More Photos

Hi everyone,

I have added all my best photos to my Facebook Account, and they can be viewed in two different albums, here
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=48519&l=a6bad&id=587797455
and here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=48524&l=3f138&id=587797455


I hope this works out, and enjoy!

Photos and Follow-Up

Hi all,

This is David. The first leg of our cross-country trip was a tremendous experience. What an adventure. It was so great to see the "other America" -- the rural countryside which is passed over by plane travel and the interstates. Before the interstate highway system, most folks knew about places like the ones we visited, but now these are towns and highways known mostly by the locals. And bikers like us.

I will put up a few of the better photos from Glacier National Park here to give a taste of the scenery we encountered, but to publish ALL the photos I think I'll put up an album on a photo website. More to come on that once I sit down and figure it out.

In the meantime, thanks for all the emails and phone calls. It's great to be home. But already I do miss the biking and the open road.

And They're Home...

The train rolled into the station pretty much right on time this morning, and Sarah & I picked the guys up at about 7:45am. The train ride went well, but they were thankful to be done. David said it felt strange to ride in a car again. Neither Bill nor David seemed too sore. The four of us went out for breakfast at Keys and had a lovely time. Now it's time for a nap and a little down time! Come back soon to see more photos from their trip!

They Made It!

The guys sure have found some interesting accomodations on this trip! They've made it a game of sorts to try to stay at the place with the most outlandish name. At the Flamingo Motel last night in Cardston, they said pretty much everything was pink - pink fixtures, pink garbage cans, even evidence that all of the walls had once been painted pink.

This afternoon they made it to the end of the biking portion of their trip in Shelby, Montana. I can't remember the name of the hotel they're staying in this evening, but they were greeted by a very friendly gal at the front desk named Theresa who had exactly one tooth. They were glad they made reservations ahead of time because the town is hopping with senior citizens who are in town for a class reunion for all classes from the '60s. Toothless Theresa recommended a place across the street for dinner. Actually, she first recommended that the guys come to her place for dinner! Oh dear...

Tomorrow they pack up their bikes in boxes and board the Amtrak train, bound for Minneapolis. They've become good friends with Paul at the Amtrak station because they've called so many times to amend their reservations and ask questions. Must be a small place because Paul always answers the phone!

David sent me this picture of the piece of huckleberry pie a few times, so it must be very important. :-)

And here are a few photos from the trip through Glacier National Park...

Going to the Sun

David & Bill were up well before the crack again of dawn this morning. It was a warm night without air conditioning at the place they stayed last night. David sent me a text message this morning saying that he soaked his shirt in cool water and wrung it out before wearing it to bed, and this made it cool enough to sleep comfortably.

They made it through Logan Pass by 9am this morning - well before the 11am cutoff for bikers on the busy Going to the Sun Road through Glacier National Park. Who-hoo! Way to go, guys! They accomplished this despite a few set backs. Namely, (1) David got a flat tire early on in today's ride and (2) road construction brought the already narrow, winding road down to one lane (sometimes gravel) at times. But they had all the tools necessary to fix the tire, and the road construction didn't slow them down too much. They said the climb over Logan Pass wasn't as tough as they feared - a steady 7-8% grade at times, but nothing they couldn't handle. They couldn't stop talking about the incredible beauty of Glacier National Park.

When they called about 12:30CST today, they had made it to the eastern edge of Glacier and had stopped for first lunch. Their plan was to make it to Cardston, Alberta (Canada) this evening. Tomorrow they'll pedal back into the U.S. to Shelby, Montana.

Originally, their plan was to make it as far as Minot, ND. But their mileage plan was a bit aggressive for mountain riding with so few towns to stop in, and they decided at the last minute to take the scenic jaunt up into Canada. This left less time to make up ground on the flat land. They've amended their Amtrak tickets so that they'll catch the train in Shelby, Montana instead. They'll catch the train in Shelby on Saturday around noon, and their train will roll into Minneapolis on Sunday morning.

