Sweet Sweet Victory

We touched the Atlantic Ocean yesterday! It was actually more of a challenge than I expected....we had some trouble finding a road that would lead right to the water. For some reason I thought we would pull right off the main road and be able to ride right up to the beach. Well, not exactly. We rode about half a mile before we found a bridge that would take us to the beach. The anticipation was killer. Then the bikes wouldn't fit over the bridge, so I just took off my front tire so I could dip it in the ocean. I know, ridiculous. But it was very cathartic:)

Then we decided to treat ourselves to the dollar menu at McDonalds as a victory dinner. Unlimited fountain drinks! Hot fudge sundae with extra hot fudge! Totally unhealthy and delicious. Good times. You would be surprised how few McDonalds we have seen across the country.

Anyway, we are in St. Augustine for 2 days, but I doubt we will leave the hotel room. We're resting a little before the ride back down to Miami. We'll probably watch more television in one day than we have in the whole trip.

Also, I might never ride a bike again:)

For the next blog, I have a really awesome story about how we could have possibly been killed on a 178 acre plot of land. We REALLY have to stop accepting offers to stay at a stranger's house.... :)

Almost There!

As of this minute, Bethany and I are in Starke, Florida. We are planning on moving along after we're done blogging, and we should touch the Atlantic in St. Augustine tomorrow! What an adventure. I should note that we lost a lot of our motivation these last few days. Somehow being so close to the finish line has a reverse effect on us. We had a couple of days where we only did 30 miles! Otherwise, we could have been finished by now. We'll chalk it up to the fact that we want to extend the trip as long as possible... :)

Of all of the states we have been through, I think Bethany and I agree that Colorado was our favorite. The landscapes are breathtaking, the people are polite and helpful, and most of the roads had a fairly nice shoulder (how lame that we judge the states by the size of the shoulders!?!?!? I'll answer that. VERY lame). I would go as far as to say that 75% of the people passing us in vehicles waved. Compare that to the .01% of people in Florida. Something to think about, Florida. Be nicer. Jerks. :)

On one of our days in Colorado, Bethany and I were sitting outside of a tiny general store sipping on some Gatorade and getting up motivation to continue on the trip for the day. We were right on the Arkansas River, so buses were always driving by with giant rafts, and a load of people that had just survived the rapids. It looked like such fun!

While we were relaxing, two older ladies sat beside us on the bench. They had their lunches....sandwiches freshly made at the little deli inside. We started up a conversation (just in case you were wondering, a loaded bicycle is a surefire conversation starter. I happen to have one if you want to borrow it when I get home:). We talked with them for a long time, and found out that one of the women was a cancer survivor....stage 4 lung cancer! What a tough chick. Another young man had joined the conversation by this time, and he had survived a brain tumor as a child. He was only 20 years old (he was hitchhiking back to his job at one of the raft companies - he had surprised his mother for July 4th. Aww!). Hearing about their ordeals made the fundraising portion of this trip feel a little bit more.....real. And necessary.

Unfortunately, the ladies eventually had to leave. They had generously offered to give the hitchhiker a ride, so all three were going together. Before leaving for good, one of the women walked over and pressed some money into my hand. She was inspired by our trip, and she wanted to help....so she gave us $40! I'm never quite sure how to respond when people hand me money, so I'm sure it was just some nonsensical babbling. Either way, Bethany and I thanked her profusely. It is oddly moving when a stranger makes such a generous gesture, whether it is $5 or $400. These are the people that I'm so happy to meet on this trip.

Anyway, there is more to the story, and it can be long, so I'll try to condense it.

We were still sitting on the benches outside the general store, still trying to get motivation to continue. It was a particularly hilly day, and it was rough trying to get back on the bikes. Across the road, a guy came blazing by on his Kawasaki motorcycle. He stopped in the store to get himself something to drink, then he came outside and sat on the bench with us. Again, bicycles make the greatest conversation starters! We were explaining our bike trip, and he explained that he was a river guide on the Arkansas, and he lived a few miles up the road. We talked for a little while, and he offered his house as a place for us to stay the night. Without much thought, Bethany and I agreed.

As it turns out, "a few miles up the road" was really about 40, and we were in the middle of nowhere. Steve's house was on a plot of land that allowed you to look in almost any direction and see the Rockies. It was quite bizarre and amazing at the same time. We cooked up some awesome microwave dinners (Yum! And ewww!) and sat on the porch to watch the sun go down. It was quite possibly the most beautiful sunset I had ever seen. The Rockies turned purple, and it was almost like a postcard. When the sun was all the way down, a little deer pranced out of the forest and walked around the house. Steve talked to her, and the deer wasn't afraid at all. And there were a million hummingbirds!! They were all chasing each other and zooming around at a thousand miles an hour. I felt like I was in a Disney cartoon. I half expected Thumper to come out of the forest next. It was a little bit surreal.

Steve told us that he would take us the next day to go white water rafting on the Arkansas River. I was a little concerned at first...we had to make it to Pueblo by the next evening, because we were staying to a coworker's parents (hi, Bob and Phyllis!), and we didn't want to be too late. But the chance to go whitewater rafting was hard to resist. I love taking adventures that could cause my death.

We got up bright and early and headed down to the River. It was about half an hour away from where Steve lived. Then again, EVERYTHING was half an hour away from where Steve lived. We got there early, and we were set up on a raft. Before the raft left, Steve took us over to the Royal Gorge, one of natures other wonders. The cliffs were straight down, and the river was rushing through 1,500 feet below. America's highest suspension bridge crossed the top of the gorge close to us. There was a fence that said "For Your Safety, Please Do Not Cross Fence". So, naturally, we crossed the fence. Steve showed us the perfect place to climb to the top of the rocks so you could look straight down into the gorge. One false step and it was lights out. Completely scary and breathtaking at the same time....a lot like Bryce Canyon's trails without a fence to separate you from falling into the canyon. We took plenty of pictures to freak out our parents, then went back to get on the boat for rafting.

Aside from "popping wheelies" with the raft, the trip was pretty normal and uneventful...certainly not worthy of explaining in detail. There was a short section where the guide allowed us to jump out of the boat and float down river, and I was amazed at how fast the current was moving, even when it didn't look like anything was happening. Oh, yeah. And the water was freezing. It took my breath away. I guess it has something to do with the snow runoff? News to me! We pulled off the river right before we went into the Gorge, which would have been an awesome experience as well. I guess we weren't experienced enough:)

Not to mention, this trip was free. Steve used his "comp" and got Bethany and I on a boat for no cost. It wasn't until later that I found out that a trip like ours normally costs $53. I think if I would have known that sooner, I would have given Steve a big bear hug. He had only known us for under 24 hours! That seems to be the story of this trip. Extremely generous people.

I can't wait to be back in Miami and have some time to process this whole trip. It shouldn't be long now! It will certainly be nice staying in one place longer than one night. But more than anything, we're so excited to touch the Atlantic Ocean. Our cross-country will be complete!

"Aren't You Scared?!?"

Before I start, I would like to thank 2 people: First, Mack Leach. We met Mack in Columbus, Mississippi, and he bought us dinner at the most fabulous steak house in town. Second, John Duncan, a Deputy Sheriff in Selma, Alabama. We asked him if there was a public library in Selma (to update the blog!). He offered to drive us to the library...but instead, he took us to a really nice motel, pulled out a $100 bill from his wallet, and told us to get a hotel room in the safe part of town. He knew the hotel had a computer we could use for our blog, so we didn't have to visit the seedy section of town. Apparently they have 4-5 shootings per week? Whew, thank goodness for locals. And thanks, John. The hotel room is awesome.

