Amber Bender’s Bike Trip Across The USA

2011-06-16T05:42:00.000-07:00

Salmonberey Park, Or- Florence, Or

2010-08-09T17:09:00.000-07:00

Salmonberey Park, Or- Florence, Or
Miles 70

Last day of the trip :

I would like to thank everyone on the 2010 adveEnture cycling
transamerica bike trip for making this trip the best thing I have ever
done in my life. All of you brought something unique to this
experience, it wouldn't have been the same trip with out each and
everyone of you.tgenerous individuals who opened their homes to us,
your support and encouragement was fantastic. I am so happy I could
share this experience with you at home. You guys kept me going with
the blog and even kept me peddling up some huge hills. Thank you so
much for your letters and emails. unparallelledp

Extra special thanks to the Voorhees family for being so wonderful to
me and everyone else in the group. Your kindness is truly unparallelled.

Huge thanks to My family, who have provided such an encouraging and
supportive drive throughout this entire adventure. I couldn't have
done this without their love and support.

Somethings I have learned from this trip:

1. For the most part while cycling, looking quite obviously vulnerable
to the public, the individuals you meet are very tkind, helpful, and
interested in meetig you.

2. Bike travel, seeing the outside world at 10 miles per hour is the
best way to travel.

3. The most important thing that this trip taught me is that life is
extreamily short. Adventure keeps you alive and happy. I found that
the most unhappy people in America (from the 4,300+ miles I travled)
are the ones who settle in one place and have no goals or asperations.
I would like to encourage everyone to get curious about the people and
places around you! Start talking to people! Going out side and gettin
active doesn't hurt either.

Life is short, there is a lot to see on this planet. If your not
totally satisfied with life, make some changes. Don't wait.

"If you can do it today, you can do it tomorow, if you wait till
tomorow you will never do it." Fred (age 77 riding tandum with his
wife Barbra 75 TransAm 2010)

7.31.10 Sisters, Or - McKenzie Bridge, Or

2010-08-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

7.31.10
Sisters, Or - McKenzie Bridge, Or
Patio rv park; tents

Yesterday I rode my bike,
Today I am going to ride my bike,
Tomorow I will ride my bike.

7.30.10 Prineville, Or - Sisters, Or

2010-08-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

7.30.10
Prineville, Or - Sisters, Or
Miles: 45

The pace for today's ride was relaxing all the way. We got to Redmond,
Or and hung out for a few hours. Visit Redmond if you get the chance.

We stayed at Patty and Jim Evereds beautiful home. Patty made us feel
right at home. Dirk and Lissa Voorhees, and Megan, Will's girlfriend,
came to visit and meet all of us.

08.02.10 Coburg, Or- Salmonverey Park, Or

2010-08-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

08.02.10
Coburg, Or- Salmonverey Park, Or
Miles: 63

There was one very mentionable event that happned today, there was a
beautiful 4 mile hill that was shaded by gigantic Douglass fur trees.

Tonight is the last night in the tents for this trip, tomorow we have
a hotel. It was a quiet night with a nice bondfire. Some people seem
excited to get back to their regular life, others don't want it to end.

08.01.10 McKenzie bridge, Or- Coburg, Or

2010-08-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

08.01.10
McKenzie bridge, Or- Coburg, Or
Rv camp; tent

Today, Bryn and I went to Eugene and got real people clothes. We're so
close to the end of the Transam. I will be very sad not to wake up and
see everyones face. I love everyone on this trip and will miss them
very much.

The evening was spent with wonderful company and great conversation.

7.29.10 Mitchell, Or- Prineville, Or

2010-08-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

7.29.10
Mitchell, Or- Prineville, Or
Miles: 49

The day was really short. Bryn, Will and I made it into town by 1:30
and Instead of going straight to camp we went to the icecream shop.
Our 80+mi day caught us up to Stuart, Fred and Barbara. It was great
to see them again.

Bryn and I cooked had our last cooking day of the Transam. With lots
of help from Lee and Joe, we made chicken stirfry rice, and for
dessert we had fruit over angel food cake. Everyone seemed to like it.

With only a few days left, we've become a little more playful. As I
was cooking today, Lee and Will moved my tent around. It took me a
really long time to notice my tent was no longer facing the right
direction. I even walked by my tent several times not noticing what
was off. And of course everyone knew about it and they were waiting
for me to notice. I love these guys so much. What will I do without my
awesome travel buddies who play tricks on me.

7.28.10 Prairy City, Or - Mitchell, Or

2010-08-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

7.28.10
Prairy City, Or - Mitchell, Or
Miles: 83

83 miles, heat, a bit of a rain storm, and a pass to go over created a
hard day. The pass was not as dificult as I originally anticipated. it
was about 2000 feet of climbing but it was very gradual. We went
through the Picture Canyon, where supposidly there are prehistoric
wall paintings but we didn't see them.

I got a flat in my front tire, and since I rushed to put away a
punctured tube in the past, i couldnt remember if it had been
punctured or not. So I put the mystery tube in and hoped for the best.
About five miles down the road I checked and it felt like i had a
leak. After filling it back up it held the rest of the way in.

I came close to crashing twice today. Once my front bags hit Bryn's
back panniers, and to avoid getting hit by a car, I came very very
close to hitting the ground, but was able to stay up. It's a good
thing seeing as how Paul and Lee were riding right behind and could
have run me over. The next time I almost crashed was my own fault.
Taking a picture while riding, the phone slipped and fell and I hit
the gaurd rail. Again I didn't fall but came close. I had to turn
around and get my phone.

The descent after the climb was really fun. We coasted about 7 miles
into town. As we were speeding down the hill, we saw a fairly decent
sized snake just hanging out in the sholder. We all came close to
runing it over.

07.27.10 Baker City, Or - Prairy City, Or

2010-08-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

07.27.10
Baker City, Or - Prairy City, Or
Miles: 67

We wentover 3 passes today. It made fora very a long day!
Mort and lee cooked a lovely dinner for all of us. We camped out at
the rv/city park.

7.26.10 Off day in baker city Sleep: Oregon trail motel

2010-08-04T00:41:00.000-07:00

7.26.10
Off day in baker city
Sleep: Oregon trail motel

We met a crazy Irish guy who followed us around until we slowly made
our way away from him and into town. I had to find the bike shop to
get a new tire. The bike shop was in the process of switching owners
so it was in a bit of disarray, but Jared the new owner was really
friendly and helpful.
After a new tire and a great milkshake, bryn and I bought wine and
headed back to the motel to take care of some much needed bike
maintainence

7.25.10 Halfway, Or- Baker City, Or

2010-08-04T00:29:00.000-07:00

7.25.10
Halfway, Or- Baker City, Or
Miles: 54

Today was tough, one of the hardest of the trip. The heat was almost
unbearable. It must have been 105 dry heat on the road, with no shade,
nothing taller than the 2 feet tall sage brush that covers the desert
ground.
There was some climbing today too that felt like it went on for ever.
I ran out of water with not a store or house in sight. It was a pretty
scary feeling. Right when I started thinking about flagging down a
car, we got to the Oregon trail visitors center, about 8 miles away
from the town we were going to stay at. There was a spicket there that
I used to fill up, and I wet all of my clothes to cool off. Finding
that water was a much needed break. It's unbelievable how tired and
rundown we feel when we get dehydrated. That water stop couldn't have
been at a better time. After riding about two more miles it was all
down hill to town.

7.24.10 Council, Id- halfway, Or

2010-08-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

7.24.10
Council, Id- halfway, Or
Miles: 82

Today we entered our last state! We also entered the gateway to Hells
Canyon. It became extremely hot as soon as we started to descend into
the canyon. My back tire got a buldge in it and has obvious signs it
could pop at any moment.
Although it was a long day, Paul and I went for a really refreshing
swim to cool off.
We got to camp at about 7:30. Since everything closes at 8 in halfway,
we rushed to the cafe for dinner and drinks.

