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Page 37

Day 203 - Sun 8-4-02 - mileage today 45.3 – MILEAGE TO DATE=8,298.25
From Spicer to Glenwood
NORTHREN HOSPITALITY

Yesterday I think I told you about meeting Robin in Groveland. She and her husband, Don live in Spicer. Spicer is a lakeside resort area about 20 miles from Groveland. The weather has been thunderstorms all day, so we weren’t making good time. Robin was concerned about us staying safely out of the storm and so she invited us to come stay the night. We of course were very happy to have the invite and the opportunity to stay dry. We cycled the 20 miles into Spicer getting there at about 4:30. We knew that Don and Robin had plans for the evening so, we went to a cafe to have dinner and then to a laundry mat to wash our clothes. Robin had said to take cover in the garage until they get home. We took the opportunity to sort thru our equipment and organize our STUFF. Don and Robin came home and invited us in to sleep in a real bed. WOW, it was great. In the morning Robin cooked us a feast. A real Norwegian farmers breakfast with everything you can think of eating. She succeeded in filling up 4 hungry cyclists, not an easy task. We sat at the table enjoying conversation with our new friends until about 12:30pm. We got our gear together and began cycling at about 1:00. NOW, THAT IS NORTHREN HOSPITALITY!!! THANK YOU ROBIN AND DON.

As we were cycling along route 71 we saw the unfortunate painted markings of body parts on this small country road. A circle here that read finger, a mark there that read right foot etc. We found out later that a 41-year-old woman had committed suicide by jumping in front of a semi truck. She had been released from a mental institution 3 days earlier. The driver of the truck was a 23-year-old local farmer who can't get over this tragedy. He still has nightmares.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE.
In the small town of Belgrade. I was in line at a walk up hamburger stand, when a man asked me if I was familiar with the town. I said no. He said, me either, I'm from California. I said, me too. He said, where in California? I said, Fremont. He about fell over, as he said, me too. Here we are 2,000 miles from home, and in a small town of 563 people. What happens, I run into someone who lives in my hometown. IT'S A SMALL WORLD. Later that day Shiangold commented on the amount of people who wave at us as they drive by. He said, "OH, AMERICA IS WONDERFUL". Little did he know that it isn't just people in cars that are friendly. We were now on route 55, a small country road that follows train tracks thru rolling farmlands. A train approaches us and the engineer blows his whistle and waves at us. Both Shiangold and I really like that one. Not long after that we saw a crop duster. As he was making his approach to spray the corn, we wave at him. He actually waved his wings back at us. Then he pulled up, and circled back around a mile or so ahead of us. Then, he flew right at us, 20 feet off the ground. Just before getting to us he waved his wings and pulled up. I was so excited, I almost wet myself. That was a BIG THRILL. Shiangold Just can't believe us Americans. He said, stuff like that would never happen in Taiwan.

Day 204 - mon. 8-5-02 - mileage today 62.0 – MILEAGE TO DATE=8,360.25
from Gaylord to Fergus Falls
YOU'RE NOW AN HONORARY CUTTER

We were packing up to ride for the day, when a man drove up and introduced himself as John. John was from the local newspaper. His editor got wind that we were in town and sent John to do an interview. We enjoyed talking with John. Later in the day, Shiangold and I were riding along and decided to stop in the small town of Lowry. As we were getting ready to leave Bob walked up to us and asked for an interview. He also got wind that we were in town. Shiangold really enjoyed talking with Bob. Bob had a great sense of humor and he took time to talk with Shiangold. Shiangold is no stranger to interviews. He is well known in Taiwan for his many cycling adventures in America. No other Taiwanese has cycled in America as much as Shiangold. We now have a new cutter amongst us. All of us met in the small town of Barrett. We hung out in front of a convenience store. There was a little girl who kind of hung around with out saying anything. She was obviously curious about us. She would go into the store and bye something and leave. Then return about 2 minutes later to bye something else, and watch us from a distance. She was on her bicycle. We made comment about her riding a bike and how good that was. She really liked that. She left and returned every several minutes about 4 different times. Each time we cheered her more and more. Finally we told he she could be a cutter, like us. I think she liked the attention. For those of you who don’t know what a cutter is, a Cutter is, a bicycle tourist who camps out on long trips. The best thing that happened to me today was, talking with my good friend Beth. I called her and we had a wonderful conversation. I really miss my friends.

Day 205 - wed 8-6-02 - mileage today 11.4 – MILEAGE TO DATE=8,371.65
Fergus Falls Rest Day
Myron's Big Day

We had a rest day in Fergus Falls so that Myron can do some research on family history. Myron rented a car and drove to Maine, Minnesota where his mom’s side of the family used to live. I stayed behind in Fergus. Myron, Chuck and Shiangold found the old homestead. Myron said it was beautiful. Rolling green hills with a million dollar home on there own lake. Myron found old gravesites and much of the old family homesteads. Later in the afternoon I was walking down the street to go to the grocery store when Myron yelled and waved at me from the car while he was pulled over for running a stop sign. After the officer left I jumped in the car and joined the gang for dinner. At dinner Myron ran into two people whom new some of Myron's family. He was very helpful to Myron in giving him stories and background. After dinner Myron had to go back out to Maine to look at the area with his new info. Once again I stayed in town and went back to our campsite only to find that Myron's tent had been stolen. I asked around and found out who had taken the tent. The person that stole it wasn’t around however his tent and equipment was. Myron finally rode up and called the police. We have to say that the police in Fergus Falls were very helpful. To make a long story short the police found the thief and ordered him to return the tent or pay for it. Otherwise he will be charged for the crime. As of now the tent has not been returned. We will keep you informed.

