Divide Ride oh-seven

SURPRISE! The final post

2007-12-14T09:53:00.000-08:00

Well, I know that it’s sort of presumptuous of me to start blogging months after we finish the trip, but I also know how busy Keith has been and that this story needs to get told. So, for those of you wondering, The Porch in Pie Town is on the front of the house that Nita used to live in and where her daughter, Autumn, grew up. The house is called the Toaster House, because the front gate and most of the house are literally covered in toasters. They had moved outside of town about a year ago, and now the Toaster House exists solely to give cyclists and through-hikers a place to stay, relax, and converse as they came through town. The hospitality that we encountered there was like nothing that I had ever imagined. For example, we were almost out of bread and were asking where we could buy some more, but Nita told us that there wasn’t any type of store for at least a 45 min drive. We figured we’d just have to make do with what we had, but then she pulled some frozen bread and rolls out of the freezer and gave them to us. Not to mention the homemade pizza, salad, casserole, mango, fresh-squeezed lemonade, and pie that she also fed us right then and there. All in all, Pie Town was, without a doubt, one of the highlights of the trip.

The next day, we woke up and knew we were going to have to make some serious miles, since we had only ridden for less than half of the day before. Unfortunately, it had absolutely poured the night before, and the dirt roads we were riding on had turned to clay.

We slogged on for a few hours and then realized that – when we hit an intersection that wasn’t on the map – we had no idea where we were. After randomly choosing one road to follow, we continued on hoping only to be heading in the right general direction. Before too long (although having to stop every 10 minutes to clear the mud from our gears, chains, shoes, and fenders made it seem much longer), we saw a pickup truck headed our way. They stopped when we waved them down, and told us that if we kept going we’d hit a main road in a handful of miles and we’d be able to figure it out from there. So, with a new rainstorm forming over our head, we booked it down the road, and back onto pavement. Luck also smiled on us that day when we stopped for lunch at a closed gas station and found that they had a little lean-to type shelter, just as the rain hit, so we were able to stay dry.

After eating and cleaning off the bikes (and Keith rebuilding his wheel for the last time) we found the road we were supposed to be on, and headed towards our last primitive campsite. It turned out to be one of the most beautiful, as we camped next to the dirt road with only a windmill and some fencing for as far as the eye can see. When the sun came up over the horizon the next morning, Keith took some pictures that could grace the cover of National Geographic.
It was a beautiful start to another long, grinding day. Even though we had managed to get back on route after getting lost the day before, we hadn’t made as many miles as we were planning on, so we were looking at around 70 miles for each of the next two days. Our goal for the day was to make it to Silver City, the last big city of the trip.

One thing that is pretty scarce in New Mexico is water. On this particular morning, the only option for water was to filter it out of an animal trough. Bicycle touring is not for the faint at heart as you have to beg, borrow, or pump water from any source that presents itself.

Our normal routine when we pulled into a big town was to wake up the next day and hit up the grocery story and the library to post on the blog and check our email, but Silver City was a little different. While we did keep the tradition of testing out some local beer (for scientific purposes only, of course) the night that we pulled in, we woke up the next day and decided to push on right away. It could have been the big mileage facing us for the day, or just the fact that we were down to our last two days of riding, but we wasted no time that morning before heading out for Hachita.

Leaving Silver City, we had about 20 miles on a paved road, and what the map showed as a gently downward slope, but it turned out to actually be 20 miles of climbing and then dropping, climbing and then dropping, before we hit the last dirt road of the summer.

This road didn’t want to ruin the reputation that New Mexico had been creating for us, so of course it was completely washed out in spots…but at least we avoided flat tires! We crossed the Divide for the 29th and second-to-last time and even rode through an ostrich ranch, but were not lucky enough to spot (or race!) any of the giant birds. We were also looking forward to hitting a store at around the 40 mile mark, so we put our heads down and got there for lunch. I was looking forward to it for some cold Gatorade, but Keith was mostly excited about loading up on fireworks, since in New Mexico just about any kind of firework is legal. When we finished lunch we got ready ride again, only to discover that both of us had flat tires. Keith patched his, but mine seemed like a slow leak, so I tried to ride it out.

Sure enough, about 10 miles later (when we hit the paved road that would take us to the border), I had had enough of stopping to pump every 30 minutes, so we stopped again and I patched my tire for – dare I say it – the last time of the trip. Keith enjoyed himself while I patched it though, by setting off some of his new fireworks in the middle of the road. Our destination for the day was a little town called Hachita that is about 45 miles north of the border. A man named Sam lives there, and for years he has been shuttling hikers and bikers back-and-forth to the border. He had some great stories to tell about dropping hikers off, and then 3 days later they would come staggering up to his house, covered in blisters, and get a ride to the airport to head home. We had arranged to have him drive us to Deming (where we were going to catch the Greyhound home) after we finished, but still did not have a plan to get from the border back to his house. While we had been having huge mileage days for the past few days, looking at 90 miles on the last day did not seem agreeable to either Keith or I. But we didn’t want to spend the money to have him pick us up, so we decided to figure it out when we got to Mexico. That night, as we were camped in Sam’s yard, drinking some beers he had given us, we lay down in the grass and watched a meteor shower take over the absurdly clear sky.

When we woke up the next morning, it was an almost unreal feeling to know that only 45 miles stood between Keith and I and the Mexican border. After trying not to think about how much further we had for the entire summer, finally we had a manageable distance to look at…and all on pavement too! Even though it was a pretty flat ride down a paved road, for significantly less mileage than we had been doing for the past few weeks, and carrying only what we needed for the day in a single trailer, I think our bodies knew that it was the last day of riding because those 45 miles were some of the most painful of the trip. Counting down the mile-markers didn’t necessarily help either, but somehow we dragged ourselves to the border.

We did have some excitement along the way though, as we saw a number of rattlesnakes hanging out on the road. They were the first ones we’d seen, and the middle of the road was a good place for time since it gave us plenty of warning and room to get around. Keith has some great pictures of one getting riled up at the sight of us.

When the border station came into view, though, we got a burst of adrenaline and shot up the first signs and started high-fiveing and snapping pictures. The guard came over and let us know that the actual border was about 25 feet past where we were, and if we didn’t ride up to it, he’d tell everyone we had cheated. After joking with him for a few minutes and getting him to take a picture of us in front of the building, he offered us some hamburgers, potato salad, and ice cream. Then he told us that there were a number of shuttles that brought workers over from Mexico (or something like that) and that they’d probably give us a ride back to Hachita.

Sure enough, the second one that came along had enough room for our gear and us, and hauled us back to Hachita…and then told us not to worry about paying since it was on their way anyway. Once again, good luck had been on our side.

As soon as we got back to Hachita, we decided we’d rather get right over to Deming and get a hotel instead of waiting another night. So we let Sam know, packed up our stuff, and headed over (about 45 minutes) to where we’d leave our trip behind for good. We were lucky enough to find a really cheap motel room and got some cardboard boxes from Wal-Mart (they’re good for something I guess) to pack our bikes and trailers in. While it was a hassle getting everything ready to be shipped back (and transporting it all around town with having the bikes to haul stuff), the bus ride back was even worse. But that’s a story for another time and place.

As Keith has said before, thank you all so much for giving us your attention, support, encouragement, and king-size Snickers bars, as well as a place to tell the story of the best summer that I’ve ever had. My goal when we started was to simply make it to Montana, but once I got a taste of what it was going to be like hitting the road everyday, I knew I wasn’t going home until it was done. Also, my thanks to everyone who sponsored us with their products (Nuun, EMS, Katadyn, etc) and to Keith for all the work he did to get us enough stuff to even make such an adventure possible. Much love to everyone and keep the rubber side down.
-Nat

The Home Stretch part 1

2007-10-22T15:22:00.001-07:00

Boy does time fly when you get back to real life and have real responsibilities. First and foremost though I would love to thank everyone who made it to the slide show that Nat and I put together. We had a little gathering and put together the show to thank everyone who helped us accomplish what we set out to do. Thank you to everyone who made it!

Pie Town....long overdue but to the best of my recollection, this is the story.

Nat and I pulled onto the main road and it was nothing like I had imagined it. In fact, it was almost nothing besides two pie cafes and a post office.

We pulled past the first cafe on our right, The Pie Town Daily. Nat asked me if we were stopping there and I replied, "We will go there next." We continued up the hill with Nat puzzled on why I didn't want to stop at the first pie place we saw. Ever since I started planning the trip I had heard about the wonderful hospitality towards cyclist and hikers at the Pie-O-Neer cafe and I knew that would have to be the place that we got our first slice of pie in Pie Town. We pulled up to the front of the building that looked similar to an old saloon and took off our helmets. There was a biker (not the pedal kind) standing on the porch and asked us where we were going. We told him and he mentioned he was heading across country on his Harley and checking out the small towns along the way. He told us that he has hiked the Appalachian Trail when he was in his mid-twenties and that he knew how we felt. I had to chuckle because he had hiked right through NH and when I told him that is where we were from, he pulled up his sleeve to reveal a "Live Free or Die" tattoo. We thought that was pretty cool as we parted ways and headed inside.

Inside was similar to the saloon we had visited in Polebridge Montana. There was a huge cast iron wood stove set in the middle of the tiny cafe was several booths and tables in front of a counter.

We had arrived there around 10:45am and sat down to order some lunch. We knew we were making good time and could sit down to a burger and some fries. We both ordered up Mountain Dew as caffenine was quite scarce when you are in the middle of the desert. As soon as the waitress had taken our order, a lady walked over and introduced herself as Kathy. She was the owner of the Pie-O-Neer and told us that Nita, the trail angel in town, would be right in. She brought over a guest book for us to sign and that not to worry, we would be taken care of well we were in Pie Town. We thanked her and within minutes, we were chowing down some fresh cooked hamburgers. They weren't 1lber's but they tasted great and really filled our stomachs. As soon as we were finished our waitress, Autumn, asked us what kind of pie were wanted to start with. I ordered up some apple as Nat ordered a slice of pecan-oatmeal. The pie was still warm as we started in and it was everything I dreamed it would be, delicious! As we were eating our pie, a woman approached us and introduced herself as Nita. She invited us to spend the night at the "Porch" and asked us how long we planned to stay in town. We hadn't planned to stick around and this caught us a little off guard. We finished our pie and as Autumn came to gather our plates she asked, "So you guys spending the night?" Turns out that Autumn was Nita's daughter and that they had been having hikers and cyclist stay with them since 1976. We thought about it for a moment as we ate another slice of pie and without any further hesitation, accepted the invitation.

