Cross country coincidence

"...we just rode our bikes to Idaho"

It’s funny how much of a role coincidence plays in your life. In our situation how another five minutes here or five minutes there would have rid us of all of the interesting people we have met and gotten to spend time with over the past couple of weeks. 

Townsend, Montana 

Met a woman named Connie at a gas station who invited us to sleep in her yard. 

As it turned out “Mamma Con” had bigger plans, she washed our clothes, fed us (twice) and even made us feel like we were a part of her family. Of course however, not without the help of her cool, calm, and collected husband Les who must have his hands full with a personality like Connie to be married to, and I mean that in a good way. I don’t think there was a dull moment while we visited, it was adventurous to say the least, and whether they know it or not I’ll visit them for sure again one day. I mean heck, we’re facebook friends with them, ahh the eternal friendship of tomorrow :) 

Garrison, Montana 

Met a family of hard workers, Nick his daughter natalie and wife Jasmine who invited us to have some burgers and beer after we coincidentally ran into them at a campsite 30 miles away from where we met saw them first. Not even 2 minutes after sitting down for dinner their little girl natalie said she wanted to pack us lunch (which was awesome btw) for the next day. She We ended that night with some fireworks which were pretty epic considering I have never in my life been present in the firing of big ones like that before. 

Missoula, Montana 

When we excitedly arrived in Missoula we were hoping to go visit the local REI and the Adventure cycling association’s headquarters. After eating what we counted to be about 3000 calories of food for lunch (not an everyday thing i swear) we headed out to find the Koa in hopes that we could some how manage to beg our way into the campsite. When we got there we got smackdown number 3 and left ready to head out for an even longer day. As we were filling our water bottles a woman named Jamie who apparently heard us getting denied asked us if we wanted to put our tent on her site for the night. We accepted and ultimately won a free nights stay with Jamie and her family. It was very nice of her to let two dirty bearded boys spend the night. 

Diborgia, Montana 

A guy named Gary let us spend the night in his yard because it was getting late and we were stuck in the middle of no where Montana. He chatted with us for a long time, opened up an old mobile home that he now used for storage and gave us a restroom to use. The next morning he sent us away with some coffee in hand and yet another good experience with strangers turned friends. 

The next day Marcus and I headed out to cross a pretty big pass and found our first bicycle trail of the trip!!! Since we had been cycling on the interstate since Garrison our nerves had been a bit shot from all the cars and trucks wizzing by at 75 mph. It just so happens that the trail we found went 75 across the panhandle of Idaho pretty much from border to border. The only annoying thing about that day was that the wind was so horribly gusty that it kicked dust up into the air for more than 8 hours. So apart from feeling like we were cycling in an post apocalyptic world we were cycling through at times were 45 mph gusts. EXACTLY what we needed. Either way, we cycled almost 100 miles that day and spent the day after doing only a 60 miler so that we can rest up a bit in Spokane. 

Thats all dust, we could barely see mountains that were right next to us! taken at 3pm-ish

 

Peeping Toms and good-bye Mom

The view where we left Mom, Paul, Jack, Pennie, and Annie

 

Today started a little more out of the ordinary than most days. First of all my dog Pennie woke me in the early ours of the morning because she was weezing in my ear. She happens to be about 14 years old in human years which is about 98 in dog years. Shes a relic, so I can’t blame her. Then when I finally got to sleep again my family was rudely woken up by banging on the RV door from some guy who I guess took it upon himself to be the local bear awareness patrol officer. Since there was no place to sleep last night (being only 2 miles away from Yellow Stones northern gate, we decided to perch the RV that my parents rented on the side of a dirt road on this mountain which over looked the town of Gardiner. I guess upon driving up the mountain (by the looks of the way his car was parked) this twenty something, nerdy looking bear awareness officer felt the need to come wake everyone up to give me some shpeal about how he hopes there isn’t food in the the 2 coolers we left right outside the door (b.c there was no space in the RV). I was too tired to be defensive so I just answered his 10 million questions and concerns and greeted him as pleasantly as I could muster. 

As I sat there stuffing my sleeping bag into its stuff sack agravated, I wished I had been a little more unpleasant to the guy who decided it was his duty to wake up an entire family. I wished I had told him that he had not to worry, that there was nothing in the coolers because we fed the bears last night and then gave him a little speech about respecting other people. Either way I didn’t think of it soon enough, but if theres ever a next time I’ll be prepared. 