Day 206 - wed 8-7-02 - mileage today 50.0 – MILEAGE TO DATE=8,421.65
From Fergus Falls to Sabin
TAILWIND FROM CYCLIST HEAVEN

We had wind all night. This helped Myron out since he doesn’t have a tent. The mosquitoes stay away when it is windy. It doesn’t look like Myron will get his tent back anytime soon. He will have to purchase one in Fargo when we get there tomorrow. The wind continued all day today. Fortunately it is helping us. It is a sign of things to come. The wind is constant in this part of the country. We cycled the 50 miles in about 3.5 hours. It was a beautiful sunny day riding on quiet country roads. We stayed the night at the fire department in Sabin. Thank you to all of the firefighters for your hospitality.

Day 207 - Thurs. 8-8-02 - mileage today 63.0 – MILEAGE TO DATE=8,484.65
From Sabin, Minn. to Blanchard, ND

WELCOME TO NORTH DAKOTA
Early today we entered North Dakota.

We cycled into Fargo and got another taste of the big city. I can always tell a person who lives in the city by the way they drive. People become aggressive and impatient. The caged rat syndrome. I didn't have too much of a problem but, just watching how people treat each other while driving. Cutting each other off and not being courteous. I don't miss driving in the city. Soon I was out of the city and cycling on a road made just for me. I'm cycling by myself today. Shiangold is with Myron. There is NO traffic on the road. It is warm and sunny with a tail wind. The land is flat and wide open in every direction. I can only think of how the Indians lived in this land years ago with huge herds of buffalo roaming the prairie. Have you ever seen the movie DANCES WITH WOLFS? The land is just like that. We are in camp now hiding out in our tents. There is a thunderstorm with lots of lighting. We are under a tornado warning. People have been told to leave their trailer homes and seek shelter in a more substantial building. I listen to this while taking refuge in my little tent, which I often refer to as a coffin, due to its size. Speaking of tents Myron purchased a new tent today. It is a real nice North face. He thinks he will really like it. We joked with him, it is a good thing he got a tent today. He will defiantly need it tonight. We are camped in the shadow of the tallest structure in North America. It is a 2,063' TV antenna. After the storm past John, Andrew, Josh, and David came by to visit. They are local boys that have cool BMX bikes. They ask about the trip and told me about the local area. Andrew needed his chain tightened so I tightened it and oiled everyone’s chain. I really enjoyed talking to them. They really liked meeting Myron. David really liked Myron’s bike. They are really cool kids. Keep on biking guys.

Day 208 - Friday 8-9-02 - mileage today 50.0 – MILEAGE TO DATE=8,534.65
From Blanchard to Mike and Cheryl’s and Walter too

We had a lot of wind all night. But we didn’t get much rain. Although, when we got up, it looked like it could open up at any moment. We cycled SLOWLY into the North Dakota winds. It took us almost 2/12 hours to ride 15 miles to breakfast. It seems as if the moment we hit North Dakota the wind came at us from the west with a vengeance. At best we can average 6 to 7 miles and hour. We often do much worse. The weather is really unpredictable. It can change on you in minutes. We worked hard all day heading for the Town of Finley for lunch when we were detoured because of ROAD CONSTRUCTION. We were diverted to dirt roads for about 12 to 13 miles. We were getting concerned. The afternoon was wearing on and the weather was worsening. Shiangold and I were deciding what to do when Cheryl called out to us. She said you could wait the storm out here. Cheryl and her husband Mike live in a beautiful home right off the road. Cheryl was out side washing their truck when she saw Shiangold an! d I riding by. Thankfully she invited us to shelter there while the storm passed. We went in and looked at the news it said that a second wave was on the way. I told her about Myron and Chuck being behind us and that they might be coming along. Soon Cheryl was inviting us to stay the night. She and Mike is farmer and run a custom harvesting company. They are used to large groups of hard working hungry people. Mike soon came home and we hit it off great. Both Mike and Cheryl are wonderful down home warm people. They cooked us dinner, in huge quantities, fired up the hot tub for us and had plenty of beds for everybody. We stayed up to almost 11:00pm talking with mike. I hope that when I get home I can be the kind of people that Mike and Cheryl are. In the morning there cooked up a monstrous farmers breakfast. for us. We always hate to leave our new friends. Shiangold and I were talking earlier about the trip. When it is all over and all we have are our memories. It isn’t the beautiful sunsets we see or the majestic mountain vistas we will remember, It will be all the WONDERFUL PEOPLE WE MEET. That is what we remember

Day 209 - Sat. 8-10-02 - mileage today 33.5 – MILEAGE TO DATE=8,568.15
from Mike and Cheryl’s to Glenfield

About half way to Glenfield we ran into Mike. Mike just arrived from California, walking pulling a cart. In the cart Mike has all his paining supplies. Mike stops and paints along the way. He paints mostly scenery barns with tractors and old trucks. Mike just wanders around painting and selling his wares along the way. We arrived in Glenfield and had a beer. Shortly after we arrived Myron walks in. He ordered a Hard Lemonade. It was the first time he had one. He found he really liked them. We left and went to camp. Soon Myron was on his way back to the bar drinking more hard lemonade. After I set up camp and ate dinner. I thought I would go join Myron. But Myron was just returning. I said I was just coming to join you. Myron said, “Ok, I'll go back for another.” Myron doesn’t normally drink, but last night he found something he likes.