07.23.10 Riggins, ID - Council, ID

2010-07-24T07:42:00.000-07:00

07.23.10
Riggins, ID - Council, ID
Miles: 62
Sleep: rv park off 95

We had the nice surprise of a tailwind for today's ride. It has
become somewhat of a habit to go for coffee in the morning before the
ride. When I first came on the trip I was not a coffee drinker, but
now I gladly go for our morning routine. As we were leaving the little
coffee shop, Bryn noticed her tire was very flat. It's just one of
those things that happens when you ride a bike. It's a little funny to
think only a year ago I had never changed a tire. I wouldn't have had
the foggiest idea what to do. I certainly know how now. The ride went
fairly quick today. For the last 10 miles bryn and I were cookin'
until she realized her tire was loosing air again. Two tubes later, we
decided she needs a new tire. But we patched the tube up and made it
to camp.

I really enjoyed the encounters I had with people today. About 20
miles into the ride we stopped to refil our water bottles at a little
store/diner. Inside was a very nice man and his two sons, probably 11
and 16. They all were helping out, and the youngest was really
talkative, telling us about the others in our group that came by
earlier in the day. It was great to meet polite younger people and
just be in a generaly friendly atmosphere.
The next encounter I had was with a truck driver. She was not as nice,
and she made it a point to tell us that the bikes on the road today
were just awful. "They made her brake coming down the hill". Although
it was interesting hearing her point of view, she didn't give me a
chance to explain the reasoning for not riding as close as you can get
to the right. If she did, I would have said; today, the road we were
on in particular had no shoulder, so instead of riding on the white
line, or in the gravel, I ride about two to three feet in. When I ride
closer into traffic it encourages the drivers going the same direction
to go over the dashed yellow line ever so slightly. This ensures that
I will not be hit. If I did not do this, the drivers see the dashed
line like a brick wall and try to sueeze in close to the cyclist. Cars
just need a little more encouragement getting over the line.

Dinner was good. This town is weird, so I'm going to go take some
photos. Maybe I can find some cool looking townies.

07.22.10 Grangeville, Id- Riggins, Id

2010-07-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

07.22.10
Grangeville, Id- Riggins, Id
Miles: 50
Sleep: tent; Riverside campground
Eat: smoothie place to the right of the park

Today was an interesting day. We could choose between two routes: The
first was full of switchbacks, construction and gravel ( we were
warned) and the second was a shorter busy high way with a sholder.
With the quote, "When at a crossroads in life, take the path less
travelled" buzzing in our heads, Bryn, Lee and I chose the switchbacks
to spice things up. ( old 95) It turned out to be the right decision
in our opinion! The views were spectacular. I think the view
overlooking the town of White Bird might be the best high top view of
the entire Transam. The ride down Old 95 was really fun too. There was
sand on the road and a little bit of construction at the top but not
much. Definitely still a really fun descent full of switch backs. We
followed the Salmon River the rest of the way into town. This is
apparently the best rafting place in the USA.
Camping next to the river is truly amazing. It ensures a restful night.

07.21.10 Lowell, Id- Grangeville, Id

2010-07-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

07.21.10
Lowell, Id- Grangeville, Id

Today we are in Grangeville, Id. Meg from Meg and Randy, the two that
split from the group, came out to visit us! It was really nice seeing
her again. She told us of the Post Transam life. I'm very nervous to
go back to regular life. I'm enjoying the cycling lifestyle so much, I
wish this would never end.
The ride today was very nice. We had a long hill at the end that was
ok, but it has definitely gotten hotter with the drop in altitude.

I helped Bryn and Olaf cook dinner. We had riggatoni with marinara
sause, spicy sausage and ricatta cheese.

Lee, Bryn, Mort and I spent the rest of the evening in a local
restaurant reminiscing about the fun times we have had.

07.19.10 Missoula, Mt- Powell Campground, ID

2010-07-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

07.19.10
Missoula, Mt- Powell Campground, ID
Miles: 57
While it was interesting to visit Adventure Cycleings head quarters, I
found them to be very unwelcoming while we hung around in the morning.

We started riding a steady up hill for about half the day, till lolo
pass. As we were riding up the steep part of the pass we saw a baby
black bear! Unfortunately, we didn't stop so I was not able to get a
photo. At the top of the pass we entered into Idaho and a Time zine
change. As we came down the really nice hill into the vally we made
our way into the huge cedar forest.

When we got to camp, Jenny and Rod from ACA, came out and prepared a
fantastic BBQ for us. That was really nice of them. I'm really glad to
have met them and spent some time with them.
We had an awesome cabin that Bryn and I shared. We watched, or I
should say started to watch, Huricane but we fell asleep early on.
Overall the day was a great day!

07.18.10 Rest day in Missoula

2010-07-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

07.17.10 Darby, Mt- Missoula, Mt

2010-07-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

07.17.10
Darby, Mt- Missoula, Mt
Miles: 69
Sleep: Hutchens Hostel

We rode on east side highway with no sholder. Today had the worst
drivers of the entire trip. But there was a bike path 2/3 of the way
to the hostel.

In the city we ran into everyone that had made a rest day the day
before.
We went out to dinner with Fred, Barbra, and Stewart. It was great
reuniting with everyone!

Sent from my iPhone

07.16.10 Jackson hot springs, Mt - Darby, Mt

2010-07-22T07:49:00.000-07:00

07.16.10
Jackson hot springs, Mt - Darby, Mt
Miles: 74.5
Sleep: Darby lodge RV/ campground.

Today was another long difficult day. We had another pass to go
over...Chief Joseph Pass.

As we were cycling today we were circled by an Ospray three different
times. The crazy birds hit us, I suppose, because we were by their
nests.

Later in the day Bryn and I ran into three cute guys from the UK after
a awesome desscent. Our awesome discent is their wicked up hill climb.

Tonight we are staying at the Darby lodge and rv/camp, where right
across the street there is a logging fair type thing going on. It's
pretty noisy but pretty cool to see the local entertainment.

07.15.10 Dillon, Mt - Jackson Hot Springs, Mt

2010-07-22T07:28:00.000-07:00

07.15.10
Dillon, Mt - Jackson Hot Springs, Mt
Miles: 49
Sleep: Jackson Hot Springs Lodge

I'm sitting right now at a bar with a very nice seasoned cowboy who
bought my huckleberry daquery. He said rule one is buy all the pretty
ladies at the bar a drink. While we were drinking he put on some
American classic music on the jukebox. The hard days ride is coming to
a fantastic end. We went over two mountian passes today. Both about
7,000 feet. The view at the top was breathtaking.
Tonight we are staying at a lodge with its own hot springs. This was
the first time on the trip I have been in a spring. It was about 108
when we got in. The water was great and a nice way of getting away
from all of the Mosquitos. There are so many mozzies here, we were
warned about the blanket of them that would greet us into town. It's
not that bad, but close.

We also met a group of cyclists today who started May 21 in Yorktown.
They seem like they are having the time of their lives just like us.

07.15.10 Dillon, Mt - Jackson Hot Springs, Mt

2010-07-22T07:21:00.000-07:00

07.15.10
Dillon, Mt - Jackson Hot Springs, Mt
Miles: 49
Sleep: Jackson Hot Springs Lodge

We also met a group of cyclists today who started May 21 in Yorktown.
They seem like they are having the time of their lives just like us.

