to camp in their backyard. We were lucky to get the chance to spend a night in their company. The hospitality we've received has been incredible.<br />
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Everyone in Ohio keeps seeing our "OREGON" sign on the back of the trailer and asking "are you going to Oregon, Ohio, or Oregon, the state?"Apparently Oregon, Ohio is a big destination for cyclists..?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzznWDr9wjSFeqURHlgcfzNOqvMPqNfKMbOPqI1kmZTccXZBdT34ih8jM_r0AeoW5hyMhqPbvQnbBxD1B7u4kH5horORRg_ME_fBQJ6-uHZV8FjP2pyN4kxOFQ78NKNSEtXE0mldCnFkXh/s1600/IMG_0777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzznWDr9wjSFeqURHlgcfzNOqvMPqNfKMbOPqI1kmZTccXZBdT34ih8jM_r0AeoW5hyMhqPbvQnbBxD1B7u4kH5horORRg_ME_fBQJ6-uHZV8FjP2pyN4kxOFQ78NKNSEtXE0mldCnFkXh/s1600/IMG_0777.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
The next morning we took a brief bicycle tour of Bowling Green State University, then headed out. Dad really wanted to go 90 miles because apparently there was free camping in Monroeville for cyclists.<br />
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So of course, we went 93 and made it all the way to Monroeville, Indiana. It was an exhausting day, but in the end we were all happy we had made it. Even got to see the Campbell's factory in Napoleon, Ohio. The Monroeville city park had a community center/shelter thing that was opened up for us to sleep in and shower in, and the town was super friendly to cyclists. It even had a Whippy Dip for ice cream! Such a wonderful place. Bravo, Monroeville - well done.<br />
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Indiana did not greet us with a "welcome to" sign. Extraordinarily disappointing.<br />
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This morning we slept in since we rode so much yesterday and have ended up off route in Wabash 68 miles later. There was no where good to camp after Monroeville, so we're in a cheap motel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ieAqA2QGfwzoPZwbaYElqCQCUiEHIKHy1v_or7pk67SBG5NnE_HxR1fYHLGi9MY9DUiOWso-VeBv1jBH7rFey_xQG3EkWd2cqGuDMBydqP9eTnViD6tO0OvDLYE2W-4EeaptDuNtzyTe/s1600/image+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ieAqA2QGfwzoPZwbaYElqCQCUiEHIKHy1v_or7pk67SBG5NnE_HxR1fYHLGi9MY9DUiOWso-VeBv1jBH7rFey_xQG3EkWd2cqGuDMBydqP9eTnViD6tO0OvDLYE2W-4EeaptDuNtzyTe/s1600/image+(1).jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Failed sign, failed jump. Welcome to Indiana.</td></tr>
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Mom got the first official tire flat of the trip today! Luckily it wasn't bad enough to stop us for long.<br />
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We also made friends with a guy named Ben from Rhode Island today. We got to ride with him and he followed us off route here to Wabash for a while. The motel we're in has an outdoor pool, the highlight of our night. It's finally getting to be a little too hot to be pleasant riding temperature, and that pool tonight was just right.<br />
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Money found: $0.00<br />
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Roadkill Report: Bird, Disgusting Snake, Squirrel, Deer, Raccoon, Twin Raccoons, Deer, Possum<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZiQ89_s67Q">Wabash Cannonball!</a><br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-65077687805302821682014-06-23T20:13:00.002-06:002014-06-23T20:14:40.936-06:00What's high in the middle and round on both ends?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JF5N8bT4FdM-IAiKJpaiEWP3_oUoTQnWDs1ANJfn2yeqTrgVWfkljlTSp6boEuMuKiqWZ9kfdo9MWgGj9QjcxyhlTs1IzDT0uE6_9qzHWKPcdgnawMVkuIM8e_2SrNxHvOVXuU_a2xqN/s1600/IMG_0740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JF5N8bT4FdM-IAiKJpaiEWP3_oUoTQnWDs1ANJfn2yeqTrgVWfkljlTSp6boEuMuKiqWZ9kfdo9MWgGj9QjcxyhlTs1IzDT0uE6_9qzHWKPcdgnawMVkuIM8e_2SrNxHvOVXuU_a2xqN/s1600/IMG_0740.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Lake Erie</td></tr>
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Friday night was a late one. Since we didn't get to the hotel until 7:30, and no food until 8:30, we were up pretty late for bike tour standards.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPvqyASS1HF1WpOdW4v4Tc91MX71Eovc-LoW-YP4vUje4cVxLFIuTXoPgcqXsr5HFIeYIfhv6BTqq8L-RTzWWkMtOgz7BbALc8J6i-Rzwmzr3cDf3AftU-VUIGkUzHm4PY4sftNOf5VRQ/s1600/IMG_0725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPvqyASS1HF1WpOdW4v4Tc91MX71Eovc-LoW-YP4vUje4cVxLFIuTXoPgcqXsr5HFIeYIfhv6BTqq8L-RTzWWkMtOgz7BbALc8J6i-Rzwmzr3cDf3AftU-VUIGkUzHm4PY4sftNOf5VRQ/s1600/IMG_0725.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biking selfies.</td></tr>
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Therefore, we slept in really late Saturday morning. We were all barely out of bed by 9:30, then took our time and ate as much complimentary breakfast as the hotel would allow. Leaving time was about 11:30, but the extra rest was definitely welcomed.<br />
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Thankfully we were cruising right along for Saturday's mileage. We had a big tailwind again today, and a perfect temperature of 70 degrees. Sleeping in didn't get us to camp any later than starting earlier has in the past.<br />
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The roads were a little rough today, but we had nice views of Lake Erie along the route. We even got to stay in the comfort of a KOA at night. We were in the city of Barcelona. New York, not Spain, unfortunately. It was a 69 mile day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPdzFhNWFsjcAscAOOfLarl3V9rvyVclBhxpDA0jJ-yckohiUsDJbdptqtLocjH9sX1zWilm94cFq78mO42iCJ-ouMC302Ev1JekVwTixca_P4eTq1bAe_KdvNkxo9WI-NjsAVuKZFMQkw/s1600/IMG_0730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPdzFhNWFsjcAscAOOfLarl3V9rvyVclBhxpDA0jJ-yckohiUsDJbdptqtLocjH9sX1zWilm94cFq78mO42iCJ-ouMC302Ev1JekVwTixca_P4eTq1bAe_KdvNkxo9WI-NjsAVuKZFMQkw/s1600/IMG_0730.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">State #5!</td></tr>