Day 210 - Sunday 8-11-02 - mileage today 66.3 – MILEAGE TO DATE=8,634.45
From Glenfield to Fessenden

We decided to try a new strategy today. We decided to get up early to try and beat the wind. But as fate would have it we didn’t need to, we had a tail wind all day. We averaged about 14.3 mph. A real big deal for us. Anyway we will try it again tomorrow. Shiangold needed the tail wind today to give his knee a break. It has been hurting the whole trip. We saw a herd of Buffalo today. It is neat to imagine what the prairie would have been like 200 years ago.

Myron was found asleep in a graveyard today. He will often stop and dose off somewhere. He has been found asleep, along side the road, in a cafe, at a McDonalds and now in a graveyard. I think we should have a, WHERE IS MYRON CONTEST. What do you think??

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Day 211 - Mon. 8-12-02 - mileage today 42.8 – MILEAGE TO DATE=8,677.25
From Fessenden to Drake

Killer Winds
Once again Shiangold and I got up early to get a good start on the winds. But the winds continued all night. We thought that we would take it easy and poke along. We are trying all different kinds of strategies to beat the winds, nothing works. You just have to deal with them. It was an incredible hard day for all of us. We cycle as hard as we can and only maintained 5 mph or so. We decided to cycle 7 miles to the next town for breakfast. When we got there, there were no businesses. Just a grain elevator and a few houses. The next town we knew would have food. We battled the wind for 17 miles. It took forever. It looked like it could rain at any time. Up ahead we could see a rainbow and rite at the end was a water tower. Shiangold commented that it was like a lighthouse for a ship lost at sea. That is how we felt. It was our beacon. Even though we could see it, it was still about 5 miles away. It would take us about an hour to get to it. When we finally did we scarffted! We ate and drank anything warm. It had taken us 4-1/2 hours of hard work to get there. The town was Harvey, ND and we stayed in our refuge for several hours, resting and eating to refuel our tired bodies. But time was ticking and we had to face the wind once again. We set out and slowly made our way to Drake. Stopping briefly to rest and to try and keep our spirits up. It takes an incredible amount of fortitude to keep going under these conditions. We made Drake just before 6:00 and just before the store closed. We bought breakfast food. We wont make the same mistake as we did this morning.

Day 212 - Tue. 8-13-02 - mileage today 43.3 – MILEAGE TO DATE=8,720.55
from Drake to Minot

We had great digs in Drake. The park had a shelter with two sides that were walled. That worked out well because it sheltered us from the wind. Even though we have the wind we still enjoy riding here in North Dakota. Everybody honks and waves as they pass you on the road. North Dakota also has the most mosquitoes and grasshoppers we've seen on the trip. Grasshoppers are everywhere along the road. They are incredibly fast and abundant. They hop towards us as we ride along. They will often hit us in the face or on the legs. More times than not the get caught up in our spokes. You can hear them as they meet their demise. The lucky ones miss us and land in front of us with the grace of an albatross. They land and tumble until they come to a complete stop. Mosquitoes on the other hand meet their demise under my hand. The little buggers are everywhere. We have learned that you have to have camp all set up and all your chores done before sunset. Otherwise, you will be drained of every precious drop of your life’s blood. I don't like using deet but it is a must. There have been reports of over 70 horses that have died from west Nile virus. That is a virus that is transmitted by mosquitoes. In Louisiana there have been 8 human deaths and over 20 confirmed cases of the disease, prompting the governor to declare a state of emergency.
So far we have to give North Dakota the, (CLEAN ROADS AWARD). North Dakota has less trash along the road than any other state we've been in. Not only do they have pristinely clean roads, they have wonderful shoulders to ride on. GREAT JOB.

Day 213 - Wed. 8-14-02 - mileage today 21.2 – MILEAGE TO DATE=8,741.75
From Minot to Burlington

WHERE IS MYRON
We stayed at a KOA last night. I know that in the past I have pooh-poohed KOA's. To show that I'm fair, I have too say that we had a good experience there. We chose to go to Minot and to receive care packages there. Chuck, Myron and I are expecting packages. We are also due for a rest day. We decided to combine the rest day and receiving of packages. It isn’t the best of places to take a rest day. We prefer a small town with a city park and a cafe within walking distance. In a small town we are forced to do nothing except rest. We are to camp in Burlington, a town 8 miles from Minot. Shiangold and I left Myron about 6 miles from Burlington to go to camp. Myron said he was going to pick up some cookies. Earlier in the day Myron met Cheri in a coffee shop. Cheri invited us to dinner. Myron had to turn down the wonderful offer because all of us were scattered all over the city without any way to contact each other. Cheri said I baked some cookies I will leave them on the front porch for you. Myron went to go pick them up. That was the last we saw of Myron. Shiangold and I were sure that Myron was at a cafe somewhere. But the later it got the more we became concerned that he hadn’t arrived. WHERE IS MYRON??? I went to the local store to use there phone in hopes Myron had called in to our message line. He hadn’t called. So I called the police to see if there was a report of someone on a bike in a accident. There was no report of a bicyclist in an accident. So I returned to camp convinced that Myron stayed with Cheri. So I returned to the comforts of my new old tent. My sister had sent out my old tent that Chris gave me. I used earlier in the trip. It is larger and far more comfortable that {THE COFFIN}. I purchased THE COFFIN in Vermont in a weight saving effort. It worked, it saved weight but it was too small and very uncomfortable.