07.14.10 Ennise, Mt- Dillon, Mt

2010-07-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

07.14.10
Ennise, Mt- Dillon, Mt
Miles: 73
Weather: chilly morning - Warmer afternoon

Last night I tried something new for the trip... I battled the cold
temperature. I went to sleep with the usual 30 degree tights and long
sleeve shirt, a fleece, and wool socks. But this time I added my cold
weather gloves. In my 20 degree sleeping bag, this was the first night
I was comfortable sleeping when the temperature drops at night. I
think the reason for my cold night problem is that my mummy bag is not
as snug as it should be, and I am just a cold sleeper. All in all, the
problem should be resolved with the use of the gloves at night. ( I
try sleeping with my hat on too but it finds its way off my head while
I sleep.)

The ride today was pretty long. It started out with a huge 10 mile 7%
grade hill. The rest of the day was fairly flat with the occassional
small hill. I got a flat on my back tire. We went over some gravel and
all of the sudden the ground was very squishy. Bryn and lee rode on
ahead listening to music too loud to hear me say I needed to pull off.
But there was no worry had everything I needed to fix it myself. They
eventually came back to check up on me and found me pumping up the
tire. They're great for turning around and coming back to make sure
everything was alright!

We saw some animals today! As bryn and I were stopped, a group of 4
horses came to visit us. We also saw sheep for the first time on the
trip.

Dinner was fantastic. Joe and Mort made couscous and spinich,
mushrooms, peppers and cashews.

Ps: If you are tracking down the TransAm you should stop at Twin
Bridges, Mt. There is a bike camp in their park. It has everything you
would ever need

In twin bridges we ran into Kelly at the grocery store. As Bryn and I
were leaving the store we ran into Alex and Iris just coming into
town. Once again the people you meet on the trans am are just
fantastic! The community is so small everyone knows everyone. I think
that is the one thing I Wasnt expecting that I love so much about this
trip.

07.13.10 West Yellowstone, Mt - Ennis, Mt

2010-07-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

07.13.10
West Yellowstone, Mt - Ennis, Mt
Miles: 7O
Sleep:Camper corner rv park

We got into camp just before 5 and had time for a great shower ( a
much needed shower). After that, we were served a fantastic meal
prepaired by Lee and Will. We had a first course of Lee's truly
fantastic French onion soup, then a main course of vegies, sausage and
rice. It was all very good.

During the ride today, Bryn and I saw two Mountain goats and alot of
tumble weeds.

We bumped into Alex and Iris at Ernie's (the amazing bagle place where
we had about 5 meals in two days)

The wind today was really strong and in all the wrong directions, but
Bryn and I pushed really hard and made great time.

07.12..10 Off day in West Yellowstone Day 2 of 2

2010-07-13T18:14:00.000-07:00

07.12..10
Off day in West Yellowstone
Day 2 of 2

What a day, seriously!
We woke up picked up the car that we rented. After two pit-stops, grocery store for snacks and post office to pick up a package (which they unfortunitly lost), we were on our way into the wilderness in our shiny new (to us) SUV! We managed to get into the park with our pass from Grand Teton National Park ( bikes:$12 cars: $25 each). As we first entered the park we saw a mangy sad looking coyoty. We first started on the southern loop, hitting the hot springs and Old Faithful. Unfortunately there was a motorcycle accident that closed off the end quarter of the loop, so we dubled back and went up to the northern loop. There we saw two coyotes that looked much healthier than the first. We also sawn lots of elk, bison and, drumb roll please... We saw a grizly bear!!! He was about 100 yards away and a park ranger was already on the scene. It was still pretty fantastic!
It was a really great day we had a great time listening to music and seeing the sights. And by renting our own car we saved alot of money.

07.11.10 West yellowstone, Montana Off day 1 of 2

2010-07-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

07.11.10
West yellowstone, Montana
Off day 1 of 2

There were only a few goals for this off day: sleep on, relax, and
figure out how we would see yellowstone on Monday. All goals were met!
We had plenty of time to relax, see all of the touristy things and
even get our plans straight for tomorrow. We will be renting a car to
see Yellowstone, it wll be Bryn, Joe, Lee, Will and I in a large SUV.
Hopefully we will see some animals (really the only one one I want to
see is a grizley bear) were going the southern loop to see all the
sights like Old Faithful. Yellowstone is more touristy than I would
imagine but I'm still a little schocked that wth all of the family
vacations I have been on this wasn't one. Perhaps we wouldn't have
appreciated the sights when my brothers and I were younger.

Some of the tourist traps are really vile. There were two that really
made me question the character of Humans. One was a fur store, (I
dont think there is anything wrong with hunting and using the entire
animal) but they had furs of baby bears with their paws intact. It
just felt wrong. Another store had stuffed bears and stuffed moose
that people could sit on and have their picture with.

All in all it's a pretty neat little touristy town. If you're ever
here, eat at Ernies bagle and coffee shop. It's the best and they dont
hike up their prices.

07.10.10 Ashton, Id - West Yellowstone, Mt

2010-07-11T20:18:00.000-07:00

07.10.10
Ashton, Id - West Yellowstone, Mt
Miles: 65 miles
Weather: crazy weather today

We started out in chilly weather then the day progressivly got warmer.
At about twelve o'clock we were hit with heavy rain and some hail.
Bryn, Will, Paul , Joe and I got out of the rain by hangig out at a
gas station till the rain stopped. When we got back under way we
seemed to be riding faster than usual. We went Over another small pass
that seemed so small compaired to Teton pass. As we were on our way
down the other side we saw a coyoty cross the road! our rout was
simple today, rt. 47 to rt. 20 till west yellowstone. We entered a nwe
state today, Montana! Tomorow is wonderful yellowstone!

07.09.10 Jackson, Wy -Ashton, ID

2010-07-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

07.09.10
Jackson, Wy -Ashton, ID
Miles: 70
Weather: thunderstorms off and on

The word of the day was steep! We went over the Teton pass, a 5 mile
10% grade hill. Most of the way up the hill smelled like burning
rubber from all the decending traffic using their breaks so much. It
was beautiful at the top but it sure took me a long time to get there!
We Are in a new state now. Idaho is very clean and lush with green
everywhere. We stopped in one of the small towns we were passing
through to check out their bike shop. Turns out bryn and I both were
in need of a new chain. So we got our bikes all fixed up and made our
way down the road.
The scenery here is beautiful but the cars need to stop beeping at us!
Yellowstone tomorow! I hope we see some big animals.

07.08.10 Jackson, WY- off day

2010-07-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

07.08.10
Jackson, WY- off day

Today was a nice restful day. Bryn and I hung out in town for most of
the day. We met up with Sky and Kelly and had dinner and pie! It's
really nice running into everyone. After our time in town we headed
back to the hotel and relaxed with everybody by the pool and took a
dip in the hot tub. Tomorrow we go off the trail and enter a new
state. Idaho!

07.06.10 Dubois, Wy - Teton National Park: Colter Bay, Wy

2010-07-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

07.06.10
Dubois, Wy - Teton National Park: Colter Bay, Wy
Miles: 70
Sleep: hiker biker part of the park

Today we were shuttled across two different areas on route 26/ 287
(totaling about four miles). The road work was too bad for bikes to
pass. We saw a group of about 60 cyclists going east. We got to camp
after a nice 30 mile up hill and 40 mile down hill. We were slightly
nervous about bears because we heard camp fire horror stories. There
was a "bear box" at the camp site that everyone used to store food and
anything a bear might be interested in. So far no bears bugging us!
The temperature drops drastically in the mountains when the sun goes
down. It was a very chilly
night and morning. We all bundled up as much as possible.

