Week 8

Hello friends, Nick reporting. We are now officially on the last 2 weeks of our trip. After doing some map-math we are slightly ahead of schedule, which allows us to take a few shorter days and enjoy the scenery. I'm glad we raced through the less interesting parts of the Dakotas so that we can now really enjoy the Northwest.

Day 53: We left Lewiston, ID and crossed the river into Clarkston, WA. The scenery became immediately more arid, which will be a predominant theme until we reach the lush evergreen forests closer to the coast. We followed the Snake River and then began what turns out to be our fourth major pass. The amazing smells continued, with slopes covered in lupine, camas flowers, and sage.

Arid mountains along the Snake River

Climb out of Lewiston/Clarkston

Over the pass we coasted downhill for about 10 mi to Pomeroy, WA, a very small agricultural town, putting us 35 mi on the day. As rain and wind began to roll in, we decided to call it a day, and camped for free at the city fairgrounds. We ate last night's leftovers, a burrito from a taco truck, in a gazebo and cooked dinner there again at night. Besides that it was sitting in a tent for nearly 18 hrs as the rain never let up until the next morning. We had picked up some used books in Lewiston so lots of good reading!


Day 54: The rain yielded to pristine blue skies and we were off. The downside was a very windy day, mostly a headwind mixed with some scary crosswinds. We stopped at a drive-thru espresso hut, they are everywhere out here, for a double shot. It helped us cut through the wind for about 30 min, then our artificial fortitude was gone and had to rely on our legs again.

As it turns out from here to the coast the wind always blows from the west, and for the next 200 mi until outside of Portland, it blows hard!

Good examples:
1. Wind farms everywhere
2. We still haven't seen a fellow west-bound cyclist, although we've now seen 20+ east-bounders
3. One solo east-bounder said to us, "you guys are (effing) crazy, no offense, but you guys really are (effing) crazy."

So anyway the wind was blowing really hard, which makes those uphills climbs a little rougher, but we pushed on riding, through super green wheat fields. We arrived and devoured some grub in Dayton, WA around 3pm, then relaxed in the city park for an hour before finishing off the day 6 mi further (45 for the day) at Lewis and Clark Trail State Park, camping by a small stream with nearby fly fishermen.

A part of the propellor for the wind turbine - these things are huge!

A wheatfield, or Microsoft Windows?

Day 55: Still a stiff breeze, but a little more manageable and sunny and warm. We rode through rolling back roads amidst wheat fields and arrived in Walla Walla, WA after 25 mi. We planned on going twice as far today, but the town was so interesting we decided to stop for the day and check it out. It is famous for it's wine and sweet onions. We lounged, explored the quaint downtown and had a few glasses of wine and microbrews in the evening. Overall a pretty cool town and great day, although a little pricy and upscale, lots of polos and sweaters tied over the shoulder types. I'm starting to look a little gruff with this beard experiment (a success I say, Molly thinks not so much), so we were getting a few double takes.

Cool wheatfield patterns

Rolling green hills

Day 56: The wind has calmed and it's become hot, 90 degrees plus. We got up early and were on the road by 8am to beat some of the heat. The scenery has gotten increasingly barren and desert-like. The different landscapes we have ridden through is certainly a highlight. No shade anywhere so we had a quick peanut butter bagel lunch near the traintracks upon reaching the Columbia river, which is huge! Continued on, with an occasional truck passing full of walla walla onions, the sweet smells were refreshing. We also caught our first glimses of snow covered Mt Hood and Mt St Helens, which get a little larger and clearer each day. We arrived after 60 mi to Umatilla, OR where we camped in a RV park by the dam and relaxed with Eli, who is bicycling from Portland to Helena. He shared some local freshly picked cherries which were delicious. Thanks man.

Early morning ride by the old traintracks

Snack break!