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On Sunday morning, Mom rolled out of the campground and turned East, apparently not remembering which way we had been going. So we had a false start and do-over in the morning, but otherwise easy riding with yet another big tailwind.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0DzDDvUc0qLAtCzAaGyKXjhfCYQVvWBjVHZKrDA2gh6gmCfev5y8h1zambLhR0o9Rxhf09yAu5EbgzLZrquZLCfxAlfFk4_c4tPzG8-HA71Iy19D_VfVVbmMKmJMlBxvrjCC3MR47aFM/s1600/IMG_0734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0DzDDvUc0qLAtCzAaGyKXjhfCYQVvWBjVHZKrDA2gh6gmCfev5y8h1zambLhR0o9Rxhf09yAu5EbgzLZrquZLCfxAlfFk4_c4tPzG8-HA71Iy19D_VfVVbmMKmJMlBxvrjCC3MR47aFM/s1600/IMG_0734.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">State #6, cheerleader-style</td></tr>
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We hit three states in one day, leaving New York, passing through Pennsylvania for about 40 miles, and then reaching Ohio before we stopped. Sunday gave us one last tailwind day, which landed the family at camp a bit early. In an attempt to keep up with cross-country training, Shelby and I tried to run a measly three miles. After biking 69, the legs just weren't really willing to do anything but spin in a circle.<br />
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This morning we woke up to slugs all over our shoes from the campground, which was pretty gross. We biked into Cleveland today. The suburbs of Cleveland stretch on for miles, so today was a lot of urban bicycling. While waiting for a train to pass by this afternoon, we were stopped behind a teenage girl in her sparkling convertible with a license plate surround that spelled out "PRINCESS". Dad promises to get me one when we get home. We'll see if its true.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNiBFY-02iNCi5ZX3KqoObYQ2Ez1ijmxoSI7Qgrq8MQK-MRuSPQRi1G5HVo_5tbOk0qm_utxtyqKNlkvlfcB82m2sekV24leP-Xqt3g5UlEosl0e1R-nacGv116S_rMH3JMHrU9BYB76C/s1600/IMG_0738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNiBFY-02iNCi5ZX3KqoObYQ2Ez1ijmxoSI7Qgrq8MQK-MRuSPQRi1G5HVo_5tbOk0qm_utxtyqKNlkvlfcB82m2sekV24leP-Xqt3g5UlEosl0e1R-nacGv116S_rMH3JMHrU9BYB76C/s1600/IMG_0738.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kent State Ashtabula Campus visit.</td></tr>
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The bike route took us on a really rough piece of road coming towards downtown today, appropriately named "Marginal Road". It started raining on us again today. There was a short burst of rain with some pretty violent thunder that sent us to a park shelter for a few minutes earlier in the afternoon. With about 15 miles left in the day, it really started raining and didn't want to stop. The bad condition of Marginal Road caused for some pretty great puddles. Thankfully we have a roof over our heads tonight, because it's still raining.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEXXv4lyOHwKPtDFuafsEU6Q2jUqJJciHuSXrbvMEdiHKQ1nUGqa3zcc4sh0HvtyYCHMWWhmXlPXE4PqxPunPAvr6TgY1mCSwS-LQmp0slLeKpMkL-B9b_fA1MSMSpm8Qb6Iu9YHWF08p/s1600/IMG_0745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEXXv4lyOHwKPtDFuafsEU6Q2jUqJJciHuSXrbvMEdiHKQ1nUGqa3zcc4sh0HvtyYCHMWWhmXlPXE4PqxPunPAvr6TgY1mCSwS-LQmp0slLeKpMkL-B9b_fA1MSMSpm8Qb6Iu9YHWF08p/s1600/IMG_0745.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rain today.</td></tr>
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We're currently smack in the center of downtown Cleveland at the Cleveland Hostel after a 74 mile day. We were all pleasantly surprised to find this place, which gave us a private room and has shared bathroom and kitchen facilities. Its perfect for what we need, and cheaper than a hotel. Today the winds were not exactly in our favor, and it doesn't look like that will change in the next couple days.<br />
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We still have $40 Canadian rolling around and can't find a place to exchange it for American dollars. Silly Canadians.<br />
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Money Found: $0.06<br />
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Road Kill Report: More dead otters and raccoons than we care to remember.<br />
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<br />Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-8591676407246508682014-06-20T21:21:00.000-06:002014-06-21T06:10:32.775-06:00If You've Ever Navigated on the Erie Canal<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXbHj6UO-Y6bL6yfnsxbjXYGbaKqK3gSDJLzDKt6dKkf40MehRi0RwbpKOy-_Ip8mf3A0CVbcWt9WAZrfwLo1sqTZ1mf3zJ464s0FOjUw-AeV_Ds00sv7f_cAJhyphenhyphent0WbR8S7c1pclaWMU/s1600/IMG_0639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXbHj6UO-Y6bL6yfnsxbjXYGbaKqK3gSDJLzDKt6dKkf40MehRi0RwbpKOy-_Ip8mf3A0CVbcWt9WAZrfwLo1sqTZ1mf3zJ464s0FOjUw-AeV_Ds00sv7f_cAJhyphenhyphent0WbR8S7c1pclaWMU/s1600/IMG_0639.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family photo at Lake Ontario</td></tr>
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Wednesday morning we headed out for Lake Ontario. It was another pretty big day for us: we did 73 miles total. The lake was pretty, at least when we got to see it. Even though we were on "Lake Road" there were so many trees that the only time we really got a good look was on a stop at a public park.<br />
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As it was getting later in to the day we finally rode into Palmyra to get some food to take to camp. For a fun fact of the day, Palmyra is home to the only place in the nation where there is a different church on all four corners of an intersection.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpyNPqoUWVU-PgaMul9mqMu9kiNwuf7gC5ARSNQY2EcD7-x2lkuneBXr8WsU6p_6kYUpRaVcZXP-5gX9TEywdhhowu9sfej8NAakgKrAeroB3MUUHpr835sWLpMaObMaSU4n2p2A9W1Yw/s1600/IMG_0693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpyNPqoUWVU-PgaMul9mqMu9kiNwuf7gC5ARSNQY2EcD7-x2lkuneBXr8WsU6p_6kYUpRaVcZXP-5gX9TEywdhhowu9sfej8NAakgKrAeroB3MUUHpr835sWLpMaObMaSU4n2p2A9W1Yw/s1600/IMG_0693.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megan all-smiles on The Erie Canal Trail</td></tr>
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Camp for the night was supposed to be available at the Mid-Lakes Marina, right on the Erie Canal. Upon arrival, we were greeted by several boating couples, who were very happy to see us, but weren't sure if camping was even allowed. The owner was called and we were told to set up our tent anywhere on the grass nearby the docked boats.<br />