07.05.10 Lander, Wy- Dubois Wy

2010-07-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

07.05.10
Lander, Wy- Dubois Wy
Miles: 80
Sleep: KOA

The wind today was ferocious. The sights were beautiful but the wind
was horrible. A lot of effort even went into peddaling down hills. We
spent the morning at the coffee shop across the street, called Kellys
coffee shop, and met Matthew there. His website is matthewcampbelldesigns.com
the coffee shop was awesome.

07.04.10 Lander Wyoming off day

2010-07-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

07.04.10
Lander Wyoming off day
Sleep: sleeping bear camp ground

Today we met more cyclists and we finally caught up to Sky, the
unicyclist. His blog is http://thirtysixer.com/
There was also Iris and Alex. They are cycling from NY to Evergreen
College in Washington.
We met Zach, from Richmond, his website is http://4262forkids.org/,

Kelly the astrologist, his websight is
http://www.travelingmagi.com/

And we got to see Nick again! It's awesome bumping into everybody.

As for the fourth of July celebrations, our ACA group participated in
the parade. After the parade we joined what seemed to be the entire
town at the park for buffalo braughts. The day was mostly spent in the
park relaxing. The night ended with lots of fireworks. It was a very
eventful fantastic fourth.

2010-07-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

2010-07-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

07.03.10 Jeffery city, Wy - Lander, Wy

2010-07-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

07.03.10
Jeffery city, Wy - Lander, Wy
Miles: 64
Sleep: Sleeping Bear Camp Ground

After a horrible experience with prickly people in Jeffery, we were
all ready for civilization and more plesant people. The restaurant
owner where we ate dinne and brakefast didn't like us using our phones
"with her internet" (even though we weren't using wi-fi) so she
charged us $5 each without telling us. So we parted ways from Jeffrey
City, without paying the internet charge.

The ride was very enjoyable, flat and nice weather for most of the
day. The winds seem to change around noon here. There was a little bit
of a cross wind for the last 20 miles or so, but it all seemed to fly
by! Since we are now around 3,000 miles and only 30 days left we are
trying to get the most out of our days. I really don't want this trip
to end, so when the days fly by it's sad.

Paul was stranded at Split Rock cafe, with the nasty people, he seems
to have a pulled muscle in his back and had to hitch a ride into town.
Since our parting words with the mean cook lady wernt all so nice, we
thought she held him hostage.

I suggest if your reading this with the intention of doing the
TransAm, prepare yourself for Jeffrey city! It is an experience,
that's for sure!

07.02.10 Rowlings, Wy - Jeffrey City, Wy

2010-07-11T15:29:00.000-07:00

07.02.10
Rowlings, Wy - Jeffrey City, Wy
Miles: 70
About 2,728 miles in
Sleep: grosist motel of life
Where should I begin, today was just all around bizarre. Bryn and I
finished up our cooking duty in the morning with the usuall coffee,
cerial, bananna fix. But before brakefast arround 3:00 am we were all
woken up by intense wind. My tent was literaly going to be taken up by
the wind if I was not inside it. I curled up deeper inside my tent and
tried to ignore the wind. With in minutes Bryn and Joe began texting
me (text is the main means of comunication between tents) we all were
awake and excited about the storm. The wind must have been stronger
than 35 miles an hour. When the wind stopes the rain began. I fell
asleep to the rain finally.
After brakefast we started our days ride. At 33 miles down the road we
found our selves at Grandmas Kitchen. The door was open the tables
were set there were tips on the counter...but no one inside it was
really strange. No customers, no cooks, no grandma! About half our
group was there so we all started a little search party for grandma, I
went around the kitchen and around back yelling. Let me tell you from
the looks of the kitchen someone could easily get lost never to be
seen from again, I don't think I would have liked eating from Grandmas
Kitchen. Eventuily we found grandmas son workig on his truck at a near
by house. We let him know that every thing was unlocked, he let us in
but said he wouldn't be cooking for us, so we ate our packed lunch and
bought a soda. Turns out grandma closed up early to go to town to get
her hair done, Lee jokingly asked if grandma was going out on the town
this weekend, and her son replyed " yea, she'll be going up gambling" .

We got to Jeffrey city with very low hopes. Last year we were told
some people didn't want to stay there so they pushed on another 60
miles to the next town. That would be about a 130 mile day, conditions
at the hotel must be bad!... Well they held true.

Bryn and I had to be let into our room with a crowbar. The owner
seemed to have lost the key. He was a character... He told some of the
guys that he was under witness proyection because Alquida was after
him. He finally got the door open and the room inside was discusting
unknown stains covered the floor the beds wernt made just a mess. So
we were give a different room the new room was a little better. There
was pipes running throuh the bathroom that didn't flush right. On
Bryns bed there were a few very large spiders. The shower was a
quarintined area from all the bugs and left over body hair. Bryn and I
ended up sleeping in our sleeping bags, in our tents, on our beds! It
was one of the best nights sleep i've had!

The only other thing you can do in Jeffrey City other than sleep in a
grose hotel is to eat. Oh boy was that another experiance! I don't
think I have ever met a more misrable pair of women in my life. I made
it a point to try and make the waitris to smile, or show a glimce of
joy. I walked away empty handed. The waitris was melonchily, very
bored with life but the cook was just plain mean! Our first run in
with her was when she yelled at a few of us for parking our bikes to
close to the door. She had the bigest chip on her sholder. I feel so
sad for them I wish there was something we could have done to cheer
them up. I tryed smileing, being polite, asking if she needed help,
nothing brouht on a smile.

Jeffrey City is a huge experiance it's deffinitly something to
remember!

2010-07-11T13:15:00.001-07:00

06.30.10 Walden, Co - Seritoga, Wy Miles: 67 Elevation: about 7000 Temp: 40s-80s Weather: cool in the morning, to warm in the afternoon Sleep: riviara lodge Last night when we were sleeping in our tents it must have droped to 35 or so. It was the first cold night we experianced! I was freezing in my sleeping bag but I could have put on more clothes if I wanted to burro my way out of my warmer-than-outside cocoon. I decided to stay bundled and sleep through the chilly morning. When I woke up I wasn't the only person a little suprized by the cool nights temperature. We got under way early because the day was looking to be a longer one. It ended up being very nice and enjoyable ride. There was only one bump in the road after entering Wyoming. The turain in Wyoming is a little different than western Colorado, but not by much. The mountans are all around us but it is fairly flat, there are streams and rivers that are flowing strong, and the ground how ever lush it looks seems to be a sandy rock like soil. We saw some great wild life today, antolope, dear, large moose dear, and pelicans. It was nice getting a good hot shower and a nice bed after a chilly previous nights rest, but next time I spend the night in my tent I will be fully prepaired for the weather.

2010-07-11T13:04:00.001-07:00

07.01.10 Seritoga, Wy- Rowlings, Wy Miles: 40 Temp: 60-80 Weather: dry, sunny, beautiful Sleep: tent, Rv park It was a very eventful day! Tonight Bryn and I cooked. Jack was on the bike for the first time. The truck was no more. It was a nice ride for the first half of the day we had a nice tail wind. I was listening to some jams so I decided to sprint when the song got heavy, that with a nice breez took me pretty far. When we changed direction the wind was really against us, and we were riding on inerstate 80. When we finally got to the town the grosery store was 3 miles out side of camp so lee, Joe, and Paul helped Bryn and I carry the groseries in. We made chicken braccili alfrado with a large salad and pumpkin pie for dessert. Our grand total was $107.00 for dinner, brakefast, and lunch for 14 hungery cyclists. We were under budget and had the perfect ammount of food! After getting to camp we started on making dinner just as a bad storm rolled in. We had help getting our tents up before the rain, and we even managed to create a fort to make food under. Dinner was a success even in the crazy Wyoming wind and rain. After dinner and post dinner clean up I had a chance to catch up on my post cards. As you can read from the 2nds post the night had some fun in store for us.