A sweet view in Yellowstone

So besides our little run in with the “law”, I realized today how using a public bathroom to do always seems to be an interesting experience on the road. For instance, sometimes bathroom stall doors don’t lock, sometimes the door knobs are missing so theres a tennisball sized hole in the door, and other times there is no door at all. Today there was a door, that locked, no worries right? So I thought until I saw someone trying to desperately open the latch as I was going about my business. It took quite a while until I guess they finally realized someone was in there. Most people would just leave and then come back a few minutes later in hopes that the stall is open then, but not this persistent guy. After the door shaking stopped, I then heard a series of big sighs, foot stamping, and what really caught me off guard was a 7 year old with a mohawk hair cut cupping his hands over the crack of the door trying (what I assumed) to see what was causing the stall to be occupied for so long. To my astonishment it didn’t only happen once, but twice! and I’m not going to lie, kinda weird having a stranger try to hurry you up off the pot by staring at you through the crack of the door. None the less, I had my revenge. 

We then proceeded to say good bye to my mom and Paul headed out for the second leg of our trip. It’s kinda crazy how a little bit of family time can recharge you for another 6 weeks on the road. I was of course a bit sad since it was the closest taste of home I had felt in a while. The blues do set in, but you can’t let them get to you on these trips you just kinda use your new surroundings to trick your mind into thinking about other things.. Like cyclist eating bears for example, or mountain lions chasing you down the highway. Whatever floats your boat. 

We didn’t intend on getting too far today but surprisingly we cycled about 82 miles, 60 of which were into the wind as usual, making even going downhill a struggle. Since we left Gardiner to where we stopped tonight in Clyde Park we’ve dropped about 2000 ft in elevation which is awsome, I can finally breathe again! Tomorrow we head to Helena, and hopefully in a few more days we’ll be in Idaho, one state away from Seattle which has been a milestone for our trip. Tonight we spend the night in the city park with hopes that it doesn’t get as cold as it did here last night which some of the locals said was 37 degrees! BRRRRR! I guess I’ll wear all the clothes I brought on the trip.. . 

2 x dry fits t-shirts 

1x cotton shirt 

1x pair of shorts 

3x pair of socks 

1x long sleeve 

…hope it all works out for the best :) 

PS … Since I’m posting this after the fact, I might as well fill everyone in. As our luck has it we woke up at 3 in the morning to the parks sprinklers going off full blast. Funny part about it was that they were only doing their sprinkling in our side of the park and of course with the freezing weather the water didn’t make either of us too happy. I kinda felt as if the park manager (who we coincidentally asked if we were allowed to sleep there) was pulling a big one on us. Watching and laughing at us scurrying around bare bodied trying to figure out a solution to our inconvenience. As I spanned the tents rain fly (raincoat for tents) around us to at least block some of the water marcus “borrowed” some firewood from a neighboring house and stacked them like lincoln logs around the sprayer to keep it from getting distance. I always knew he was a genius. We slept peacefully the rest of the night. The next day turned out to be AWESOME! 

Relaxation and Recreation

So as we summited the HUGE 9500 ft pass with a really cool group of cyclists of all ages ranging from me being the youngest 21 to a austrailian couple easily in their seventies on a tandem bike we finally realized how close to our halfway point milestone we were. The GRAND TETONS!

It’s hard to explain how it feels when you worked so hard to get to a place that actually represents how far you’ve traveled. I guess what made seeing the grand tetons so special when we banked a slope and saw their gray walls pierce the sky is that it was that they were a concrete representation of the progress we had made, to me it was a symbol of our halfway point. The WEEKS of grinding finally paid us some reassurance which now stood screaming a magnificent sight before us. No better feeling in the world. To know that the physical and mental torture you put yourself through to get there was worth while. At the end of the day, it is things like these that keep you going. The small victories, just like in life.