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That covered, the boaters wanted to know all about our trip and were very enthusiastic about it, to say the least. Mom and Dad scored some free adult-berages and a boat tour. As it turns out, Wednesday night was potluck night for everybody who called Mid-Lakes Marina their boat parking spot, and there was more than enough food available, so they invited us in to share with them. We had tons of food and plenty of good company. Everybody wanted to know the details and give recommendations and tell stories. The laughter in the place was like nothing we've seen yet. The night was one big party and we all left full and happy. Showers there were really nice, too.<br />
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Trying to sleep at the Marina campground was interesting. There were train tracks immediately across the canal from the marina, and trains came by fairly frequently. These trains were exceptionally loud and really liked to blow their whistles. So on the hour through the night the trains would come by and wake us up then let us sleep for a bit and do it all again. It was a bit of a problem for exhausted bikers.<br />
When it was actually light out, a goose came by our campsite and honked at us until we woke up. Apparently we had taken its favorite grazing spot and it wasn't too happy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGq-OzWqmPuD2syP6kJD8E7VfxFJtjVvbuFP3ywLwh20FiPwTRDirl2ehXNNPm_6KtYSTjVbgbSRGXO9VzXyCBzVE665zPRbChEfhD1xy0GXRC6Bp_W_cQjaoSqD77MlH2i2gRKOT2Yr2a/s1600/IMG_0646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGq-OzWqmPuD2syP6kJD8E7VfxFJtjVvbuFP3ywLwh20FiPwTRDirl2ehXNNPm_6KtYSTjVbgbSRGXO9VzXyCBzVE665zPRbChEfhD1xy0GXRC6Bp_W_cQjaoSqD77MlH2i2gRKOT2Yr2a/s1600/IMG_0646.JPG" height="301" width="320" /></a></div>
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The marina was definitely the best place we've stayed so far. In the morning though, we had to get up and keep going. We were able to cross the bridge (which apparently wasn't closed to cyclists?) and get on the Erie Canal trail, which was about 90 miles of sometimes paved, mostly ridable dirt biker/hiker paths.<br />
Our map instructions told us at one point to "ride through trailer park on driveway", so that was a fun addition.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskj4B10JgcHhUquHbGLxokPitZK-Nab2acfNgx17CUJXZdUlIeFsTgGM6Ru7sQPh1dQ7EWurmVoY_lVZ0-DP_bA_sptKTvXxZ8nEQEbb-RshtUDuHPbHHm7ezjHCf9MaMOApbSIkIWhbJ/s1600/IMG_0687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskj4B10JgcHhUquHbGLxokPitZK-Nab2acfNgx17CUJXZdUlIeFsTgGM6Ru7sQPh1dQ7EWurmVoY_lVZ0-DP_bA_sptKTvXxZ8nEQEbb-RshtUDuHPbHHm7ezjHCf9MaMOApbSIkIWhbJ/s1600/IMG_0687.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stacey & Megan on The Erie Canal Trail</td></tr>
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The path was nice and allowed us to talk while riding. We sang the "Low Bridge" song all the way along the path (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CQzWt55ehY">Here's the song!</a>). Thursday was not the day for us to move quickly, however. Only 7 miles in, we found another bike shop and decided to see if Megan's bike could be fixed - it was still clicking. A coffee shop visit later, we found out that the bike shop didn't have the right tools, but that the bearings in the bottom bracket had come loose after all the torque from the steep mountains we had been climbing the first week and a half.<br />
7 more miles down the trail, we stopped at another bike shop. They were able to perform a quick tune and adjustment that eliminated the clicking (for now anyway).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPW8LUMv6xloPwUaecAQvdLg7UNqpkvJislW-I94hxg5lxXz5fuV4HdQ4j7BlfjWHCmhuGcKSPe01wR3hbdIaCXqWNF3PWj8dj1W5GMIWEMydWjwsdH5DG1V-Ry2Duh9_UlODKBiyDsPT/s1600/IMG_0670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPW8LUMv6xloPwUaecAQvdLg7UNqpkvJislW-I94hxg5lxXz5fuV4HdQ4j7BlfjWHCmhuGcKSPe01wR3hbdIaCXqWNF3PWj8dj1W5GMIWEMydWjwsdH5DG1V-Ry2Duh9_UlODKBiyDsPT/s1600/IMG_0670.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lock doors were opened!</td></tr>
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We were also having some communication problems Thursday. Dad stopped short in front of Megan which caused a rear-ending of the tandem. Later in the morning, Mom saw a bathroom sign and turned into a driveway without warning right in front of Megan, which caused a collision with the bob trailer, and sent Megan into the pavement. No cuts or bruises, just a little embarrassment.<br />
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We got to see a boat go through the lock system on the Erie at one point as well. The water system was incredibly entertaining. Another fun fact: The Erie Canal is primarily used only for recreational traffic these days. Very little if any cargo flows on the Erie Canal anymore.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7AKZRIYxkTaYLL5oxtrG_D4dYxhIwd88C3MQCeL7vg5SAov4bnD1gKPI1URCsbQW8XtrTIqvn9KxBUjZxtlfWV1u_VKMHlKikwSjjkUWd0HZgo92qOirHm7KttPO7sS9F-4em4cyzk15/s1600/IMG_0676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7AKZRIYxkTaYLL5oxtrG_D4dYxhIwd88C3MQCeL7vg5SAov4bnD1gKPI1URCsbQW8XtrTIqvn9KxBUjZxtlfWV1u_VKMHlKikwSjjkUWd0HZgo92qOirHm7KttPO7sS9F-4em4cyzk15/s1600/IMG_0676.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">University of Rochester</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We then stopped at University of Rochester which was close to the canal trail. Megan got another bike around campus self-guided tour.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSo2r754Xo2xfRgl1XQiWLSf90DY64y0sX1aABzBbJEThSUtSZ3bTe0bHaymc6j3IYSqJtoAjXmgNTmzGs54B3r85kkC6GJI2Bl6fufShkgu2ruPQPycvXetfIpahg0NrW5-OMYdtoCee/s1600/IMG_0685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSo2r754Xo2xfRgl1XQiWLSf90DY64y0sX1aABzBbJEThSUtSZ3bTe0bHaymc6j3IYSqJtoAjXmgNTmzGs54B3r85kkC6GJI2Bl6fufShkgu2ruPQPycvXetfIpahg0NrW5-OMYdtoCee/s1600/IMG_0685.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad is eating EVERYTHING</td></tr>