2010-07-01T08:17:00.001-07:00

06.29.10 Hot Sulphur Springs, Co- Walden, Co Miles: 62 Elevation: 9621 Temp:50-80 Weather: dry cool morning - hot afternoon Sleep: city park, tents Another beautiful day! There was a bit more climbing today, compared to yesterdays down hill coast. We saw a moose warning sign but no moose. We did see a little fox that was a sandy tan color, rather than red. Our nature sighting was right after Willow Creek Pass, our second pass of the trip! Bryn, Joe, and I rode together today. When we got to camp, just like the day before, we were swarmed by mosquitos, but we were ready this time. Bugspray works wonders for those little pesky buggers. Tomorrow we will bid farewell to Colorado, sad to see it go but excited to enter another new state.

2010-07-01T08:14:00.001-07:00

2010-07-01T08:11:00.001-07:00

06.28.10 Breckenridge, Co - Hot Sulphur Springs, Co Miles: 72 Sleep: hotel Temp:80s Weather: sunny and warm Today was truely my favorite day of the trip so far. The land was gorgeous, the towering mountans and fantastic blue-green water was just unforgettable. We rode on a bike path for about 15 miles before getting onto rt. 9, rt. 9 took us around Dillion Reservoir and Green Mt. Reservoir. The water looked fantastic, I don't think I have seen a cleaner body of water. Joe decided to jump with some locals off the highest rock jump, about 50 ft., or so, high. We had an exciting first on the trip today...we all spotted a bald eagle in its nest! We were warned about the Mosquitos by some of the other transamers that are a day ahead of us, but of course we thought nothing of it untill we were about 5 miles away from Hot Sulphur Springs. We ( Bryn, Lee, Robert, Joe, Olaf, and I ) were literally swarmed by hundreds of mosquitos. They covered us, hurtful little pricks forced us of the road and digging in our panniers for our bugspray. Once we had a healthy dose of chemicals on our skin we were rid of the menacing bugs for the better half of the rest of the evening. Today our group of 14 had a much needed discusion about some hot topics that cause some friction in our group. I find the group dynamics of any group of people becomes quite fascinating. Our group has alot of personality, with some very strong and forthright individuals with strong opposing thoughts. There are really only two pressing issues. Since Jack our leader has his car, the group kit has found its way onto his truck, but in two days the truck will go away and we need a good system of distributing weight evenly. Before, some had the misfortune of carrying alot more than others. The second unresolved dilemma facing our group was the time designated to start breakdast and end breakfast. Since some in the group like to get an early start and others like to sleep in late, our solution is to set a time to make brakefast and end brakefast(6:30-7:00). If you're late too bad. I very much enjoy our group and I think we are all very lucky to have such a great bunch of individuals. We manage to come to a sort of agreement, problem solve, and at the end of the day still get along!

2010-07-01T07:47:00.001-07:00

06.27.10 Breckenridge, Co - off day Miles: 13 + walked Temp: the weather here starts off cold then goes warm then gets chilly at night Big thanks goes out to Frank Moritz with Adventure Cycling Association for a fantastic lunch at the Breckenridge Brewery. Today was one of the best of days yet. Breckenridge is a wonderful little town, a little too resort-like but still pretty cool. There was a breast cancer1/2 marithon walk going on, so the streets were filled with people. Joe and I were wandering arround the town and decided to jump on one of the free buses. The ride didn't go far when we decided to jump off and start wandering some more. We ended up walking a good chunk of the walk rout and then back just for fun. I bet we walked upwards of 8 or 9 miles just wondering and exploring the town. The night before Bryn, lee, Mort, Joe and I had a pretty awesome night on the town. Eventuilly the night took us all in different directions. I ended up with Joe in a small bacement bar with a stage watching a local band called Black Bird... I think. I think a perfect mixture of relaxation, activity, and local fun led to such a fantastic day. Oh and the amazing views all arround us!!!

2010-06-30T22:34:00.001-07:00

06.26.10 Fairplay, Co- Breckenridge, Co Miles: 22 Hoosier Pass: 11,539 We woke up super excited to climb the mountain. It was only a 4 mile climb that we could feel. We had a fantastic group picture taken at the Hoosier pass sign. For those of you that don't know, my dad went from New York to California in 1982. His stories and photos from his bike trip really inspired me to take my trip. I've attached the photo of him from his trip at Hoosier pass, and my photograph from today at the same place. Although the sign has changed, I'm sure the same sense of accomplishment was there.

2010-06-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

06.25.10 Royal Gorge, Co - Fairplay, Co Miles: 66 Temp: 55 in the morning 90 in the afternoon Starting elevation: 9000 Ending elevation: 10,500 We were a little concerned about today because the notes said, "this is the hardest day of the trip" (it has said that about 15 times so far). There was a bit of a climb, so I suppose the forewarning was justified. Bryn and I left early because she had to cook and we didn't want to get there too late. The morning started off really well. There was a bit of a climb within the first 12 miles and then again around the 36th mile, where we were passing through the Current Creak Pass. As we approached the pass the road opened up to a beautiful view of snow capped mountans. It was truly breathtaking. Just as we rounded the corner to start the decent, we saw Ray flagging us down and Michelle sitting on the ground. We stopped, of course. Something looked really wrong. Turns out Michelle was having a really hard day and was not feeling very well. The elevation at this point was 10,000 ft and was effecting all of us differently. Thry also found themselves15-20 miles away from the next town with no water. I gave them my water reserve, but they were still a little nervous. The first car that drove by Ray flaged down but they were already planning on stopping. A family heading to Breckenridge, the same direction as us, saw them and decided to turn around to see if they needed help. The family was so generous. They had waters for all of us and even gave us some cold grapes. It was truly fantastic! They were headed for the Avon breas cancer walk. We continued on after talking with them and after being sure Michelle was alright. The next 30 miles or so were very enjoyable with wonderful views. The last 4 miles, however, were pretty tough. The weather turned from bright and warm to cold, gray, and , rainny. We cought headwinds I would guess up to 30 mph andcwe struggled in at a whoping 4 miles an hour. I had my fleece on and my rain coat. That's how cold it turned, from a tanktop afternoon. We finally got to camp and just relaxed over a great dinner at the Brown Burrow.

2010-06-25T20:10:00.001-07:00

2010-06-25T20:03:00.001-07:00

Update on the fire: rt 50 is now open with a pilot vehicle taking one car at a time at through

2010-06-25T19:18:00.001-07:00

2010-06-25T19:17:00.001-07:00

06.21.10 Eads, Co- Ordway, Co Miles 61 Temp 80-90s Weather sunny Sleep: hotel ordway Today I rode with Bryn, Lee, Robert and Olaf. We listened to music and went a little faster than normal. The wind was on our side for a change. Classic rock was on the play list: Zeppelin, Dylan, Allman Brothers, Skynyrs... all really great music to ride to. Bryn brought little speakers that she keeps in her handle bar bag. We usually jam til they die, and they usually work for the entire ride (about 6+ hours). We met some nice guys headed west while on a break. Their website is: pedalsforhaiti.com <-- check it out At the end of the ride today I had to change my back tire. I had about a three inch long bubble in the center of my tire. I used a spare tire Jack was carrying, that's one of the advantages of being in a group. We stayed at a little hotel called the Ordway Hotel. The owner, Tom, made us dinner at his restaurant next door. The restaurant was closed so we got major VIP treatment. It was great good food and our chef was good company as well. The next morning he made us breakfast and we were on our way down the road.