Day 214 - Thurs. 8-15-02 - Mileage today 49.7 – MILEAGE TO DATE=8,791.45
From Burlington to Stanley

SAVE THE COOKIES
We found Myron!!! Or more accurate he found us. We got up in the morning and still no sign of Myron. I went back to the store to call Myron’s office. He still hadn’t called in. I figured he was happily having breakfast with Cheri. We decided to continue on. We new that Chuck was staying in Minot and that he would catch up to us. I know this because
HE CALLED IN TO LET US KNOW. The wind was really bad and Shiangold and I stopped for breakfast at a convenience store. It was 15 mile from Burlington and it took us almost 5 hours to ride that far. We were sitting there having breakfast at noon and in walks Myron. We were really happy to see him. After saying hello we asked where he was. As it turns out he was in a park in Burlington too. It was where Shiangold and I were supposed to be. Myron had found the right place and we didn’t. We didn't know there were two parks in town. All turned out well. As we were happily sitting laughing about our blunder in walks Chuck. The {BIKE BUMS} are reunited. Now that we are all together, Myron brings out the cookies he went for yesterday. Cheri left them on the porch for us. We all had one and we were dumbfounded. We all agreed, they were the BEST COOKIES we have ever had. SORRY MOM but they were great. Mrs. Fields can take lessons from Cheri. Once the rain let up we slowly continued on. The! wind was still bad and the skies weren’t very promising. But we were able to keep our spirits up and slowly push on. Suddenly out of nowhere a cloud burst and we came to a crashing halt. Shiangold slammed on his brakes, jumping off his bike. Chuck fell. Myron was franticly fumbling around looking for his raingear saying," I can’t find it, I can’t find it". A voice yells out to Myron, "forget the raingear, SAVE THE COOKIES". Myron says oh yah, and stops looking and quickly finds the cookies saying there ok. They are wrapped in plastic. I too was unprepared and like Myron was looking for my rain gear. By the time we were all dressed in our gear, we were soaked thru and the rain stopped. Mother Nature can be cruel sometimes. We were a sight to watch I'm sure.

Day 215 - Friday 2-16-02 - mileage today 6.3 – MILEAGE TO DATE=8,797.75
Stanley

We got up and pack as usual. After breakfast we went to the store to stock up on groceries. We had run into several people this morning that cautioned us about riding today. A bad storm is on the way bringing 45-50mph wind and large hail along with lightning. The winds were calm and in fact they would have been pushing us. We were enticed to take advantage of the winds. But common sense says to listen to the local farmers. They should know what they are talking about. We decided to stay in town and wait out the storm. If there is going to be a storm Stanley was a great place to do it in. Stanley is a small town with a lot of charm. It is a working farming community with several cafes a grocery store, bank ect. There is music piped along the street. So as you walk the main street of town you can here music everywhere. Just two blocks from downtown is a park for travelers to camp in. It is complete with shelters and showers. Everybody we met in town was friendly. We met a real character, Gay was her name. She is an older lady who travels allover the USA by herself in a small motor home. She story after story and a saying for everything. We were invited to stay at Jim's house. Jim wasn't going to be home but, he said make yourself at home. The people of North Dakota are incredible.

Day 216 - Sat. 8-17-02 - mileage today 38.3 – MILEAGE TO DATE=8,836.05
from Stanley to Ray

RACK-EM
We are south of Rugby, ND. Rugby is the geological center of North America. We are in Stanley. Stanley is world famous for WHIR-A-WHIP. Whirl-A-Whip is the first machine to mix candies into ice cream like the Mc Flurries or what ever they are. The Whirl-A-Whip machine was invented in 1937 and it is still being used at the soda fountain in the Stanley drugstore. Myron and I just had to try one. I can honestly say it was GREAT. After the Whirl-A-Whip Myron went to get his kickstand welded onto his BOB. He went to ???? and Steven was kind enough to cut and weld a plate for the trailer.

Thanks to Jim C. we spent the night inside out of the storm. Jim is a reflexologist in the town of Stanley. We met him at breakfast yesterday and he offered us the use of his home. However, he wouldn't be there. He said to get out of the weather and make yourself at home. I think Jim was a little more than surprised to see us when he arrived back home latter that night. In the morning Jim took us to breakfast while we laughed about the misunderstanding.

It is 11:00am and we stopped at a bar for a break. Myron sees a pool table and says RACK-EM.
Three hard lemonades and two games of pool under his belt we decided that Myron secretly hangs out in pool hall hustling for drinks. The wind is terrible today and we will do anything other than beat ourselves up battling the wind. Myron met an old man who was curious about his trip. Myron explained about his adventure. The old man quietly thought for a moment. Clearly he was puzzled at the thought of riding a bicycle so far at 70 years old. Finally he broke his silence and with all the honesty of a country gentleman he said, "DONT YOU LIKE FISHING".