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Later we stopped at this place called Jimmy Z's whose special was always "the garbage plate". Dad got one which was a mix of fries, tots, mac salad, hamburgers, and "meat sauce". Weird.<br />
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That day we rode 74 miles on the canal trail and stayed in Middleport behind the police station on the grass next to the canal. There were free showers and bathrooms there, as well as free camping in a safe place, so it was a good deal for us. Our many stops that day sadly had us riding until 7:30 at night. We had showers and pizza, and Dad met four very nice (retired) New York school teachers at Pony's Bar & Grill. They listened to Dad's bike-tour stories and even provided him with a yummy plate of buffalo wings and a beverage.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9kcqOWcCOIphRBXOaGeNB9-CblEDe8JaRqH0mADKMx2IJYoSdaQhNUvJVQgFpRnedRkjhO9sZEt1kCWYFNVbQnY9ZRjm85qBw3RI8l1qauQUX31h_VaBmJTEZ0uQE6MFov7blnGWdjb-/s1600/IMG_0697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9kcqOWcCOIphRBXOaGeNB9-CblEDe8JaRqH0mADKMx2IJYoSdaQhNUvJVQgFpRnedRkjhO9sZEt1kCWYFNVbQnY9ZRjm85qBw3RI8l1qauQUX31h_VaBmJTEZ0uQE6MFov7blnGWdjb-/s1600/IMG_0697.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Our night went smoothly until 2:30, when we all were rudely awakened by the town alarm, which of course originated right next to the police station. We still don't know what set it off, but it was sure loud for ten minutes of the night.<br />
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We had breakfast in the town restaurant, then finished out the last few miles of the canal trail before stopping in Lockport for "elevensies". Then we were off to Canada! At the border we were told that pepper spray for personal defense were not allowed there. Only bear spray is allowed, so we were forced to abandon our Mace.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UXbo7dsGn3EVuiNyA2vc_28IzDCBjPJAnCopD_Y8-XWBvpNz2Xt6IMCVmpHwxeJO8QN2qHLgxuUUJCLUTiUA_2l3EC_9PdKi2HeDzv4R2xzZJiZoXknI92KN7JRxb4AkxNAXzzk6ca7s/s1600/IMG_0709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UXbo7dsGn3EVuiNyA2vc_28IzDCBjPJAnCopD_Y8-XWBvpNz2Xt6IMCVmpHwxeJO8QN2qHLgxuUUJCLUTiUA_2l3EC_9PdKi2HeDzv4R2xzZJiZoXknI92KN7JRxb4AkxNAXzzk6ca7s/s1600/IMG_0709.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Our short trip to Canada was entirely meant to show the best side of Niagara Falls. We took the park trail for a while until we had to walk near the falls because of all the other tourists. The falls were amazing to see and definitely worth the detour. Our favorite view was from the very edge of the falls where you could see the water just going over the edge.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOuEZx8drQczC4aFbKo97uJSCwa25B1bAY7O0sV29LFR2ovqTxYjQrDXAXjvMWoHyGuDtbWy_sdSAl3A-qiejfBKFHzQ1axBr7324XMUWjmM1H_cgaHB5_jebz66GHDaap7JD4SLP4ec3/s1600/IMG_0719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOuEZx8drQczC4aFbKo97uJSCwa25B1bAY7O0sV29LFR2ovqTxYjQrDXAXjvMWoHyGuDtbWy_sdSAl3A-qiejfBKFHzQ1axBr7324XMUWjmM1H_cgaHB5_jebz66GHDaap7JD4SLP4ec3/s1600/IMG_0719.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
30 miles in Canada over we crossed back into the States under this weird kinda sketchy pedestrian and bike tunnel, then across the Peace Bridge into Buffalo, NY. From customs, it was 9 miles more to a hotel. There was really no where to camp in the city here, so we're staying on the South side of Buffalo for tonight.<br />
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We did 69 miles today. Turns out we are already ahead of schedule, even including the 20 miles on our first day, so this is very good news.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-11257871761316869122014-06-17T20:33:00.000-06:002014-06-17T20:33:10.135-06:00Out of the mountains and onto the Great Lakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsPLEtJpIvYd9bT-YLHQwhTIEYv3og-FjW4WSuFGjWjSWPjPTU4nsN-MPTQedcPLztULgVe6Kuw7JJZV1Cw6P_AAoVFNtvQ-NTsO6SWI3n6wPRHNBcd5bgaI4mNOfQB48FYtfDNL6L5YO/s1600/IMG_0616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsPLEtJpIvYd9bT-YLHQwhTIEYv3og-FjW4WSuFGjWjSWPjPTU4nsN-MPTQedcPLztULgVe6Kuw7JJZV1Cw6P_AAoVFNtvQ-NTsO6SWI3n6wPRHNBcd5bgaI4mNOfQB48FYtfDNL6L5YO/s1600/IMG_0616.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
Sunday: Father's Day.<br />
Go Shannon.<br />
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So here we are, leaving our nice little campground on Schroon Lake on Sunday morning, thinking we had made it past the mountains of New England. Little did we know that on Sunday, we would climb 6000 feet and descend 5000. It was sad that we hadn't quite made it past the hills, but we knew we were close. We rolled into a region of lakes at the end of the day. We stopped at The Tap Room bar of Raquette Lake for dinner, where Shannon got his Father's day Manhattan (even though they apparently made it incorrectly), and the family got the gist of the town's gossip from the old-timers sitting around. We then rode another five to a New York State Campground at Eighth Lake. This chain of lakes had really creative names. There were eight of them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9I7lmpz0Af7O1pq0AksVfMoVMjKCCIaONF9CBPC9BIUiMqvWBVV0f4AzeeMeKmsngK7EKjBg4jvwtSortN252CYLuE737gSqk5d8T0bUSjlc1OxDvNSPwA8sPRkBOIhyphenhyphenVMneScYtPTET/s1600/IMG_0510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9I7lmpz0Af7O1pq0AksVfMoVMjKCCIaONF9CBPC9BIUiMqvWBVV0f4AzeeMeKmsngK7EKjBg4jvwtSortN252CYLuE737gSqk5d8T0bUSjlc1OxDvNSPwA8sPRkBOIhyphenhyphenVMneScYtPTET/s1600/IMG_0510.jpg" height="320" width="190" /></a>When we got to the campground, the park ranger guy told us that since there was no established rate for cyclists to camp in the park, he let us camp for free, which was very nice of him. NYS campgrounds are actually pretty nice places.<br />