2010-06-25T19:10:00.001-07:00

06.20.10 Tribune, Ks- Eads, Co Miles: 58 Temp: 90-100 Weather hot, dry, and sunny Sleep: Inside the county fair grounds cafiteria First flat tire of the entire trip! We were super excited to get to Colorado that getting a flat really didn't bother me much at all. I patched it and was back rollin down the road in no time. When we got to the Colorado boarder, there was a big wonderful sign that we just had to climb up ! Only a few miles into the new state we started to see a different landscape, the grasses were more clumps of tall grass, the soil was sandy, and we saw cacti for the first time! I'm feeling great, really strong, I'm excited to start to see the mountans. I feel so grateful to be able to have such a wonderful adventure. It is truly amazing here. It is really indescribable, the feelings I get from experiencing this. It's as though all senses are being energized simultaneously.

2010-06-25T18:42:00.001-07:00

2010-06-25T17:44:00.001-07:00

06.18.10 Ness city, Ks - Scott City, ks Miles: 57 sleep: Athletic club hostle Temp:90s Weather sunny Today was a better ride than yesterday. The wind wasnt working to hard against us. The townspeople were friendly and seemed like they were excited to see us and helped us get to where we were spending the night. One Nice old farmer told us to come in for some cold pop, but we were afraid the wind would change so we kept going. Overall, today wasn't that exciting but the mountians are coming soon!

2010-06-25T17:36:00.001-07:00

06.17.10 Larden, Ks- Ness City, Ks Miles: 65 Temp: 90+ weather: 25-30 mph cross winds all day... never ending wind We started out today with little motivation. After an unsuccessful pot of coffee from the percolator, there was a mad dash to the nearest coffee shop. We all seemed to congregate there, and Bryn, Joe, Will, Paul and I were the last to leave. They had a very inviting comfortable couch. Eventually we decided to relocate to a place with more food. Joe thought it would be fun to ride his bike through the drive-thru. We didn't actually start riding until 9:45 am... am unusually late start. As we began west, we first experienced the wind that would continue all day. We were graced with 25-30 mph cross winds for 45 of our 65 mile day. Luckily, there was one point that the wind was helping us out. With the tail wind, and a little down hill, Bryn and I were clocked at 35 mph for a bit. It was pretty awesome, but unfortunitly it didn't last very long. We found that western Kansas has towns few and far between, and the town might only have a grain elevator. No water, no Gatorade and no snacks. One stop, about 12 miles from camp, we were hoping to find a store to fill up water and get some food in our bellies. When we finally got there we saw the store was out of business! We noticed a bag of ice on the ground and quickly determined that the ice was safe to eat and cool our selves off with. It was a nice stop before we hit the wind again. After speaking with a few people, it turns out this was the hardest day of the trip for a lot of us. I think it was my second hardest day. The thing that makes wind a little scary is 1. It's hard to keep the bike on the road and 2. When trucks pass us, the wind blows us all over the road and sucks us twards the truck. We were very glad to make it to camp. We got in late as anticipated so Jack found us an Inn to stay at. Right across the street from the inn was a ice cream shop that hit the spot. We had dinner and dessert there. Tomorow if there's wind we will be ready for it! We're on rt. 96 and we'll take this west for about 300 miles til Pueblo.

06.16.10 Sterling Ks- Larnerd, Ks

2010-06-17T07:13:00.001-07:00

06.16.10 Sterling Ks- Larnerd, Ks Miles 50 Temp 90+ weather sunny and beautiful Today was flat, very very flat. There was no stop to get water for the entire ride so I packed two large water bottles as back up. We had a fairly nice ride. I think it is becomming more arid, the temperature is not as noticeable, or I should say uncomfortable. The last 10 miles were a little draggy but we made it in. Right before getting to camp we found ourselves passing over the Arkansas river. It was muddy and not very large in the spot we saw. We did meet some guys going east: David, Lee, and Wes... Their blog is http://transamericancyclingadventure.blogspot.com/ Tomorrow I hope will hold more excitement.

06.15.10 Newton Ks- Sterling, Ks

2010-06-17T07:06:00.001-07:00

06.15.10 Newton Ks- Sterling, Ks Miles: 68 Temp:93 Weather: wonderful sunny and clear sky Sleep: city park tent Again, today Kansas has shown me how beautiful it is. We passed by Buhler, Ks today and met some wonderful people. It is number one on my friendly towns list. They had a fantastic little resturaunt. Bryn and I saw some long horns as we continued to ride. We passed a Flooded road we had to ride through that had about 4-6 inches of water. It wasn't so bad but we got a little wet crossing. Tonight we are spending the night in a city park.

Bryn sneaking up to the long horn

Her Awesome picture of the long horn

Best pie and icecream of the trip so far!

where did the road go?

to the left

...and to the right

06.14.10 Layover day in Newton

2010-06-17T07:02:00.001-07:00

06.14.10 Layover day in Newton I had a very nice start to my layover day. I was able to sleep in a little, till 9! Bryn, Joe and I hung out most of the day. We went into town to make the usual off day rounds... Coffee shop, post office, laundromat, dollar store. We were pleasantly surprised to find Prairy Harvest, a whole food store. We had a wonderful lunch there and relaxed in the cool neighboring book store. Tomorow we are back to the grind for another 9 day riding stretch!

2010-06-17T07:00:00.001-07:00

06.13 .10 Eureka, KS - Newton, KS Miles: 79 temp: 90s Weather: crazy storms head winds Today was the first day Kansas has really shined. It was a truly remarkable day. The pictures can only do so much good. The sky is so vast here, we were able to see two storms banding, from as far as we could see in both directions, move twards us as a vail of shadow followed by a rush of cold wind brought in the storm. It only rained on us for a short while. It was a little frightening though, seeing the dark cloud come twards us so fast. Tonight we are staying at the days inn because tomorrow is an off day. It's pretty soon but the next stretch is 9 days straight.

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2010-06-13T08:14:00.001-07:00

06.12.10
Chanute, KS - Eureka, KS
Miles: 63
Temp: 85- 90

Todays ride was not extremely eventful. Bryn had to cook so we road for most of the day and limited our breaks to only necessary time we needed, no super long stops. There were some hills today. We don't really know where they came from... they must not know it's Kansas and should be flat here. When we got to camp we got to relax, set up our tents and had a wonderful dinner. Joe and Bryn made great cashew chicken for dinner.
Hopefully we can swim in the evening. They have a divingboard, so more flip practice is in order.

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2010-06-13T05:38:00.001-07:00

06.11.10
Pittsburg KS - Chanute, KS
Miles:59
Temp: 75
Weather: windy, north 10-20 mph head / side wind

Today was a great day. Kansas is very flat, and very windy. We saw some fields, long horn catal, an enormous dead frog... Today was the very first day with no hills. It's pretty nice without hills but no hills means wind, and lots of it. It seems no matter what, the wind is always blowing against us. The roads in Kansas are laid out like a grid; they only go north to south, or east to west, makes it easy to navigate.

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2010-06-13T05:37:00.001-07:00

06.10.10
Layover day in Pitsburg, Ks

My lay over day was very relaxing. I had a great time and got some much needed relaxing time off. I slept in till 7:45 am, got up, grabbed some hotel breakfast and cleaned my bike. With Rays help, I got my back rack all fixed and set back up. I repositioned my seat a bit because I felt I had too much pressure in my hands, I lowered it alot, about an inch. Time will tell if we should have lowered it little by little, but for now it is still slightly higher than it's supposed to be. We hung out with the lone boy gang in the evening. Their names are Nick (crazyguyonabike.com/doc/nicktransam2010) , Will (Williamxcountry.blogspot.com) Christopher (crazyguyonabike.com/doc/caravanofcrazies), Zach (brokekrew.wordpress.com) , and Dennis (dennishowe.blogspot.com)the guy who saved a puppy.

Tomorrow we get the full flat experiance!