I just heard from them about an hour ago, and they've made it to Cardston. They abandoned their plans to camp this evening when they got to the campsite and the folks in the office gave them a different story than when they had called ahead to make reservations. The office staff said they couldn't share a campsite, even though their one-man tents aren't much more than the size of a sleeping bag, and the cost was more than they had been quoted. So instead, they went up the road and found a room for the night at the Flamingo motel, where the staff doesn't speak much English, but they are very helpful and kind. David described their room as palatial - more like a suite, since they each have their own bedroom.

No pictures this evening, since they're in the extended network in Canada. But I'm sure they'll pass along some photos from Glacier as soon as they're back in the States.

On Glacier's Edge

I heard from the guys a couple of times today. The first was about 9:30am CST, when they were stopped at a little coffee place for breakfast. They walked their bike through the drive-through to order coffee and breakfast sandwiches. The second call was when they had finished their 90-mile trek to West Glacier, MT at about 4:30pm CST this afternoon. They're now on the edge of Glacier National Park, and they've planned an extra-early bedtime for this evening. Their typical sleeping schedule this days has shifted dramatically - they're usually in bed by 5:30pm and up by 4:30am to get on the road.

Tomorrow morning will start for them about 3am so that they can get through much of Glacier by 11am. That's when the "no biking" restrictions begin on the narrow portion of the road that crosses Logan Pass.

They said their lodgings for this evening felt more like a camp than a hotel - a line of quaint little cottages a little ways outside of the touristy town. They said the cabin was an eclectic mix of rustic vs. luxury. There were no phones, but each cabin did have a TV with Dish Network and about a million channels. There was no air conditioning, either, but they said the weather was cool enough that it wasn't uncomfortable. A bit warm at the time, he said, but it will likely cool off this evening.

Along their ride today, another biker came up alongside them and started talking to them. The guy was older, and David described him as scraggly. "You biking across the country?" he asked. "Yep," David said. "Going through Glacier?" he asked. "Yep," David said. The one-word answers continued as David hoped to be left alone. Then the guy went to talk to Bill, and he started telling them about this "back way" to Glacier. They weren't interested, but they listened politely. At the first sign of a convenience store, they pulled off and said goodbye. The guy proceeded to rattle off very detailed directions for his shortcut to Glacier, but none of it included actual road names - just "turn left by Smith's store," "take a right by the fire station," and so forth. Again, they listened patiently and then did their best to scramble into the store without being followed. They were still laughing about it when the continued on their way, until they noticed Smith's store, then the fire station - their route was taking them on his "back way" to Glacier! "Who would have guessed the old cook really knew what he was talking about?" David said.

So yesterday I commented to David that I might not recognize him with his new "mountain man" look when he gets home. I asked him to send some more close-up photos so that I could prepare myself. Well, as you can see from the photos below, I don't think "mountain man" fits the bill as much as "gangsta wanna-be"! Oh dear.... But I do love Bill's helmet hair!

Tuesday, July 8

The guys were in excellent spirits when I spoke with them this evening – lots of laughing and joking. David sent me this photo of Bill, who had fashioned a pair of mittens/arm warmers for the chilly weather in Glacier National Park.

They’ve started speaking in “Bear Grylls-isms,” for those of you who are familiar with the show “Man vs. Wild.” They decided they needed “fashion” something for their ride through “Glass’-ee-er.” (This will make more sense if you’ve heard Bear’s English pronunciations of certain words)

They made the 74-mile trip from Libby, MT to Eureka, MT today. Tomorrow, they'll pedal about 85 miles to West Glacier, a town just on the edge of Glacier National Park. The following day, they'll be conquering what David called "the climb that ate New York" - also known as Logan Pass. This 6,600 peak is on a narrow, winding path called Going to the Sun Road.

They told me about Bill’s “luxury” purchase – a wind breaker from a sporting goods store in Libby. If you know Bill (the minimalist), you’ll understand why this was a splurge.