As we came flying down the steep grade of the mountain we stopped right at the gate of the Grand Teton National Park and not even 5 minutes later, here comes this “cruise america” RV flying by with a man in the drivers seat and a little blonde woman in the passanger seat smiling from ear to ear. Probably before the RV even stopped my mom had jumped out of the RV to greet me and then Marcus. Her ten minute hugs and sun glasses did little to disquise the fact that she was crying but I guess happy tears never hurt anyone. I on the other hand who knew this would happen was already fake crying to lighten up the situation as he excitement to see us continued. We greeted Paul my step dad who seemed equally excited to see us, I know he was crying on the inside, I just know it. We took some photos, and I had my mom sit on my bike seat, a little five ft two woman on a bike meant for someone much bigger really made for an interesting photo. Her feet barely reached the padals and her hands barely the brakes, she didn’t have to say it but I saw that she wasn’t too impressed with the bike seat she had been put on. None the less, everyone was in a great mood, ready for a little relaxation.

We spend the following days with my Mom, Paul, and our dogs Jack, Pennie, and Annie. We went from Moran junction to the Grand Tetons and then spend a couple of nights in Yellowstone. A lot of people told us it probably wasnt the safest idea to cycle through yellowstone so it worked out that we had someone to escort us through.

 I never realized how many amazing places America has to offer its citizens, to me it always just seemed like the back yard of a house. It’s nice, its not going any where so I’ll enjoy it later. Since now, I’m definitely going to start enjoying the place i live in a lot more. I think i might even plan a few hiking adventures through these parks during a break.. maybe that can be part of next years adventure? either way, international adventures are no longer the only thing on my bucket list, this trip opened a good few doors :D

Finally, some mountains to look at!

Just one of the many views from this morning!

Certainly one of the best parts of Wyoming so far has been the drastic change of scenery. If anything that’s what’s been keeping my legs spinning all day long through the horrible head winds and ever ascending terrain. People warned us about the winds when we were as far back as Nebraska and we just kinda laughed and brushed it off. There have been times when people told us “big hills, no towns, you’ll never find water, you’ll probably die” only to find an oasis with waterfalls, ice cream, and girls in Bikinis. So unless someone seems like a frequent traveler or like a cyclist, we’ve learned to take their advice with a grain of salt.

In the last couple of days we’ve reached an altitude of 6700 ft about a 2500 ft gain. Tomorrow we get to cycle up our first mountain pass of 9500 ft, something which im excited for but dreading at the same time. It’s colder (which is a nice change) but its also much harder to breathe. Even hills that up until now I laughed at make me sound like the creepy weezing kid from middle school. And the worst part of all, the constant head wind that has you fighting up hills also has you fighting down hills just to maintain a very, very unfortunate pace of 12 mph. Very sad to anyones standard.  Like I said though if it weren’t for this amazing scenery, mountains mountains and mountains! Wyoming would have been so far my least favorite place of the trip. Like I always tell Marcus, “If we’re going to get our asses kicked by these mountains we’re going to at least have a nice view to go with it” which is definitely makes it not so bad. Maybe I should revise that though, since I’m definitely the one that gets most of the “ass kicking”, Marcus- skinny and fit- me..not so much.

Yesterday we left a town by the name of Shishoni in hopes to reach Dubois (103 miles) by the end of the day. Unfortunately for us we had a headwind of about 25 – 30 mph all day through the “wind river mountains” and slugged slow as time through about 80 miles of terrain. For the past few days my knee has been acting up so the extra stress on it didn’t make me happy at all. So there I was again attempting a 100 mile day on a tiny bike seat with a sore bum and an inflamed knee. 

We finally ended the day in a town called Crowsheart in the middle of the Indian Reservation (is that politically correct?) which consisted of a few houses scattered across the valley and one store which had closed an hour and a half earlier. Our friend Tom warned us about being on the “res” (ervation) and going out after dark, so its been a continuing joke between Marcus and I to “watch out for the Reds on the res” as bad as that sounds.

 Last night we had to put his warning aside and sleep on the side of the road somewhere because it had started getting dark and cold before we could get to Dubois. We decided spend the night under the local volunteer fire departments pavilion, we didn’t think anyone would mind. Plus we figured we could keep an eye out for any night invaders trying to steal a fire engine or something.