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2010-06-13T05:30:00.001-07:00

06.09.10
Ash Grove, Mo - Pittsburg, KS
Miles: 70
Temp: 80s
Weather: light rain- sunny
Sleep: tent in the city park

In the middle of the night we were woken up by the police telling us we had the option of moving inside because the thunderstorm was "going to get bad" I started to pack up my sleeping things then thought 'no way, my tent is water proof!' I eventuilly fell back asleep and slept very well through the rain, wind, thunder and lightning. The next days ride was not bad at all. When we woke up the storm had left over some rain and wind but for the most part the it was a wonderful cool day to ride. In Golden city there is the best pie shop thus far on the trip called Cookys Cafe! Bryn and I had pie for lunch, then pie for dessert we both got one and split it. We got peach, german chocolate pie, and lemon merang. It was fantastic. You have to try some if you are ever near Golden City, Mo! After pie we had a very nice tail wind that carried us all the rest of the way into camp (40 miles). At one point, Bryn and I looked at eachother and started laughing because we were going a steady 20+ mph for a long time. It was really amazing!

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2010-06-07T19:54:00.001-07:00

06.07.10
Houston, Mo - Marshfield, Mo
Miles: 65
Temp: 70-75
Weather: cooler than normal, off and on showers
Sleep: city park
Altitude: 3700

Today was a little rushed. Bryn and I booked it to camp. We did a really good job of getting there. I had to cook, so I was a little nervous about getting there on time, but our ETA was 4:00 and we were there by 3:00, 7 hours of riding today, with the occassional stop for first and second lunch. I cooked with Michelle, we made spaghetti and sausage with a big salad, bread, and fruit salad for dessert. The weather was slightly on the chilly side, the light rain felt nice. Over all, today was fuled by music. The hills are pretty nice today... a few big ones but nothing unmanageable. I have also noticed the drivers are becoming more courteous. Still no sholder. Tomorow I'm sleeping in till 6:15!

I think this is the first time I'm mentioning the other group of cyclists that are not with Adventure Cycle Association, but this won't be the last time you hear of them. The community of cyclists travelling on the same route is very small and everyone knows eachother. It's pretty awesome. We seem to be leap frogging, or just tracking together some days. Phillis is from Seatle, WA Ted is from long island, Jerry is from Baltimore, MD and Steve is from south lake Tahi, CA

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2010-06-07T19:48:00.001-07:00

06.06.10
Eminence, Mo - Houston Mo
Miles: 48
Temp: 80
Weather: cooler than usual a little humid
Sleep: motel

Today was fun. a great riding day. Nothing too terribly exciting happened. The scenery is nice ... Hope everyone is enjoying the photos. if you would like me to send you a post card, you can send me your address.

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2010-06-07T19:46:00.001-07:00

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2010-06-07T19:45:00.005-07:00

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2010-06-07T19:45:00.003-07:00

06.05.10
Off day in Eminence.
After spending a not so restful night sleep next to some noisy neighbors at our camp site, we had a nice lunch and milkshake in town. After town, Joe, Paul, Will and I went tubing down the river. It was great. Although, I'm sure it was just as hot as the riding days, it seemed very cold in the water. There were springs going down the entire river. Alley springs pumped out 81 million gallons of water per day.

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2010-06-07T19:45:00.001-07:00

06.04.10
Lesterville Mo- Eminence, Mo
Ozark mountains
Miles: 52
Temp: 90+-100
Weather: no shade very hot lots of bugs
Sleep: circle B camp ground in our tents

Today was very hot! Bryn and I were riding with Joe for most of the day. We are back to riding in mountains, the Ozark mountains. A mountain range I almost entirely forgot about. Bryn had her first flat today, we changed it while being bothered by the awful bugs. We had about 8 miles left when we realized that our water was extreamily low. That was our first scary moment. There was no shoulder and the cars give no room, we were flicked off and almost ran off the road by an ambulance. When Bryn and I finally got to Eminence, we got ice cream at the dairy shack. It was the best ice cream i've had the entire trip!

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2010-06-03T18:35:00.001-07:00

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2010-06-03T18:22:00.003-07:00

Some more old photos:

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2010-06-03T18:22:00.001-07:00

Some olde photos:

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2010-06-03T18:20:00.001-07:00

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2010-06-03T18:19:00.001-07:00

06.02.10
Chester, IL- Farmington, Mo
Miles: 50
Temp: 80-90+
Weather: head winds as soon as we got over the Mississippi, hot and flat with no shade, untill it wasn't flat anymore.
Sleep: ALs place al trail inn, top bunk

As soon as We thought it was flat it began to get hilly, and it didn't stop. We did alot of climbing today. We are getting close to the Ozarks, so climbing is what we will be doing for awhile, but it is really nothing compared to the mountains in Virginia. Today we left Chester, Illinois, the home of Popeye. Unfortunately, we didn't find a single Illinois sticker for our bikes. But Joyce at the courthouse tried very hard to get me one. She ran all over the place looking and even made some calls around town to find a sticker, but we had no luck. After leaving town we took a bridge over the Mississippi river, leaving Illinois and entering into Missouri.
Missouri is different than Illinois, entering into different states is really an amazing feeling. The difference between states is more apparent than I was expecting. In Missouri what I've noticed so far is it's flat, when there are hills they are long drawn out hills that go up, and down, then flat for just a long enough distance that you lose all your momentum, then back up. The people here are very friendly, however they drive very fast. When we got into town today we were looking for Al's Place; a Transam hostel. When we first arrived in farmingville we had no idea where to go, the spray painted arrows on the road disappeared and we found ourselves confused, and of course we have all the technology to run the world at our fingertips, but if no one answers our call it becomes useless very quick. While Bryn and I were trying to figure out what direction to go, a very nice lady named Chris came up to us and asked us if we were lost trying to find the cycling hostle. what a relief. we really had no idea where to go (she was awesome, and a huge lifesaver) We were only a few blocks away. Al's place is a renovated hostel made from the towns old jail. It was a great night sleep aside from some snoring. I got a top bunk and had a plug so I just listened to music to droun out the snoring. We cleaned up, showered and were out by 7:30. I think out of the indor sleeping spaces this was one of the nicest places we have stayed so far.

Yesterday Randy and Meg left the group. The aca Transam group for 2010 went from 16 to 14 unfortunately. Best of luck to both of them.

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2010-06-01T22:44:00.001-07:00

06.01.10
Carbondale, IL- Chester, IL
Miles: 48
Temp: 85-100
Weather: it's very hot
Today was the most flat terrain we have encountered so far. It was very nice realizing we had done 25 miles before 11, it only felt like no more than 10. Earlier in the day, about 5 miles in, my rear rack broke all the way. I knew it was coming. one of the attaching pieces of aluminum holding the rack onto the frame was broken, when it broke all the way I had it held up with zip ties until Jack met up with us and I put his rack on my bike.
Update on Jack: Jack has the truck his wife drove out and is staying with us the entire trip. He will only be a shadow NOT A SAG VEHICLE, and in a few weeks he hopes to be able to ride. If all goes well by colorado he will be back on track riding with us.

