2000 miles

Another milestone. You may notice that I'm wearing full-fingered gloves and that the sky looks pretty angry. This was right after I went over Hoosier Pass. The weather in Breckenridge on the north side of the pass was 70 degrees and sunny (perfect people-watching), and as soon as I came over it turned nasty. This thunderstorm was moving south at almost exactly the rate I was...just my luck. I did turn in to a coffee shop when it began to sleet. Well, it was the only time I needed my neoprene booties to keep my feet warm. They went home today, as a matter of fact! It blows my mind that as I write this I'm in Ordway where the air is so hot and dry it makes my lungs heave.

Cartman's world

One of the many rewarding parts of this trip is that I get to see the area in which a well-known cartoon is set. Actually, South Park is not a town in Colorado. Rather, it's an area. There are North and Middle Parks, too.

Day 42: 50 miles, Jun 29

It was hard to wake up this morning. I think that massage softened me up a bit! Well, I finally got going around noon -- I had to go to the post office and grocery store -- and did the 50 miles to Ordway. About a week ago a westbounder gave me the contact info for a friendly woman who opens her house to cyclists here in Ordway. Wonderful -- another bed tonight!

Today's ride was surreal after the Rockies. I rode 50 miles but descended only 300 feet! Wow. I plan to attempt some big days through the Plains. I can't believe the mountains are behind me!

Day 41: Rest day

Oh, rest day, how I love thee! If Noah got to rest after 40 days, then I figure I can, too. I got a massage today (scheduled in advance) and had the pedals and headset on the bike regreased.

Oh, and I watched some Law and Order at the Traveler's Motel.

The picture is of the Arkansas River in downtown Pueblo. The concrete retaining wall is covered with murals and I watched some people go tubing. Neat town!

Day 40: 82 miles, Jun 27

Another fantastic day. I spent the majority of it descending from Currant Creek (about 9000 feet) to my destination in Pueblo (4500 feet).

I also met perhaps the most remarkable person on the trip so far: Gracie Sorbello. She is a recent graduate from Duke, I believe, in piano and is currently attempting to be the first woman to cross the country on a unicycle. Yes. That's correct, a UNICYCLE! I'll never brag about my abilities again. Ever. :-) If she makes it (I'm sure she will), I will be able to say I've met someone in the Guiness Book of World Records! Go Gracie, go! Check out her blog and cause at http://onewheelforlife.blogspot.com

At the end of the day I went off route onto a bicycle path from the Pueblo reservoir into downtown Pueblo. Pueblo's the largest city on the route at about 100,000, and is a joy to ride around in. I still love urban riding ever since my messenger days in Manhattan. This city has a wonderful historic area with lots of cool shops and restaurants. The picture is of the bike path into town.

Day 39: The ascent to Hoosier

The road up the mountain had about six or seven switchbacks. It reminded me of the "W" Road at the foot of Signal Mountain in Tennessee. Except, of course, this road is at an elevation about 8 times as high!

Day 39: Hoosier Pass

The highest point on the Trail. Hoosier daddy, now, huh?!

Day 39: 63 miles, Jun 26

A wonderful day! I went over Hoosier Pass, the highest point of the TransAm Trail and rode (downhill!) to the Currant Creek Hostel. There, to my great delight, was the Adventure Cycling TransAm tour. I had been anticipating seeing them for a while since I knew they had departed May 7 and were westbound, but it was a stroke of luck that I ended up camping in the same location. I got to talk to all 12 of them at length about the route ahead and especially enjoyed picking the brain of their leader, Alvin. He's from Baton Rouge and exudes that confident friendliness that is the mark of a great tour leader. I could tell the group liked and trusted him. After asking him about 3000 questions, I finally retired to my tent, but I was so excited about the day I don't think I fell asleep until 2 am. This pic is of Lincoln Avenue and the slopes in Breckenridge.

Day 38: 59 miles, Jun 25

Welcome to ski country! I've never gone skiing in my life, but Breckenridge is certainly a beautiful place. Well-groomed, kind of like Disneyworld, actually. On the way to the Fireside Inn I met Mike, a mountain biker doing the Continental Divide route southbound. Heavy stuff -- it's 90 percent off road! Good luck to you, Mike. It rained on me for the first time since Missoula today, so the picture is a little dim.

Day 37: Colorado River

Drake and Alta, this is the view from the spot where we talked on the phone.