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We rolled out the next morning on Shelby's 14th birthday. Amazingly we found ourselves going downhill for an entire thirty miles. We got to Boonville, NY about midafternoon and 45 miles into our ride. Although we hoped to go further, no campgrounds (or even hotels) were answering their phones or were deemed unworthy for lack of showers or laundry services. We REALLY needed to do laundry on Monday. We ended up in the Boonville laundromat for a while, then backtracked a mile to the Big Brown Barn campground we had passed on our way into town. The day was cut short but at least we got laundry done.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRzUVd6LDEkHJ_o1XbD73PkMfWLwxuldc1-EX_eMFxdwDnz5Eo0TqOU7d-IAfNMgFSw9B6G86JzBGxeczE7K6A8uJybiXXxgmlg5KROFgkWu8Xn99nH5Zfsm14K3tXz3khdLNFpjmHJaK/s1600/IMG_0624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRzUVd6LDEkHJ_o1XbD73PkMfWLwxuldc1-EX_eMFxdwDnz5Eo0TqOU7d-IAfNMgFSw9B6G86JzBGxeczE7K6A8uJybiXXxgmlg5KROFgkWu8Xn99nH5Zfsm14K3tXz3khdLNFpjmHJaK/s1600/IMG_0624.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a break in Booneville</td></tr>
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Shelby's day-of birthday celebration was noted with a bucket of butter pecan ice cream and a chocolate bar, as well as a game of ping pong in that Big Brown Barn.<br />
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Today we vowed to make up for our short day with a long one. We haven't exactly been getting on the road at early hours, leaving most days between 9 and 10 when we're waking up at 7 or 8. That's been a bit challenging with 5 to 6 hours of riding each day, not including time for breaks and meals.<br />
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We were on the road before 9 this morning. Once again, our mileage today was mostly downhill, a welcome event after so much climbing the past week. We ticked off the miles pretty fast today.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJgtzGHtlAJoOAJYi71lAwq9Klt7VAhyphenhyphenH2uwEpNLTxx8KmHCfVioJTFNs7kjqAaRLvp9iGEx375VXfqqXtzVFMt7Li1ozilkVARIc0w17OSzp7IxXMaPDh_XiNXXH_b99XqgBtuAeNdla/s1600/IMG_0620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJgtzGHtlAJoOAJYi71lAwq9Klt7VAhyphenhyphenH2uwEpNLTxx8KmHCfVioJTFNs7kjqAaRLvp9iGEx375VXfqqXtzVFMt7Li1ozilkVARIc0w17OSzp7IxXMaPDh_XiNXXH_b99XqgBtuAeNdla/s1600/IMG_0620.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Speaking of ticking, Megan's bike began to do that at about mile 5. Every time she pedaled (so pretty much all the time) her bike would start clicking. It was loud and echoed really well in the morning. After about mile 20 this became quite annoying, and there was fear the bike would simply quit working. Somehow, after climbing a steep hill out of a little town, the bike stopped clicking for no reason at all. This was good news, because the nearest bike shop was at mile 77, and we would have all been driven to insanity before then.<br />
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We kept up our fast pace to make it to Fulton at mile 83 tonight. We did get a bit turned around for about a mile after missing a turn today, thankfully still not a major mistake. Upon arrival, we hit the bike shop for a fix of Megan's bike, where we also learned that there was a major thunderstorm alert for the night. So now, we're in our third hotel. It's raining hard outside, and they were expecting hail as well, so this was probably a good decision.<br />
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Road Kill Report: Squirrel, Rabbit, Squirrel, Squirrel, Bird<br />
Possum, Bird, Otter, Deer, Frog, Deer, Bird, Squirrel, Frog, Chipmunk, Otter<br />
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Money Found: $0.04<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-14610658771828442892014-06-14T20:24:00.001-06:002014-06-14T20:47:47.665-06:00Rain, Rain, Go Away<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvN8uQWn2j6gBQBVcPpQNXdFVrs-sW6Ht9LTgMMx5CbRuFaR-q-aQnY91JllvmCthHuB6ZY0UEmHphMqVoghdAbDCgL5vE-C56b-0YeTER40liKRoumfN3zoRmaxSg3mgjA40VzzDqI6JE/s1600/IMG_0517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvN8uQWn2j6gBQBVcPpQNXdFVrs-sW6Ht9LTgMMx5CbRuFaR-q-aQnY91JllvmCthHuB6ZY0UEmHphMqVoghdAbDCgL5vE-C56b-0YeTER40liKRoumfN3zoRmaxSg3mgjA40VzzDqI6JE/s1600/IMG_0517.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megan getting a little help on a steep section</td></tr>
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Thursday morning it was raining pretty hard. So we took the opportunity to rest and sleep in, then power through the morning on a dozen Dunkin Donuts. We don't have those out West, so that was exciting. We rolled out pretty late in some light rain and started making our way to Vermont. That day we were in the Green Mountains. Not as many rolling hills this time as there are sizable climbs. Suffice it to say, Megan was glad for a little push up one of the mountains.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMSDU9TypVdnIRKR3MIPQcfFEXrEwrKDvLJouJcQ1QtUIqBAAJOUqDhR-cppMWoexN6fDWM-vKXVdpYbkR71IONFZyoNXcLUFHqkai87_cq1GtesabrT3TDDgWGTL2CqxeeiMSTe5JcbY/s1600/IMG_0535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMSDU9TypVdnIRKR3MIPQcfFEXrEwrKDvLJouJcQ1QtUIqBAAJOUqDhR-cppMWoexN6fDWM-vKXVdpYbkR71IONFZyoNXcLUFHqkai87_cq1GtesabrT3TDDgWGTL2CqxeeiMSTe5JcbY/s1600/IMG_0535.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">State #3!</td></tr>
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We weren't moving very fast, and with the late start and rain, we only ended up going 53 miles on Thursday. It rained hard through the night, but thankfully let up a bit around the time we got going.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding through the rain in Vermont</td></tr>
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Friday it rained a ton. Only about 16 miles in we stopped for lunch, hoping the rain would let up a bit, but it only got worse. So we were forced to ride it. Some roads we've ridden out here are smooth, but a bunch are old highways with a lot of cracks and good places for puddles. So that became a problem as we rode to find a place for camp. The spray from trucks going around us was also real nice. Shelby put plastic bags inside her shoes in an attempt to keep the water out, but later informed us that the water had just seeped inside the bags and her feet were soaked anyway. Thankfully we all had enough clothes on to stay warm, we were all just soaked to the skin and muddy from the road spray. </div>