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2010-05-31T13:15:00.001-07:00

And this is me

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2010-05-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

Jack our aca leader

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2010-05-31T12:31:00.001-07:00

Will:

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2010-05-31T12:29:00.003-07:00

Joe:

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2010-05-31T12:29:00.001-07:00

Lee:

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2010-05-31T12:27:00.001-07:00

Paul:

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2010-05-31T12:25:00.003-07:00

Bryn

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2010-05-31T12:25:00.001-07:00

Ray and Michelle from Canada:

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2010-05-31T12:24:00.001-07:00

Robert:

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2010-05-31T12:23:00.003-07:00

Bill:

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2010-05-31T12:23:00.001-07:00

Olof:

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2010-05-31T12:19:00.002-07:00

James:

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2010-05-31T12:19:00.001-07:00

Meg and Randy

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2010-05-31T12:18:00.001-07:00

Mort:

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2010-05-31T12:10:00.001-07:00

05.31.10
Carbondale, IL
Today is an off day!
Temp: 85^
Weather: sunny

Today we are relaxing! And like most other rest days, there are only a few things on the agenda 1. Laundray 2. Bike maainenance 3. Blog/ comunication 4. Read and relax oh and eating is inbetween all our days events.
We might find somewhere to jump in if we find out where a lake is.

Update on Jack: tonight we are all having dinner together and we should talk about the future of the trip then. As of now, Jack has the car his wife drove out in and she flew home. He seems to be feeling better.

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2010-05-31T11:42:00.001-07:00

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2010-05-31T11:40:00.001-07:00

05.30.10
Dixion springs IL- Carbondale,IL
Miles: it was intended to be a 50 mile day, bryn and I had a 60 mile day
Sleep: econolodge hotel
Temp: 100s
Weather: hot, dry heat

Today was a great day, with an early navigation mistake we still had a fantastic day. Bryn and I missed a turn and we ended up a bout 5 miles past the turn so instead of going back (we decided to never turn back, just to find a new rout) we ended up taking the highway for a little bit. It wasn't as bad as we thought. We ended up going 21 mph on the highway. After our detour we got right back on track. Illinois is full of lakes. we passed devils kitchen lake and wanted to jump in but couldn't find a place to get in. The next lake we ran into we jumped in the first chance we got. it was wonderful! We went in with all of our cycling clothes on. It was so nice we ended up spending about 45 min there relaxing. When we got back on the road I was almost all dry. We were pleasantly suprised to realize that we were only 10 miles away from our camp for the night. When we got to our hotel our priorities were shower, food , hangout. We were all slightly zombielike while watching tv. It's nice spending the night In a bed. Tomorow is a rest day. it's nice to have a day away from long rides.

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2010-05-31T11:38:00.003-07:00

05.29.10
Marion, ky - Dixion Springs State Park, IL
Miles:50
Temp:100s
Weather: sunny, hot, and humid
Sleep: Campground with holes for toilets
Today we Made it to a new state, we are now in Illinois ! We Rode the ferry over the Ohio river to get here. Bryn and I almost missed it and had to yell and race down the hill to catch up to the boat, where there was a full car load and about Half our group on the boat. We got to our camp fairly early.
We had an Awesome dinner by Lee and James. We had a great salad, and groundbeef pasta, and fruit salad.
We met Jacks wife Nadene briefly, he's looking a bit stiff from his injuries but he's in high spirits.

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2010-05-31T11:38:00.001-07:00

Kentucky

Main points of the state:
May 20- May 28
Days: 8

Wild Flowers: daisys

Roadkill: turtles, snakes and birds

People: not very diverse in the parts where we were. overall, the people were very nice and curious about what we are doing.

Drivers: the drivers are awful, and not curtious to bicyclists.

Dog encounters: far to many to count, we had about 20 + every day

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2010-05-31T11:31:00.001-07:00

05.28.10
Patton's house near Slaughters,Ky - Marion,Ky
Miles:35miles
Slept: in a very nice friends of the Patton's house
Temp: 100
Weather: hot and humid
Sleep: baptist church basketball court
Recap: Jack our leader is out for 4 weeks after a bike accident yesterday.

We got a late start after a few meetings to discuss what everyone thouht. We have no real control over what Adventure Cycling wants to do, but we talked about it anyway. We decided ACA (adventure cycle association) needs to take either full responsibility and send out a new leader, or take no responsibility and give us our money back.
Either way I'm going west. a few of us have made it very clear that we are going and we can stick together and follow the plan. It's out of our hands what ACA will do so there's no use worrying.
After finally getting the ok to ride on, that day was a short ride down the road. We got there with time to visit the public library. After a wonderful dinner made by Robert and Michelle Bryn, Will and I played on the roof of the courthouse and watched the dark night sky roll in. Everything is still fairly up in the air, stay posted.

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2010-05-31T11:23:00.001-07:00

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2010-05-31T11:21:00.001-07:00

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2010-05-31T11:19:00.001-07:00

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2010-05-31T11:17:00.001-07:00

05.27.10
Yeaman, Ky- The Patton's Near Slaughters Ky and Providence, Ky
Miles: 83
Temp: 90s to 107 after the storm 68
Weather: crazy !!!
Today was a huge day! So many miles, so much went on some good some not so good.

We started the day with a wonderful breakfast made by Beth and Garry. We said farewell and started our 81 mile day. It was very hot today, as Bryn and I were riding together we noticed the temp got up to 107 degrees. Right as it hit the hottest part of the day, a storm began to roll in. It turned into a huge thunder storm. The lightning began to get a little overwhelming, and the rain was about to start so we decided to take cover in a barn that was off our route. It began to rain as soon as we got in under the roof. About 10 minutes into the downpour it began to hail, large dime sized hail. After the rain we began to ride away twards our camp. About 9 miles away from the house we were stopped by Darrel, the guy whose house we were staying at, telling us that Jack had a bike accident and was going to the hospital. All we knew is he had a pretty bad wreck. We got to the Patton's house and had a wonderful dinner while waiting for Jacks condition update. What happned was that while Jack, Joe, and Olaf were riding they encountered a dog. Not your average nice dog, they tried to squirt the dog with water to scare it away but Jack ended up jerking the handle bars to avoid the dog and went down on his head and shoulder. He had a small abrasion on his face. It was awhile before we knew what he had happned because he wasn't seen for a long while and they had to run tests. We went to bed not knowing how bad it was. When we got up the next day we found out the bad news. Turned out Jack had broken his collar bone and a few ribs. He was told to stay inactive for at least four weeks. We were left to contemplate the rest of our trip into the next few days... Stay posted for updates

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2010-05-31T09:46:00.001-07:00

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2010-05-31T09:44:00.000-07:00

05.26.10
Hodgensville, Ky- Yeaman, Ky
Miles: 62
temp:90s-100
Weather: sunny
Sleep: Beth and Garry's 70 acre Farm, most everyone was in their tent. Bryn and I were invited to sleep in the cabin on their two guest beds. It was a very nice night sleep.
The farm we were at tonight is beautiful! They had three wonderful well behaved puppies, two horses and a few cats. We got there and had a fantastic dinner made for us. Beth showed me her wonderful large collection of great art work.
It was a really hot ride today. We made it into central time zone. As we were riding we saw Jack and Olof get chased by a angery cow, it began to turn on Bryn, Joe, and I. We stopped because that was all there was to do. Eventuily we out ran the cow. We are close to the 1,000 mile mark.

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2010-05-31T09:41:00.001-07:00

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2010-05-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

05.25.10
Springfield, Ky - Hodgenville, va
Miles:50
Sleep: by baseball fields, in the county park,in our tents
Temp: 80-90
Weather: sunny
We woke up in our nice hotel room, and had a 8:00 am map meeting. Bryn and I left early so I could get to camp early and cook with Randy. Before going to camp Bryn and I met up with everyone to go to Lincoln's birthplace. It was informative, but the house was closed for renovation. I made it to camp with plenty of time to empty our panniers and run to the store and get dinner. Randy and I made pasta with diced tomatoes, garlic, and onions. For dissert we had strawberry shortcake.
The mosquitos were awful where we were. they are getting worse the more west we go.

Thunder storm near Slaughters, Ky

2010-05-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

On our way to Slaughters, Ky Bryn and I hid fron the thunderstorm in a barn.