Lunch on the mighty Columbia River. Keeping a lookout for rattlesnakes

Rocks, sand and brown shrubbery

Cooling them tired dogs

Sunset on the Columbia

Day 57: Today the forecast called for extra hot around 95 with no shade or clouds (I bet Lewis and Clark wish they had a smartphone). We were on the road by 6 AM to try and stay cool. It's real desert now with hardly any trees or grass in site, just rock, sand, and sage. Just as the heat and sun were making us(me) tired and cranky were arrived to our destination of Roosevelt, WA 50 miles on the day. We camped for free by the river at a local park. We shared the park with about 30 Hispanic farm workers and about 30 kite-boarders and wind-surfers, but there is plenty of space for everyone. Turns out this nice little windy nook is one of the premier spots for riding the wind and waves in all of the west. And... tomorrow is calling for a doozy of a day - constant winds out of the west around 30-35 mph, gusting to over 50 mph. Needless to say tomorrow will be a rest day for us, lest we get on our bikes and get blown back eastward. But our watersport friends are in a tizzy and pulling in by the truckload. What's bad news to us is great news to others. C'est la vie. And we'll be in for a treat watching them surf all day.

Sunrise photoshoot courtesy of Eli

Enjoying an early morning ride

Our first glimpse of Mt Hood

Day 58: Today can best be described as a veg day. We relaxed in both the sun and shade, repeated about 30 times "Wow it sure is windy" and watched almost 50 wind-surfers and kite-boarders throughout the day. Some of wind-surfers were getting 20 ft of air and doing a full flip - sail, board, and all.

Molly is showing us how hard the wind is blowing. It was nearly impossible to even walk

Action shot!

Surfers coming in and going out

Surfs up dudes

Water toys everywhere

Day 59: We hit the road by 6 AM again, as the wind is generally more mild in the early morning hours. For the first 2 hours the wind was quite calm, and didnt really pick up until our last 2 hours. We climbed a few more big hills, before stopping at Stonehenge, in Maryhill, WA. This full size replica, reproduced as Stonehenge originally stood, was the first World War I monument on US soil. We then rode down a near vertical drop down to Maryhill State Park, riding through orchards of cherries, peaches and apricots. We stopped by a few stands to pick up some apricots and peaches, and although cherries were very plentiful, we have eaten about 2 lbs of cherries over the past 5 days, so we passed on those. After 38 mi we camped in the State Park, which was very relaxing. We had a minor scare when our iPhones, which were charging in the bathroom, disappeared. We hunted down the park-ranger, who had our phones, a maintenance staff person thought we had left them there and didn't want them to get stolen. Lesson learned. Went to bed by 9 while it was still very light out, we were tired from getting up at 4:00.

Mt Hood is getting bigger

Took a wrong turn and ended up in Southwest England

Looking down on Maryhill's fruit orchards and the upcoming Columbia Gorge

Day 60: Wow, day 60? Seriously? We continued on crossing back over the Columbia River into Oregon, this time for good. Mt Hood is looking like a monster now. We had to ride on the interstate today, I-84 for about 11 mi, for the first time on our entire trip. It was a little stressful with traffic whizzing by at 80 mph and lots of glass and debris on the shoulder, but the shoulder was huge and overall wasn't so bad. We had ridden on passes over interstates at various parts of the journey, and we would comment on the people getting to their destinations so quickly. Sometimes we were even a little bit jealous, but at this stage we are so happy we have taken the slow road.

It was a short day, about 25 mi to The Dalles, OR (interesting name). We got a cheap hotel, for there is a pressing need for laundry and showers, and also to stop into the library to update this here blog. And drink some beer.

Do you remember that part of the game?

We have one week to go as we enter The Final Countdown. Molly's dad, an avid cyclist himself, is driving up from from San Francisco and will be riding with us the last 2 days, and my Dad and brother Brett are currently on a road trip heading this way, with many of our possessions in tow. They will be meeting us at our final destination in Seaside, OR. And we have 3 great college friends living in Portland, Brittany, Wes, and Chris, who will we likely see both on our first pass through Portland heading west, and again after the trip has finished. We are lucky to have such awesome family and friends, and we can't imagine a better way to finish!

The Final Countdown!

Week 7

Hi everybody! This is Molly here, reporting to you from Lewiston, Idaho. I think we've had our best week yet and we can't believe that we are getting ready to cross into Washington state on our next ride. Here's the low-down on our last few days:

Day 46: After an awesome day off in Missoula, we woke up and started off our next week of riding, with cloudy skies. The first 15 miles were pretty flat with gorgeous mountain views. We saw some buffalo (these were the first we've seen- when Lewis and Clark passed through, there were hundreds of thousands), and stopped briefly at Traveler's Rest. This was where Lewis, Clark, and their men camped for a few days to prepare for their ascent of the Bitteroot Mountains. The Missouri River had come to an end and much to their dismay, they discovered there was no all water route to the Pacific as they had hoped. Instead, they would have to pass these mountains overland on the horses they traded the Shoshone Indians for. They almost starved to death on the arduous journey and eventually resorted to eating a couple of their own colts to survive. Sacagawea carried her new born infant over the Bitteroot Mountains on her back the whole way- now that was one tough chick. Fortunately for Nick and I, there is a lovely road that now weaves up the mountain pass and along the Lochsa River on the other side. For us, this journey was MUCH more enjoyable! After our stop at Traveler's Rest, we continued our day with a gradual climb which was quite peaceful and beautiful. Rain sprinkled on us most of the way but wasn't very bothersome. Although by the time we reached Lolo Hot Springs, we were pretty wet. It was a nice surprise when upon our arrival (about 40 miles) the clouds parted and the sunshine dried us off quickly. We had a picnic lunch and then paid $7 to soak in the hot springs and then lay out in the glorious sun. After a couple hours of relaxing in the sun trying to even out our embarrassing biker's tan lines, we peddled another mile and a half to a National Forest campsite. The camp was very pretty- tucked back in the woods by a babbling brook. We read in the tent in the evening listening to the pitter-patter of the rain which came back again to say hello.

Lolo Mountain

Moose!

The pool at the hot springs- not bad!

Day 47: Today was the best day yet! We started the ride by biking 6 miles to the summit of Lolo Pass (5,235 feet) which still had snow on it! We stopped at an awesome visitor's center at the top and enjoyed some free coffee before coasting downhill into beautiful Idaho! And just let me tell you, Idaho is more than just potatoes! We hooted and hollered as we rode down into a mind-bogglingly beautiful, never-ending valley which follows the deep blue Lochsa River. The river was alive with wild rapids and, on each side, mountains of evergreen towered above. The air smelled like Christmas and we were so happy that it may as well have been! This ride was truly exhilarating. The cloudy, drizzling morning morphed into a crisp blue afternoon. We pulled over along the way to chat with a couple of 20-something east-bound bicycle tourists. They recommended that we stop at mile-marker 142 and hike back a mile to a hidden hot springs. They gave this hot springs a rave review, so we decided to check it out. We parked our bikes and hiked back to a true hippy paradise. There were 4 happily naked folks already enjoying what one of them described as "the most beautiful place on earth". I might not go that far, but the hot springs really was remarkable. It was blockaded in stone and was perched overlooking the beautiful creek below. We joined them in the steamy water (in our bathing suites) for about an hour before drying off and hiking back out. Feeling totally refreshed and invigorated, we biked another 14 miles to a beach alongside the river where we set up camp then cooked some pasta while we sat on a log and watched the sunset with contented smiles. I don't think today's 54 miles could have been any better. Lewis and Clark were probably killing and eating one of their own horses around the same place we were recounting the highlights of our day and drifting off to sleep. Sorry guys- but thanks for paving the way!

Brrrrr!

Nick is happy to be at the top!

Is this Heaven? No, Nick, it's Idaho.

Then again Nick, maybe it IS Heaven!

Happy.

I found this little prairie dog in our tent! He was very friendly!

Day 48: Woke up to rain. I guess we used up all of our good luck yesterday. We laid in the tent and read a little while trying to wait it out. Unfortunately, it just rained harder, so we packed up and biked 34 miles to Lowell, Idaho. It rained pretty much the whole way with the exception of about 30 minutes in the middle where we saw a glimpse of blue sky which was only false hope. We made a stop at a historic ranger station from the 1920's which was still in tact with furniture, telegraph, tools, kitchenware, and all. It is crazy to think of the rangers and their families living in this National Forest, so far from civilization before the road had even been built. Back then it was true wilderness. Once we made it to Lowell (which isn't really a town, but a stretch of road with a restaurant, gas station, and R.V. Resort) the rain finally subsided as we ate a late lunch of BBQ Pork and Chili Burgers. At the restaurant, we met another east-bound bicycle tourist couple who were riding from Portland, OR to the coast of Maine. Once we got to the campground, we met 6 more bicycle tourists! We met more in one day than we had met on our whole trip! It was fun to exchange battle stories, tips on routes, and check out everyone's gear. It's prime bicycling season now and our comrades are all out on the road. Neon spandex clad, we are warriors together! We made a nice fire with the help of our new friend Michael (he was bicycling from Eugene, OR to Boston, MA). We had a couple beers and enjoyed some good conversation and laughs. Despite the rain, today was another great day.