We walked out and sat on the porch of the cafe for a few minutes and re-figured out how many days it would take us to finish and if we would still be able to catch our bus out of Deming on the 16th. We figured we would have some longer days, but was definetley possible. I quickly changed out of my bike shorts and put my feet up and waited for Nita to take us to "the porch". As she walked out she asked us the usual questions about where we were from and how long we had been out. She then asked if we had heard about the VLA (Very Large Array). We told her we had and that it sounded pretty fasinating. She offered to drive us to a "secret" sateilit that is located down some dirt roads. We took her up on the offer and rode in our first car in over a month. Desite it's size, the sateillet was well hidden and quite a marvel of engineering.

part 2: to be continued...

Busy busy busy

2007-09-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

Well returning to normal life didn't take too long but I am still going to finish the blog. I have been very busy with riding and work and unfortunately, the blog has been neglected. I promise to the people that have been asking me to finish, I definitely will. The "Pie Town" post is half written and once I am done the race this coming weekend (Vermont 50 miler), I will finally be able to complete it. Love you guys and it won't be long before I wrap this awesome story up!

Time for another post!

2007-08-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

Well now that I have been back home for a few days, its time for a new post! The rest and relaxation has been wonderful but I already getting the itch to get back on another adventure. Its addictive!

So upon reaching Grants, we called around looking for a cheap place to stay. Cities haven't been to friendly to us camping wise as they usually only contain overpriced KOA's and RV-parks (that usually look more like trailer parks). We called around and luckily a small RV-park had a small patch of grass they said we could camp on for $12. We headed over there as the thunder clouds rolled in and get the camp all setup. It was weird as this was one of the first nights where it thundered like crazy but didn't rain. It almost doesn't seem as scary that way. After the storm passed we were able to take showers and call home for one of the last times (getting a signal is like finding a gold nugget in New Mexico). We then both did a shot and headed in for the night.

The next morning found us rising early again to a hot and humid day. For those that say there is only dry heat in New Mexico, you are wrong. It was very dry and arid in the desert sections but in the northern section, there was a lot of humidity. We got everything packed and realized we needed only a little supplies (Ramen, hot sauce, oatmeal, caffeine) to finish. With all the awesome care packages, everything else had been pretty much taken care of. We headed to Wal-Mart (only the second one we had to go to on the trip, Grants had no grocery stores) and picked up our supplies. As we started down the road (Route 66), we passed a cyclist going the other way. This was a rare thing for us in New Mexico as it seemed that everyone had a truck. He waved to us as he passed and we continued down the road. All of a sudden on the horizon, there was a group of 3 cyclist. They waved as they passed and we felt like we had just seen the 4 cyclist in all of New Mexico! But no, more passed us and we thought maybe there was a race or a group tour. We turned a corner and saw something that excites all cyclist, a checkpoint/food tent! Heading over to check it out, people immediately greeted us and asked us where we were heading. They then offered us fresh fruit and energy gel! We stayed around the tent for a half hour or so. It was great to be able to talk to people that were so excited about cycling and that were on a tour themselves.

After the awesome experience with all the bike tour folks, we continued our adventure. Soon after we hit the entrance to El Malpais National Monument. The surroundings went from the houses and pueblos of grant to beautiful landscape as far as the eye could see. El Malpais means the "bad lands" so we were not sure what to expect. It turns out that it is because this a volcanic area and years ago when it was being explored, it was very hard to pass through here. With a nice paved road some years later, it was not tough at all for us to pass through.

We did the tourist thing and stopped to look at La Ventana ("the window") which was a very cool natural arch. We also went through the narrows which is where the old lava flow comes very close to the road. It was funny to think we had just left Grants 30 or so miles ago and now we were in such a remote and beautiful place.

I realized that we haven't shown any pictures of us eating lunch of the traditional PB&J. There were many variations along the way including granola, granola bars, pepperoni, dried fruit, candy bars, energy gel and so on. Just ways to tweak it a little bit so that it didn't taste like PB&J. With the addition of homemade cookies and granola bars in Grants, we were able to make some pretty delicious sandwiches! And on this occasion we had a picnic table which was even more rare!

We sat in the shade for a bit longer before taking off to the road again. The road wasn't very busy at all so we were able to talk a bit about post-trip all the things we missed and wanted to do. A big one for me was to get back and do some single track around New England. Being able to check the e-mail about once a week, I was able to catch bits and pieces about the riding group back home going to some of my favorite riding areas. I couldn't wait to not have a trailer pulling me around. In Nat's case, he wants to explore the US (in a car this time!) and check out all the cool places that are West of the Mississippi (go west young man!). Before long it was time to pull onto the dirt road towards Pie Town (yep that's the official name of the town). As we hit the dirt, we could see a dust cloud in the distance. As it got closer we saw that it was a brand new Ford Mustang convertible. We couldn't really believe our eyes as these roads were horrible. The car pulled up to us and the driver asked us where the nearest paved road was. We pointed and said about a mile that way. He then reached behind his seat and produced 4 water bottles. "Here you go", he said as he tossed us the water. He drove off and Nat and I just looked at each other. "Did that really just happen?", I asked. It was a weird experience as we continued on down the road to our campsite for the night.

The thing about New Mexico that we found was that the roads were in horrible shape but you were always greeted with a BEAUTIFUL camping site. There is a lot of private land but there is also a fair amount of public land in which to camp. This night was no different and the sky treated us to a color show that would rival the Fourth of July.

The next morning we woke up and something was special about today. Ever since we started we had heard of Pie Town, New Mexico. People had been telling us that we had to go to the Pie-O-Neer Cafe for a slice of pie after lunch. With that on our minds, we ate our oatmeal and a king size Snickers (thanks Toby!) and packed up. The morning light show was just as good as the previous evening so we sat and watched the sun rise as we ate.

Well as we walked over to the bikes, I noticed my front tire was flat. I quickly changed it out and we headed down the road. The skyline was awesome and it seemed like once we reached the mountains and mesas that we saw in the distance, we would be there. The ride was fast and before we could look up, we were at another divide crossing. We took a quick picture and then headed towards the junction that would bring us to Pie Town. We hit the stop sign and had a smile a little bit. The road we were turning on was route 603 which is the NH area code.

We rode down 603 for about 5 miles and we were there, Pie Town.

Well at this time I am going to stop because Pie Town is going to get it's own post. It was such an awesome experience that it deserves it. I didn't have my camera for most of the time but hopefully I will be able to recall all the cool stories. Until next time, take care and keep the rubber side down!

-Keith and Nat

The journey is just beginning...

2007-08-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

I know everyone has been checking back here daily looking for updates on how the trip is going. Well yesterday Nat and I finished the ride and ended what has been an AWESOME adventure. The thing is, I still want to finish out the blog so there are no huge gaps. I am going to write it to you as I left off and work my way to the finish. We are extremely happy to have finished and look forward to the next chapter, whatever it may be.

So from where we left off in Cuba. That night there was a pretty heavy duty storm and we were very very thankful to be under cover. The next day brought blue skies again and we headed to the Cuban Cafe for some home cooked breakfast and to talk about the days plans. Basically we wanted to condense a 120 mile, 3 day ride into a day and a half. It wasn't going to be easy but we knew that we had the willpower to push through and do it. We got a late start out of Cuba and before we knew it, we were on our way to Pueblo Pintado.

We headed back into the wide-open desert and since we were on pavement, got a pretty good pace going. Stopping for a quick Powerade about 25 miles into the day, we looked back and could already see the storm clouds forming. Luckily they were behind us which meant we could outrun them for a while before they caught up to us. All around us, the sky seemed to go on forever. As we rode we started to notice horses and cows were congregating in the road. This was strange to us but to the passing motorist, it didn't seem like to big a deal. We would find out later that we were on Navajo reservation land which allows open range ranches (basically your cows and livestock just wander).

The storm seemed to be catching up with us as we rode. We looked for a good spot to camp on the side of the road but it seemed there were barbed wire fences and smashed bottles in all the nice flat spots. We spotted a convenience store in the distance and pedaled for it as the wind really began to pickup. We asked if we could camp behind the store next to a huge propane tank and the clerk agreed to let us. Grabbing the tent and trying to get it setup with high winds was giving me quite a challenge and that is when Dennis pulled up. He introduced himself as the owner of the store and we figured was going to tell us to move. Instead he invited us to come into his home that was nearby. I took one look at Nat and we packed everything up and quickly made our way over to his front door. It was not a second to soon as the rain started and the lightning intensified. (Sorry I don't have any good pictures of this event but as you can imagine, we were in a rush)

It felt good to be under cover for another of these daily New Mexico monsoons and we quickly got our stuff into the entry way. Dennis invited us to sit down and introduced us to his wife Brenda, who made us some tea. They talked with us for an hour or so before making us a wonderful dinner. After dinner they invited us to spend the night and we happily agreed to that! They brought us into a guest room that had a king size water bed and satellite TV. We felt spoiled having TV and a bed for a second night in a row. We were able to catch some highlights from a Sox loss before resting up for a long day of riding.

The next morning Dennis was up and greeted us as we packed up. We thanked him and Brenda for the hospitality and then headed over to the store to get some junk food for breakfast. After breakfast we started riding and seeing more of the awesome landscape along the Chaco Canyon area which we were in. It was awesome to see all the ways the weather had transformed this desert into such a thing of beauty! We didn't have much time to lounge around as we wanted to make it to Grants in time to check out the library and post office.

One thing I haven't talked much about is dogs. Since we arrived in New Mexico, it seems that dogs have been mistreated more then anywhere else we have been. It also seems that they are more vicious because of the mistreatment and they tend to be very intimidated by the bikes and trailers. We have been chased almost daily by some very aggressive pups to the point where we thought we were going to have to use the bear spray to fend them off. Often times it is very scary as you are unsure what the dog will do. Well as we rode to Grants, I noticed something off in the distance. It looked like a rabbit or ground squirrel which are both very common out here. As we got closer though it started to bound towards us and we noticed it was a very tiny puppy. In talking with Dennis we found out that most people won't bother to get their dogs fixed so when it has puppies, they tend to be left on the side of the road. The puppy chased us for a little bit but it was something we didn't want to get attached to. We fed it some granola bars and rode away before it could steal our hearts.