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We stopped in a little town that afternoon at a laundromat as the rain was dying out to dry ourselves and our clothes for a bit. We then left, anticipating a campsite in the next two miles. Turns out, the campsite was supposed to be a mile and a half up hill with a 10% grade on average. Then it turns out that the campsite no longer existed. So that was unfortunate wasted energy. At least it was downhill on the way back to the highway.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM3vw8udp3EM2uaxqbSV2P8sz3YvVCJ7g0wEK9qhe_B3RHMX3OsdNiRklvIMGEL2q00VPS6h6eTBbHwdVAX4jDgH_X5kcKkeAj0E3tIg-JpjHi7DSF7klCqOlwui5rFt3A9OabZQjl7pqn/s1600/IMG_0539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM3vw8udp3EM2uaxqbSV2P8sz3YvVCJ7g0wEK9qhe_B3RHMX3OsdNiRklvIMGEL2q00VPS6h6eTBbHwdVAX4jDgH_X5kcKkeAj0E3tIg-JpjHi7DSF7klCqOlwui5rFt3A9OabZQjl7pqn/s1600/IMG_0539.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Our campsite gone, we stayed at the Old Hancock Hotel, which gave us a room with a kitchen and a little loft. More than was necessary, but it worked well for us and gave us time to dry our gear out. We only did 49 that day. Rain makes it difficult to get anywhere.</div>
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We started today with what has been rumored to be the worst climb of the whole trip. It's innocently named "Breadloaf". That doesn't make it sound too bad - we all like bread in the Galinat family. Friday we heard from a random guy shopping in the grocery store and the Hancock Hotel lady that Breadloaf is exceptionally steep and a nearly impossible climb. Apparently it "would make The Kanc seem like a little warmup".<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stacey on a back road in Vermont</td></tr>
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But we took on Breadloaf anyway this morning. Everyone we heard from was right: it was really steep. The top was a couple miles of 10-12% grade, reaching 15% at some points. It wasn't impossible though, we made it to the top even if it took us a while. The name of the actual pass is "Middlebury Gap". "Breadloaf" is the name of the town on the other side of the pass.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7j40WYaomT4K2D8GnHK6IGOs8f6J7z6-RnOdqq6Uh2R3BAdQgTh7PSgeOmXU0zHX8ia_UcXA9RZx9f72EQWj_E5PsQXLuMlUn2oz6QAAiahV8sJ0CboSKGn6C9U7tedB09WDQFPUeWafh/s1600/IMG_0580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7j40WYaomT4K2D8GnHK6IGOs8f6J7z6-RnOdqq6Uh2R3BAdQgTh7PSgeOmXU0zHX8ia_UcXA9RZx9f72EQWj_E5PsQXLuMlUn2oz6QAAiahV8sJ0CboSKGn6C9U7tedB09WDQFPUeWafh/s1600/IMG_0580.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megan at Middlebury College</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBcsuxJUB31X2Ffd91k26pkuEHBdsz27pyD7ZXe3LqDjL4CpEdKx-kcUhDGiCHW36HEBq4xmqpu8NDcH7BJCwnOtQIXkONjmeUkZBP1J6jGRnhc4wUg1coOxippD65aLV1rBmf7vKQIfb/s1600/IMG_0595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBcsuxJUB31X2Ffd91k26pkuEHBdsz27pyD7ZXe3LqDjL4CpEdKx-kcUhDGiCHW36HEBq4xmqpu8NDcH7BJCwnOtQIXkONjmeUkZBP1J6jGRnhc4wUg1coOxippD65aLV1rBmf7vKQIfb/s1600/IMG_0595.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the ferry to New York</td></tr>
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We descended into Middlebury, where Megan got the chance to do another bike-through college tour. The sun even started to peek out a bit.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hooray! State #4!</td></tr>
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A big highlight of the day was crossing into New York via ferry across Lake Champlain. Sadly the lake crossing didn't eat up very much distance, but it was a fun break. We stopped in Historic Ticonderoga for ice cream, since there's an unlimited budget for that, then pushed on to the campsite we're at now. After the ferry we crossed onto map number two on our route. This time there's no elevation profile, which means that we must be nearing the plains where everything is flat. Unfortunately that also meant we had no way to predict that 900ft climb out of Ticonderoga.<br />
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We did 60 miles today, and are hoping to catch back up on mileage tomorrow. It's been a week as of today! We've been climbing about 5000ft each day, too, and are ready for some flat country.<br />
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Roadkill Report: Squirrel, Possum, Bird, Rabbit, XL Moth That Megan Killed<br />
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Money found: $0<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-55815951235711333422014-06-11T20:37:00.000-06:002014-06-12T06:35:44.639-06:00We Cranked the Kanc... In the Rain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjToDy13wf7qGfHknERIvVHk2EK49AsnVFNU0YxkjVN3PQ1bDC7qi1d-MR5hu0QYnmgk6JgNthKc_WwfMlSXkY3NCqKWAlANRiYxOW3K8BI-xtCKL_GpIK4p_dg18jMLpwhidFi1u63kRVG/s1600/IMG_0494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjToDy13wf7qGfHknERIvVHk2EK49AsnVFNU0YxkjVN3PQ1bDC7qi1d-MR5hu0QYnmgk6JgNthKc_WwfMlSXkY3NCqKWAlANRiYxOW3K8BI-xtCKL_GpIK4p_dg18jMLpwhidFi1u63kRVG/s1600/IMG_0494.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Today, we had to make our first big climb: Kancamagus Pass. Apparently because this name is so long and hairy and generally hard to pronounce, it gets shortened to just "The Kanc" (pronounced 'kank').<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjXJU5X5flvq4r5cHPJhZFIIpIaHfDdyrF3VleF-gyxeoQvwvCY-5I9MgmOD3XBcXd7rmJoddhKj27n7CruCv9PMkiFOHwa6TcYHkD4Gk31hv3EH5zDPILxBc9XOaJTNRxxPW_bb6Kk0S/s1600/IMG_0503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjXJU5X5flvq4r5cHPJhZFIIpIaHfDdyrF3VleF-gyxeoQvwvCY-5I9MgmOD3XBcXd7rmJoddhKj27n7CruCv9PMkiFOHwa6TcYHkD4Gk31hv3EH5zDPILxBc9XOaJTNRxxPW_bb6Kk0S/s1600/IMG_0503.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Before we even got to the base of the climb, though, we had to pedal forty miles. It was another day of New England's steep rolling hills, though thankfully still cloudy. We crossed the state line into New Hampshire today, definitely a cause for celebration. One state down.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stacey and her good friend Laurel Smith</td></tr>