Thanks to everyone we have met on this trip. You have all restored my faith in the human race. Mostly:)

Anyway, I know I said I was going to write about the Royal Gorge and whitewater rafting, but I really wanted everyone to hear about our sketchy motel experience.

"Aren't you scared?!?"

That was the question we got from the lady at the grocery store where we were buying supplies for dinner. It was a response to the motel we told her we were staying in for the night.

"Scared? Wait, what?"

Apparently, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

We had stopped in Aberdeen, Mississippi for the night. The town was relatively small, and there weren't too many motels. Just like every city in Mississippi or Alabama, we have been warned by the locals not to camp because we were in a "dangerous area". It ended up working out anyway, because the weather had been so bad for the past couple of days, that it was wise to stay in a motel anyway.

There were three motels to choose from: Best Western, which was too expensive, some other small motel, but I couldn't understand the guy at the front desk (really thick Indian accent), and the Tombigbee Inn, which was $35 after tax. SCORE. We headed up and booked a room. We had been in cheaper motels, so we weren't really concerned.

Ok, we have camped and slept in some pretty sketchy places, but nothing, and I mean NOTHING compared to this place. This is the one situation where I really wished I had looked at the room first. Try to picture this:

• We almost had to kick the door open because it was stuck. 18 layers of paint will do that.
• Nasty green carpet that was tracked over so many times it was more of a dark brown. Neither one of us wanted to take off our shoes while we were there.
• The tiny television had a message written on it in White-Out: "If you see this TV please don't buy this TV from anyone. Please call ###-###-#### if you see this TV anywhere." Yikes.
• There was a little pine tree air freshener hanging from the light fixture on the wall. And there was no lightbulb in the fixture. Come to think of it, there was only one little lightbulb in the whole room. It gave off about as much light as a small Bic lighter.
• I'm not sure, but I think there was a murder committed in the bathroom. There were creepy rust-colored spots everywhere, and they wouldn't go away. There was a bottle opener drilled into the door frame, but it had also been painted over 18 times.
• The bathtub also looked like it was painted, but the 18 layers of paint had been splitting and puckering for several years now. The hot and cold handles were different....one was a long, thin handle, the other one was a circle. They both looked like someone had pulled them out of the trash. And they were on the wrong sides, so it took me a second to understand why the water was not getting hot. We were so creeped out, both of us showered with our flip-flops. And clothes. :)
• There was a giant bug in the toilet when we first got there. Bethany flushed it, but I kept having images of insects swarming out of the plumbing. And there was nothing that could get me to actually sit on the toilet seat (which, by the way, was 2 sizes too small for the actual toilet, so there was a chance that you could literally fall in). Those rust-colored spots made an appearance there as well.
• The sink had funky handles. They were angled differently, and one turned left, while the other one turned right. And no matter how hard you pushed, it didn't stop the drip. Drip. Drip. Drip....Drip........Drip............
• You know how motels give you one or two bars of soap and the very least? Well, this motel was no different. It gave us two bars of mystery soap. The only problem was this soap looked like it had been sitting in the soap dish for weeks. If not years. I'm not sure how many "customers" this place has. The paper had faded from an off-white shade to a yellowish orange. You couldn't read the name on the paper. It also looked like someone had dipped them in water before placing them in the soap dish, because the paper was all crinkly....much like it would be if you, say, dropped it in the toilet water then put it back. Not saying that's what happened, but it was WEIRD. And there was no way we were even touching the soap.
• Don't you love how motels have those curtains that keep the sun out in the morning? Yeah, this was not one of those. There were 2 yellow curtains on our window. They were nearly see-through. They were cinched together in the middle and held together by pieces of shoelace threaded through little holes. The icing on the cake was the Breathe-Right strip that held together the last portion of the curtain. Magical. Magical, I tell you. There was also a black binder clip that held the curtain to the rod on top. I'm not making this up, I swear! I know you don't believe me, which is why I have a million pictures to prove it. I took more pictures in this motel room in 10 minutes than I had taken in the last 3 days.
• Most peep holes have glass in them. Ours had toilet paper shoved into the hole where the peep hole used to be.
• There was a brown folding chair at the "desk" in the room. Yeah, right.
• The motel was called the Tombigbee Inn, yet it had a "Clubhouse Inn" ice bucket and a "Rodeway Inn" pack of matches. Strange? Yes, strange.
• The sign outside the motel said " Butget 00 Rates. Weeklyyrate" It should be noted that the "W" is actually and upside-down "M".
• And last, but not least: the bed. Oh dear goodness, the bed. I won't even get into the bedspread. Bethany and I yanked that thing off and didn't touch it for the rest of the time we were in the room. Other than the spread, there was one thin sheet underneath. You know how Dateline does those exclusives in hotel rooms where they shine the blacklight, and it reveals all the disgusting "fluids" on the sheets. Ugh, we didn't need the blacklight. We could see all the stains with the ole' naked eyeball. Gag me, seriously. There was no way we were going to sleep on those sheets.

We were at the local Piggly Wiggly (HA!!!) trying to decide what to do about the bed situation. I'm not kidding, I'm gagging inside just writing this story, and we have seen some gross things on this trip.

As we were checking out, the lady asked us where we were staying. When we told her, she recoiled in fear, and looked at her fellow cashier. They both looked at us....kinda like you would look at someone if they had 2 heads. "Aren't you scared?" Well NOW I am. A little. But thanks for doing your best to calm my fears, ladies.

They told us to go next door to their equivalent of the Dollar General (which is in EVERY small town in America, along with Main Street and Walnut Street), and pick up some antibacterial spray to hose the room with. Dear goodness.

Instead, we came up with the fabulous idea of using those giant black garbage bags. Bethany cut them open lengthwise, and used them to cover every visible portion of the bed. Then we used our sleeping bags on top. Brilliant! I use the term "brilliant" loosely, because we might have been better off sleeping on the concrete patio in front of the door, just going inside to use the bathroom. That probably would have been our best option.

Oh, and the whole room smelled like someone had chain-smoked for a decade without ever opening the door.

Again, it would be easy to think I'm exaggerating, but I promise you, not even my clever mind could come up with the "Breathe-Right on the curtain" thing. Because....ewww. We just hope it wasn't used ahead of time. Grrrrooooosssssssssssss.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, we escaped without catching a disease, and we weren't murdered in our sleep (although I slept with some protection, just in case). And we have a ton of pictures that I can't wait to share. But much like the beautiful Bryce Canyon, or some of the other breathtaking landscapes on this trip....you just don't get the full effect with a picture:)

Mace in the Face

First of all, we made it into Mississippi today. Yay! Hopefully Alabama tomorrow, or the next day at the latest. We're running into really rough weather right now, which is likely because I am a big fat jinx. I just HAD to brag about the fact that we only had 20 minutes of rain in the first 5 weeks of the trip. *Sigh*. It has rained almost 50% of the time since then. Now we're getting tornado warnings and threats of hail. Sheesh. Squishy and wet shoes are the worst!

And here is the story....it will probably be quick.

We have noticed, particularly in the south, that there are unchained dogs EVERYWHERE. You think I'm exaggerating when I capitalize "everywhere", but I'm not kidding. Every half-mile, sometimes quarter-mile, some freakishly large dog-horse thing comes charging out from under a pick-up truck. Sometimes they hop a fence. Sometimes they appear out of nowhere. There are always 2 or more, and they come at you strategically. Oh, yes, they have done this before, and they have worked out a solid plan. I love animals, but I don't mind telling you that I wouldn't be upset if some of these dogs accidentally tripped and face-planted into a ditch on their way to terrorize us.