The journey continued past more cool rock formations and another EPA Superfund site before leading us down the long hill to Grants. This was the first time in a while we noticed no rain clouds and the weather actually seemed to be holding out. We were pumped about that and headed to the post office to get some packages we knew were coming our way. We we super excited to find that in addition to a HUGE one from Kelley, we also got one from our buddy Toby. They both contained lots of necessities that helped us refill the food bags.

I will have to leave you on edge from there as my time is almost up at the library. Once I get back home it will be much easier to post and get pictures up. I love all you guys and really appreciate you staying with us through such a fun journey. I look forward to telling you all the other cool stories that happened to us in the past couple of weeks!

-Keith and Nat

Run to an Antelope (Wells), out of control

2007-08-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

more to come tomorrow (aka we are still alive)....

We need bigger pizzas (part deux)

2007-08-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

OK, only a few minutes here as well but I wanted to let everyone we have made it to Grants, NM and we are doing great. The weather held out today (for the first time since Wyoming) and we were able to get a 75 mile ride in. I will recap from where I left off with the previous post. Hopefully I will not get yelled at again by the internet-nazi liberian that I had in Cuba.

And before my time runs out, I want to extend a HUGE THANKS to a few of my friends for sending us a bunch of goodies! Kelley, Ed and Toby have sent us care packages in the past couple of days and our food bags went from only containing peanut butter, Ramen, and oatmeal to Snickers, cookies, Pop Tarts, granola bars, beef jerky, Clif Bars, and most importantly liquor!

So we woke up in Apache Canyon the next morning just on the south side of the CO/NM border. It was a beautiful morning but unfortunately we were so far down that we didn't get any sunlight until we began riding. The first day of riding in New Mexico was not quite what I expected. I had anticipated cactus and lizards to line the road and to see tumble weeds bouncing by. Instead the scenery was much like Colorado but with the worst roads we have seen so far.

Today's ride brought us up and over the Cruces Wilderness and through the rolling hills of southern New Mexico. We were rolling to a crest for lunch when we heard a strange sound. It was one that was familiar to me but not really to Nat. I looked at his BOB tire to reveal our first flat, bummer. We pulled the tube out to reveal a small hole most likely caused by a thorn or the rough road we had been riding all morning. A quick patch job, delicious PB&J, and we were heading up the road to Hopewell Lake. It was nice to pull in just as the rain started.

The next morning started with a short climb followed by a nice, long descent. We lost about 2000 ft in a matter of 8-9 miles and when we got out of the woods, there lay the New Mexico I was picturing. The sky seemed to go on forever and there were cactus and canyons all around us. Before long we were in El Rito and it was lunch time. I was hoping they had a store so that I could get a bag of chips and some ice tea. What we found though was ten times better. It was a little hole in the wall restaurant called El Farolitos. They had $4 burritos and trophys everywhere claiming the best green chile in the state. We both sat down and ordered immediately. The thought of a day without PB&J was enough for me to order two burritos while Nat tried the quesadilla and a burrito. They were of course phenomenal and left of full as we left for the night's destination of Abiquiu.

I would like to forget the experience we had in Abiquiu but it basically involved camping at a camp area without bathrooms and very very unpleasant hostesses. Also Nat getting a thorn in his front tire in the first 5 minutes of riding. So the next day we got up and climbed what we thought was going to be a very difficult climb. Our guide booked warned to take the whole day to go the 23 miles to the top of the climb. Well it ended up taking us all day but mostly because of the weather. The climb itself was quite pain-free (in comparison) and we made it into a little camp spot in the woods by about 3pm. We got setup just as the rain stopped and had an early dinner before making a little campfire and heading to bed. It rained hard that night and made the roads pretty messy for us the next morning.

We again began the day the climbing to finish the last 5 miles of the climb from the previous night. Our goal was Cuba, NM which was only about 50 miles down the road and we knew we could easily make once the roads dried up. By about lunch the roads were dry enough to get some good speed up and really push to get over the climb. As always there were some cows to greet us at the peak and as we are finding to be true about NM, horrible roads to head down to get to Cuba.

Right outside of Cuba, I got my first taste of the flat tire blues. I had a staple sticking through the tire and into the tube. The problem with this is that we were being chased by a nasty storm cloud so I rode it flat the last two miles until I could get under some cover. To make matters worse, Nat was striking out everywhere he was calling to find us a place to camp. He then tried to call some motels to see what prices looked like in town. The thunder was starting to rumble and as I finished patching my tube, I heard his voice sound a little more upbeat. He had found a room for $38 that had a shower (we were going on a week at this point without one) and HBO. It couldn't be beat! We quickly rode over and checked in as the rain really began to fall. I was finally able to call some people back home and as I walked back in the room, saw that the Sox had won their afternoon games. Maybe things were looking up.

We walked next door to try and find some nachos and margaritas. We ended up going back margarita-less but some good nachos in our tummys. Not a worry though as there was a convenience store on the other side of us and we were able to get a 6-pack of Fat Tire Ale. As we sat down to a nice cold beer, I turned on HBO to see what was on. To my joy, Little Miss Sunshine was just starting (one of my favorite movies). The day that seemed like it was going to turn out another disaster turned out to be perfect.

Well time is running out here so that is it for now. We are hoping to be done in a little more then a week and hopefully can give you guys a couple more updates! Thanks for the comments as always and look forward to reading more at the next stop!

-Keith and Nat

We need bigger pizzas!

2007-08-06T08:26:00.000-07:00

Well well well, we have finally hit a (open!) library in New Mexico in the little town of Cuba. I will try and remember everything we have done in the past week or so as it has been action packed!

Leaving Del Norte, CO, we faced our biggest challenge of the trip (in my option). It came in the form of a 11,910ft pass called Indiana. We started in Del Norte (elevation 7500ft) and spent the entire morning (23 miles) getting to the summit of this monster of a climb. It really felt good to conquer such a beast after having such troubles with Marshall Pass. We topped out around 1pm and took some fun pictures to take the stress off of such a hard climb. We knew the rest of the day wouldn't be much easier as we still had to cruise through an EPA Superfund site and find somewhere to camp.
After lunch we cruised down the hill to Summitville which was declared an EPA Superfund in the 1980's. It was quite a sight as half of the mountain is completely missing. The water around the site was not even safe to drink after filtering it which made it difficult to find a spot to camp. Finally we could not push on anymore and pulled into a spot that seemed to have a few other people camping around it. We asked them where we could get some water for the night and a couple of folks graciously gave us some water so that we could make it through the night. Without them, I am not sure what we would have done.

In the morning we headed to the up Stunner Pass and over to Platoro, CO for some canned soda and snacks. It was a tiny little town and luckily some fellow riders of the divide heading North had warned us that the water there was not safe to drink, hence buying gallon jugs of water and soda. It saved us an ER visit which we are grateful for! While in there, the owner warned us of a mudslide about 12 miles down the road that had happened the night before. We thought "Oh No! A repeat of Marshall!", but luckily it was easily crossed by bicycle (but not by Jeep as we witnessed first hand!).

We hit the pavement again and pulled into a little cafe for lunch. The prices were way to high so we just borrowed their picnic tables to get out of the sun for a bit. We enjoyed some shade before beginning the climb over La Mangas pass and getting into New Mexico! The climb was all on pavement but don't be fooled, it was steep. It took us a few hours to top out and when we did, surprise surprise, we were greeted by cows (we see hundreds each day).

Bombing down the other side, I looked at my altimeter to see we were losing 171ft/minute. Not really sure how fast we were going but it was fast. We were going so fast, we almost missed the signs telling us we were entering New Mexico, the last state of our trip! We had decided to sleep in a little canyon at the border as it seemed to be the only running stream around for a while.

Well I guess that is it for now, I am being kicked off the computer here at the library. Hopefully I can finish this update in a couple of days in Grant. I will also be able to e-mail all the people back home at that point. Have a good one guys!

-Keith and Nat

2000 down, 700 to go

2007-07-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

Well I wish I could post and tell you that the mileage since Salida has been pleasant but well, it's been tough.

After we left Salida we immediately started climbing on Poncha Pass and then continued to climb on Marshall Pass. As soon as we hit Marshall Pass it started raining, big surprise. The thing is that from Salida to the top of Marshall Pass is 32 miles. You go from about 7,500ft to 10,600ft without much of a relief from climbing. So when you throw rain into the mix, it doesn't make for a very fun day. 3 miles or so into the climb once we split off of Poncha, there was a sign saying the road was closed ahead. This is nothing new for us as they are usually closed do to over use (ATV and dirt bike) or it's just a road that they no longer have a use for so they are shutting it down.

When we finally reached the top of our climb, we were drenched. We were happy to be at the top but it was starting to get cold and the thunder and lightning was starting to pickup. The usual picture from the divide (crossing 17) was taken and we crossed the 'road closed' gate and began going down. The road was very sloppy and so it took a while to make mileage.

Mile 4 of the downhill stopped us dead in our tracks. The road just disappeared. It had been washed out earlier in the Summer and no one (not even the bike shop in Salida) had the thought to tell us that part of the trail we were on was gone, completely! Our hands and toes were starting to freeze and that's when we decided to set up camp. It was getting dark and we were forced to set up near the washout as backtracking up the hill seemed useless. We quickly made dinner, opened and ate a half of box of Oreos (thanks mom and dad!) and headed to bed. The sleeping bags were wet, the tent was wet, we were miserable but it felt good to be horizontal.

We woke up early the next morning but the clouds beat us to it. They were already out (7am) and threatening to drench us again. We packed up camp and found a very sloppy trail that lead to the other side of the washout. It took us an hour or more to get all of our stuff about 50 yards up a embankment. Then we had to camelbak-hose off the drivetrains so that we could even get a couple of gears.

The descent started just as it had ended the night before. The clouds were holding their rain but the unused roads were super soft and wet and the descent was again very slow. It almost felt like we were going uphill in some parts because of the effort it took to pedal a sinking BOB across the muck. Finally on the horizon we spotted a small town. Sargents, CO was where the pavement began again for a few miles before diving back into the dirt.

We pulled into the first and only store in town, Tomichi Trading Post, and saw they had cabins. Nat and I joked that if they were cheap enough, we would spend the night and dry our stuff out. Well after getting a quote, I went outside and talked Nat into it. So we hunkered down, laid our stuff out, and got some hot lunch. You have no idea how good a cheeseburger tasted after the hell we had been through!

We pretty much lost the day as far as mileage goes but we felt like we gained a moral boost. The stuff got all dry and we got a great nights sleep in our own beds. I also got to talk to some loved ones back home and just made me smile before heading to bed.