Cycling with a view

Before bed I chugged down a coke and fell asleep faster than a little kid in the back seat of the car. It used to be kind of sketchy sleeping in a strange place without the FEELING of safety and comfort of a camp ground. I used to take forever to fall asleep and would check out everything that made a sound that i wasn’t familiar with, just to be safe. Then one night in a campground we heard several gun shots in the not so far distance which of course ignited some serious imaginative scenario playing in my mind. I rested that night by telling myself that it was probably just the construction workers working on the road we had seen earlier, but that’s just what i told myself.

On this trip I’ve realized how important sleep is. A restless night means a horrible next day because that day usually starts at 5 am. I think 99 % of the time in a situation like sleeping in some random woods, abandoned lot etc etc nothing bad will happen, and if it does you shouldn’t spend your time waiting around getting stressed about it. Take it as it comes (if it ever does). A tent, a camp site, is really just provides for a false sense of security. Who designates them safe from weirdos and wild animals? Just a thought I had this morning after a good good sleep ready to tackle another day :)

PS- the coolest part of my trip so far has been the last 30 miles we’ve cycled. The most amazing views of canyons, snow-capped mountains, and rolling plains. It’s definitely something that everyone should get to appreciate before they are confined to a retirement home. Ill post some photos (which doesn’t do the views justice at all!)

Tomorrow we’re off the the Grand Tetons. Can’t wait!

Rest days and Rouge D-bags

It’s kinda funny and ironic how today of all days I was actually sitting down with another cyclist we met in Casper today, talking about how doing a trip like this gives you a little bit of more faith in humanity. The kindness, the hospitality, the comradely that you find in other travelers like yourself. Funny because deep conversations with strangers are always an unexpected eye-opening experience, ironic because today of all days is when some person decided to leave a douchey comment toward Marcus and I. It goes as follows…

“yea. you guys are gay. i love it. the compassion coming from pure bonding on the streets are unsurpassed by your commitment to each other and the trip. smART MARKETING! thehomolife.wordpress.com”

Quite unfortunate that whoever this may be goes through all the trouble of reading our trip only to feel negatively toward it. Maybe this person wanted to go on a cycling trip of their own and never got to because none of his or her friends wanted to join? could pure bitterness and boredom be the catalyst here?

 Either way, I guess they must understand how difficult a trip like this can be but at the same time the rewards that can stem from it. Rough situations do bring you closer with people, not just people who you’re traveling with. Life on the “streets” is just another way of saying life in the real world, when every action you have has a direct consequence to how the rest of your day will turn out. So far almost 99 percent of people who we’ve met have been supportive of our goals, intentions, and our perseverance over the last 2600 miles or so.

This person however is not. It’s something that Marcus and I both laughed at b.c they voiced their unwanted opinion and didn’t even sign their name to it. What good is it getting your feelings out in the open or off your chest if you’re not even going to be stand up about it?

This is all I got out of this,

Dear Dirk and Marcus,

I think you and your trip are lame and I’m writing this because I have nothing better to occupy my time with.

sincerely,

You’ll never know!! hehehehe

I believe in what i do and i stand true to anything that i enjoy doing. If someone tries to wipe their ass on me it just makes me more greatful for the good people in our lives, the good people we’ve met so far, and for the good people we are to meet in the future. Nothing is better than a few assholes to make the good things seem even better.

 ”Smile at the world, and the world smiles back. Cry to the world, and you’ll cry alone”

Good Bye Nebraska

Good Bye Nebraska

Today was one of those unbearable drag ass days that we all sometimes tend to have. I guess it was because all the sore muscles, joints, and aches are finally catching up. I don’t think there is a part of my body that is at a 100 % at the moment because as I counted earlier today, we’ve gone 23 days of straight cycling- no rest days. We finally decided to take a break to buy some gear, fix the bikes, and for the opportunity to sleep in later than the usual 5 am. 

 Last night we stopped in a town by the name of Glendo about 70 ish miles from a sketchy town called Torrington. Lately we’ve been spending our nights in city parks which are free but lack the whole element of comfort, safety, and facilities. Ehh, I guess it’s always a trade off. Won’t complain about free. Either way  we spent the night watching the same cars circle our camp ground. At one point one of the cars even stopped opened the door and threw something that was burning out onto the ground and just stood there as it burned underneath the car. I honestly thought it was some kind of bat symbol to gansters that there is fresh meat in town. After my vigilance wore off I passed out and everything turned out okay (Torrington stills sucked though).   