Wilderness in the rain.

One of the buildings at the old ranger station.

Day 49: Biked an easy 30 miles into a light headwind to Kamiah, Idaho. The day from start to finish was full of beautiful blue skies, rolling green hills (we exited the National Forest today), and butterflies everywhere! We had a picnic lunch by the river and silly Nick made pretzel and Nutella sandwiches- but I gotta give the man some credit- they were delicious! We camped in a city park, watched an adorable little-league game that was happening there, and had pizza for dinner. We are really enjoying these shorter days!

Yay for a sunny day!

Can you see all the butterflies?

The master chef at work.

Sunset at the city park.

Day 50: We woke up to cloudy skies but we were ready to tackle the 2,000 foot climb out of the valley. We got up the pass without a problem as it was long but pretty gradual. Surprisingly, it was after the big ascent when things got tough. There was much more traffic than we had anticipated (mostly logging trucks) and the foothills were steep and seemed never-ending. We stopped for lunch in a small town and as we pulled in, a downpour of rain followed us. We felt quite satisfied that for once, we didn't get stuck in the rain. The storm passed as we finished our peanutbutter sandwiches under the awning of the city hall. Our luck didn't last long as just a couple miles after hitting the road again, another rain storm caught up with us and this one brought strong headwinds and a cold stinging hail. Fun, fun! We pushed on, up more steep hills and finally reached our destination, Winchester, Idaho, after 45 miles. We were tired and cold and were lucky to get a room in this town of 300 as it had been overtaken by an Adventure Cycling bicycle tour group. We were greeted by a troupe of spandex wearing, white-haired, bicycle tourists who had arrived earlier in the day and were curious to hear about our ride as they were going in the opposite direction (Portland, OR all the way to Jacksonville, FL!) and wanted to hear what's to come. Even though they were doing a supported credit card tour (their belongings were hauled by a vehicle and they stay in hotels every night) I am still very impressed by these guys especially as most of them appeared to be in their 70's. I hope I'm still doing this type of thing when I'm 70! We finished our day with diner food at the town's only restaurant and 2 scoops of huckleberry and chocolate ice cream. A good end to a hard day!

Still happy- before the rain.

Escape from the rain- for now!

Winchester, ID. Home for a night.

Day 51: Woke up after a good night's sleep and got the morning started with coffee and free donuts (the ice cream shop was going to throw them out after closing last night and Nick sweet talked the nice lady into giving them to us instead). We already knew that today was going to be better than yesterday because it was going to be almost all downhill. After 6 miles of gradual rolling hills, we approached the longest and most dramatic downhill of the trip. It was 10 miles of hair-pin switchback turns with stunning views of the valley below. There was almost no traffic at all and wild flowers all around gave off the most amazing variety of sweet smells. We couldn't help but smile the whole way down. Nick commented on the way that this bike trip mimics "real life" with its good days and bad, uphills and down. Maybe they balance each other out and keep life interesting. Yesterday was an uphill struggle, today was a downhill joyride- we are certainly enjoying the very literal ride- and we all know you can't have the down without the up. Following our descent we had a picnic lunch at the Nez Perce national Historic Park, toured the visitors center, and watched a short film on the Native American tribal history in the area, before riding the rest of the way to Lewiston, Idaho. We treated ourselves to Indian food for dinner (Indian-Indian, not American-Indian) and a couple glasses of wine to celebrate being on the border of another state and tomorrow's day off!

The long and winding downhill.

The sides of the roads were carpeted in wildflowers- oh the smells!

Day 52: And that brings us to today's day off! We plan on taking a walk, tuning up our bikes, reading by the hotel pool, and resting up before we climb a huge uphill into Washington tomorrow. We've got about two more weeks until we (hopefully) arrive at our destination on the coast of Oregon and are looking forward to the changing scenery and finally meeting family and friends at the finish line to celebrate! We hope all is well with all of you and we will check in next week! Ciao!

Week 6

Hello again, Nick's turn on this one. Right now we are at the library in Missoula, MT. The scenery has changed dramatically and we are very excited and awed by the Rockies. We've had nearly as many days off as bicycling days, but regardless, let the daily summaries begin:

Day 37:
The rain was relentless on our first day of "vacation from vacation". We splurged on a rental car and actually made 2 trips to the B&B from the Super 8 to drop off our stuff, including loading our bikes into the trunk. No bike riding in the rain on this vacation!