4:30am came very early as we wanted to make sure we missed the rain! We jumped on our bikes around 6am and hit the road. I was barely awake but it felt so good to get a jump on the day. It was very foggy out and continued to be until we hit the bottom of our climb around noon. The rain clouds were starting to gather in the distance but we knew we could outrun them. We rode very quickly up the hill, hit the top and divide crossing 18, and started down the backside. We could hear thunder approaching and it just made us pedal faster! We hit the main road again and kept up quite a quick average pace before dodging back into the rocks and desert of southern Colorado.

We were exhausted when 4pm rolled around and looked for a place to setup camp. We settled on a spot inside the Rio Grande National Forrest and setup just in time for it to start sprinkling. We slapped each other five because for the first time since we got to CO, we had beat the storm! A loud and echoing electrical storm followed that lit up the canyon walls around us. It felt good to be in a nice dry sleeping bag again!

This morning was the same drill, we got up at 5:30 and were on the road by 7am. It didn't work out quite as planned though as 50ft out of camp, my BOB tire was completely flat. Luckily I had a spare but after locating the hole, it was a quick patch job before heading on the uphill to Carnero Pass (10,167ft, no divide). It was tough going as the road was still wet and the uphill was pretty steep. Nat sped ahead as he had his eye on the summit. We both reached the top before 10am and had some awesome GORP courtesy of Uncle John. Then came the rolling downhill that brought us through some beautiful canyon lands and then back into the desert. We stopped for lunch and had some great PB&J and hit the road as the clouds seemed to be gathering around us. The sky is very big where we are right now (picture desert) and so you can see storms from very far off in the distance. We packed up our lunch things and headed off with our sights set on Del Norte. We rode some very technical roads that hadn't been grated or seen maintenance in a very, very long time.

Nat popped up on a hill and stopped. When I got up to see what he was looking it, it felt like Emerald City. It was Del Norte at the bottom of a hill. We knew we were home free and the sun was still shinning! We headed down through the washout and sand and finally hit some pavement again. It was a short pedal to the town center where we popped into the City Hall to see about camping opportunities. The lady looked at us and asked if we wanted to sleep in the city park. We were puzzled but said sure and she pointed out her back window to a pavilion in the park. "You can sleep there tonight, I will let the police know you are in town." A free camping site under a roof, heck yeah we were going to take it!

All in all we have done about 2000 miles of our 2700 mile trip. I would be lieing if I said he didn't miss home and all our friends back East. We are going to try and push hard to get done and try and get home around the 20th of August. I cannot wait and after a 3 day Greyhound ride, it will be sweet to sleep in my own bed again.

-Keith and Nat

Into thin air

2007-07-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

Breckenridge was a great place to take a break! We got loaded up with beer, steaks and junk food just in preparation to climb the 11,482ft Boreas Pass. Even though it's only been three days since I last posted, we have pushed hard to get to Salida, CO to bring you some fresh updates.

I woke up early yesterday and turned on the only thing that seemed logical, cycling. The Tour was in the last day of the Pyrenees and our buddy Levi was looking like he had a chance to take the stage or at least help out his teammate. Well Levi took second in the stage and was fourth overall after a great ride. I was very happy with that and then we find out today that the leader has been kicked out of the tour and everything has been turned upside down. Levi is now in 3rd and if he rides well enough in the time trial, he has a very good chance to win!

OK well after turning off the TV, Nat and I made a HUGE breakfast and headed out for what was a huge climb. We were already at around 9,700ft and the plan was to climb to 11,482ft and camp on the other side. We started out and immediately I could feel my lungs burning. It was a tough push to the top but we made it in about 3 hours. We topped out at our 16th divide crossing and from there the downhill was white knuckle until we pulled into the town of Como. Located at 9,872ft, it was a little higher then Breckenridge and just as hard on the lungs. We pulled into the post office and to our surprise, we had 5 care packages waiting for us! We opened them excitedly to find home baked cookies (thanks Mom!) and lots of other fun treats and energy snacks. It really made the climb seem like nothing. We then set up camp at the city hall and went to bed super early. As we cooked dinner though we were able to listen to the sounds of the Grateful Dead and Phish thanks to John and Toni.

We awoke this morning and decided we could make it to Salida, CO (80+ miles). Luckily with all the sleep from the night before, we were up and ready by 8:30 and ready to roll. Five miles into the ride, we hit South Park which neither of us thought really existed. Unfortunately we didn't run into any cartoon school kids but we did have a nice ride through a very remote part of Colorado. The miles seemed to melt by and before we knew it, it was lunch time and we had already done 35 miles. We quickly ate our PB&J and some home baked cookies just as the rain started to fall. We packed up and the always popular thunder could be heard in the distance. It immediately destroyed our beautiful view of some 14,000ft peaks and we got the rain gear on (Note: The rain gear has had to be used everyday since we got to Colorado). We pedaled over a few small hills and through a lot of large fields before topping out at 10,000ft and having an obscured view of Salida, 13 miles below. We ripped downhill as fast as we could to escape the rain and we we reached the bottom, Nat noticed his shifting wasn't working. The bike made it into the shop but we found out that he had broken a piece off of it and that a new one was in order. Since the shop was about to close, the mechanic there wired it into a singlespeed and we took off for the library.

Well this is a very short update but I am not sure when we will hit another library so I wanted to just check in and let everyone know we are still doing fine! We are going to hang out in town for a little bit tomorrow so Nat can get all fixed up and then we have another monster climb to do. I should be able to post a few pictures in the morning so check back and until then, I hope everyone has a goodnight and a pleasant tomorrow!

-Keith and Nat

Also, congratulations to my friend Kelley. She just completed the Trans-America ride last night. You can check out her blog here.

Riders on the Storm

2007-07-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

Well what a fun few days we have just had! Right after posting we headed to the local bike shop in Steamboat called Orange Peel Bikes. It was a very very cool shop and they helped me get some more spokes (I have broken 5 now) and some other miscellaneous supplies. They also told us about a great burrito place downtown called Azteca Taqueria. They made us some huge chicken burritos as we anxiously awaited the arrival of my Uncle John.

After heading to the post office to pick up some care packages from my folks and from Katadyn (finally a working filter!), we headed down to the Yampa River to check out the farm fresh fruit and the people tubing down the river. Not long after biting into a Palisade peach, Nat's phone rang. It was John and he was en route to Steamboat! We headed back to the bike shop to meet up with him.

We waited around for a few minutes and then from behind me I heard a familiar voice. John had hitchhiked his way up and found us! We were excited to see him and to have a new person on the trip. We headed back to the burrito shop for one more burrito and then we were on our way.

As soon as we left, the sky grew very overcast and it appeared that we might have our first storm in a while. When we hit Route 14, the rain started falling in sheets and thunder seemed to come out of nowhere. We were prepared as we threw on our rain stuff and continued riding. It was a miserable way to start the ride out of Steamboat but we were happy to have a fresh face on the trip.
After about 20 miles of mis-shifts and grinding brakes, we noticed a small campground at Stagecoach State Park that was not on our maps. We hoped they had some place for us to setup. I could see the expression on Nat and John's faces as they talked to the park ranger, and they didn't look happy. We were drenched from head to toe and they were telling us that there was no more room and that we couldn't stay there. The ranger finally radioed a friendly voice and she said there was one site left that we could use. We were extremely happy as it was starting to get dark and the rain seemed to be coming down harder.

After setting up in the rain, we walked up to what we thought was a store to try and find a dry spot. Luckily there was an overhang with a picnic table underneath it. We setup the Jetboil and got to work stripping down and getting some dry clothes on. That's when we discovered that the bathroom had hot showers and blow dryers. Our night was saved as we stayed up to midnight warming up and drying out!

The next morning we woke up to much more familiar weather. It was a hot one and it was only 8am. We took our time getting out of camp and general procrastination of the 9,000ft pass we were going to have to climb. We got out of camp around 11 with our belly's' full and the sky bright blue. We immediately dove into some single track and then hit the dirt roads to Lynx Pass. As we climbed we noticed that clouds were starting to move in and they didn't look nice. Near the summit of the climb, we once again found ourselves getting drenched with an afternoon shower. Luckily this one didn't last as long and quickly the rain gear was shed.

One thing that I had asked John to bring was some music as that is something that Nat and I have missed a lot. He didn't disappoint and brought along an MP3 player and some pretty cool speakers. He asked if we wanted to listen to music while we rode and I jokingly said "Sure!". John got to work finding a way to mount the speakers so that we could listen to Grateful Dead and Cake as we pedaled. It definitely made the climbs easier!

After our little rain ordeal, we thought we were in the clear as we headed downhill. There was thunder in the distance but the sky above us was good. We descended into the valley and were met with yet another obstacle. The map warned we may have to ford a creek but only if it was a very wet year. Will all the dry weather and non-exist streams so far, we figured we would be fine. We were stopped dead in our tracks though by a waist-deep torrent that seemed impassable. Just as Nat and I were turning the bikes around, John popped out of the bushes and said he had found a trail. We took his word for it and headed into the stream. All of us made it across safely and didn't even get the gear wet! It was a good gamble that payed off!
We climbed and descended through some BEAUTIFUL Colorado countryside before a killer descent into Radium. The campsite was right on the Colorado River so there were boaters and kayakers everywhere! We setup camp and decided to introduce John to the wonderful word of freeze-dried meals. He opted for a chicken dish and said it was one of the best camping meals he ever had. With that we pulled out some music (and whiskey) and relaxed under a relatively clear night!
The next morning we awoke to the sound of a train rolling past. I got up and made some coffee bread to start another long day of climbing. This day would bring us over Inspiration Point and to the base of Ute Pass (9,500+ feet). As we were packing up, the people in the campsite next to us asked if we wanted any wine. We assured them we would love some and they came over and filled a Nalgene with delicious Franzia (box wine). It would be a great way to end the day.
The climb started off steep and didn't let off until nearly 6 miles. It was quite a climb and brought us to a wonderful overlook of the canyon we had just slept in. We were quite happy to see the top though and quickly headed down to our lunch spot for the day. It was a lodge that is owned by Orvis and said private all over it. We hadn't planned on that and Nat volunteered to ride through looking beat up and tired to see if we could use some of their shade. The lady was hesitant at first to have 3 dirty bikers on their nice clean, green lawn but eventually she gave in. We layed and enjoyed some wonderful peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
After lunch we were met with what we figure is a pattern. The clouds started to roll in and before long, it was pouring. The past two days, the storm was not directly over us and we were able to ride through it. On this day though, we were not as lucky. With lightning striking all around, we quickly got off the bikes and tried to find a low spot. We sat on some dirt and after about 5 minutes, the storm seemed to intensify. That's when I walked over to put my rain pants on and heard the loudest clap of thunder I have ever heard. I looked back at John and he was already up and heading for different cover. We think that the lightning must have struck within 50 yards of us. It's something that none of us want to ever experience again.
We headed a little lower down and soon the storm passed and it was safe to ride again. We were all shaken but happy to be unhurt. We rode for a couple of hours and the sky started to clear ride back up again. That's when we ran into Chuck and Willy who are riding the trail from South-North. Willy had broken his elbow in a crash down in New Mexico but they decided that once he healed, they would continue on. They had been off the bikes for about a month and were just getting back into the swing of things. We were happy to see some more riders and exchanged stories for a good ten minutes. It was getting late though as we headed on and found our way to a deserted campground. There is a large problem out here with pine beadles destroying and weakening trees and this campsite had been closed due to the beadle's weakening all the trees.