It has been brought to me attention that I don't mention Chuck to often. I don't do this on purpose. Chuck or as we fondly refer to him as Owte (One With The Earth). Owte is a very important part of the trip. He is quiet and likes to ride alone. Therefore, I don't have as many experiences with him as I do with Shiangold or Myron. I will however, try harder to bring you more OWTE.

Day 217 - mileage today 67.3 – MILEAGE TO DATE=8,903.35
from Ray to Montana Stateline

We find ourselves in the mist of oil country. The further we cycle the more oil pumps we see. I'm told that there is about a 70 mile stretch hear where oil is still being pumped. At the end of a long day we find an oasis. We planned to make it to Montana today. We expected to camp in a farmer’s field and not have any comforts, such as running water toilets etc. We were very shocked when we crested a hill and saw a casino in the middle of nowhere. It was truly a wonderful sight for us. We stopped in and had a beer and asked about camping. Melody the Manager said sure you can camp in the grassy area nest to my house. It was kind of cool to eat dinner in Montana at a casino and walk across the parking lot and sleep in North Dakota. But the biggest thrill was in the early morning I got out of my tent to be greeted by THE NORTHERN LIGHTS. I never expected or even thought about seeing them but there they were.

Day 218 - Mon. 8-19-02 - mileage today 47.4 – MILEAGE TO DATE=8,950.75
From Montana State Line to Brockton

DAKOTA MEANS FRIEND
We entered Montana last night and slept on the Stateline. We had wonderful breakfast in the first town you come to after you enter Montana. I can’t remember the name of the place but I remember it had Welcome in the name. We are about to enter the Fort Peck Indian Reservation or as the locals call it, THE RES. We were told by several people not to stop but to ride right thru it. It is not safe there they said. We can’t ride right thru it we are on bicycles, not motorcycles. We are happy to tell you all the horror stories we heard we only that just stories.
We had w wonderful time on THE RES. We were fortunate to meet Mr. Lambert. Mr. Lambert is the superintendent of schools in the area. He invited us to stay at the high school. We had the opportunity to talk with him at length about the reservation and some of the problems they face. We also got a history and language lesson. For instance the word Dakota means Friend in the Sioux Indian language. We also found out that the word Sioux is a French word-meaning snake. The French called the Native Americans in the Dakota’s Sioux. But, they call themselves the Lakota and the Dakotas. Both are the same people they just have two different language dialects. We found everybody to be very quiet and kind. Often we were told to have a good journey.

Day 219 - Tue 8-20-02 - mileage today 72.6 – MILEAGE TO DATE=9,023.35
From Brockton to Nashua

MAY I HAVE SOME CATSUP PLEASE
Wow!!! What great digs we had last night. We were the guests of THE BROCKTON WARRIERS. We stayed inside of the High School. We were able to take showers and due our laundry. We slept in the air-conditioned library.
THANK YOU, Mr. Lambert and Warriors.
We cycled an easy 14 miles to Popler for breakfast. We enjoyed breakfast until Shiangold asked, MAY I HAVE SOME CATSUP PLEASE. We all cringed when he poured it on his pancakes. I have an iron gut and even I couldn’t eat that. Shiangold really liked it. Who knows he might be on to something. I had to teach him the proper way to eat pancakes, which is with peanut butter. I have eaten pancakes with peanut butter all my life. Shiangold likes it even more than catsup. Imagine that!!!
As we were getting ready to leave we met the Chief of Police. Fortunately, it was a social visit. It seems that word gets around that we have arrived into town and we have the good fortune to meet people like The Chief. We are on the FORT PECK INDIAN RESERVATION. We were warned by several people not to stay there. That there is a high crime rate. In fact we were told that the reservation has the highest murder rate of any place per capita in the United States. I say, "WHERE'S THE PEANUT BUTTER". In other words NO WORRIES. I hate the sensationalism. We found the NATIVE AMERICANS to be very quiet and kind. We were constantly politely approached and asked about our journey. Very often the Native Americans wished us a safe and fulfilling journey. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay on the RES. We had decided to take advantage of the winds and ride to Nashua. It would be about 70+ miles. The cycling was peaceful under dim cloudy skies. Quietly I watch the wide-open spaces of golden grassland waving in the wind. I'm on the fringe of the Badlands, north of THE LITTLE BIGHORN, where Custer last stood. This is Indian land, virtually unchanged for hundreds of years. There are changes though. In the distance I see a freight train silently heading toward me, as it slowly gets closer and larger I'm reminded, things must change. There is a storm brewing on the distant horizon. I'm able to make our destination in plenty of time to have a beer at the Wagon Wheel and make dinner before the fury of the storm hit.