Well, we've become pretty good at dealing with the dogs. The pepper spray is always in easy reach if it gets out of control, but I think they know I mean business. I can be very intimidating. Stop laughing. If all else fails, I'll slow down just enough for them to catch up to Bethany, then speed off as fast as I can. She can probably handle herself. :).

On one occasion in Kansas, we were still with Joel and Jessica. They hiked the Appalachian Trail several years ago, and still have the can of Grizzly Mace that they used for that trip. I'm not sure, but I think it is 30% more powerful than your average can of mace. So, we were just on our way out of Kansas...Joel and Jessica were about 20 yards ahead of us. A big black dog came bounding off of a porch, headed straight for Joel. It was barking like it was ready to tear something apart. Almost as a reflex, Joel pulled out his Grizzly Mace and hosed the dog. HOSED it. Right in the face. The FACE! I just want you to get a clear image of what was happening. It looked like a garden hose went rogue. And it sounded like a fire extinguisher. It was actually pretty cool. And I made a mental note not to upset Joel for any reason.

The poor dog had no idea what happened. It stopped barking immediately and ran off with its tail between its legs. Bethany and I saw the whole thing happen, and we were happy that neither one of us would have to deal with the dog. We watched it run off, feeling a little bad, but also a little relieved. Just as I turned my focus back to the road, I was slammed with the fog of the remaining mace. Half a second later, Bethany rode through it too. UGH! Eyes burning! Lungs not working! Coughing! Sneezing! My eyes burned like someone had poured acid in them. I couldn't breathe because it burned my lungs. Bethany and I both immediately started coughing. Because I couldn't see, I had to stop the bike in the middle of the road and pray that no oncoming cars hit me. Bethany managed to avoid getting it in the eyes, so she pulled over to safety. It was so miserable. My eyes teared for a bit before I could see well enough to continue. Fortunately Bethany recovered quickly. The effects lingered on me for a little while. I like to think that I was protecting her....you know, being the first in line (and the big sister). I think you should also know that Bethany finds that extremely hilarious. And unlikely. :)

I should also mention that my lips burned for nearly half an hour. We were 20 yards behind the initial spray, and it was still miserable. I can't imagine what the poor dog felt. Hence, I will only use the pepper spray if the dog is chewing my leg off. Mostly because I'm afraid I will do it wrong and end up spraying myself. You know that would happen. That's how I roll.

I should also mention that Joel got a huge kick out of the whole situation. And we would make him retell the story over and over, only because he did killer impressions of us the second we were hit. Have I mentioned how much fun this trip is? :)

So there you have it....a short story, somewhat unsatisfying now that I've written it down in its entirety. But the fact remains, we were hit with Grizzly Mace, even if it was accidental.

Next up: Royal Gorge and whitewater rafting!

Love the comments. It makes us happy. I wish I could respond to everyone, but I have no idea how. :) Curses, technology!

Update

We're in lower Tennessee....crossing into Mississippi tomorrow. We're staying with Jim and Beth (who picked us up at the grocery store!). They gave us a tour of the Tennessee River (I think?) in their boat, and I had a chance to do some cliff jumping. They're letting us stay in their guest cottage, which is nicer than most hotels. More updates later!

Firehouse Fun

First, thanks to our cousin Matt, who brought us tons of snacks and shampoo (whee!), and drove all the way from Tulsa to see us in Kansas. We were so glad you could come see us!


Second, thanks to Mom and Dad for coming to visit us, 11.5 hours from Pennsylvania. We needed the mental lift, thats for sure!


Anyway, on to the story.


We had just made it to Eads, Colorado (keep in mind, this was a few weeks ago). It was the last city in Colorado before we crossed into Kansas the next day. There was a little city park, and we were allowed to camp for free. There was also a little swimming pool, and after a long day of riding, we were really excited to take a refreshing dip. This was the first day that we had met Joel, Jessica and Chad, some other cyclists going East. We all made our way to the pool, but the weather was looking a little precarious. Big clouds were rolling in, and it was getting darker. But the swimming pool also had showers (free for cyclists!), and the need for clean was strong.


We made it to the pool just in time...because of the weather coming in, they were closing early, but we had the chance to get in a get a shower. I won't even discuss the shower, because it was too strange to explain. Suffice it to say that we needed two people to operate it. We had to shower in our clothing, because it was a combination shower/toilet situation. And any time the door opened, people walking by could see in. Such a good time.


After the shower, there was no place to change, so we had to go outside in our dripping wet clothing. When we got out, we were amazed by the change in the weather. The wind was whipping leaves and gravel and junk into the air, and it looked like it could start pouring any minute. We ran to our bikes, but we weren't really sure where to go for cover. There were 5 of us with our equipment, and we take up a lot of space:).


Just as we were leaving, a big black pick-up pulled up. The driver was a volunteer firefighter, and he knew the storm was going to get bad. He offered to open up the firestation so we could wait out the storm. How cool was that?! Answer: Totally.



Since the town was pretty small, it didn't take us long to get there. True to his word, the man came over to open up the firestation. He told us that not only could we wait out the storm inside, but we could stay the night if we wanted to. We just needed to close up in the morning when we left, and make sure not to block the ambulance, just in case there was an emergency:). Goodness, small town hospitality is amazing.



There were some other cyclists still at the city park, so someone went over to get them. That brought to total to 7: Bethany and I, Joel, Jessica, Chad, David and Diego. Quite a motley crew. I have some great photos, but I can't upload them! Curses, technology. The guys set up a long table and 7 chairs in the middle of the firehouse floor. Everyone made some dinner and sat at the table, sharing stories of their trips so far. It was crazy fun. There is a certain camaraderie between cyclists....and it was nice to share such an extended amount of time with so many fun people. Normally, we pass each other on the road, talk for 10 minutes, then get on our way. It was great to have more time to hear about sights that we couldn't miss, scary areas to avoid (dogs! saddle sores! Kentucky!), and fantastically entertaining stories of the trips so far.


Dinner ran long, so after we cleaned up, it was pretty much time to get to bed (we planned on waking up at 5am to start the next day with Drill Sergeant Joel and his colon-busting coffee). The firehouse floor was disgusting, and there were roaches/crickets running across the floor. So, yeah, not sleeping on that. We looked around for alternates, and Diego came up with a fabulous plan....sleep on top of the fire trucks! Yes, you heard it here first.


There were three fire trucks (two ambulances, and a few other emergency vehicles), so it was easy to pair off. Bethany and I took one, Diego and David took one, and Chad took the last one (Joel and Jess braved the firehouse floor - you guys are rockstars). I'm sure this would have been frowned upon if the volunteer firefighters knew about it, but I'm also sure that they would have wanted us to be comfortable. And like we said in the picture album below, if it was illegal, or even not recommended, we probably did it.


We all set up our sleeping pads and sleeping bags on top of the trucks.....technically on top of the firehoses, which were coiled perfectly on top of the trucks. The hoses are pretty solid; they're not as soft and comfortable as one might think. Good thing we had the sleeping pads for the extra cushion:). Getting to sleep was much easier once we didn't have to worry about a roach crawling into our hair (or nostril...*gasp*!).


True to our word, we got up the next morning at 5....or 5:15. Ok, 5:30, but it was still a really good effort. This was the day we did our first 100 miles (we did two more days over a hundred miles. Holla). We ate breakfast and got on the road as the sun was rising. We said goodbye to Diego and David, but we kept riding with Joel, Jess and Chad for a few more days, where much more fun ensued.


Stay tuned: Grizzly mace!