Day 37: 79 miles, Jun 24

Very excellent riding today, except for the last 24 miles which were into the wind. I ended at Kremmling, CO. This picture is a typical view from the countryside that day; lots of open views and rocks.

Day 37: 79 miles, Jun 24

Very excellent riding today, except for the last 24 miles which were into the wind. I ended at Kremmling, CO. This picture is a typical view from the countryside that day; lots of open views and rocks.

Day 36: 68 miles, Jun 23

I crossed into my fifth state today! This picture is, ostenstibly, the welcome sign to Colorado. I guess it's a little windy around here.... I stayed at the city park in Walden, CO, where I met, finally, several other cyclists! They were all headed diffrent directions, but it was good to share stories with other crazies.

Day 35: 47 miles, Jun 22

Today was a good day. Before I left the motel, I adjusted my saddle a tad. Voila! No more butt pain! I camped at Saratoga Lake and was dismayed to discover there was no water there. Well, OK, there was a lake, but nothing potable. So, I asked a group of picnickers for some, and they obliged. Actually, they gave me water, beer, elk steak, and two slices of carrot cake. They were professors at the University of Wyoming and nurses and were there to celebrate a birthday. Once they discovered I was a singer, well, it was pretty much decided that I was going to sing for them, and I caved in with a rendition of "Come Paride vezzoso." Good times. Later on, one of the ladies in the group, Charlotte, took over as my surrogate mother and actually called my mom right there! "I bet your mother worries about you. What's her number? Hello, Ann? This is Charlotte. I'm with your son." Of course, the first thing that went through Mom's head was probably, "He dismembered by the side of the road." Well, we had a good chat, and I went to bed with a full stomach!

Day 34: 69 miles, Jun 21

Happy summer solstice! More dry riding today, and, just like yesterday, the formidable Wyoming wind was in my favor. The photo is of Split Rock, a landmark for those who travelled west on the Oregon Trail years ago. This was also part of the Pony Express route! From the reading I've done, it sounds like the Pony Express was as fast as I am. :-) I ended the ride in Rawlins and hoped to find Kristen and Michael here, but I suppose they continued farther on. Sorry I couldn't keep up, you two! Best of luck to you -- I enjoyed your company very much.

Day 33: 59 miles, Jun 20

Kristen and Michael seem not to have suffered last night. I am unable to fathom it, but they actually adhered to their regular schedule of beginning the day's ride at about 6:45 am. No, I am not kidding. I don't know how they do it. I think the only thing I have ever done at 6:45 is catch a plane. Anyway, I didn't get up until 8 and piddled around town until about 2:30, not wanting to go too far today (ended the day in Jeffrey City). I knew I could get away with this because the winds were at least 30 mph and at my back. I pedaled the last 19 miles in 51 minutes!!! The time in town me some time to do a maintenance check on the bike and patch some old tubes, which I haven't needed since replacing the tires in West Yellowstone, thank God! I also had Mexican before I left (why DO I love Mexican food so much?). This picture is of the barren non-Yellowstone Wyoming landscape. I guess I had always imagined WY as green and mountainous. Actually, it's nearly a desert. In fact, I saw cacti near the road.

Day 32: 80 miles, Jun 19

Kristen, Michael, and I rode from yesterday's spot near DuNoir Creek Road to the city of Lander, WY today. The city has a very nice ballpark with an adjacent park for recreation. I make that distinction because we didn't realize there was a specific area for camping until 2 am when the sprinkler system went off! Let me tell you -- there is no way to sleep when your tent is being pummeled by a water jet at regular intervals. It's torture. I'll be more careful about this in the future. If there's one thing I've discovered is crucial to this endeavor, it's adequate sleep! At least we had some beers at the local microbrewery. I sampled the India Pale Ale, which was tasty.

Day 31

This is the Teton Range, a little closer, as viewed from Yellowstone. I was wearing the fluorescent orange vest that day because, although no commercial trucks are allowed into the park, RV's the size of buses are.

Day 31: 88 miles, Jun 18

I rode some big miles today since I wanted to keep up with this cool couple from Honolulu, Kristen and Michael. They're going faster than I am -- trying to finish by the end of July. It was very good to have cycling people to talk to again! Thanks guys! We met at Lewis Lake this morning when Michael asked to borrow a tool I never thought I'd need to use but brought anyway, the hypercracker. It allows you to replace a spoke on the rear wheel, one of which, unfortunately, he had broken. I was glad to help out and learn in the process -- I've never replaced a spoke before! That's the Teton Range and Jackson Lake behind them -- one of those views that just doesn't look real.