They raved about last night’s dinner at a little family diner. They said the food and the service were excellent. David said he was trying to decide between meatloaf and steak, and their waitress said, “Definitely the steak.” When he chose an 8-oz ribeye, she said, “I think what you really want is the 12-oz house sirloin.” He was thrilled she had recommended it – he said it was one of the best steaks he’d ever had. Then, of course, you must bear in mind that they’ve been biking all day and would probably eat slugs. :) (Good protein, per Bear Grylls) There was a salad bar, which they were excited about. They each ate their fill at this darling little mom ‘n’ pop family restaurant for about $13 each.

Before they left the restaurant, David was on the phone making hotel reservations for a future night when he heard Bill say, “Uh-oh, that’s not good…” Bill had somehow managed to drop his cell phone in a small space behind the back of the booth and the wall. He tried getting at it with a butter knife, but to no avail. They both laughed as they related that the nice people at the family restaurant practically had to demolish part of the booth to get the phone out!

To be honest, I can’t tell who’s who in some of these pictures that aren't close up. Their “no shaving” rule is starting to make me wonder if I’ll recognize my husband "the mountain man" when they return!

A few photos...

As promised earlier today, here are a few photos of the strange loft bed in the motel they stayed at in Ione, Montana:

And here are a few more photos that David has sent in the past couple of days. From left to right, we have: Bill, just after they crossed the river into Idaho, David at the Montana state line, gorgeous views along Lake Pend Oreille, and David preparing for another "shoveling" session (he said the steak was excellent).

Monday, July 7

Bill & David spent last night in Clark Fork, Idaho. It was the first time they'd stayed in a recognizable chain hotel rather than a local dive. They've had some strange accomodations in some of these small towns. I'll post some photos of the room they stayed in in Ione, Washington later on today. When they first got to the room, they thought they had mistakenly gotten a room with only one bed. They went furhter into the room to call the front desk and found that the second bed was in a loft, along with a water heater. Very strange.

They stayed at an Extended Stay America in Clark Fork last night, and it was a nice place with a small kitchenette. Dinner was an adventure again. (You wouldn't think it would be so difficult to get a decent meal!) They said the place was run by a bunch of teenagers - not an adult in sight. To start, Bill & David ordered a large plate of French fries. When they arrived, the fries were brown and pretty much singed. The kid said that if they were too overdone, he'd make new ones for them. They tried one bite and said, "Yeah, these are pretty bad. We'll take you up on that offer for a new batch." The kid seemed a bit miffed, even though he had offered the fresh batch. When the new batch arrived, David said the kid just kind of tossed the plate on the table and left without a word. There were about a third fewer fries on the plate than the previous one...

For their main course, they ordered a pepperoni pizza. About ten minutes after ordering, two kids ran out the front door, telling the other kids something about going to the grocery store. When they got back, they came to the table and told Bill & David that they were out of pepperoni, and that the grocery store was out, too. I think Bill & David would have eaten anything at that point, so they agreed to some other toppings. They said the pizza was pretty good once it did finally arrive.

I got to talk to David for nearly 40 minutes last night - a real treat after a week of 5-minute conversations while he was either waiting for food or nearly about to fall into bed. We chatted again this morning on my way to work. They spent some time last night re-evaluating their route. The problem has been that the towns are spaced apart so much in the mountains that it's been hard to get their average 130 miles in. They'll hit a town after 70 miles, but then there's nothing for another 70 miles with a lot of climbing in between - too much to do in a day.

Last night they made arrangements to adjust their Amtrak tickets for the trip home so that they'll leave from Montana rather than Minot, ND. I'm not clear on the details yet because I thought that new tickets were to depart from Shelby, Montana on Sunday morning. However, David commented that Shelby was close to the ND border. When I got a chance to get to a map, it looks like Shelby is only about a third of the way across Montana. There is a Sidney, Montana near the ND border, so I left David a message to clarify and make sure they made reservations for the town they intended. The tricky part is that not all Amtrak stations are staffed locations, and they need a staffed location to box up their bikes and get them to the train home.