We were happy to have the place all to ourselves with some peace and quiet. We setup and went down to the stream to pump some water. The new pump worked 100% better and we were able to fill up in no time. John pulled out the wine and I dug a small hole in some rocks near the shore so we could chill it a little before dinner. We made some more meals and I retrieved the wine and we had ourselves a little feast before John's last day. That night we were able to see the moon and lots of stars with a wonderfully clear night.

Monday we woke up with a sense of excitement and urgency. John had rented a condo for us to stay in when we got to Breckenridge. He told us of a small brewpub and of the hot tub that was right on the property. Wanting to relax our weary muscles, we quickly got ready and headed to our last big climb, Ute Pass. With "Uncle John's Band" pouring through the speakers, we pedaled fast and dug into the climb. We rode past a mining operation of some sort and kept climbing as the trees got smaller. We reached the summit of the climb in just under an hour and a half and couldn't believe the view. The Gore Range surrounded us and Nat and I felt like we were right back in Alberta. It was just gorgeous.

A passing tourist took a picture of the dirty trio and we pedaled off to the downhill portion of the ride. It was fast and over way to quick as we caught back up with the highway that would take us to Silverthorne. We didn't want to take lunch but a sign reading 2 for $2 hot dogs persuaded us otherwise. We stopped in and grabbed a quick bite before hitting the bike path that would take us to Breckenridge.

Rain entered the picture for a few minutes but none of us seemed to care as we flew along the nicely paved bike path. It was 15 miles but it seemed to take forever as we passed ski resorts and condos on the way. We hit Breckenridge and rode through the Main St. before veering right into a group of condos. John was leading and pulled into a condo called the "Motherlode" and we saw the Jeep that he had talked about getting at the rental car place. We were so tired and excited to be here that we ran upstairs forgetting the key code for the door. Luckily John had the number in the car and before long we were fully relaxing, drinking the local "Avalanche Ale" and watching a recap of the Tour. Our friend Rob's brother Levi was in 4th place overall and still looking like a strong contender for winning it this year. I turned the channel for a second and to our amazement, the Sox were on! Jon Lester was making his return to the mound and they were up 5-0! How could things get any better?!
With two showers, getting washed up was a snap and before we knew it we were going 45 mph to Safeway for a restock run. It felt weird going so fast, so easily after almost 2 months without being in a car. We grabbed lots of good Ramen and peanut butter (and lots of other food, thank you John!) before shooting back to get some dinner. We parked and walked down to the brewpub to grab some beers and steak and celebrate the 160+ mile ride we had just put John on in just over 3 days!

The food was the best we have had on the trip so far and a welcome relief from Ramen. We topped it off with some chocatley desserts and beer. It was so nice to relax and not worry about rain or wind blowing the tent around! We walked around town for a bit and hit a few more saloons before bed. We all had a great time and fell asleep with smiles on our faces.

That brings us to today where John has to leave the adventure and head back to Portland to start some new adventures. We were sad to see him go but so thankful to have him for the time we did. He boosted our moral and was just a pleasure to have along! Nat and I both want to thank Uncle John for everything he did for us!

Nat and I are going to hang out here in Breckenridge for another night and then head on to our biggest climb yet, Boreas Pass (11,800+ ft). We are nervous and excited but we look forward to checking back in at Salida. Hope all is well with you guys and hope to hear from you soon!

-Keith and Nat (And John)

Half way home

2007-07-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

"Well we finally made it out of the boring, straight ahead, wash-boarded, 400 mile dirt road that someone named Wyoming" - Nat

Well we are pleased to let everyone know that we have made it to Steamboat Springs, CO and the weather is beautiful! We are very excited to be here and wait anxiously as Uncle John bikes his way up to meet us!

Well after we left Rawlins, we immediately were placed back in the desert and fell into kind of a 'funk'. We didn't want to ride and we just wanted to be lazy. It was so hard though when its 100+ degrees with no shade. So we continued on and fell way short of our mileage goal for the day. It was still a 46 mile day but it meant we would have a 60+ mile day the following day. It was our last night in Wyoming and we were glad to see it go!

As we walked and pedaled to our camp destination for the night, Nat and I discussed all the things we missed about home and all the things we wanted to do when we get back. I think that is kind of what helped us get through the day. That and we met up with a few groups of hikers going South-North on the Continental Divide Trail. We have seen a few people riding the divide on motorcycle touring bikes and they say that we are their heroes. To us, our heroes are the people who take 6 months off and hike the same trail we are doing. It is really am amazing feat and we applaud them.

We pulled into camp around 8 and got setup for the night. This was probably one of the more beautiful campsites we had as we were alone for miles and miles and there were 4-5 thunderstorms going on around us but never directly over us. As we headed to bed, thoughts of Colorado danced in our heads.

We awoke to another scorcher and were on the bikes by 8:15. We knew it would be a long day and we wanted to get a good jump on it. We met some cows on the side of the road that decided they wanted to run beside us for a few miles and that kept our minds off the crappy roads for a little bit. Around noon we pulled into an area that locals call 'Aspen Alley'. Looking at the picture above, its easy to see why.

Next was lunch and we sat in the shade full on knowing we had 35+ miles to go. It was relaxing as we ate our PB&J and dreamed about laying on the couch at home and watching a Red Sox game and enjoying a cold Long Trail. We were quickly snapped out of our fantasy by a crack of thunder in the distance. Climbing back on the bikes, we pedaled into a brisk headwind as the journey continued on.

Large ranches dotted the scenery as we finally passed the Wyoming/Colorado state line. It was quite overcast but never rained as we pedaled through the hills leading to Steamboat Spring Lake. It was quite a tiring day and to top it off, the general store was closed when we got there. Luckily, Nat's friend Laura had sent us out some home-made baked goods to Rawlins and we were able to have a sweet treat before bed.

We set our sights on Steamboat and meeting John and blasted. We rode like the wind and made it the 35+ miles in just under 3 hours. It was a nice mix of downhill and pavement and made for some very fast riding. The ski mountain came into view on the horizon and we just pedaled harder. As we made our way into town, people started stopping us and asking were we are heading. Everyone here has been super friendly in the 2 hours we have been here. We are excited to have made it this far and can't wait to see the rest of Colorado!

A few thank you's have gone way overdue and I just wanted to post them so that the people know we love them for what they have done!

First, a huge thank you to the Cunnigham family for getting care packages out to us at every stop and for keeping the food and goodies coming. We appreciate all your help and I love you!

Next a special thank you to Nat's friend Laura Damon. She recently sent Nat a care package of homemade cookies and brownies that definitely brightened up both our days!

Herb and Bob at Revolution Cyclery back in Concord have helped us out as well. They helped us out with our pre-trip bike needs and really got the ball rolling on nutrition for Nat and I. Thanks!

The Morgan family back in Concord as well for getting us some goodies and care packages. Thanks also to Kit for keeping us updated on how the Sox are doing.

Also our friends at Nuun and EMS for all their help getting stuff to us before the trip. Without them, the trip would not have been successful as it has been!

Through the desert

2007-07-17T15:07:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Well I am relieved to say that we made it through the Great Basin and have popped out healthy and safe on the other side. I will give you the whole run down since we left Pinedale.

Pinedale was a really cool place to stay and so cool in fact that Nat came down with some food sickness just so we could stay an extra day! This gave me extra time to pack in some cheap food and so I did! We hit Pinedale on a very special weekend. It was Rendezvous Weekend which is where all the crafts people come and line the streets and there are lots of events going on.

Friday night we saw that John Fogerty and friends were playing a free concert downtown. We couldn't believe our luck and to think that world famous John Fogerty was coming to this tiny town of 1,000 to come play blew us away! Well it turned out it wasn't THAT John Fogerty but the concert was very cool anyway. A band from Jackson, WY called Steam Powered Aeroplane came and played some excellent bluegrass and all seemed well. We headed back to the campsite with some new tunes in our head and made some spaghetti before heading to bed.

The next morning as we got ready, I didn't really feel right and knew that I wasn't going to have a good day. I figure it was food poisoning but cannot be sure, all I know is that was rode 40 miles and I felt horrible the entire way. We made camp before an intense mountain storm hit and I was asleep by 6pm.

I woke up feeling a lot better and we set out with our sites on Atlantic City. We knew today wasn't going to be easy as we had some catching up to do on top of three divide crossings. Luckily it was only about 50 miles to Atlantic City. We started up the first hill and right around the corner was a beautiful shot of the Wind River Mountains. They were lit up on this beautiful morning and we knew we would have a better day of riding.

We hit the first divide crossing of the day (#10 for those playing the home game) around 11am when the sun was just getting high enough in the sky to make 100 degrees feel hot. We pedaled on from there through the beautiful rolling hills on Wyoming.

Pushing on through lunch and the washboard roads that seem to go on for miles, we topped out and Nat stopped. There were no signs or anything but according to the mileage, we were at #11. Pretty anticlimactic but definitely very pretty all the same. We were on a ridge that had amazing basins on both sides. "This is it", is all he said and we grabbed some pictures before heading out.

Before we knew it, we were back on pavement and heading through South Pass. There was a little rest stop on the side of the highway and they had some wonderful cold water and benches in the shade that allowed for a great mid-day break. We filled up camelbaks and laid down and I looked at the map. "This is divide crossing #12", I mentioned to Nat. We had no idea as they talked a lot about the pass at the rest stop but not the divide. We grabbed a quick pic before heading back onto the secondary roads which we are now getting used to. Across the way we could see another storm was coming across.