Day 220 - wed 8-21-02 - mileage today 46.7 – MILEAGE TO DATE=9,070.05
from Nashua to Hindale

I HAD A DREAM
Last night in Nashua we had a storm. A storm that dropped about 1.5 inches of rain in a neighboring community about 6 miles away it rained over 8 inches. There was localized flooding. We were fortunate not to have any problems. However the wind and lightning always scares me. I wasn’t as scared as I usually get though. I don’t know if I am getting used to it or if common sense is taking over. I realize that I have a far greater chance of getting hit by a car than hit by lightning and dieing. Regardless I have a great respect for the immense power involved in a storm. I noticed something ai have never noticed before and that is how incredibly clean the air is during close lightning strikes. Is there something about lightning that cleans the air? I actually enjoyed the power of the storm. I usually get scared as I said before and talk to God. Rather than make promises I will not keep this time I asked questions. I have many unanswered questions relating to God. I awoke in the morning and "I HAD A DREAM". It was a bit strange but regardless it was a dream. I dreamt that I was back home in the bay area and there was a big rainstorm. I was on hwy 880 near Thornton Ave exit driving my tent southbound.
It was raining so hard that I didn’t want to unzip the door to see if I was close to my exit but I had to. I could see that I was getting close to Mowry Ave and I needed to change lanes but I was too late, so, I’ll go to the next exit. Just then a highway patrol appeared about two cars ahead of me and exited on to a flooded out exit ramp. I followed and watched as he quickly got out of his car. Now I'm the officer and I see some road workers who have detained an illegal Mexican driving and old faded green Oldsmobile. I could see the old man had obviously been in the states for quite a few years. In my mind I figured him to be an honest hard working cement layer. His shirt was well worn, his blue jeans had dried cement on them and he wore kneepads. As I approached he was clearly scared and he halfheartedly tried to break away form the clutches of the road workers. As he did I grabbed his arm at the sometime looking in his eyes. All of a sudden the life left his eyes. The fight was gone and his future was over. All this I read in his eyes. He most likely had worked hard and raised his family hear. Now he faced deportation. As I was putting him in the patrol car I struggled with the right thing to do. Should I do, as the law requires by bringing him in and deporting him? Or should I do the morally right thing and take him down the road and let him go? This moral dilemma perplexed me. I woke up at this time and still don’t have the answer.

Day 221 - thurs. 8-22-02 - mileage today 61.2 – MILEAGE TO DATE=9,131.25
from Hindsdale to Dodon

Last night was not a good night for Shiangold, Owte (Chuck) or me. We stayed in the town park. We set up our tents between the river and the dirt road that leads into the park. All seemed fine until late that night when we were discovered by some local YAHOOS. They spent the next several hours driving by us at 20-30 mph honking their horn. Mind you our tents were about 2-3 feet from the dirt road. I was afraid that our new friends had been drinking and would not accurately negotiate the turn in the road thus running me over. I got up to move my tent and was quickly swarmed by hundreds of mosquitoes. There was no way I could move the tent without being eaten alive. I was driven back to my tent where I hopped for the best. Thankfully about 2:00 am the drunk $%&#@&* gave up.

SMALL WORLD

I met Poncho Villa. We decided to stop for the day in the small town of Dodon. Dodon has maybe 100 people in it. We set up our tents, had dinner and went to the bar for a beer. Little did I know that I would meet Poncho (Frank). Frank was also having a beer and we struck up a conversation with him. He was asking all the usual questions about how far we are going and where did we start, etc. When he mentioned that he just moved to Dodon, MT. from California. Well, as it turns out he was from Fremont. He lived a few blocks from me. We had a lot of fun talking about Fremont and all the familiar local spots. He was just flabbergasted that someone from Fremont would ever show up in his small town.
I am constantly amazed at what a small world we live in. All you have to do is talk to people.

Day 222 - Friday 8-23-02 - mileage today 66.0 – MILEAGE TO DATE=9,197.25
From Dodson to Chinook

I SAW SANTA
We had a great breakfast at the local store/cafe. Al is the owner and we had a good time talking with him. He sat and joined us while we ate. Later that day I was cycling along the railroad tracks running east west It is the main Amtrak and BNSF line running east-west. To my surprise at about mid afternoon, " I SAW SANTA ". A BNSF train was traveling west and the engineer was blowing his whistle, WHOOOO-WHOOOOO, WHOO-WHOOOOOO at me. I looked behind me to see a big white bearded man hanging out the window of the locomotive smiling ear to ear. Waving his arm in a full wave. My first thought was, Its SANTA. Now I know what Santa Clause does in his off-season, he's an engineer for BNSF railroad. We continued on to the mid sized town of Chinook. Upon arriving in to town I met Mr. Weber the chief of police. We were directed to a great park with good drinking water and showers. We were so pleased with the town we decided to stay and rest tomorrow.

Day 223 - Sat. 8-24-02 - mileage today 0 – MILEAGE TO DATE=9,197.25

REST DAY IN CHINOOK
We really enjoy this little town. Chinook has everything we need and in close proximity. This way we don’t have to ride a lot of miles on our rest day. We once again met Mr. Weber the chief of Police. He looks like Nicolas Cage. Mark is a down to earth person who was very helpful. We spent about an hour this morning talking with him. We were camped in the city park on the edge of town. Next to the park a farmer raised sheep. When we got up in the morning we saw a donkey chasing some dear. Mark was with us and he explained that farmers routinely use donkeys as protectors of the sheep. They will chase away anything that disturbs the sheep, primarily coyotes.