The guys said the temperatures have been pleasant - upper 40s to mid-50s in the mornings and getting as warm as the mid-80s during the day. Today and tomrorow will be short days, partly because of the spacing of towns and the amount of climbing involved. Also because of regulations for when bikes can go through Glacier National Park. Because this is their busy season and there are a limited number of roads, the park doesn't allow bikers on the roads past 11am. This means they need to get a very early start to make it through the park by 11am. Tonight they'll stay in Libby, MT and tomorrow night they plan to stay in Eureka, MT. Their route will take them into Canada in the next few days.

Hello from Idaho!

Hey, it's Bill & Dave here (actually Dave writing). We've just finished an excellent lunch at Sam & Dina Fisher's house, and will be getting on the road shortly. This is our first (and probably only) internet access on the trip. We've gone a good 80 miles so far today and have another 30 or so to go before we pack it in at Clark Fork, ID.

Today was the first "flat" day we've had -- many more to come in eastern MT and ND -- and we were able to make really good time. 15.4 mph average speed for the first 50 miles, 5:15 to 9 a.m. Good stuff.

Thanks, Kathryn, for writing up all our stuff. Very very nice. and detailed. :-)

Love to all,

Dave & Bill

Friday, July 5

The guys got a much-needed long night of sleep last night. They were asleep as soon as their heads hid the pillows about 5:30pm. They had tried to go to a pizza parlor for dinner, but it was closed for the 4th. The only place they could find that was open was a small bar and grill. They were a bit upset about the service there - the very first thing the waitress did was take away their water bottles because the bar had a "no open bottles" rule. Even though they just wanted water and food, the waitress wanted to see their IDs. Then Bill realized he had left his at the hotel. They were getting pretty desparate for food, and they were thankful when shifts changed mid-meal and they received much better service.

After dinner, they hit the hay nice and early. They got on the road about 4:30am this morning. They did a lot of climbing this morning and made it over scenic Sherman Pass. Their plan is to go about 130 miles and make it to Newport, Idaho this evening.

David told me that his favorite quote of the trip so far was by Bill in regards to eating. "It's not eating, it's shoveling," according to Mr. Oyler. Below are a few pics of today's "first lunch" before the "shoveling" began.

Friday, July 4

I realized this afternoon when I talked to David that I misspoke about the name of the town they're staying in tonight for the 4th of July - Republic is the proper name. I knew it was something patriotic!

The guys made it safely to their destination by mid-afternoon today. They toyed with the idea of going further, but the next stopping point was 70 miles down the road with quite a bit of climbing in between, so they decided to call it a day. They were going to hit a pizza parlor for dinner and then head to bed early. If that place offered an all-you-can-eat buffet, they lost money on their deal tonight!

David joked that Bill keeps pushing the limit on the definition of "starting early." Since they were getting to bed nice and early tonight, Bill wanted to be up by 3:30am and on the road by 4am. I guess we'll see if he wins out on that one!

A Few More Details from Yesterday (July 3)

The boys got an early start again this morning for the Fourth of July (about 5am), so I haven't talked to them yet today. I did hear a few more details last night. They had a pretty easy day yesterday to compensate for their intense start to the trip. Scenery continues to be amazing. David sent along some more pictures (see below).

They had a bit of a challenge finding a place to rest their heads for this coming evening, since it's the 4th of July. They'll be staying in town that is very appropriately named "Liberty." I guess it's a pretty small town because there are only three hotels. They must have a popular 4th of July celebration (in keeping with the spirit of their name, of course) because when Bill called around, there were no hotel rooms available. One place even told him they had a 15-person waiting list! When he finished calling the last place, they pondered what to do. Bill said that one of the three places sounded a little hesitant when they said there were no rooms. He thought they weren't telling him the whole story. So he handed the phone to David and said, "You're the salesman! You talk to them!" So David turned on the charm, and wouldn't you know, he was able to secure them a room!

Thurs, July 3

Even though I knew the likely reason I hadn't heard from the guys in a while (poor cell phone reception in the mountains), I was still relieved to get a voice mail from Sarah (Oyler - Bill's wife) at about 1pm saying that they were OK and had just gotten on the road for the day.