Yesterday after spending much of the hotter part of the day cycling we arrived in Glendo. As usual we stopped at the first gas station we see for a beverage or nine. Coke has been our latest addiction. I drank a liter by myself last night. 800 calories and 200 grams of sugar and I still passed out an hour or so later, but that’s not the highlight of my day. This happened when I was bitching to Marcus about how grumpy people in this town seemed because when I greeted them, none of them said anything back. 

A little fed up, but much too hungry to worry about it further, I went up to the register to order a burger and some fries. As I placed my order to a lady named Loraine, a scary Biker looking guy started to chat about our bikes. Ironically, he was one of the people I greeted who didn’t greet me back. His name is Matt, he was big, built, and tattooed, someone who you’d typically look at and think “I wouldn’t to get in a fight with that guy”. As first impressions are usually the worst to go by, he ended up being a really nice guy. After he heard about our trip, and told me about some of his own cross-country adventures on his motorcycle he offered to buy my meal for me. When he heard that marcus and i were still looking for a place to stay he took $ 44 out of his pocket and told me to get us a good place to sleep. Then Loraine who was also a complete stranger to us bought both of our meals. These acts of kindness still leave me stumped. 

Then with another stroke of luck, we found a place to spend the night. Not too ideal, and not too honest on our part, we had a free nights stay at the local state park. I can’t say that either of us feel very bad about it because first of all, we only had credit cards on us and there were virtually no facilities at the site. In fact it was flooded, there was a dead fish laying right by the rest room, and the toilet was a sad excuse for a hole in the ground. There wasn’t a sink or even a faucet in a half mile radius from the camp. All I can say is that I’m glad i can do most of my business standing up, I understand why majority of women do not appreciate camping. Half the time there are not even doors on the stalls! I personally got to partake in that adventure a couple of days ago. As we left in this morning we concluded that if there was someone at the State Park booth we’d pay up, but since there wasn’t we just coasted past the little hut and put that part of the day behind us. (We’re good boys, i promise). 

The coolest part of the rest of the day was meeting a school teacher/ cyclist by the name of Tom. He gave us a few directions and then offered to ride his bike home as fast as possible to beat us to the next town so that he can go get us some “free pizza” Pizza Hut coupons. Not five minutes after we pulled into Douglass he parked his man van right next to us. He gave us a few tips on encounters with black bears, Grizzlies, and the not to do’s of indian reservations and he was on his way again because he had to meet family who were visiting from out of town. Hell, Tom was such a nice guy that i would have asked if he wanted to join us for a little bit if i didn’t know he had prior arrangements. 

It’s rare to find someone who would speed 14 miles home on a bike just to get you some coupons or people who would buy you dinner and practically pay for your hotel room after only knowing you for 10 or 15 minutes. It’s unreal, something that’s hard to find back home.

Paxton Pabst and some new Phriends.

The past 3 days certainly had its ups and downs figuratively and as a matter of fact very literally as well. A couple of days ago we were in a town by the name of North Platte. The day started off kinda slow, to the point where we got on the road around 11 or 12 instead of 7. I’ve learned that the later you start the less enjoyable the day becomes as it gets hotter, and hotter, and probably a little bit hotter as the miles tick down from 70. We finally arrived in a town called Paxton around 2 30 only 40 miles from North Platte, not a usual stopping point for our days. It was hot humid day with a huge head wind that made cycling even more unpleasant. 

On this day though we lucked out by meeting a nice lady named Jessie Bergen who’s family was known as the “Biker family”. Before even knowing our names or introducing herself she offered to let us wash our clothes, shower, and even pitch our tent in her yard if we wanted to and of course after not so much consideration we decided to take the nice offer. We figured it might be nice to meet and hang out with some new people and it definitely turned out to be a good bargain. This town of less than 500 actually turned out to be quite the place with its beautiful scenery, atmosphere, and it’s 3 bars located directly next to each other on what seemed to be the only intersection in town. We actually came to the location of Nebraskas most famous bar. The previous owner apparently opened it on the night that prohibition ended and was quite an adventurer himself. Although he enjoyed a different type of adventure (hunting across the globe) he did all this when modern technology wasnt around. There was a stuffed Polar Bear in the bar!! It was CRAZY! 