We pulled into South Pass City to catch the end of a bake sale and baseball game they were having for Gold Miner Days. Sounded like a fun event and it was too bad we missed it. We stood inside for a few minutes while a rain shower passed over and ate some delicious coffee cake. Then it was onto Atlantic City. We didn't know what to expect as the population the sign read "About 57" and everyone seemed to be at the bar. We stopped into the bar to see what a bite to eat would run us and as they only had steaks on Sunday night, we knew it wasn't for us. We headed a little ways down the road to a small inn and B&B that seemed nice. We knocked on the door and asked Bob, the owner, if we could set up on the lawn for a few dollars. He said of course and we got to work getting the tent up.
The next morning we got up and was surprised to see Bob walking out to meet us at 7am. He asked how our night went and to our surprise, offered us some breakfast. He apologized that he didn't have anything but banana's and dry cereal but it was way more then we could ever ask for. He threw on a pot of coffee for us as well as we ate. We talked about the Basin and he reminded us it was a very dry and remote place. Before we headed out he offered us a sleeve of Fig Newtons. We were blown away by his hospitality and gladly packed them into the food bag.

We had so many different thoughts and emotions going on that was totally forgot to look down at the map after we started. Before we knew it we had climbed a pretty large hill...in the opposite direction! Well luckily whatever goes up very slowly, comes down in a hurry! I snapped a quick picture of our first glimpse into the Basin before heading the RIGHT way.

As soon as Atlantic City was out of sight, we knew we wouldn't see another person for a few days. The first views of the Great Divide Basin just reminded me of every picture I have ever seen of a desert.

(Mom's need not read this paragraph) I won't lie to you, this was our toughest day yet and it really took a toll on both of us. We did 85 miles with one divide crossing and the entire thing was on old gravel roads that were wash-boarded, rutted, and chewed up from years of harsh winters and powerful storms. We finished the last two hours under the candlepower of our lights. It didn't help that we had headwinds for most of the journey and that sand was at a premium and it was blown directly into eyes, hair and mouths. But we made it and we are extremely happy to be on the other side!

That brings us to our haul the heck out of there! We did our 14th divide crossing and met our first hiker going North on the CDT. We started very early this morning (for us) and made it to Rawlins by 3pm. We headed for the first ice cream shop we saw and order two tall milkshakes, something we have been craving for a few days now! We are going to spend the night here and then take a couple easier days to get down to Steamboat Springs, CO!

People have been e-mailing me how to send us stuff (you know like cookies, brownies, Snickers, candy, love etc) and I will post the rest of the general delivery addresses we will be stopping at:

Keith Cunningham or Nat Morgan

C/O General Delivery

US Post Office
142 6th ST

Como, CO 80432-9990
(projected arrival date 7/20 - 7/25)

C/O General Delivery

US Post Office
590 Columbia AVE

Del Norte, CO 81132-2200
(projected arrival date 7/25-7/28)

C/O General Delivery

US Post Office

6358 Main ST

Cuba, NM 87013-9998
(projected arrival date 8/1-8/5)

C/O General Delivery

US Post Office

816 W Santa FE AVE

Grants, NM 87020-7000
(projected arrival date 8/5-8/12)

Again, I can not say how awesome it is that you guys are enjoying the blog. I love reading the comments from family, friends and even the random spainish guy! Keep it up guys and gals! Until Steamboat, keep the rubber side down!

Record breaking ride!

2007-07-13T16:11:00.001-07:00

Well just got news that Jay Petervary of Jackson, WY just shattered the Great Divide Race record. His new time of 15 days, 4 hours, and 18 minutes breaks Mike Curiak's 2004 record of 16 days, 57 minutes. The racer's started on June 15th at high noon in Roosville, MT. They are riding the same 2,490 course as we are (minus Canada). Congrats to Jay and all the racers!

For more info, check out the link!

Good-bye divide ride ... For Now!

2007-07-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately Jen and I ran into some financial struggles, due to her accident on day 2. It put us in a tough situation with still more than half the ride to go. We evaluated the situation, as we do when climbing, and realized that our ride was over, for now. We will regroup, replan, and prepare to do the trip either next year or the year after, since I have another year of school, it may be difficult to plan for next year. One thing is for certain, we will do the ride again!! It was a learning exprerience that will provide us with good knowledge and insight for the next time around. We were able to make new friends along the way and become reaquainted with an old friend. Thank you to Ben Gilmore, our friend in Jackson, WY, for allowing us to stay at his place and plan our trip back to NH. Good luck to keith and nat, don't loose sight of the reason for the ride!

Doug & Jen

What a week!

2007-07-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: PICTURES ARE UP! Also check out Pinedale, WY for more pictures of the recent fires.

I know you have been all sitting on the edges of your seats waiting for a new post and pics...and here they are!

Well we left Lima after filling our stomach's at Jan's Cafe. It was great to have some homemade pancakes and some of the tastiest sausage I have ever had. We headed back into the rolling hills of Montana and right back into the desert. We passed by a beautiful reservoir and through some more cow pastures before ending the day with our longest ride (57 miles!) to date.

We spent the night at Red Rocks Refuge which is home to thousands of different animals including the always popular mosquito! They had delicious spring water there which we were able to fill our camelbaks with on our way into Idaho.

The next morning we got up early with our sites set on Big Springs, ID and another divide crossing. Another beautiful day and a great climb to 7,120 ft to the border of Montana and Idaho. We made it there well before noon and from there is was a nice coast and pedal through the roads and paths of Idaho. We popped out of the woods to find ourselves surrounded by ATV's (Texas Wheelchairs) and dirt bikes. We made camp by a nice stream and listened to the constant whir of motors for the rest of the night.

Well at the convenience store, we heard of a small restaurant in Ashton, ID called Big Jud's. They were famous for their one pound gourmet burgers, something we just had to try! So we made the trek to Ashton, which was about 6 miles off route and gave it a go. Nat, Doug, and myself each finished one with room in our stomachs to spare. It was quite a treat to feel so full again! We stayed in Ashton for the night and was treated to breakfast by our camp hosts in the morning.

With Wyoming (and Jackson) on our minds, we left Ashton and headed down the road. It was one of the worst gravel roads we have hit yet with lots of loose sand and big stones to push and pull the trailers all around. We made it to Wyoming around noon and decided to head for Flagg Ranch, the most over-priced, over-populated campground between the Tetons and Yellowstone. We headed out and followed the road that took us right along the border of Yellowstone. It was a very scenic ride as we got plenty of glimpses of the snow covered Grand Tetons.

The next morning we woke up early so that we could beat a few of the RV's to the very heavily traveled highway. That didn't work out so well. We rode down to the Jackson Lake junction with 50-60 foot motor homes just inches away. It was quite an experience (That I never want to go through again).

We had decided to take a day to head down to Jenny Lake so that was could see the Tetons up close without having to deal with Jackson. Jenny Lake was filled with tourist and as we rode in, the sign read "Campground full". We rode in and immediately saw they had a hiker/biker campground that was almost empty, what a relief! So we put our stuff up and headed for a swim in the 90 degree heat. Cooled off, we headed back to cook some dinner and then Jen noticed something moving around in the woods. At first she thought it was a buffalo but as soon as it came out into the open, she knew what it was. A grizzly mother and cub strolled out of the woods about 100 feet from our campsite. We all froze and got up slowly to back away. They walked across an open stretch and then into another grove of trees before disappearing out of site. We were all relieved and immediately threw all our stuff into the bear bins, we didn't want any trouble that night!

As Nat got up to go brush his teeth, Doug and Jen asked if I would hold on for a second. They let me know that for reasons outside of their control, they would not be able to keep going. They planned to ride to Jackson in the morning and board a bus to take them back home. We were all stunned and saddened by the news and tried to think up solutions so they could continue. With no real solution, we made some brownies to headed to bed. In the morning, we got ready and wished them the best of luck and headed off. We wish Jen and Doug all the best and hope they can come back next year to ride the divide!

With the shocking news, Nat and I headed off with a big day ahead of us. We pulled into Turpin Meadows around lunch time and noticed a group of picnic tables in the shade. There were a few folks sitting around and we asked if we could sit with them. They said sure and we were able to rest and plan out the rest of the day. This was going to be one of our biggest climbs yet and we would have to conquer it with 25+ miles already on our legs. The goal was Togwotee Pass (elev 9610, divide crossing #8) and we had a good solid 20 miles of climbing to get there. We set out and began to pedal. It was around 5pm when we finally hit the top and with much relief, we took some pictures and started our descent. We flew back into the forest and past a few huge ranches and made it to the nights destination, Sheridan Creek. The big surprise came when we looked down at the odometer, 64.1 miles. We had broken our previous mileage and we had done one of the biggest climbs of the trip in the process! We were very relieved as we passed out under a star filled Wyoming sky.

Which brings us to yesterday morning. Nat and I awoke with a feeling of strength and rejuvenation (I still have no idea why). There had been some talk about doing a century (100 miles of riding) but not until later in the trip. We looked at the map and saw that to start the morning we would need to do an equally, if not harder climb up Union Pass (9200 feet) and divide crossing #9. We stopped at the bottom of the hill for a couple of S'more Pop Tarts (hint hint) and got ready to climb. The road was all gravel, compared to the paved Togwotee, and the grade was a good bit steeper.

As we reached the top of the first pitch, we met a couple of folks riding South-North on the divide. Jo and Lewis warned us that our climb was nowhere close to being over but that in a couple of days, we would be able to refuel and relax a little in Pinedale. It was about 75 miles from where we were talking. Nat and I looked at each other and the word "relaxing" struck a key in both of us. It was on! We were going to try and do 3 days worth of riding (according to our guide book) in 1 day. We grunted up the mountain and as we hit the summit at noon, we noticed smoke way in the distance. It looked like a prescribed burn (which we are used to at this point) so we didn't think much of it.

We started our slow descent and as we entered a large clearing, we noticed the smoke was starting to billow and turn white. Concern started to fill our minds but as we are not from around here, we figured it was something normal. Around 5 we came to the 50 mile mark and looked to our left and about 40 miles away, we knew this was the real thing. I have never seen a forest fire before and it was a sight that filled me with awe and terror. The smoke was billowing and looked like a bomb had gone off. We could now see flames hovering on a ridge in the far distance. The only problem was that our road was heading towards where the smoke was. We kept following it and luckily at about 20 miles from the fire, the road took a right and out of the trees. I cannot wait to get some pictures up so you guys can see what this looked like. It was just unbelievable.