Good times. :)

Finally got a chance to add some pictures!

Our parents are visiting for a few days to carry our equipment (YAY!!!!!), and they brought a laptop and some cords...so we were able to figure out how to add some pictures to the blog. This is just a fraction, so hopefully some are enjoyable:). PS....we were biking in a pretty big rainstorm, and unfortunately, my phone was a casualty. So, just in case you have tried to contact me in the last week, I have not gotten it, and I can't respond just yet. FYI:)





How did this one little spot manage to stay dry? Seriously. The entire shirt is soaked, but this one little spot escaped? Something is weird....

Someone is sweaty and is NOT happy about it. Thank you, 100% humidity.

Was this photo staged? Yes. Is it still funny? I think so.

We rode to one of these places to spend the night. Which one do you think it was?

No walking? Across the Mississippi River? Whatever, if it was illegal, or it was recommended that we didn't do it....we probably did it.

I saved a turtle from the middle of the road! How did he thank me? Pee.

This way to Success!!! *Sigh* We went to Houston.

An impromptu stop to pet some horses. I wanted to ride one, but the barbed wire was a pretty good deterrent. Also, I have no idea how to ride a horse.

Horses!

Our riding buddies for a few days...Jessica and Joel. As you can tell, they were quite the fun couple.

Some sisters do normal things like going out to the movies....we prefer the extreme.

Keeping it positive (not trying to hitchhike)!

Empty Kansas road....too bad you can't get a picture of the headwind.

Phyllis and Bob! They put us up for a couple of days, and spoiled us rotten. We had a really hard time leaving:)

We take our whitewater rafting very seriously.

The Royal Gorge, Colorado. We hopped over a fence and went to the very edge of the rocks to get a better view. It was well worth it.

No, I am NOT a bad influence. Good times breaking the rules! Bethany did this all on her own. But if we didn't, we never would have been able to see the Royal Gorge.

Mmmmm, meat. Bethany is mad that I'm putting this picture on at all, so I can't say anything mean.

Tub laundry! We got really good at cleaning our clothes in less than optimal conditions:) Also, we were reeeeeaaaalllly dirty, and it was gross to see the water when we were done.

McDonalds? With only one arch? And a weird little guy saying "I'm Speedee!"? I guess this is some kind of rare sign, but it was creepy....mostly because I was sure that McDonalds couldn't afford to fix their sign, and that little guy was really scary-looking.

Telluride, Colorado....the most magical town on the planet:) We got a few good pictures on the gondola ride to the top of the pass.

Pie eating contest in Telluride! It was us against the kids:) Yummmmmmmmmy.

The giant Colorado sign welcomes us. And Bethany is very excited.

Lower Calf Creek Falls, Utah. We hiked back a few miles to see this waterfall (with Don, Nicole and Mitch...hi, guys!). As with everything, the pictures don't really do it justice...and it is a lot taller than it looks.

Lonely Utah road. This is where I came up with most of the random thoughts....why is it that no matter how far from civilization you may be, you can always find a discarded beer can/bottle? Nevada desert? Budweiser. Kansas plains? Natural Light. Kinda scary. Or weird.

Bryce Canyon, Utah. One of the most amazing places on the planet. We hiked a couple of miles around the rim to get as many different views as possible.

Bryce Canyon, Utah. If you look really hard, you can see me on the right hand side in black and purple. There are no railings or barriers of any kind, so a good wind could come along and blow us right in to the canyon. There are tons of great pictures, and most of them look like we're about ready to slide right down the side of the canyon walls...but those pictures are on my camera, and I don't have the adapter:)

I know you're jealous of my sweet outfit. The wind was blowing so hard that we had to put on several layers of clothing so we didn't freeze. I swear I'm not wearing a black unitard. And the sunglasses just kept out the grit...I don't really wear my sunglasses at night:) This picture is taken right outside of the place that we "broke into" in Minersville to sleep inside. As you can tell, there was good reason to try to find cover!

At 10,350 feet....Cedar Breaks in Utah. It was cold. And because I looked like a thug, no one bothered us.

If you look closely, you can see the rattlesnake that had curled up under my leg. He looks little there, but he's all coiled, and when I can upload video, you'll see him in all of his glory. I just got chills thinking about it again.

Just like the Sound of Music! Kirkwood, California, where Bethany just HAD to watch the Stanley Cup:) Go Penguins!

Survived the Loneliest Road in America! Barely.

Tree filled with shoes!! What a completely bizarre image. I definitely did a double-take, and of course we had to stop and take a picture.

Checking the map....standing in Nevada (left of the white line) and California (right of the white line)

This will be the last of the pictures for a while....the equipment goes home tomorrow:(

Update

Right now we're in the Ozarks, right in the heart of Missouri. There was a terrible thunderstorm, but we were rescued by a guy and his daughter, who brought us to his neighbors. Now we're staying with Charlie and Susie, retired educators who are spoiling us rotten. We had as much dinner as we could eat, and we did REAL laundry, not just rinsing in the sink with some shampoo:). They're so much fun! We're having a nightcap and chatting, so there really isn't too much time to blog.

There is definitely plenty to blog about....especially this one time that Bethany and I accidentally got hit with Grizzly Bear Mace. Good times:) More about that to come!

The Kindness of Strangers: Part 2 - Ivar and Vicki

I'm sitting here in a little motel room in Eureka, Kansas with my cousin Matt (who is the perfect combination of both of his parents), relaxing and writing in the blog. What a nice change from sleeping on a picnic table under a pavilion in the city park! We parted ways with our riding partners, Jessica and Joel. They are super cool, so we're hoping we can meet up with them again some time in the future. Anyway, this is a little bit of a continuation on the kindness of strangers:

Goodness, talk about blessings. Bethany and I had just spent the night in the guest house of a multimillionaire (read below!), and we weren't sure what to do for the Fourth of July. It's not usually a big holiday for me, but Bethany is a fan of the fireworks, so we wanted to find a place that had them. We had been biking for about 15 miles when we came to a crossroads, both literally and figuratively. We could go left and continue to follow our route, possibly ending up in a town with no fireworks, or we could go right, 3 miles off route, into Telluride. If we chose Telluride, there was definitely the possibility that there would be no available camping, and the hotels way too expensive. But we chose Telluride anyway. Tom Cruise did, so it couldn't be all that bad (but he's craaaazzzzzyyyyy with a capital K). We biked 3 miles down the road, and it was absolutely gorgeous. Towering in front and to each side were giant mountains covered in green trees. Telluride is kinda like a "no outlet" type of place, so there is only one way in and out. At the very back was a tiny sliver of white, which we were later able to determine was a waterfall. Everything about the place, from the surroundings to the Victorian-style homes were just drop-dead gorgeous. I was soooo happy we had made the decision to go to Telluride! Until I went to the Visitor's Center. At the Visitor's Center, a very sweet young man told me that all of the space on the campground were taken (of course, it was July 4th in Telluride. What were we expecting?), and the hotels were starting at $159 per night. What? Nope. And it wasn't like we could just throw up a tent anywhere....its a very small town, and they're very strict about unapproved camping. I was soooo mad we had made the decision to go to Telluride:(

I talked it over with Bethany, and as much as we hated to, we had to turn around leave. We would continue on our route, and hope that there would be fireworks in one of the really small towns. We were pretty angry that we just wasted 6 miles. Just as we were turning our bikes around, a white van slowed down, and the person in the passenger side rolled down the window and we heard "Is everything ok?". There was a couple (possibly 50's?) that had stopped to make sure we were alright. I guess we looked pretty upset:). I just gave them a brief overview of the situation, and they proceeded to confer with each other for a few seconds. Before I knew it, the driver was getting out of the van. He told us to follow him because "we might have a place for you".