As the day progressed we got to know the Bergens quite well, a warm friendly family who love riding bikes. I got quite inspired myself by the dad of the family, Matt who loved reading blogs especially about this endurance race from canada to mexico all along the continental divide. Got me thinking on these long long days. 

The next day, aftering having been fed well (STEAKS! Thanks Jessie), taken out to the local night scene which was awesome, we left Paxton for what ended up to be a very long day on the bikes. Under the impression that the Bergens were going to join us on part of our cycle to Ogalalla we waited an extra 20 minutes or so, but I guess it seemed like a better idea the night before and not the morning after. Something I’m pretty familiar with…sleep is heaven on earth. 

That morning I left Paxton behind kinda like I left Perry, Oklahoma behind. I didn’t want to leave just yet! But duty called, and we have to get to Alaska some time this year. None the less, I found myself another new family in Paxton, named the Bergens. 

(Wish I had gotten a picture!)   

I’m a grateful speed demon

Somewhere in Nebraska 

  

Like always I thought to myself "I just rode my bike to Nebraska"

Yesterday was quite an interesting day. Probably more so due to the fact that we were cycling faster than the speed of sound (24 to 30 mph) and covered a distance of more than 90 miles in less than five hours! It was just one of those days where riding your bike is a breeze. As long as you keep your legs spinning, your bike keeps cranking, and with the addition of long ups and some very long downs my bike and I got to my new personal speed record of 40 mph! I’m sure my face looked similar to that of a dog sticking his face out of the window of a moving car- face skin flapping and eyes watering. We ended that day in a town by the name of Phillipsburg with another free night of camping, but only after poured rain for a couple of hours. We spent those two hours hanging out on a bench in the bathroom which sat two feet from the sink, toilet, and urinal. That’s how we like to spend quality time on our road trip. Dirk and Marcus, Livin it up.  

Today however wasn’t as glorious as yesterday or at least it didn’t start that way. It started at 5 30 am, we packed and did some tooth brushing and headed out. I managed to eat a syrup soaked plate of waffles before we headed our way west toward Denver. What made today so bad was that we had been spoiled by forgiving winds for the past few days and the sudden change of wind direction and hilly terrain really kicked our ass so to speak. Our progress went from a solid 20 mph to an embarassing 12 mph which proved to be more of a test of patience than physical ability.  

My favorite part of the day was when I was at a dead stand still in the process of taking a photo of a cool looking mirage on a hilltop when 15 seconds later marcus comes plowing into me from behind with his bike. The chain ring took a good slash out of my left leg which I later convinced my mom was actually a racoon bite just for S’s and G’s (shits and giggles). I think I’ll be okay, I don’t think they need to amputate or anything.  

One day after that ^^  

Now we’re in Nebraska. A lot of hills, towns are 30 miles apart now and we’re getting to a point in the country where towns have populations of 76. No shit.. We just went through a town with 76 people in it, I thought the lady was lying to me at first. It’s kinda cool how much hospitality has increased since we’ve gotten to the midwest. In the past two nights 2 different couples took us up on some dinner. I figure this is what makes something like this worth it. Not the free bees you get from people who like what you’re doing, but the occasions that you get to share with them and it’s nice to know that kindness still exists on the planet. Bill and Donna were the nice couple who bought us dinner and desert last night! They had plenty of kids (which is probably why their parental instincts took over),plenty of good jokes, and were on a road trip of their own to missouri. They treated us to dinner, forced us to get pie, and even bought us breakfast and coffee before we left for the days 90 mile cycle. It was probably one of the best  nights yet!

It’s hard to imagine the generosity that complete strangers have showed us on this trip.

Today an older man by the name of Steve who was probably in his late 60′s or early 70′s told us he does triathlons and still cycles (if his wife lets him haha). Then out of no where pulled out a note for us to give to BikeWorks as a contribution to their and our cause just like so many others have done. We hadn’t even known him for 10 minutes and out of the kindness of his own good heart gave something to use to help us along. Just like Bill and Donna, and all the other people who have helped us on our journey, I really appreciate it and I’m sure the people from BikeWorks do too.  