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We made it to Conway for lunch where we met with Stacey's friends from Bogus nordic, Kevin Donohoe and Laurel Smith. They pointed us to a nice little cafe for lunch in preparation for the climb, and even biked with us for about ten miles. It was nice to have them along for the 40 to 50 mile marks. We've noticed that those miles can be the worst, as the realization that there's still a lot of pedaling left to be done and legs are fatiguing. Chatting with them and having them be our tour guides for a few miles was a great change of pace. They took us across this lovely little covered bridge, the icon of the great state of New Hampshire.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still smiling at the summit with all our clothes </td></tr>
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Then came the Kanc. It really wasn't a bad climb at all for the first few miles out of Conway, but the last five miles were very much uphill. The rain that we have thus far eluded caught up to us today, of course, as we "cranked the Kanc". The summit was at about 2800ft. Today in total we climbed 5500 feet. Ouch.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We conquered The Kanc!</td></tr>
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Rain made for a chilly descent. Everybody's feet and hands were frozen by the time we reached the other side into Lincoln, NH. We were all cold and wet and tired, so Shannon caved and got us a motel room. That poll is now closed.<br />
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We rode 77 miles today, way more than we needed to, but we didn't have many good options for camping in between. A successful day, but everybody is exhausted.<br />
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Roadkill Report: Squirrel, Turtle, SnakeMeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-47963113336859330442014-06-10T19:00:00.000-06:002014-06-10T19:00:06.997-06:00This is Mainely Fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJpijASIgzbs_DJmB7hWwXv_QIAJld0Cc3R10b98Y0Qc6nhKff96NhXSeFxzyxJg9jKtRRQ4sHy0VtKNv9xucek9LsIPykVBsR61kXU1WJ4ak8eJALO32x0PAOrjfHYC2THgOd005Y9w6/s1600/IMG_0468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJpijASIgzbs_DJmB7hWwXv_QIAJld0Cc3R10b98Y0Qc6nhKff96NhXSeFxzyxJg9jKtRRQ4sHy0VtKNv9xucek9LsIPykVBsR61kXU1WJ4ak8eJALO32x0PAOrjfHYC2THgOd005Y9w6/s1600/IMG_0468.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Monday was definitely a tough day for all involved. It was extraordinarily hilly, highlighted by a grade of 26% up a hill within the first three miles. It was a warmer day, and not exactly easy going. We did 67 miles, perfectly on schedule again. We stayed at a nice grassy campground right near the river, and though it did rain on us overnight, the day had been clear. We also biked through Camden, a really cute town somewhat like McCall, and right by the ocean.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc89yeuf3cw0A_fspp_uw72CRh708jCvmRFflmWzWm1n86dOb1nW7wXBE2NNI5XCTYPyfpOygk0-ao8m-I4Cnr8Dtux3HvupuQOIou35UJ3Cs8IQ7l-sSc3GAD_vBtPsSQYt-XP78oL-4w/s1600/IMG_0480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc89yeuf3cw0A_fspp_uw72CRh708jCvmRFflmWzWm1n86dOb1nW7wXBE2NNI5XCTYPyfpOygk0-ao8m-I4Cnr8Dtux3HvupuQOIou35UJ3Cs8IQ7l-sSc3GAD_vBtPsSQYt-XP78oL-4w/s1600/IMG_0480.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>It may have been so bad yesterday that we broke down and had to use some of our McDonald's gift cards on a few large fries. (Thanks Loren)<br />
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Names of places out here have certainly been entertaining. Last night, we stayed in Wiscasset at Chewonki Campground. Say that five times fast.<br />
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Stores aren't exactly creative out here either. We've seen:<br />
- Mainely Sewing<br />
- Mainely Nails<br />
- Mainely Embroidery<br />
- Mainely Vinyl<br />
- Mainely Pottery<br />
Go Maine.<br />
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Today was another 67 miles, but much easier going. The first twenty were Mainely flat, which was a welcome change. We even took a river walking/biking path along the road for several miles. It can get pretty loud along the highway, but the back roads we've been taking are also very hilly. Its hard to win. We were all feeling good today though. It was overcast and even a bit chilly when we stopped for a break. Also a great tailwind day, so that was nice. Even though it looks like its going to rain, we still haven't had to ride through any. We shall see what tomorrow holds.<br />
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About twenty miles in today we stopped at Bowdoin College in Brunswick for a self'-guided biking tour for about five minutes. Megan has to keep up with her college choices while on this trip, so we figure this counts as progress.<br />
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We're currently at a KOA just outside of Naples. Tomorrow we have a huge climb up Kancamagus Pass. Hopefully we make it up there.<br />
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Roadkill Report:<br />
Porcupine<br />
Rabbit<br />
Skunk<br />
Turtle<br />
Turtle<br />
Bird<br />
Squirrel.<br />
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Skunk<br />
Turtle<br />
Presumed Porcupine.<br />
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Money Found: $1.10<br />
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<br />Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-17191790611066244682014-06-08T18:49:00.000-06:002014-06-08T19:06:18.462-06:00Welcome to the Maine Event<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Saturday at about 11AM we landed at the Bar Harbor county airport and took a taxi to the bike shop. We assembled all three bikes in the gravel behind the shop in two hours, pretty impressive for non-professionals.<br />
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We then stopped at the Atlantic Ocean for the commemorative tire dipping. Using breaks on saltwater tires is a bit squeaky, be warned.<br />
We road into Acadia National Park in the afternoon to set up camp. The Park Loop Road was absolutely beautiful, two lanes one way and ocean views all along. The roads otherwise were a little rough on the shoulders, but traffic has been decent enough to get along absolutely fine. We headed to the Jordan Pond House for some Lobstah dinnah, because what else could we do while in Maine. Milage for Saturday only computes to twenty miles, but it was a nice travel day to start out. As mentioned, we were running on very little sleep.<br />