As soon as we got out of range of the fire trucks and smoke, we realized that we were riding on pure adrenaline and that was needed some calories! We pulled into a little cafe and got a burger so that we could refuel before we attempted to get to Pinedale. We finished eating around 6:30 and headed onto a paved highway. It was busy with trucks and fire equipment heading in the other direction. We maintained an average of 15 mph as we hugged the white line of the double lane road. Before we knew it we had gone 20 miles and Pinedale was on the horizon. We pulled into town at 8:30 and I immediately went into a gas station and chugged a chocolate milk. It was such a great taste after 6+ liters of water. We pulled into the campground at dark and setup all the stuff. When Nat looked at his odometer, we were both surprised and amazed. 89.3 miles! We slapped each other five and then hit the hay!

So today (7/12) we are in Pinedale (notice it too is on fire) on a much deserved rest day. We miss Jen and Doug and hope that they found a way home. I just got another e-mail from my Uncle confirming he will meet us in Steamboat and maybe even have a place for us to shack up (yey!). I appreciate all the feedback you guys have been giving us and please keep Jen and Doug in your thoughts for safe travel as they head back to NH. Looks like Rawlins is just a few days away! We will see you again then!

Also a plea from me is for someone to send Nat a guide to birds in the Midwest/West. He has been asking me what kind of eagles and other birds of preys we are seeing and I have no idea. So if anyone has a guide or book on birds that they want to let Nat borrow, I would be grateful. Thanks!

So I lied...

2007-07-04T16:17:00.000-07:00

Well I am back blogging before I though. Its the 4th of July and we wanted to let everyone know that we are here safe in Lima after one of the toughest weeks so far. We pulled in around 1pm and found a motel (Mountain View Motel and RV Park) with a deal we couldn't turn down. They are all about helping out cyclist and hikers and when he heard we were without a computer, he handed us his laptop to use for the night. We were so thankful and glad we could get the good word to you guys.

Well we ended up heading to The Outdoorsman Sports Shop right after the library in Butte. We walked in expecting to see shotguns and fishing poles everywhere but we were instead greeted by a very friendly guy with a handshake. All around were bikes and tons of Tour De France memorabilia. Nat had snapped a piece on his derailleur and we were search of a small little part that I knew would be able to find. The man who was helping us instead tried to find a broken derailleur that I could steal a piece from. That didn't work either and finally I walked over to the glass case and was surprised to find some awesome prices on the parts. Rob finally introduced himself and I made a comment about all the Levi Leipheimer jerseys and personalized signatures on all the walls. "He is my brother", says Rob. I was blown away. Levi is one of the best cyclist in the world and has a GREAT chance at winning the Tour De France this year and here I am talking parts with his brother. Rob then let me tune up my bike with the shop tools and even repair my pedals with some spare parts. It was definitely an experience I will never forget!
It didn't take long to get back on the trail with a smile after that. We left around 3:30pm and made it to camp around 9 after a tough day. We headed out of Butte and didn't stop climbing for until the end of the day. On the short downhill before the campsite, we did get a glimpse at tomorrows goal, Mount Fleecer. It is a 9,000+ foot peak with some big up and downhills. It was nice to pull into Beaver Dam Campground for the night though and grab some sleep.

The next day we knew we were in for quite a challenge. The map warned of a pedalling/pushing uphill for .5 miles up so we figured it couldn't be that bad. That was until we got to the bottom of the hill (above).
It took us a good half hour to get to the top and once we got there, it only got worse. We grabbed some lunch and enjoyed the view and chatted for a bit. Then it was time to come down. Words cannot really describe how steep and rocky the downhill is but hopefully the above picture does it some justice.
Anyway, that was probably the toughest hill on us yet and we made it through. Right after Fleecer, we hit desert-like sage and plains that seem to go on forever. We here that the Tetons will change that, I guess we will have to just wait and see.

One more short thing I wanted to tell you guys about is our experience at Bannack State Park. We haven't been to a ghost town yet and this was our first one. It was quite a cool experience and something you don't see much back East. Nat and I headed down to check it out and read the stories of Montana's first gold strike. It was a little eerie walking around and reading about how they hung the sheriff for being one of the biggest villains in the town.

That's it from sunny and beautiful Montana for now. We are looking forward to my uncle joining us in Steamboat Springs in a couple of weeks and riding through the plains of Wyoming. I will leave you with a couple of pictures of our campsite right near the Medicine-Lodge mountain where we stayed last night. When we turned onto the road, the map warned of remote wilderness next 47 miles, they weren't joking. We saw maybe 10 ranches in a 47 miles span of secondary roads. It was amazing with lots of wildlife. Golden eagles and pronghorns were all over. It was very cool to see.
Well until next time, I wish you guys the best and I guess we will update whenever we can! Keep up with the awesome comments, they really are fun to read and its great to see you guys are following along with us!

-The Crew

Kicking Butte!

2007-06-30T09:36:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: WE WILL NOT BE GOING TO JACKSON HOLE, WY! PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANYTHING THERE AS WE WILL NOT GET IT!

Hey everyone out there in internet land, we made it to Butte, Montana last night after our longest ride yet (51 miles!). We met up with a cyclist two nights ago that is heading to Banff going South to North along the same trek. He told us that the ride we did yesterday was by far the most technical section he had come across yet. That made us feel relieved as we didn't get too beat up and the bikes are still in one piece. It was definetley the hardest morning yet with lots of hikabiking around boulders and scree that littered extreme up and downhills. We also crossed the Divide again yesterday (Thats 4 in the US and 1 in Canada so far) before our cruise into Butte.

And speaking of, I am not sure when we will be able to post again. The next library seems to be in Rawlins, Wyoming which is about 200 miles from where we are now. We made the decision not to go to Jackson Hole, Wyoming so please do not send anything there. Instead we are going to travel into the Tetons and Yellowstone a little more and save a little more money.

We really appreciate all the comments from everyone and please continue to do so! Its awesome to feel the love from all the way back East. Hope everyone is doing well and we will look forward to posting again once we cross the Great Basin!

-The Crew

A Big Yaak Thank You!

2007-06-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post a very special thank you to John & Mary Loney for allowing Jen & I to stay at their cabin while Jen was recovering (at least to a point). We greatly appreciate the hospitality and generosity that they extended to us. They welcomed us into there cabin and community, as well as pick us up from the bus stop, having never met us before. We also would like to thank Ron & Jane Kelly (neighbors of John & Mary), who invited us into their home for dinner and proceeded to give us a ride to Whitefish, MT to meet up with our friends, 3 hours away. So what was a tragedy in the beginning, turned into a chance at meeting new friends in a place we had never heard of or seen on a map, Yaak, MT. We will be sure to pass along the same generosity to others. Thank You, John, Mary, Ron & Jane!!!!!!!

She's back!!!

2007-06-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to update everyone on the going on's since Whitefish. As Stacia put in the comments, Jen and Doug rejoined us on the morning on the 19th at Glacier Cyclery in Whitefish!! Jen is just an extraordinary person for wanting to head out again, let alone 11 days after she crashed!!! She is doing great and has succeeded in climbing 3 divide crossings in the past week!! That is well over 20 miles of climbing and rough gravel roads. We are very excited to have her and Doug back!

This evening we pulled into Helena. We haven't had a day since Whitefish that hasn't been beautiful (Thanks everyone for praying for sun!) and we have made a good amount of progress. We stay at Lincoln a couple of nights again but didn't get a chance to find where Ted Kaczynski's cabin was, but we did see a few that sure looked like the pictures in our minds. And the past two days we have conquered 3 divide crossings, all with at least 3 miles of climbing!!

Well tonight we will rest up before heading to Butte in the next couple of days. We only have about 150 miles or so before we hit Idaho and we are all excited to see what's next. We want to thank everyone for their support and love as it is what fuels us when the map reads "virtual wall". If you feel the need to send something, we are going through Snickers at an alarming rate but just a postcard or card of well wishes and encouragement are more then enough (Plus the trailers already weigh in the ballpark of 50-60lbs so paper and candy work well :)

-The Crew (together again!!!)

An unexpected adventure

2007-06-18T17:57:00.000-07:00

Just arrived here in Whitefish at about 6pm local time and wanted to give everyone a quick update. Well definetley a very interesting update from us .

Jen and Doug dropped us off in Eureka on Saturday and immediately it started raining. It didn't stop until this morning but we had some adventures along the way. We comtemplated spending the night just outside of Eureka at a campground since it was pouring and we didn't think it would be smart to continue. We waited it out for about an hour and it slowed up to the point that we could continue. The sun came out breifly as we crossed the Whitefish Divide at about 5300'. From there we descended down to Tuchuck Campground, around a 34 mile day. The next morning we awoke to a deluge and sat in the Origami until about 12. We emerged to pump some water out of the creek behind us and as we got back, an ATV pulled up. The gentleman said we looked like "two frozen birds" (it was 48 degrees out and pouring) and asked us if we would like to come back to his place to warm up. We decided that would be a good idea since everything from socks to sleeping bags were drenched and we were quite cold. We rode about 10 miles down the road to his cabin and were able to sit by the fire for a bit. He made us coffee and grilled cheese and said that the place that we were planning on staying the night, Red Meadow Lake, has fresh snowfall from the previous night. He told us of a little spot called Polebridge that was about 6 miles off our route and about 17 miles down the road. He said they had an inexpensive hostel that would be more then willing to take us in and let our stuff dry for the night. We figured this would be a good idea as our stuff would not dry in the snow!