Huh? Come again? We just met you 10 seconds ago.

Slightly confused, we followed him for less than a block, and he opened up the garage door behind a beautiful little house. He told us we could park our bikes there. At this point, Bethany and I are thinking he will let us camp out in the yard. If we're lucky. But no, we are taken inside the impeccable little house, shown the shower where we can clean up, and given a brief tour of the basement, where we can spend the night.


Again, HUH? WE JUST MET YOU 10 SECONDS AGO!!!!


Then he left, saying that they would be back around 7:30 if we wanted to go watch the fireworks with them. We didn't even get his name!!! Bethany and I stood, dumbfounded, for at least a good minute before either one of us said anything. When we did finally speak, it didn't make sense anyway. I couldn't believe that someone would just give us a place to stay without, you know, a background check or something. But as we came to learn over the course of the day; this is Telluride, and nothing normal happens here.

After we brought our stuff in and cleaned up a little bit, we decided to walk the town. I'm not kidding when I say that Telluride has a magical feel. It is impossible not to smile when you're walking down the street. Little shops, people everywhere, bicycles all over the place....there was nothing about this place that I didn't like.

We happened to stumble across a pie eating contest. Score! After very little convincing, Bethany and I were signed up. Shocking, I know. For $10 it was all-you-can-eat food and drink, as well as the pie. For hungry cyclists, $10 was a total steal. When we sat down at the table for the pie eating, we noticed that we were surrounded by kids 10 and under. Hmmmm. I guess the honorable thing to do would be to allow one of the kids win. So we did. (But I took second....beat that kiddies!)


After all the pie eating and the arm wrestling, there was a lot of socializing with what turned out to be some of the elite in Telluride. One guy owned a night club down the street. When he found out that we were doing our ride for the American Cancer Society, he pulled a big wad of cash out of his pocket, peeled off a $100 bill and handed it to us, then went back to the conversation. He didn't even blink. That was fantastically cool, and he trusted us!


We eventually got back in time to go to the fireworks with the family that let us use the house. We introduced ourselves in the car on the way to the city park. Their names were Ivar and Vicki, and they were the coolest people. It was amazing just getting the chance to talk and hang out with them for a few hours. They had made big fat brownies with chocolate icing (mmmm!), and Bethany and I had about 7 between the 2 of us. After the fireworks (there was a downpour just before they were supposed to start, and we thought they would be cancelled. All that for nothing!), Ivar and Vicki left us alone in the house, just making sure that we knew not to lock the doors when we left the next morning. Alone. In the house. By ourselves. I still can't believe how trusting they were:).


One big thing about this trip I have learned: We all watch too much of the news. It has made us all cynical and untrusting. Every single person we have met on this trip has been helpful, kind, and generous. We're amazed at the everyday kindnesses that people extend to complete strangers. I guess we just look incredibly non-threatening with our little helmets and half-finger gloves:)

The Kindness of Strangers: Part 1 - The Multi-Millionaire and Me (Us)

We're not dead! Just a long time between internet access:) We're always in town after the library closes (or on Sunday), so it gets very hard to blog.

Just as a quick update, we're now in central-ish Kansas.....I hate it almost as much as Nevada. All I have to say is "HEADWIND". Boo. We met up with a really awesome couple that is biking their way back to Virginia, and we've been hanging with them for several days now. They're a little more hardcore than we are, so it is definitely giving us good motivation. We had our first "century"....we biked 103 miles on 7/13, so that felt pretty good (for the mind, definitely not the body - ouch). We're going to keep up with them as long as we can, because they are great company:)

Wow, we've had such great experiences on this trip so far, and not nearly enough time to blog about it. There are so many amazing people. You've already heard about Don, Nicole and Mitch. There was also Wayne, Bob, Ron, Cynthia, Ivar, Vicki, Steve, Steve, etc. This is just one of the stories that we think you could find amusing.

July 3rd we were heading along our path as normal, and we decided to stop for lunch on a little bridge that crossed the Dolores River. We swung our legs over the edge and ate our healthy PopTart and NutriGrain bars. Before long, we heard someone yell "Don't do it! Don't jump!", so we turned around. Up a tiny hill on the other side was a pretty huge mansion - all wood. A guy was waving from his second floor balcony. We waved back. Then we forgot about it. A little while later, a cyclist came up to talk to us. As it turns out, he was the mansion guy. His name was Steve. He was kind of pompous at first...within 5 minutes we knew he had a Maserati and he lived in the huge mansion behind us. Ok, tough guy. He also offered us his phone number in case we were in Telluride, because he would take us around to the bars. I think Bethany and I both had to work really hard to keep our eyes from rolling back into our heads. The second he left, I told Bethany that I would be fine if we never saw this guy again. But things never work out as I think they will:)

Several miles after that, when we were looking for a place to spend the night, we came across a small town called Rico. There was only one place in town to get food, so we stopped at the gas station. And guess who was there? Steve. I KNOW! Anyway, we sat down and had a break, and ended up spending most of the time talking to Steve. He told us how he used to live in Tucson, and he had the best and most outrageous stories. Apparently he made his millions as a florist (who knew! I'm looking into that when I get home), and later he bought a night club. The Tucson police couldn't believe that he made his money without doing something illegal, so they had it "in" for him. He was shot at a couple times, two guys were killed outside of his club, Kid Rock played at his birthday, blah blah blah. And on and on and on. For 45 minutes/an hour, Steve talked. My responses consisted mostly of "wow!", or "no kidding!", or "I can't believe the Tucson Police had it out for you!", or "so, you're wife knew about your mistress?". Crazy stuff.

After Steve ran out of stories, he offered his 51 acre land for us to camp on. He said we could ride back down to his house, camp on his property, and then he would drive us back up to where we left off. It sounded like a great deal to me. Any day we could get free camping was a good day. Not to mention, although Steve was full of incredible (and possibly false) stories, both Bethany and I felt that he was completely harmless. Just a really outgoing type of guy that lived in a tiny tiny town, and was dying to tell his stories to new people. Plus, I had a really really big knife, just in case. So, we did it. We rode back down to his mansion, fully prepared to camp on his property. The only problem was this: mosquitos. I guess the season had been unusually rainy, and the mosquitos were breeding like crazy. They were all over Bethany like a bear on honey, and they were biting us through our clothing. Fortunately, Steve offered us his guest house.

Yes, guest house. He offered for us to stay in his 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom guest house. Then he made us a dinner of spaghetti and homemade sauce....during which time he told us more stories, each one crazier than the next. Even better, Steve, who is 50 years old, has a 25-year-old girlfriend. We were eventually introduced to her, and she looked more like 12. After a rough start, she ended up being very nice...:)

The next morning Steve made us the best oatmeal either one of us has have ever eaten. Then his girlfriend cut up a huge watermelon, and essentially the 4 of us ate it all. Then, true to his word, Steve drove us back to where we left off, and actually a few miles further (to avoid a big hill). He dropped us off, and then he was gone, leaving Bethany and I to wonder what in the world had just happened.

It is frustrating to have so many MANY stories, and not be able to type fast enough. I would imagine the next few blogs would be:

• Fourth of July in Telluride with Ivar and Vicki
• The night we slept in a volunteer firehouse with five other cyclist (on top of the firetrucks, no less!)
• Why Bethany was so traumatized in childhood (one guess: older siblings!)
• Peanut butter and jelly vs. Peanut butter and banana...the debate continues

Random thoughts...