Day 30

The obligatory Old Faithful shot. It went off at exactly the predicted time, 3:44 pm.

Day 30

Yet another interesting geyser by-product, a bubbling pool of molten clay.

Day 30

This was a pool of heat-loving bacteria growing near a geyser.

Day 30: 64 miles, Jun 17

I rode from West Yellowstone, MT, to Lewis Lake campground in the Yellowstone National Park. I'll risk sounding like a cliche and say that the following pictures really don't capture the grandeur of this place. Only one disappointment; I didn't see any grizzly bears!

Day 29: 73 miles, Jun 16

I don't have any pictures from this day since I was in a hurry. I had to make it to the town of West Yellowstone, MT before the post office closed. You see, I was just about out of tea, and there was a shipment waiting for me there! I now am fully stocked with an excellent Earl Grey, a black from Yunnan Province, China, and a Japanese Sencha (green). Yum.

Day 28: Virginia City Opera House

Day 28: "Make yerself a dang kay-suh-dilla!"

I know it's not Idaho, but the border was just a few miles away. This reminded me of Napoleon's house from the movie Napoleon Dynamite.

Day 28: Nevada City

En route to Ennis the Trail passes through two deserted mining towns that have been restored, Virginia City and Nevada City. I felt like I was on the set to an old Western movie. In fact, I was!

Day 28: 72 miles, Jun 15

Fully recovered today. It was great to be back on the bike and feel good, too! For those of you who were so clever as to make Brokeback Mountain references to the skinny-dipping at Weir Creek Hot Springs, you'll be delighted to know I stayed in the town of Ennis, MT. I didn't bother making jokes about it with the natives -- I didn't figure they'd find it very funny. In fact, I'd venture to guess that most people in rural Montana never saw the film.

Day 27: 0 miles, Jun 14

Well, OK. So the Mexican food wasn't the best idea. Actually, I'm not convinced that meal was the culprit, since the ole digestive tract was having trouble beforehand. In any case, I decided to play it safe and take a day off. I will confess I watched entirely too much TV. I just don't possess the self-discipline not to watch! That's why I don't own one....

Day 26: 49 miles, Jun 13

Wasn't feeling too well today -- stomach bug? This, plus a steady 30 mph headwind rendered my slowest day yet. I averaged 8.7 mph. Got a room in Dillon, MT and had some of the best Mexican food I've ever had from a little shack near the motel. Yeah, I know it probably wasn't the best idea for my tummy, but the receptionist at the motel recommended it, and, wow, was it good!

Day 25: 58 miles, Jun 12

I believe this picture is from this day -- they're all sort of running together at this point. No, I didn't try to corral the herd myself. I left that to the two cowboys and cowgirl. I guess the only way to get the herd from one pasture to the next was to use this highway! Stayed in Jackson, MT, where I soaked in the hot springs for a while. The town is only 34 people, but I'm sure no one has a water heater; the entire water supply comes from the hill nearby which produces a foul-tasting, 132 degree water. Even the cold water taps run luke warm in this town!

Day 24: 59 miles, Jun 11

Cruising through the small town of Stevensville, I found this small theatre. I once did that show! I also met Tony Hemmelgard (sp?), who teaches at UT in Knoxville, and his family, including their son Oliver. This little guy is only the fourth Oliver I've ever met. I camped with Tony, who is cycling with the RV support of his family, at Sala. Sorry I missed you the next day -- where did you go? Thank you very much for the food and beer. I hope all is well with you and your knees.

Day 23: 31 miles, Jun 10

I only wanted to post for this day since I HAD THREE FLAT TIRES IN ONE DAY!!!!!

Day 22: 0 miles, Jun 9

In celebration of reaching nearly the one-quarter mark, I decided to take a rest day and catch up on, you guessed it, Law and Order. (I also did other essential things like laundry and grocery shopping.)

Day 21: 43 miles, Jun 8

On the way into Missoula, I was behind these gentlemen for most of the way. I eventually caught them as they were stopping for lunch. They're mostly from the Akron, OH area, and many of them had been to see shows at Ohio Light Opera where I worked for four seasons! This shot was taken at Adventure Cycling, and the yellow jerseys are imprinted with the name of their group: ROMEO ("Retired Old Men Eating Out). The youngest is 54 and the oldest is 86! They're riding the Lewis and Clark Trail, another ACA route, and have been piecing it together since 2003. One of their wives drives the support RV and stops at 15 mile intervals. They invited me in for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and I must say I enjoyed the break immensely! I sincerely hope I have such great friends when I'm 80!