Had a monster lunch at an all you can eat Mongolian BBQ - they definitely lost money on us. From there went to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, which was amazing and the best we have seen on the trail. They even had a full scale replica of the portage Lewis, Clark, and the Corps of Discovery made around the Great Falls of the Missouri. When the going gets hard we remind ourselves that we could be them and it would be much harder and yet they did it with no complaints. We then drove to the various waterfalls in the area, which normally are a trickle because of the various dams, but since every dam was over capacity they were roaring! Then time for more food, and microbrews! I love Montana.

The portage replica

Molly P and Clark go west. Nice threads!

Black Eagle Falls

The Great Falls

Geese Crossing

Day 38: Finally a beautiful day - mid 80s, sunny, no humidity. Had a nice breakfast at B&B, where we have become little celebrities, and then each had a one-hour massage. Thanks Eric and Nicole again for the gift certificate - it was amazing! The last time I had a massage was a over a year ago, and interestingly enough I was actually more stiff and sore last time, presumably from sitting on my butt all the time.

We took the car about 90 mi south of Great Falls to Gates of the Mountains, where we hopped on a 2 hour boat cruise through an isolated canyon. It was absolutely stunning, made all that much better by the wonderful weather. While Lewis and Clark floated the Missouri river, we have been following the trail for over 2,000 miles on land, so it was pretty cool to actually be on the water and see exactly what they saw.

We then drove another 25 mi or so down to Helena (cars are amazing!) where we partook in more food and microbrews. I love Montana! Helena is actually a very cool city, my favorite thus far in Montana, barely edging out Missoula.

Collins Mansion Bed and Breakfast

Marmalade, the owner

Goodbye Prairies!

Vacation!

Gates of the Rocky Mountains

Butte Sunset

Day 39: We semi-grudingly decided to get back on our bikes, reminding ourselves that we chose to do this trip for pleasure. Actually it was another very nice day, and we had a gently rolling ride to the tiny town of Simms, MT. This was the last stop for the next 55 mi, and with the continental divide about 30 mi away from Simms, we didn't want to do a monster day. The only option was camping behind a gas station, which wasn't as bad as it sounds, and spent most of the afternoon lounging in the sun and reading new books which we picked up in Great Falls.

Earlier in the day we met a pair fellow adventure cyclists - Steve and Dodie. They were riding from their hometown of Victoria, BC on Vancouver Island to Montreal, with a detour through the Rockies to visit their daughter and grandchildren in Missoula and were now heading northeast and were about a weeks time from crossing back into Canada. They were extremely nice, and we talked for quite a while on the side of the road, comparing our notes on where we had come from and their notes on where we were going. You can check out their blog at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=RrzKj&doc_id=8357&v=SE

Good luck Grampies - we have been following your blog since we met you! And get well Dodie (she's come down with the flu)! You are almost back to the realm of Canadian universal healthcare. I'm sorry for the poor and expensive state of our healthcare system!

(Crazyguyonabike.com is a bicycle journal site, which we might have used rather than this one, had we known of its existence. It is quite resourceful, and we have checked a few times for journals of those who have preceeded us for helpful tips and advice).

Steve and Dodie were the fourth fellow cycle-tourists that we have met thus far on this trip, all of them heading east. Turns out traveling west to east is better for the wind, but of course that would have not made much sense for us given our circumstances.

Grampies on the Go!

Home for a night

Day 40: The Ascent*

The forecast was calling for afternoon thunderstorms, some severe, so we set the alarm for 4 AM so that we could climb the continental divide before any inclement weather came through. A passing thunderstorm woke us around 345 before the alarm even went off. It passed through quickly and was mostly harmless, although now that meant I had to carry a wet tent today. And wet tents are heavy, so not the best start for an all day climb.

However it was quite surreal to bicycle through Rocky mountain foothills as the sun was rising. There was zero traffic and it was very peaceful and quiet. After about 30 mi of some not so gentle foothills, we began our climb. It was immensely beautiful and only the last 5 miles were really "granny-gear" steep, with some long switchbacks. Our system is slow bicycling, with rhythmic, labor-like breathing and taking a quick 3 minute rest every 20 min (any longer and you just get too cold and stiff). Climbing hills is actually meditative - you are 100% focused on breathing and the next 10 yards ahead - and nothing else. At first I never understood why major cyclists intentionally seek out rides with hills, but now it makes a little more sense.