Day 224 - Sun. 8-25-02 - mileage today 59.5 – MILEAGE TO DATE=9,256.75
From Chinook to Hingham

THEY WONT LET ME PLAY!!!
We cycled into Havre today and to my delight I found a BNSF repair yard. Nobody else wanted to go with me so I went by myself. Not noticing the Authorized Personnel Only sign I walked into the repair shop with my bike. I saw 6 locomotives in this huge building being repaired. I wanted was a tour and possibly a ride. I asked if I could look around. I wasn’t surprised to be told NO!!!
I was told I needed to have a hard hat and steel toed boots.
While in Havre Owte and I both got new brake shoes for our bikes. My rear breaks don’t work to well. I can get by now but in the mountains I will need the breaks.
We cycled into the small town of Hingsman. There was a great little town park there with a nice shelter. Not long after we arrived, Ron, a local resident came by to welcome us with ice cream. Wow, what a great welcome.

Day 225 - Mon. 8-26-02 - mileage today 32.3 – MILEAGE TO DATE=9,289.05
From Hingham to Shelby

KING STUD
We left Hingham today knowing we had a big day ahead of us. Just out of Chester there is 15 miles of road construction. The road is completely torn up in both directions. It is rutted and only wide enough for two lanes of traffic. We had been told by other cyclist and motorist to hitch a ride. Do not Attempt to ride it. Owte, Shiangold and myself took the advice Myron did not. He said it was like riding the great divide all-over again. We thumbed a ride and soon we were in the back of a pick up truck speeding down a dirt road at 60-70 mph. I had to lean against the side of the truck while holding my bike upright. I can only think what would happen if we hit a big bump or swerve. I'd been road kill. Shiangold was able to sit down in the bed of the truck. We had planned to spend the night in DDDDD but, when we got there, there wasn’t any there, there. The man who gave us a ride said are you sure you want to be dropped off here. I was laughing hysterically. I had no Idea that i! t was going to be like this. The driver said that he could take us 11 miles further into Shelby. Shiangold and I said sure. When I arrived I immediately called Myron's office to let them know where we were. Also to tell Myron and Owte to hitch a ride into Shelby because there wasn’t anything in DDDDDD. I really didn’t expect to see them until tomorrow . But low and behold just after we set up camp Owte came riding up. WOW, this is great. He cycled about 50 miles when Shiangold and I only cycled 40. I was still concerned about Myron, so I called his office again. They had just heard from him and he is in Shelby looking for us. I got back on my bike and went to go find him. I did. And when I found out that he had ridden that whole way against the wind and thru the road construction, I dubbed him KING STUD. .

Day 226 - tue. 8-27-02 - mileage today 73.3 – MILEAGE TO DATE=9,362.35
from Shelby to Browning

YHOO-WHOO YHOO-WHOO, HELLO
It was a cold cloudy day with a threat of rain at any time. We all split up early today. I think we al wanting to battle the winds in our own way. It sometime takes all you have to keep going and keep a good attitude. Sometimes you just can’t be social, you just concentrate on moving forward. Towards the end of the day I stopped to wait for the others. We hadn’t decided where to meet because we didn’t know how far we could go in this wind. Shortly after Shiangold found me Myron came riding up with his, Yhoo-WHoo story. It seems that earlier in the day Myron was cycling along the railroad tracks when a train rolls by when out of nowhere Myron’s hears YHOO-WHOO, YHOO- WHOO, HELLO He looks up to see a friendly old lady waving at him as she is standing in a box car. As Myron was relating this story to me, all I thought was, how cool grandma riding the rails. We were all gathered together except Owte. No tell how far behind he is. The sky was getting black so we decided to continue on. We cycled to Browning to find camping. All day we had been cycling in drab conditions. But as we inched closer to Browning we could see the clouds breaking up. We crested the top of a hill and a new world opened up to us. First of all the drab feacherless landscape came alive in colors and shadows. You could see golds and greens oranges and yellows in all shades highlighted by the shadows of the sun peaking thru the clouds. Best of all we could see the Rockies for the first time. We should have seen them slowly appear as we cycled closer and closer. But, due to he weather that didn’t happen. Mother nature decided to bless us with an unveiling all at once. They are breath taking. They are barren and very rugged, like the teeth of a big saw blade. They are simply majestic. we are very close and soon we will be in them.

Day 227 - wed. 8-28-02 - mileage today 37.3 – MILEAGE TO DATE=9,399.65
From Browning to St. Mary’s

ROCKY MOUNTIAN HIGH
He was born in the summer of his 42nd year, coming home to a place he has never been before.

Those are the opening words to my good friend John Denver. I have never met him but I'm a big fan. His words and music ring true for me. I'm on a ROCKIE MOUNTAIN HIGH. We are now in the rugged Rockies. Owte woke up this morning, looked out his tent, stood there and said AWESOME. We started in Browning, in the high plains at the foot of the Rockies. It wasn’t long before we hit the green belt. All of a sudden we were in green brushy areas that soon gave way to pine and aspen trees. It wont be long before we are above the tree line. There are still patches of snow in the mountains. They are barren and very rugged. I can’t wait to cycle further in to these remarkable wonders of creation.