Another big moment: Jun 8

If you look carefully at my cyclometer, you'll see I rolled over my 1000th mile today! This was just minutes from Adventure Cycling headquarters in Missoula, MT. They're the great people who make the maps and lead the tours.

Day 20: 41 miles, Jun 7

Despite some pretty tight muscles after yesterday's big ride, I managed to make it over Lolo Pass, which got steep for about four miles. I will confess that I had to go slowly today; there's no way I could sustain the kind of mileage that Jake and Jaime are doing, even if I wanted to! I think my motto will be from now on: "Smiles, not miles!" I enjoy the leisurely mornings and long lunches! It was great to hang with some fun guys for a few days, however.

Looking backwards

Since there was no "Welcome to Idaho" sign when I left Oregon, I thought I'd get a shot of this one.

My second state line and first time zone!

Just before Missoula

Lolo, Dodo, Jou-jou,
Clo-clo, Margot, Frou-frou!
Sie lassen mich vergessen
Das teurer Vaterland!

Lounging around at Lochsa Lodge

So, I had to go slowly today after the big day yesterday, and was very much inspired by this mother cat and kitten. You can't see his face too well since he's having lunch, but the kitten looks like Yoda.

Weir Creek Hot Springs

Fun times...that's Jake on the left and Jaime on the right. Go ahead, Photoshop it all you want; there's nothing to see here, folks.

Day 19: 94 miles, Jun 6

No, that's not a mistake. This was my biggest day of riding ever, I think, though I never did know just how many miles I used to ride as a Manhattan messenger. In any case, I did OK. I actually rode with Jake for most of the ride -- we averaged nearly 16 mph. The scenery was beautiful -- Jaime and I both thought it was beginning to look more like what we imagine Yellowstone to be like. Lots of mountains and evergreen trees. This is a sandy river shore where I rinsed off the day's sweat and where we met some paddlers from Ontario who suggested we camp at the Weir Creek hot springs.

Day 18: 52 miles, Jun 5

Camped in Grangeville, ID with Jake and Jaime, two guys I met as I was leaving White Bird. It was nice to have cycling companionship for the first time since the coast. They're going all the way across using parts of the TransAm route and doing big days. They're trying to average 85 miles daily, which puts them out of my range of comfort, but I had such a good time with their company that I decided try to hang with them the next day. They're both from upstate NY and know Rochester well. Alas, I never had a bike when I was in school up there, and so I missed riding the Finger Lakes region. Jake is 18 and a Category 4 racer. Strong rider. Jaime is 20 and in ceramics school in Alfred. He's also in the 46'er club which means he's summited all 46 mountains over 4000 feet in the Adirondacks. Mostly in the winter, too! The picture is of dusk in Grangeville, where we camped at the softball field.

View back to White Bird, ID

The good folks at the White Bird Cafe, Joaquin and Nicole, insisted that this view would be the most beautiful of the entire trip. It certainly was the longest climb of the trip so far -- made different by the fact that there are no trees to block your view. You can always see how much farther, how many more switchbacks, and how steep it is out here in Idaho! Joaquin and Nicole and I talked about logging and singing technique while I finished my chocolate shake. Joaquin is a local band leader of some fame, and has a powerful baritone voice. He got into logging instead of music for his career, however. It was very good to hear about environmental issues from a logger's point of view. Contrary to what many Eastern city dwellers believe, the logging industry does, by and large, take care of the resource. It is, after all, their livelihood!

Somewhere in NW Idaho

This was literally in the middle of nowhere. I asked for Pat and Vanna, but they weren't around.

Day 17: 64 miles, Jun 4

Rolled into Riggins, ID today, a total river bum town! It reminds me a lot of Nantahala in the Smoky Mountains. The town exists now almost solely to run rafting trips on the Salmon River. Here's a photo of the sunset from my campsite. The mountains here are almost bare -- very strange for someone from the tree-lined paths of the East.