The guys had a full day yesterday. They made it the entire 152 miles that they planned on, but it took a lot longer than they hoped. There was a steady 8% grade for miles and miles, and the heat was intense. The scenery was fantastic - they were surrounded by craggy peaks with snow blanketing their tops. Occasionally they passed a stream where the mountain snow melt flowed down the rocks. David said biking past those streams gave them a blast of frigid air like opening a freezer door, and it felt wonderful. At one point, they stopped to cool off in a waterfall.

They pulled into Mazama, WA at 10pm last night after about 17 hours "in the saddle." The sun had set about 45 minutes prior to their arrival, and David said that he barely had the energy to plug in his cell phone and iPod before he fell into bed and immediately fell asleep. It was a long, exhausting day, and it tested their limits. They let themselves sleep in as late as they could this morning.

They got on the road this morning about 11am and plan to do an easy half-day of riding, going only about 60 miles. They had a good breakfast, and they were in Winthrop, WA (about 30 miles down the road) when they called.

Thurs morning, July 3

No updates yet this morning... When I called last night and this morning, the phone went straight to voice mail. I'm not surprised, given that they were going to be up in the mountains. I'll let you know once I hear more!

Wed, July 2

David called about 10:30am CST to say they had stopped for "second breakfast." I'm not sure what "first breakfast" consisted of, but Bill was eating French toast stick from Burger King when they called. David's best estimate was that each deep-fried French toast stick probably packed about 300 calories. I think consuming massive amounts of food was among the things that David was looking to most about this trip...

On their trip out West yesterday, they decided to reconsider the possibility of making a jaunt through Glacier National Park and into Canada. This would add about 90 miles to their route, and it would also require them to have their passports. David hadn't packed his, so I sent it out via Fed Ex last night. They have plans to stop briefly at the home of some dear Haase family friends, Sam & Dina Fisher, when they travel through Idaho in a few days, so David and his passport can meet there. The portion of the route through Glacier Park is supposed to be particularly beautiful, so I'm thankful that it sounds like they'll be able to squeeze it in.

At 1pm CST, they called to say there were about 60 miles in and had stopped at a town called Concrete, WA. They said the scenery has been fantastic - shady, forested roads with very large hills & mountains on both sides. There's snow on the tops of the peaks, and it's a beautiful sunny day. They were soon going to hit their last town before a break of about 75 miles between towns, so they were planning ahead to stock up on water, etc. I guess after that town, the climbing will begin. They'll be going over Washington Pass in the Cascades.

Below are some photos that David sent today. The resolution on his cell phone camera isn't great, but it's fun to see what they're seeing!

And They're Off...

Bill & David arrived safely at the hotel in Anacortes last night, and they planned to make an early start of it this morning. The plan was to be up by 4:30am Pacific time and on the road by 5am. They will ride about 40 miles and then stop for breakfast. David sent me this picture from his cell phone this morning, so I guess the meaning is, "We're up & on schedule!" It shows the clock at 4:47am.

Their aggressive plan for the day is to get about 150 miles under their belts.

Heading Out

Well, today's the big day! There's no going back now! (Unless you hop an Amtrak or Greyhound, that is.) Bill & David headed out today. Their flight left the Hubert H. Humphrey airport in Minneapolis a little after 1pm, and they arrived safely in Seattle about three hours later.

David called me at the tail end of my lunch break to say that he happened to run into the pilot of their plane while standing in line for food (the HHH terminal is a pretty small place), and he asked if the pilot might be able to announce when they fly over Minot, ND. David gave him a few sentences of explanation about their trip, and the pilot agreed to try to make the announcement if they weren't otherwise occupied. Once they were in the air, the pilot did make the announcement when they were near Minot, and David said he spent the rest of the 3-hour plane trip thinking, "Oh man, I have to bike all the way back!"

The last I heard, they had just gotten their bikes from the oversized luggage section of baggage claim. They'll be waiting at the airport for a few hours until the departure of their shuttle to Anacortes, which is on the coast. Tonight they'll assemble the bikes and get a good night's sleep in Anacortes before the real fun begins tomorrow.

David said the mountains were visible in the distance from the Seattle airport - a beautiful, but daunting sight for a couple of guys who have to pedal their way home!