We spend a lot of time on the bikes....between 6 and 8 hours, depending on the terrain. During this time, sooooo many things cross our minds. You can try to block out the random brain-thoughts with music, but there isn't a lot that can suppress an active brain on the open road. There isn't really a "story" in this blog, but I thought it would be fun to try to catalog as many of those random thoughts as possible, and list them. They really are....strange.

But before that, I'd like to give a giant shout-out to Don, Nicole and Mitch...a couple of our favorite people from this trip. They adopted us for the day! We all hiked back to a Lower Calf Creek Falls waterfall (and took some awesome and hilarious pictures). Then they went completely out of their way to take us to our hotel, and in the mean time, they bought our dinner! You guys were so much fun, and I'm glad we're still in touch!

Anyway, bring on the random thoughts, some related to cycling, some not:

• Why, out of all the different parts of my body that are sore, do my THUMBS hurt the most?
• How am I going to get rid of these ridiculous tan lines?
• Why can I only remember half of the Quadratic Equation? My math teachers would be so disappointed.
• Road kill or piece of tire? Road kill? Or tire? Road kill. No! Tire. Whew....tire. (this is a little game I like to play when you see something on the road in the distance and don't know what it is. It happens a LOT, and I'm getting better).
• How are the soles of my shoes falling off? They're on the pedals of the bike 90% of the day. I'll have to use Dad's fix-it method...duct tape.
• Ohhh, a penny!
• Colorado smells nice.
• "Free credit report dot com/Tell your friends, tell your dad, tell your mom/We've been singin' this song since we first showed up with our pirate hats on".....ugh, commercial jingles...
• When I hear a vehicle behind us, I try to figure out what kind it is by how the engine sounds. I'm 100% on 18-wheelers so far. Everything else, not so much.
• I think I would have made a good outlaw.
• I wish I could figure out how to reset the time on my watch. That way I wouldn't have to subtract 2 hours every time I try to figure out what the time is.
• Oh, man. My sunglass frames are broken. I'll have to use Dad's fix-it method...duct tape.
• On ER, when Doug Ross finds out that Carol is pregnant with his twins, why doesn't he come back?
• When will we see a town with more than 1,000 people?
• Will I live long enough to witness Bethany actually eating a vegetable? On purpose?
• It's probably not a wise decision to fly down a hill at 45 mph with only what essentially amounts to a tiny styrofoam cap on your head for protection.
• I have to use the restroom. And we're 30 miles from anything in either direction. Help.
• I wonder what passing motorists are thinking: "They are CRAZY", or "What a great idea. I might do that some day", or "50 points for the blonde one with the pigtails"?
• Again, with the passing motorists. When they see us in the middle of nowhere, do they worry even a tiny bit about us? Why don't they offer water? Why don't they offer a ride? Not that we'd take it, I'm just saying. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE? So far the only ones to offer water are foreign. Figures. Americans are all "they're dumb, they deserve what they get".
• Why do I harbor such fiery hatred for people in vehicles?
• Why don't any of the motels have people working at the front desk?
• When passing motorcyclists wave, are they mocking us?
• Bethany's handlebars have some cuts in them. I'll have to use Dad's fix-it method....duct tape.
• The "Welcome to Utah" and "Welcome to Colorado" signs are 50 yards apart. Sooooo, what is that land in between?
• There are a ton of washers/bolts/nuts/nails on this road. Dad would have a field day.
• Can I build a log cabin in Miami?
• I wonder when the season premiere of Bones is scheduled.
• Dear God, please don't let the 18-wheeler hit us. We're not that good at staying on the shoulder...
• How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
• Why is this map taking us into the middle of nowhere with roads that don't have a shoulder? Safe? NO.
• Will I ever be able to pass through a tiny tiny town and not think of Texas Chainsaw Massacre?
• That root beer did NOT settle well.
• How can I work soooooo hard all day on the bike, and I'm still gaining weight?
• On a related note, why don't my legs look any different?
• Why, at the end of a perfectly good downhill, is there always an uphill?
• Would those people mind if we asked to ride their horses?
• Green is definitely my new favorite color.
• I wonder which one of us is adopted. I would guess me. Bethany would agree. We can't possibly be related.
• On an uphill: From 1 to 10, this rates a 14.35 on the "This is the Worst Idea Ever" scale.
• On a downhill: Hey, this isn't so bad!
• I smell burnt skin. Is that me?
• I wonder what I did with my passport? I should find that when I get home.
• Does hay have any nutritional value for humans? Might be good to know, just in case we get in some trouble one day.
• Is Bethany more miserable now, or will she be more miserable when she has to sleep in my apartment with all of the cats?
• Canyon is a weird word.

Here is what Bethany said she thinks about all day on the bike:

??

Anyway, we'll come back with a good story for the next blog, but this will have to hold until then. I'm sure we'll have some good stuff coming out of the Rockies!

And please comment! We looooooove reading the things you have to say, and it makes it more fun to write:)

Breaking and Entering....not if you don't get caught!

Two posts in one day! Crazy! We had a lot to tell, but it was narrowed down to the rattlesnake story (see below), and this one. Fun times.

We had finally made it out of Nevada, and we were so excited to leave the nothingness behind. We got into Utah and it was.....exactly like Nevada. Ugh. For a very long time it looked exactly like the state that we had just left....brown, no wildlife, mountains in the background. The only thing different was more wind. Directly in our faces. At 30 miles an hour. *Awesome*. I don't think either one of us had a really great feeling about our first few experiences in Utah (it has since gotten WAAAAAY better).

One of our first days, we encountered these heavy headwinds, and they kept our progress to an average of 6mph and below, which is incredibly defeating, especially on flat land. One of these nights, we couldn't make it to our destination for the evening, so we stopped in the tiny Utah town of Minersville. I think the population was 870, but I can't be sure. There is no motel/hotel/hostel/campground in Minersville, so we had to improvise. We made our way to the Beaver County Fairgrounds, right on the outskirts of Minersville. I think they have a different idea of "fairgrounds" than I do, but it was still kinda neat. There was a large red building that had a giant garage (probably for housing the maintenance equipment), and on the other side was a concession stand-type area. This area had a flimsy overhang, and there were some picnic tables underneath. There was a huge set of bleachers, and they looked out into a strange looking rodeo arena. There were a bunch of cows that were being held on the outside of the arena, and we made friends with them. There was also a giant playground, right next to the bleachers, so all 12 of the Minersville children could play while their parents watched the...rodeo? Cattle sale? Not really sure what happens in there.

Anyway, the fairgrounds hadn't been in use for a while, but it was still well taken care of. Some children were playing on the playground when we got there, but they left when it started to rain (yay rain!). Bethany and I thought we scored big time....we would just sleep in our sleeping bags on top of the picnic tables. We would be under the overhang near the concession stand, so the rain wouldn't be a problem, and we wouldn't have to pack up a tent in the morning, so we could get started faster.

Then the storm got worse. A lot worse. Because it obviously hadn't rained in Minersville for the last decade, the winds whipped up the dust, making it nearly impossible to see 5 feet in front of you. On top of that, it was raining. It was a pretty nasty predicament, but fortunately we weren't on our bikes when this started! Just for kicks, Bethany and I decided to try all the doors to the red building, just in case one was open and we could go in and wait out the storm. And guess what. One was open. I KNOW! I didn't believe it either. Well, it wasn't "open" so much as it was busted. The deadbolt was closed, but the door frame had been messed with, and it didn't lock to anything. The door led to the room right behind the concession area...and it was carpeted and well-lit due to some fantastic skylights. It was so tempting....we could just move our stuff in, stay the night, and be out before anyone knew we were there. So we did. We moved our stuff in and prepared to make dinner in the kitchen area on the stove (using all of our own equipment....we didn't want to use anything of theirs). The storm had calmed down, and it was clear outside again, but we were already making ourselves at home inside. We made some nice food, and just as we were getting comfortable.....every single neighborhood child and their parents came to play on the playground. Oy.