Polebridge turned out to be one of the coolest places on the trip so far. They have the hostel as well as a saloon and mechantile (country store). We pulled up to the hostel and walked in soaking wet. We were met by Oliver, the excellent manager, and Jodi. We asked if they had a spot for us and they told us we could have the upstairs to ourseleves to let stuff dry out. Oliver also mentioned a homemade hot tub out front that he had just fired up. We hosed off all our gear and quickly jumped into the tub for about a half hour or so. It was great to finally feel warm again. Then we got our things laid out and walked down to the merchantile to get some spaghetti sauce for dinner. As soon as we walked in the smell of fresh bread and cookies met us full on. It turns out they have a full bakery with some of the best cookies I have ever tasted. They also made sandwiches which we picked up this morning (also amazing). We went back to the hostel to start making dinner and as soon as we walked in the kitchen, Jodi offered us some hot cocoa and Baileys to warm us up. Man we must have looked cold!! Jodi is working up in Glacier and living in the hostel so she had some fun stories to tell and about how amazing the park is. We made dinner and then decided we should hit up the saloon. It is a one room log cabin with 4 taps of nice cold beer. We grabbed a seat and ordered up a Mason jar full of beer. After about an hour some folks from Indiana came over to chat with us. Turns out they were staying at the hostel as well and we quickly made friends with them. We went outside to enjoy a breath of fresh air and when we returned, there were musical instruments everywhere. Someone was playing piano while a few acoustic guitarist strummed along and there was even a hand drummer keeping beat. They jammed out for a little bit and then the drummer turned to Nat and said "I heard you play, would you mind?". Well for those that don't know Nat, he played in a band for a couple of years as the hand drummer and has been talking about how he wished he could have brought a drum along. He jumped at the chance to play and played 3-4 songs with the rest of the musicians there and then handed the drum back with a smile.

In case there is any question, we would recommend Polebridge to anyone riding the trail or even passing through Montana in a heartbeat!!!

It was definetley an experience that neither of us will forget and I hope to have pictures up soon of our little adventure! I am not sure the next time I will be able to write will be but pray for some more nice weather for us as we leave Whitefish and head south!

Back in the US, Back is in the US, Back in the...

2007-06-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Thanks for all the support we have been getting from Jen. Nat and I rode into Eureka, MT yesterday and to our surprise, Jen and Doug were there waiting for us! Seth's in laws, Mary and John have been very courteous and have put them up in Yaak, MT for a while well Jen heals! Huge thank you to the Loney's and to Seth!
The riding has been good. I got out and went mountain biking in Fernie a little. It was pretty cool stuff with lots of climbing. It seems like everyone there had really nice bikes and was definitely a mountain bike mecca in BC! We will have to return some day to explore around!

Two nights ago, Nat and I extended our ride a little longer so that we could have a shorter ride into the USA (in case we got stopped at customs). Well we ended up missing a turn for the campground and we found a beautiful beach to stay on! It was on the banks of Lake Koocanusa and was absolutely beautiful. Although the mountains seem to be getting a little smaller, the scenery is remaining spectacular!! Here is a picture of the campsite, and a little rain storm that rolled in around 10:30pm (notice how light it still is)

Well I think that is it for now. We are going to spend another night with Jen and Doug and then its on to Whitefish for our next adventure. Hopefully we will have some pictures of Glacier National Park when we get there!

On our way!

2007-06-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

Definitely tough to hear the news about Jen. It took us completely by surprise as we were hoping she would check out fine and be rejoining us soon. Well Nat and I are trying to make the best of it and continuing on. We really hope to see Jen and Doug again in the near future.

Nat and I have made it to Sparwood, British Columbia and will leave later today for Fernie, BC. We are still a couple of days out from getting to the US but we hope that we will be there by Thursday. The weather has been less then stellar with a lot of rain and cold weather but we are pushing on and making some great time.

Yesterday we traveled from Elkford, BC to Sparwood. It was about a 45 mile journey with a few ups and downs. It was a pretty nice day and didn't rain too much. We got a great burger at the beginning of the day at Daybreak Cafe in Elkford and made for some good energy to push through. In Sparwood we got a real treat. We got to see the "World's Largest Truck"!! It was a site to behold! (Notice Nat trying to climb one of the tires!)

Two days ago, Nat and I made the first divide crossing going from Alberta to British Columbia on Elks Pass. It was a nasty climb but the downhill after made it well worth it. It was quite a contrast going from Alberta to BC as it seemed that logging and mining are quite popular in BC. Still quite beautiful though.

Our grizzly count is up to 3 so far (no close encounters) and moose is sitting tight at 2. We hope to see some more wildlife when we get down to Montana!

I think that is it for now. Thanks for checking in on us and please continue to do so!

-Keith and Nat

A TOUGH BREAK

2007-06-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

Well 50 miles in to our trip on a loose stone backroad and Jen took a tumble. Unfortunately she ended up sustaining a concussion and a broken collar bone. We were able to flag down a Bremmer Construction truck to transport myself and jen to the hospital in nearby Canmore. A very special thank you to the three guys in the truck. Jen is doing fine, except for being extremely upset and disappointed. Our plan is to go to Whitefish, Montana via a Greyhound bus, which will take 2 days. At that point John and Mary, Seth Moores in-laws will allow us to stay at their place as long as we need to. Seth is a friend and coworker from EMS. Again a very special ''thank you'' to Seth and John and Mary, who absolutely sound delightful on the phone and very accomodating. Thank you to Matt, another EMS employee, for your efforts as well as my cousin Ryan who also offered accomodations. Thank you to everyone for their support, Jen and hope to rejoin Nat and Keith in Jackson, WY around July 4. Keep your fingers crossed and keep us in your thoughts for Jen to have a quick recovery. We are both equally anxious to get back out there.

Keith and Nat keep on ridin and take lots of pics!!

Doug

We made it!

2007-06-06T07:21:00.000-07:00

Well it was a hectic day yesterday but we made it into Banff around 5pm local time and I have to say, it is one of the most beautiful places on earth! We are surrounded by mountains and even though it hasn't stopped raining yet, it will!
Here is us standing near just one of the many picturesque peaks around us (all snow covered but temps here in town are very mild). I believe it is called Tunnel Mountain but there are so many that I have no idea.

We have already met a few interesting folks who have been very helpful in helping us get around. Today we are going to assemble the bikes and get supplies in town for our departure tomorrow. It looks like it will be a beautiful day for starting out with highs around 17 (hah its Celsius so it should be pretty nice)!

The hostel we stayed at last night was nice but they messed us the booking of our room last night so we ventured around yesterday trying to find something else. We found an awesome little lodge with a suite that fit our price range. That means we will have a kitchen, fireplace, hot tub and a couple of rooms at our disposal before we start the 60+ days of camping! Should be nice and relaxing.

I think that is it for now. Everyone else is still sleeping (8:30a local time) but just wanted to let everyone back home know that we are safe and we are anxious to start tomorrow! Thanks for all the support guys and we will see you in the Fall!

More help from my friends.

2007-05-29T16:17:00.000-07:00

As we reach the one-week-to departure date, the support has continued to come in!

Rebecca at Eastern Mountain Sports has continued to go way beyond the call of duty and provide us with lots of essentials and some treats for our trip. She has helped us get in contact with the right people that have been just as psyched about the trip as we are. We cannot thank her enough for all the help she has provided us!

Recently, while riding up at the Kingdom Trails in Vermont, I tried a new electrolyte replacement tablet that I really liked. Its a new product called Nuun (pronounced noon) and I felt it really helped prevent me from cramping up on a 6+ hour ride. I raced up every hill we encountered (I cannot say Nuun directly helped with that) and felt no cramping or fatigue (Nuun definitely had a hand in that!). So far I have tried the Lemon Lime and Tri-Berry flavors and have enjoyed them both. All I do is fill up my bottle with water, pop one in and BAM its all mixed and ready to drink in a couple of minutes. I have a few friends that use it hiking and enjoy the sensation of not being sore when they get back to the car. The best part is, there is no sugar so you don't get that bell curve rush of energy and it doesn't pollute your Camelbak. Thank to Jack and Tim at Nuun for helping us on our quest to stay hydrated on the 2700 mile journey!

I also want to thank all my friends and family that have come in with stories and wishes of luck. My friends at Eastern Mountain Sports that have been so understanding when I take a long weekend to ride or when I show up to work in my spandex. The support has been awesome and now the time is getting near to journey into the wilderness!

Getting Ready!

2007-05-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

Well its been a couple of days since the last post and wanted to keep everyone updated with what is going on. All the things that I have been ordering have been starting to trickle in (hope it all gets here by the 4th!) and one piece that we were all really excited about was the Sierra Designs Origami 4. It is a four person shelter that is fully waterproof and seemed like the perfect solution for when the weather isn't cooperating. Here is a picture of it all set up!

Its about 6 feet tall in the center and will allow us to play cards, fix bikes, and cook food while avoiding the elements!

Also is pictured is Nat and his bike. It will be getting a total makeover this week as well as a 3+ foot extension known as "BOB". He also just got clipless pedals so lets hope he can learn how to use them quick!

Well the tickets have been purchased, the hostel is booked, dehydrated chickenish bits are waiting to be packed into smaller bags, and we have been riding as much as we can. Hopefully we are ready!

A little about the trip

2007-05-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

Since I haven't posted many details about the trip yet, I figure now would be a good time. This summer Doug W, Jen W, Nat M, and myself will be riding the Continental Divide by mountain bike with trailers. We don't follow the same trail the hikers do but we never stray more then 50 miles from it. Here is a photo showing the path we will follow:

Our trip will begin on June 5th when we fly out of Manchester airport in NH and land in Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We will shuttle to Banff with our bikes and trailers and spend a couple of days there before heading off. The trail is approximately 2,700 miles and around 200,000 feet of climbing. Here is a picture of what our bikes will look like with the trailers.

We are planning on spending most of the summer out there and returning sometime in August. We will be passing through some of the most spectacular sites the country has to offer and guaranteed we will be taking lots of photos. I will be updating the blog every chance I get so please feel free to check back often!!!

Huge thanks

2007-05-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Well we are mostly paying for the trip by ourselves, we have had some very generous people donate some gear to us and wanted to give them thanks.

One of our biggest sponsors so far has been Eastern Mountain Sports. They have worked with us for the past couple of months and we wanted to give them a huge shout out. The gear they got for us will help us as we meander down the Divide. Huge thank you to Rebecca and the rest of the camping team for making that happen. They went way above the call of duty and came to us with everything from food to stoves to sleeping bags!!! Two things we are looking forward to using are the Jetboil PCS and the Katadyn Vario waterfilter. We also wanted to thank Emma, Margaret, Dan and Sandra for getting us some of the latest and greatest in waterproof, breathable garments.

Some other folks that have helped us to get ready for the trip have been Colin at Mion and Mike with Katadyn and Bridgedale. These guys have worked hard to get us some more goodies to take on the trip.

If you are interested in sponsoring us or just want to leave us note, please feel free to do so. The days are really ticking by fast now and the four of us are getting excited for our June 5th departure date!

2007-05-06T00:54:00.001-07:00

Just getting my place holder up for what will be quite an adventure this summer!