Cambridge, ID

This is Shirley and Mildred. Shirley is an important member of the group who has, for the past seven years, converted an old railroad into a bicycle trail. It's called the Weiser River Trail, and it's pronounced "weezer." These ladies accompanied me to the Hells Canyon Days barbecue dinner, which was all you could eat for $5 -- essentially a cyclist's dream. We had a lovely time, and I learned a lot about local values: I mentioned Darwin at one point in the conversation, and Shirley cautioned me, half jokingly, against saying his name too loud. And I always imagined the Bible Belt as the bastion of conservatism!

Day 16: 53 miles, Jun 3

Came into the tiny town of Cambridge, ID around lunch to find it very busy! I stopped at a city park whereupon a family took pity on me and gave me a fried chicken and potato salad lunch. Thanks! The bustle about town was the annual Hells Canyon Days (no, there is no apostrophe in "hells" -- I checked), which is a car show and bull riding. This is an old Chevelle. Notice the license plate: "Famous potatoes." What does it mean!?

Day 15: 42 miles, Jun 2

It rained a bit today. Camped at a decent campground run by Idaho Power -- there is a big hydroelectric dam nearby.

Day 14: 45 miles, Jun 1

This was a great, sunny day. Stopped at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center (up a VERY steep hill) and learned about the mass migration via wagons in the 1800's. I took this shot from the outhouse where I camped in Richland. Some view, huh?! In the morning, I was awakened by Fred Riggs, the caretaker of the park where I set up, and had a very friendly conversation about local history and culture. He's 80 years old, and remembers well the inaugural TransAmerica Trail ride in 1976.

Near Baker City, OR

I passed a junkyard field of old farm machinery and noticed something unusual. Is this from the set of Oklahoma? Sweeney Todd? Click on the picture, and read what the elixir cures. Yikes!

Day 13: May 31, 23 miles

As I said, I intended for this to be an easy day so I could have time to relax in Baker City and get groceries and supplies. As luck would have it, I pull up to the Baker City Cafe for lunch and two gentlemen begin asking me questions about my ride. One is from Memphis originally and did a bike ride across TN. He even has a cousin who went to MTSU. The sky may be big out here, but it really is a small world sometimes! I'm very grateful to these two for sharing lunch with me and picking up the tab. Thank you guys!

Phillips Lake

Anybody know what kind of flower this is? They're all over this area.

View from campsite at Phillips Lake

Seventh Day Adventist Church in John Day, OR

Day 12: May 30, 70 miles

I did a big day today so that I would have an easy day into Baker City tomorrow (wanted to make sure I didn't miss any Law and Order Wednesday afternoon!). Seriously, it wasn't too hard with views like this all day. This is looking westward from Dixie Pass on Hwy 26 on my way to the campground at Phillips Lake. This area was settled by Southern sympathizers during the Civil War/Gold Rush area. Hence the name Dixie Pass and the curiously spelled nearby town of Sumpter.

Day 11: May 29, 66 miles

My dreams came true! This was an absolutely beautiful day. After saying "good-bye" to Henry, I rode through the John Day river gorge, nearly 25 miles downhill, to lunch at a beautiful ranger station across from Sheep Rock (photo). The John Day Fossil Beds and Picture Gorge National Monuments are like nothing I've ever seen. About 50 million years ago, this area was a tropical rainforest. Now the area is quite arid and rich with eroding fossil deposits which color the cliffsides like a painting. They say there's green in them thar hills, but I'm not sure my color-blind eyes detected it....

Holy Ursa Major, Batman!

At 170 people, Mitchell, OR is not much more than a wide spot in the road. One of those residents, however, stands out among the others. Hugh has a pet bear, an American Black, the same kind I saw on my hike of the Appalachian Trail, and keeps him in a cage in the center of town! The bear's name is Henry, and as you can see from the picture, he's just a big furry ball of friendliness.

Day 10: May 28, 40 miles

As a comforting denoument to my rainy week, I'm treated to a magnificent rainbow at camp in the tiny town of Mitchell, OR. I dreamed of clear skies this night.

Day : May 27, 54 miles

This was another rainy day, but at least it was warmer than going over the Cascades. Plus, I covered the distance really fast due to a terrific tailwind! I remember doing over 20 mph on a flat for about 10 miles. Fun! Even better, I met a family on an RV vacation at the Ochoco Lake County Park where I stayed that night who insisted that I join them for dinner. I had all the Beef Stroganoff and beer and margaritas I could handle. Thank you very much Darlene and Brett! For some crazy reason I didn't take of picture of these generous and friendly people, so the picture here is of the Cascades -- safely behind me!