We though we could wait them out...how long could a kid possibly be entertained on the playground? More than anything, we were worried about being caught inside a building where we certainly didn't belong. I don't think anyone would believe us when we told them the door was already broken. Sure. At some point, someone went around and tried to open all of the doors EXCEPT the open one that we had found. Oh, man. Talk about having your heart stop. How awkward that would have been? If it were just the kids, I'm pretty sure I could have scared them away, then made a break for it. But their parents were there, and I didn't think Bethany and I could do the ole' "Hey, look over there!" with them.

So we sat. Every muscle tensed. For three hours. Three. And I had to use the restroom for atleast 2 1/2 of those hours. I'm talking maximum discomfort. And the restroom/port-a-potty is outside the building, not inside. That just made perfect sense. It started getting really really dark in the room, and Bethany and I were positive that the kids couldn't play in the dark. Well, I did some recon (I'm sure most of you can picture what I looked like...dressed all in black with a little blue skull cap. Crawling around and popping my head around corners. I looked like a thug, for sure), and of course there were lights on the playground. Of COURSE! Which is why they were still there after it had been dark for an hour. Ugh. Good parents playing with their kids. Can't stand 'em.

Bethany was 100% certain that we were going to get caught, because my hacking cough returned at just the right time. Doesn't it always?!?! I was the human noisemaker for about 1/2 an hour, and Bethany started to think of ways to smother me without actually killing me. Although I'm not entirely certain that the second part was as important to her.

Anyway, the only thing that got these people to leave the playground was a second round of rain. As soon as their headlights were gone, I ran so hard into the port-a-potty that I almost knocked it over. I'm not even entirely sure that I closed the door. Poor panicked Bethany wanted to go back outside and continue with the original plan to sleep on the picnic tables, but after we were certain everyone was gone, we just kinda fell asleep. Stress can really take all the energy out of you.

So, from now on, we're not going to enter (because technically there was no "breaking") any buildings unless there are no playgrounds. That is a valuable piece of advice for all of you. Utah is full of excitement already, and its just getting better!

Close Encounters of the Reptile Kind

Just add this to the many reasons why I don't like Nevada....(we're well into Utah now, but this is the first time we've been near a computer in ages, and this story is kinda worth telling).

On our very last day in the desolate land of Nevada, Bethany and I had two fairly large climbs to make. It took us quite a while, and as a reward, we stopped for lunch on the summit of the second peak. Cute, right?

We propped our bikes against a flimsy metal reflector post, and then we had to sit on the ground, because there weren't really any other options. So, picture this: from the side of the road to the beginning of the grass/bush area is about 15 feet. It is all gravel, which is a lovely place to sit for lunch, but again...no other options. We sat down, broke out the NutriGrain bars and PopTarts (endorsements???), and each of us also had an apple.

We sat there talking about random things for a while, and I was half of the way through my apple. I'm not sure why you need to know how much of the apple was eaten, but it was one of the things I remembered, so I'm throwing it in. We're both sitting cross-legged on the ground, and I felt something rub against the outside of my left leg. Normally I would have swatted it, assuming that it was an ant or other small insect, but it didn't feel like little legs walking, it felt like.....a rub. So, instead of swatting, I lifted my leg and looked down and what had been touching me, and I saw........snake skin. At this point, Bethany had to tell me most of the story, because I went a little bonkers. Apparently I screamed "Is that snake skin?!?!?!?!", and immediately proceeded to throw my apple in the air and do a super-awesome backward volleyball roll to escape the encroaching snake (thank you Coach Renzi!! Who knew volleyball was going to save my life?!).

Bethany, bless her, jumped up faster than she has ever moved in her life. While I was jumping around like a little girl and brushing off my clothing, (just in case a second snake had somehow crept up my body without me knowing...ha), Bethany kept her cool. We noticed that it was a rattlesnake because of the, you know, rattle. It must have been pretty aggitated because it was rattling A LOT. And sticking its black tongue out at us. Poor Bethany had to listen to me ask her 15 times if the snake had bitten me. That would probably be something that I would feel, but I couldn't be too sure. The snake, lets call him Rocky, then made himself completely comfortable in the shade my CamelBak. He recoiled a couple of times when I got to close, but I was pretty sure that we were out of striking distance. Poor guy, all he wanted was some shade, but we ruined it.

At some point, one of us realized that I was going to need my CamelBak to continue the trip, so we would have to move Rocky. I had the bright idea to take my silly little BOB trailer flag to push him away, but I made Bethany do it instead. I'm not saying I'm a chicken, she just happened to be the one who was shaking less at the time. She pushed the CamelBak over and expertly guided Rocky back into the grass/bush (I have a pretty good video of it, and I can't wait to see it on the computer). When we could finally see his full length, we estimated that he was between 2 and 2 1/2 feet long. I don't know what that means in terms of age, but that thing was curled up under my thigh, so I can't really say that I would have cared either way. Wouldn't this have been a terrible way to end this trip? Hey, Mom and Dad, we're coming home because ERIN WAS BITTEN BY A RATTLESNAKE. Sadly, I'm pretty sure that most people would respond with...."Yeah, that sounds about right".

I really wish this story could have been recorded for all to see, because I'm certain that I am not doing justice to the hilarity that happened in those 5 minutes (plus, I really wish everyone could have seen my crazy cat-like reflexes). Just keep in mind that cars were driving past us during the whole incident, so it might have looked a little strange to see a girl jumping up and down trying to check herself for secondary snakes. Not to mention, I lost half of my apple, which made me a little sad. It was a really good apple.

Hitchhiking 101

Ok, here's the thing about today...and I'm not proud of it...but there was some hitchhiking. Well, technically not hitchhiking, because we didn't stick out our thumbs or anything, but....

It was kinda a horrible day to ride. Tons of hills, and the weather was crappy. About 14 miles into the ride, it started to rain. Hard. I had some "laundry" hooked to the back of the bike drying, so that was a bust. We trekked on for another 6 miles until the rain let up a little bit. By then we were soaked to the bone. And cold. Unfortunately for us, we couldn't have stopped if we wanted to. Eureka (the town we were in the previous night) and Ely (the town where we were headed) are separated by 78 miles of NOTHING. There is no gas station, no restaurants or cafes, no rest stops....the only thing on the road worth mentioning are two little white tables set up for passing drivers to lunch on. No water, no hills to camp in....getting my drift?

So Bethany and I had no choice but to make it to Ely. We weren't really psyched about the hills, but they weren't too bad to start. Not to mention that ever UP hill has a DOWN:). Fun times.

Anyway, we are still on Highway 50 (I KNOW!) for the fourth day (ugh), and the rain has just started to let up after 6 miles. Mom and Grum, stop reading now. Most of Highway 50 has pitiful shoulders for bikers to ride on, but this particular portion had none at all, so we were out in the road a little bit....with vehicles passing at 70+ mph. It is not ideal, but what can you do? The road gets a little twisty, and around one particular turn, we were out of sight of any vehicle coming behind us (even with my stupid little yellow flag flying behind my trailer). A motorcycle was coming on the opposite side of the road, and we hear the familiar rumbling of a vehicle behind us at the same time....but he can't see us, and we're in the lane. **Before I go on, can I just tell you how freakin' rare it is to have two vehicles crossing at the same time we are on the road? Like, next to impossible. We go miles without seeing anything. I'm serious, this was weird** Anyway, this story is getting long, but lets just say we are almost run off the road by this giant blue pick-up truck that didn't see us. I didn't think it was that big of a deal....he didn't even seem that close. Or we're getting used to it. One or the other.