Day 228 - Thurs. 8-29-02 - mileage today 37.0 – MILEAGE TO DATE=9,436.65
From St. Marys to Avalanche Creek

ROCKIE CATHEDRAL

We stayed last night at Johnson motel and campground. I recommend the campground highly. It is cheep and the sights are large. It is a full facility campground. I can’t say enough about how nice it is to be in the mountains. Glacier National Park is spectacular. Going to the sun road going over Logan pass is STUNNING. You enter as you pass over the creek that connects upper and lower St. Mary’s Lakes. The water is crystal clear as it rushes over smooth river rocks. The road follows along Upper St. Mary’s Lake showing the different depths by the varying colors of the water - dark blue to turquoise. The day is made for cycling as you pass under rocky spires in nature’s cathedral. They reach clear up to the deep blue sky with pillows of white fluffy clouds. Slowly we climb thru the trees and all the wild flowers of every shape and color. Everything is grand from the smallest blade of grass to the towering trees from the smallest bug to the giant grizzly. It all comes together in harmony to create this grand ecosystem. We marvel at the remaining glaciers, remnants of a huge ice fields that carved this valley thousands of years ago. At the summit we were treated to a close up encounter of Mtn. Goats and grand vistas in all directions. At Avalanche campground we met up with Daniel and Suzy. We met them yesterday. They are cycle/tourist from Germany. The toured thru Europe and Iceland, then to Boston up to Canada. From there they cycled Canada to Glacier, where we met them. They are headed for Argentina. In camp we also met Kenneth and Craig. They are cycling from Oregon to Maine. We also met Roghash. He is from Oregon. He is backpacking. He has been out for 3 months now. He is chief designer of the Pentium chip at Intel. All of us stayed up late enjoying each other’s company. We enjoyed staying at Avalanche it is a national campground and it has hiker/biker sites for 3 dollars. Today was one of the most scenic of the trip.

Day 229 - Fri. 8-30-02 - Mileage today 11.3 – MILEAGE TO DATE=9,447.95
From Glacier National Park to Johnson’s Lodge camping

We didn’t get to far today. We had planned on a 60-mile day but it didn’t happen. We had a long lingering breakfast at Johnson's Lodge. When we were ready to go we found out that the road was closed to cyclist until 4:00 pm. By that time we weren’t going anywhere. We spent the day relaxing and enjoying life in a nice resort like surrounding. We tried to fit in but it was painfully obvious that we were a bit road weary in our tattered clothes. Our unshaven, less than fresh appearance was in stark contrast to the other vacationers staying there. We are traveling not on vacation.

Day 230 - Sat. 8-31-02 - Mileage today 57.3 – MILEAGE TO DATE=9,505.25
From Sprague Creek campground in Glacier National Park To Kila

We had a relatively uneventful day today. So there is not much to bring you. So I will try and describe Montana to you. We are now in the Rocky Mountains but east of here are high plains. The high plains are flat farmlands. We se mostly wheat, hay, and various grains being grown. The people are friendly but not quite as much as they are mid west. We don’t get as many waves as motorists pass by. We also have regretfully noticed the people in Montana drive very fast. They don’t swing wide when passing us. They are more aggressive. I in no way want give the impression that everybody is an aggressive driver but there are more non-courteous drivers than we have had for quite a while. We have seen more horses than in any other state. It is really nice to see open pasturelands with beautiful horses. In the west the Rockies completely consume everything. They are overwhelming. The rugged beauty is almost spiritual.

Day 231 – Sunday 9-1-02 - mileage today 47.3 – MILEAGE TO DATE=9,552.55
from Kila to Happy Inn

We slept last night at a boat launch area about a mile from Kila. It is for day use only. But, It was our only choice. We had a windy day with threat of storms all day. However, we continue to really enjoy cycling in the Rockies. We had planned to cycle to Happy Inn, which is a town. Well, it is more like a stop in the road, but it is well marked Anyway, all of us made it here without any trouble except you know who! Myron cycled rite on by without stopping. He road 15 miles past Happy Inn before a motorist found him and told him he went too far. So, Myron is cycling back to us. It will add about 30 miles to his day that he really didn’t need to ride. We are looking for a way to keep Myron from doing these things. He has a habit of getting lost or just plane going too far. My trip around the United States will be somewhere around 12,000 to 13,000 miles. Myron's will be about 14,000 miles. Just because of his sense of direction or lack thereof. On a previous trip Myron was dubbed! "LOST BOY". It doesn’t bother me as long as I know where he is and that he is safe.

Day 232 - Mon 9-2-02 - Mileage today 80.7 – MILEAGE TO DATE=9,633.25
From Happy Inn To Somewhere in Idaho

IDAHO
We spent the night on Horseshoe Lake. It was the nicest campsite we've had to date. We were right on the waters edge of a beautiful lake nestled in the mountains. We ate dinner looking over the lake facing the setting sun. The weather was calm and warm. The sun illuminated the clouds in a beautiful array of colors. There is a film crew on the other side of the lake. They are making a movie, HEAVENS POND. They were supposed to film last night but they didn’t. I'm glad because it could have been noisy. Rather we were all by our selves on this quiet breathtakingly beautiful lake. Myron never did come back to join us. I don’t blame him. I wouldn't have ridden back 15 miles either. We made plans to meet him in Troy. When I got to Troy I saw Myron right a way. He spent the night in Libby last night so he only had to ride 18 miles to Troy. Myron rode 86 miles yesterday. That is double what we did. Myron was fresh and ready to ride when we met. I was too even thought I had just ridden 60+ miles. It was mostly down hill all day. I rode the 60 miles in just about 3-1/2 hours. I was ready for more. We decided to continue on the Stateline of Idaho. When we got there all the services were closed. So, we continued for about 5 more miles and pulled off into the woods to camp. We called to leave message for Chuck and Shiangold as to where we are. They should be here shortly.