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Today we rode a total of 65 miles right on the nose. Currently we're sitting in the laundry room of a little campground right on the ocean, which will be a nice sound to fall asleep to. We've hit a few grocery stores along the way, including a picnic outside of Walmart for lunch. There are certainly a lot of hills out here. A bunch of short steep climbs and descents . Thankfully we had nice conditions, generally a tailwind and only about 70 degrees. Stacey cooked up a great pasta meal for tonight.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKeah8EHlnogD4guUoLL1ClN-emVPfskis3jfZsTZMQzu7BSltVxhi4Iqq8GqDect1Vvhksn-fDxarGzddMr4Fa_-gJzro4uZq37Z01L0teoprtnBKaRLgkT3JQgAWbFQazRIKXHnPsMQ/s1600/IMG_0439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKeah8EHlnogD4guUoLL1ClN-emVPfskis3jfZsTZMQzu7BSltVxhi4Iqq8GqDect1Vvhksn-fDxarGzddMr4Fa_-gJzro4uZq37Z01L0teoprtnBKaRLgkT3JQgAWbFQazRIKXHnPsMQ/s1600/IMG_0439.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shan made a hand-made sign to explain where we are headed.</td></tr>
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All in all a successful day. The pictures tell it all.<br />
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Roadkill count for the day: 1 skunk, 1 unidentifiable, 1 bird<br />
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Money found: $0 ($0.20 on Saturday)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHiLBmBv7MiAkD6MQxYdxVZzaMVtfmvLlkMvxkFzvBL0MVSd6NG4QyWJOo1lzeGo3iUUWepChi9XgTsWCiVk1kUvEaOpWWFmA3F5aALQYe4pjrEDc2qs_ZEXt40lFycjVFxHemCGLvOzk/s1600/IMG_0463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHiLBmBv7MiAkD6MQxYdxVZzaMVtfmvLlkMvxkFzvBL0MVSd6NG4QyWJOo1lzeGo3iUUWepChi9XgTsWCiVk1kUvEaOpWWFmA3F5aALQYe4pjrEDc2qs_ZEXt40lFycjVFxHemCGLvOzk/s1600/IMG_0463.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Campsite along the Atlantic Sunday night</td></tr>
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<br />Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-88416700195984853142014-06-07T07:39:00.000-06:002014-06-07T07:39:07.230-06:00Wonder Why They Call it a Redeye???<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1R5h1t-YPqA6vuZvXZ_HjHQNWGm2dBHGloAysh42L4nU_qsC7EaKsRZURa6lQENl-HXvWM42RXBQ_16-_SAFFX-FD5QUR59aAPnY9eq54p3GUt7KteEEEEVF36EtSE7aTC4YTsjYLFJv/s1600/IMG_0371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1R5h1t-YPqA6vuZvXZ_HjHQNWGm2dBHGloAysh42L4nU_qsC7EaKsRZURa6lQENl-HXvWM42RXBQ_16-_SAFFX-FD5QUR59aAPnY9eq54p3GUt7KteEEEEVF36EtSE7aTC4YTsjYLFJv/s1600/IMG_0371.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
BREAKING NEWS: The who-will-cry-first contest winner was decided within half an hour of the trip. Shannon started crying tears of joy on the flight to Seattle. Let it be noted that the plane wasn't even going the correct direction at the moment.<br />
Shannon wants to point out that Shelby almost "won" this contest about to shed tears over missing her puppy, staring into those deep brown eyes of his.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The airport is empty.</td></tr>
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We left Boise at about 9 PM, being just about the only people in the airport, and flew to Seattle without incident, save for the crying. We then left Seattle for the five hour flight to Boston at 11 PM. This is when we learned what a redeye flight really entails.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKNxDHG5JmiqAOahyphenhyphenuYRbWG8gVW0E9MhSBjCxVGh_MbEIZ2Nat-K6EuyS1taxKdVIvyetI6CM-SFVoCJnh2v3sdwQeRgCG_GrNW0-xPPn4GLyCMnYNKNxeqpP6zsn-ljwYqH7lbnd9dER/s1600/IMG_0377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKNxDHG5JmiqAOahyphenhyphenuYRbWG8gVW0E9MhSBjCxVGh_MbEIZ2Nat-K6EuyS1taxKdVIvyetI6CM-SFVoCJnh2v3sdwQeRgCG_GrNW0-xPPn4GLyCMnYNKNxeqpP6zsn-ljwYqH7lbnd9dER/s1600/IMG_0377.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Results of the redeye from Seattle.</td></tr>
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We're sitting now in the Boston airport, drinking our Starbucks and all extraordinarily exhausted. Megan claims she only slept for an hour and a half sitting against a cold wall crunched into a seat. We hit some turbulence over South Dakota... not quite sure what that means. It was a lovely 2 AM awakening.<br />
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A word of warning for those attempting to navigate the Boston airport: If you're having to switch terminals for a connecting flight, you'll have to go through security again. And then possibly make a mad dash for your airplane.<br />
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Next Stop: Bar Harbor, Maine.<br />
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Yippeeeeee.<br />
<br />Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946432746046069218.post-11571820874996820532014-05-31T14:47:00.003-06:002014-05-31T17:55:24.139-06:00Shipping Out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wednesday night was packing night. That meant a lot of running around for the Galinat family. Stacey brought us each exactly two ziploc bags and sent us to pick out our two allotted sets of biking clothes, extra socks, and flip flops. Shannon was put in charge of disassembling the bikes and packing them into boxes using his bike shipping skills. We pulled out the camp stove and utensils, the sleeping bags, thermarests, and tent, and piled everything into the garage. We then packed everything that fit into the four tandem panniers and put those in with the bike boxes. What we ended up with is this:<br />
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You're looking at 248 lbs of bikes and gear currently en route to Bar Harbor Bike Shop in Maine, where we will have to reassemble the bikes ourselves. And then haul it all to Oregon on pure muscle. There's only one way back.<br />
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The bikes are successfully off! Less then a week until our June 6th departure date.<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15434070130562281549noreply@blogger.com7