But the story gets better....about half an hour down the road, a big blue pick-up truck is coming from the opposite direction, and it is slowing down...a lot. Then the truck comes to a stop, and the driver rolls down the window to ask if we are ok. This guy (sweet sweet old man...Angela, you would love him!) took the time to turn around and come back to check on us, albeit 30 minutes later. But to make it up to us, he said he would give us a ride to Ely! Well, who are we to say "no"? I'm glad he almost ran us off the road with a pick-up, because we would have had some trouble if it was a sports car.

Bob ended up being a super sweet retired man from Reno who was on the way to visit his father in Colorado one last time before he passed away (his dad is 97). We had some delightful conversation, and as it turns out, he got his giant blue pick-up truck 2 days ago and wasn't really comfortable using it yet. Lucky for us, I guess? Five minutes after we got in the truck, it started to storm. And this time there was lightning...so I took it as a sign. The Big Man must have been looking out for us.

Bob was great, and Bethany and I thanked him for the ride when we got to Ely an hour later. I really had trouble restraining myself from giving Bob a giant bear hug, and for any of you that know my obsession with cute old men, you know where I'm coming from.

So now we're in Ely, approximately 5 hours earlier than expected. And before you ask, yes, I feel like a little bit of a cheater, but I'm in it for the experiences, not to get killed by lightning or giant blue pick-ups:) Lucky for us there was another library in Ely with internet access. We're staying at a historic motel/casino/dive bar/restaurant, and the plumbing is so old that there are written warnings everywhere telling us that the shower can switch from hot to cold without warning. Awesome. The peep hole is actually just a hole in the door, and anyone can see inside. Also awesome. But on the bright side, we got tickets for a free margarita at the hotel bar...and that really is awesome. No sarcasm.

I really really really wish there was some way that I could upload pictures. We have some fabulous images from Cali (not so much from Nevada because it is a giant waste of good land. How anything survives here is beyond my understanding), not to mention I have some great images of my new haircut. Out with the long brown, in with the very short black. Yikes.

We have some camping ahead of us, so not sure when the next post will be:) If you care enough to be reading this, you're super-cool. And thats no joke. :)

Is it too late to quit?

Wow. So, no one told me there were mountains in California. But I'll get to that later....

We got a late start to the trip because FedEx sucks and didn't deliver my package to San Fran until 3 days late. What a wonderful start to the trip. Then the first road we travelled on was a giant hill. Bethany and I readjusted our expectations right quick. No amount of training could have prepared me for dragging 60 lbs of equipment behind me going up a steep hill. Ugh. Is it too late to quit? Not to mention I have been cursed with a hacking cough, and lost my voice on the second day. I sounded like a squeaky toy....but now I just sound like a 4-pack a day smoker. Poor Bethany, bless her heart, my cough keeps her up at night and gets her up early in the morning, but she hasn't complained a single bit.

Anyway, we stayed in a few motels the first week because I am still trying to kick this sickness, whatever it is. They range from Best Western to a little motel called the Mill House that looks and feels a lot like the motel from the horror movie "Vacancy". It was awesome, but I slept with a weapon close to the bed...no joke:).

We also stayed at a beautiful B&B in Fair Play California. It was up on a hill, and it overlooked the whole vineyard. The view was breathtaking, and even though it was cold, Bethany and I sat outside and watched the sun set over some far away mountains. Truth be told, I was ready to give up and stay there for a few weeks, but that wouldn't have made a very good story.

So far we have travelled through some beautiful wine country, some hilly back country, the UC Davis campus (cool!), and Old Sacramento (even cooler! Old buildings everywhere:)).

Lets get back to the mountains. Seriously, California? You have mountains? Why don't people talk about them? All I hear about is wine country, and I expected flat wine country roads the whole course to Nevada. The peak of the highest hill so far was 8,000 feet, which, okay, not too bad. Just don't forget that we're trailing 60 pounds with us. We certainly don't forget. This is just a prep for the higher mountains of Colorado. Either way, I'm pretty sure Beth and I wish for death at least 30 times a day, and we probably seriously mean it at least half of the time.

But for now, we're in a teeny tiny little town called Eureka, NV. The population is 670, and it feels smaller. But they have a library! God bless internet access. Tomorrow is a long haul 78 miles to the next town, with some serious hills in between. If you don't hear from us, send the search party there. I'm pretty sure that's where we'll be. Until next time!!!

Decisions, decisions...

As you can probably tell by the title, this blog will be wholly dedicated to the bicycle trip I'm taking with my sister from San Francisco back down to Miami. For someone who hasn't ridden a bike in 10 years, this is a massive undertaking:) You can read more about the reasoning behind this decision at http://main.acsevents.org/goto/crosscountryforacure, where you can also make a donation to the American Cancer Society.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm prone to making insane decisions without giving them the appropriate amount of time and consideration. Some examples might be 1) regular skydiving, 2) holding the head of a 12' wild alligator in the Everglades, 3) animal adoption (trust me)....and the list goes on. I think I can safely put "cross country bike trip" in this category. While a lovely way to honor my late grandfather, the planning, equipment, planning, time, and planning are enough to make one's head spin. Here are just a few random things that have to be considered:

1) What kind of bike do I get? Nevermind that I haven't been on a bicycle since before I got my driver's license. We'll just assume that I remember how to ride. The old saying isn't "It's just like riding a bicycle" for no reason, right? Yikes. And bikes these days are intimidating. There are twelve thousand different styles of handlebars, gear shifters, fork styles, and pedals. And there are other questions. Road bike or mountain bike? Cannondale or Trek? Schwinn or Fuji? Panniers or trailer? Training wheels or not? The number of hours I spent on research alone should get me an associate's degree at some online college. In the end, I decided not to spend $2,000 on a high-tech name-brand speed machine, but settled on a reliable, solid touring bike called the Novara Safari. Too bad it isn't stocked in a single bike shop in Florida. I had to have it shipped from Oregon. *Sigh*. If this is a sign of things to come, I might be in for some trouble.

2) What path do I take? I'm not sure you know this, but there are a lot of different ways to get from the west coast to the east coast. A LOT. And all of them seem fairly reasonable. Kinda. There are even special maps for bikers. Special maps that show the location of every bike shop, campground, gas station (just kidding, you're doing it wrong if you need a gas station), hostel, and scary motel on your chosen route. Just don't get stuck in Death Valley. Even my high-tech map has "Yeah, right. Good luck" written across that portion. Sooooo, no Death Valley on our trip. In the end I chose San Francisco to start, mostly because I've been there and I can find my way around. And I like the airport. But that didn't factor into my decision, I swear. That would just be silly. After 4,300-ish miles, we'll end up in Miami, because it is where I live, and I was in charge of the planning. I'm pretty sure that when I get back, the only thing I'll want to do is sleep for four days. I feel bad for my sister, because after the trip she'll have to fly back home to Pennsylvania. I speak from painful experience when I say that dealing with Miami International Airport is no treat.

In the next exciting post, we'll explore such topics as: camping equipment, why fundraising is extremely difficult, and why I chose the hottest months of the year to bike 60 miles a day.

Thanks for taking an interest!

...Without Really Trying

Rule #1: Don't listen to anything I say until after we get back alive.

After that, none of the other rules really matter yet:)