We made it to the top in great spirits. Euphoria, high fives and pictures ensued. Then we were off to enjoy the fruits of our labor - downhill! We coasted 20 mi or so down to Lincoln MT, only stopping to take in the scenery and to admire some passing bald eagles.

Lincoln is a classic alpine town with log cabins, some pubs, and very nice people. We stayed at the 3 Bears motel, as the rain was picking up. The hosts were great people, and we talked for nearly an hour, as they were showing off a hiker and bicycler bunk house they are building. Ended the day with burgers and microbrews. Did I mention I love Montana?


*Full Disclosure: The Ascent was made easier by the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs: 5-Hour Energy Drink. Hopefully this will not tarnish this day, at least it wasn't Testosterone-shots or a blood transfusion.

The foothills

The middle of ascent

Nearing the top!

Jubilation!

First pass - check! 2 more to go

Day 41: Non-stop rain all day = unplanned day off. Lounged around and went to the Forest Service HQ to look at a small display on the area Grizzly bears. I sure hope we see one... from a distance. Also the Bob Marshall wilderness is nearby, which is supposed to have prime backpacking, some say better than Glacier National Park. Next summer or summer 2013? Who's coming with me?


Day 42: More rain. Cold rain to-boot (low 40s). I hear you guys are having a major heatwave back east. Let's meet halfway on this or something and we'll all feel better. Did the "wear everything we have" routine and hit the road. Good news is that the day was either flat or downhill with only a few tiny climbs. By 11 we were completely saturated and freezing, when we came into the tiny outpost of Ovando, where we found a cafe with delicious coffee, warm soup and fresh sammies. We each drank about a gallon of coffee while puddles formed below us on their hardwood floor. Sorry guys!

The rain was letting up, and about 10 mi from lunch my tire was hissing - I had a flat. Remarkably this was our first flat on the trip, most people typically have had at least 3 by now. And it was only a matter of time anyway, my rear tire was almost entirely worn through. We remembered our bike class and replaced both the tube and went ahead and replaced the entire tire with a spare we brought. Here's hoping that bad boy holds up, as we are embarrassingly novices at bicycle maintenance.

Camped that night at a national forest for free under a picnic pavilion to keep dry. Ponderosa pine all around, the smells were amazing.

Rainy yet beautiful start

Molly is cruising!

Still raining

Lunch and shelter!

Still raining...

Stopped raining, but a flat tire!

I knew it was only a matter of time. The tire tread after 2,000 mi was beginning to wear through

Home-base

Chuck, the wise mountain horse

Day 43: Guess what?! It's raining! The past 72 hours have nearly matched the average monthly rainfall amount for western Montana, so I guess that means we have 27 rain-free days ahead! No worries though, it's actually bothering us less and less. Rode 30 mi to the great city of Missoula. The ride was breathtaking, almost entirely downhill through a steep canyon. The Blackfoot river was raging like many locals have never seen. We were so mesmerized by the beauty that the rain was a second thought and before we knew it we were in town.

Got a hotel which would definitely qualify as budget. After doing some laundry we hit the town, which has over 5 local micro-breweries, and we made a spirited attempt to go to all of them. I love Montana! It was the latest night of the trip thus far - we were out until nearly 11.

Getting used to this rain

weeeeee!

Microbrews. I love Montana!

Day 44: Today, day off in Missoula. At library updating this here blog while Molly is applying for prospective Bay Area jobs. Any Bay Area readers out there who can hook a girl up?! Went by the bike shop on the suspicion that our chains were past due for replacement. They are - way past due. So bad that we have irrepairably messed up both our gears, $200 each to fix. However we decided, in agreement with the mechanic that maybe the easiest thing is just keep on trucking until the trip is over. We can't really make them any worse, and the only downside is they won't ride as smooth as they should. We have a feeling that's been the case for a while and we've done fine thus far, plus we're not Lance Armstronging it out there, we look more like the Grizzwalds with a grandma on the roof of our station wagon. But we shall see - 2 more major climbs in the next 5 days (Bitterroot Mtns up next) Next day off should be in Idaho or Washington with the final stretch ahead. Hope everyone is enjoying your summer!!!

Location:Missoula, MT