Whether it’s giving us a coke to keep the spirits high or giving us a place to sleep at night, everything that everyone has done has helped me push farther physically and mentally than I ever thought i could go. I started this trip as an work and school exhausted college student, and it’s transforming me into a more mature and experienced person. This trip isn’t easy, but like I tell every one who asks me if its been “worth it”. The harder something is, the greater the reward- I believe in that.

 (A little thank you to everyone:) )  

Naughty and Not so Nice

In Florida just about the only bug that bites is none other than everyone’s favorite insect- the mosquito. It’s quiet, sneaky, and seems to have night vision goggles because it almost always bites me at night. Either way, I’m an ungrateful person for always complaining about them, because everything bites west of the Floridian border not just the common mossy.

One thing I can’t figure out is why there is always a spider on my person, bag, or in my vicinity. Usually by the morning one of the little critters have laid claim and spanned their house across the mechanics of my bike, sometimes even connecting their little silky master pieces to my cycling shorts or shirt which is draped around my bike frame nightly to dry out for the next day. Then as the day progresses, almost every time I sit down there is something with 8 legs on me. It doesn’t even bother me see or feel them crawling on me anymore, a quick flick of the finger usually does the trick. Okay so maybe I’m becoming awesome or spiders out west are lame, but any insect that flies out here is like a blood thirsty kamikaze.

The other night (in Oklahoma) there were probably 50 mosquitoes sitting on our tent waiting to ambush us, and ever since alabama we’ve been getting chased like african plains game by stinging and man eating flies. As if flies aren’t annoying enough, out west you have to not only be vigilant to make sure that they get on your food but also to look out for the ones with a big shit eating grin on their face ready to eat you. There are deer flies, easily distinguishable from other flies because they yellow. House flies just like to take off and land on you as if you’re a public landing strip, and then there are the horse flies. Hairy, faster than hell, the size of a QUARTER and somehow manage to bite you when you’re riding your bike at 20 mph. It makes for an interesting experience on a narrow shoulder with fast passing cars on your left and flooded ditches to your right.

When Marcus is around though I don’t really have to worry about them. He’s got a keen eye for them and so far we’ve figured out a good way to rid them of our lives. One person becomes the personal sacrifice,while the other grabs the closest hat or baseball bat and beats some ass to send that fly and his friends a message to never come back- and it usually works. One day in particular when neither the hat or the bat is readily available I saw Marcus dance like I have never seen anyone dance before in my life.

As we stopped to check the GEEP (short for GPS)..

usually under some shade, which seem to be the horse flies favorite hangout Marcus started swatting away while trying to check our global position on his phone (apparently all the ruckus started when a fly tried at his groin region). Out of no where a fly lands on his shoulder again which Marcus promptly with little to no motivation shook off as if he were a sista doing the harlem shake. The fly did a fly by and landed on his right cheek which got Marcus to shake his butt so furiously that it convinced me that he had been practicing to be in Shakiras next music video. It was pretty legit and any girl would have been jealous- I can’t lie, as I write this there is a bit of envy in my words.

Tonight once again, the bugs are thirsty for our bodies. Luckily we showered in the worst shower i have ever seen in my life (we realized that bugs are ferocious when sweating and smelly). This shower in “Lyons FREE RV park” had only one knob for water (cold) and cigarette buds laying on the rusty drain. The mental image this evoked was quite comical at first, the sight of some guy desperately trying to keep his addiction lit as he tried to tend to his hygiene. It was funny until I  realized that I had to shower in it because it was the best we could do for the day.

So now its time to head back to our site, our free site. I guess it’s free for a reason. We’ve been keeping the lady at subway company but the weather is telling us to get that tent set before it starts storming.

Kansas- windy, stormy, and tornado prone.

Sag Wagons, Cyclists, and help from strangers 101

Leon, Kansas  2000+ miles :) 

So today we’ve encountered our first true cross country cyclists! There was no “sag wagon” or support vehicle in close in tow. I guess some people think of having a support vehicle as cheating because the lady that introduced me to the term didn’t think too greatly of it. The more i think about it there is a big difference in what we’re doing when compared to the support vehicle “sag wagon” method. Those people are simply just cycling to get across the country, they have not to worry about anything else other than how far their legs can take them for the day. I’m definitely not saying it isn’t an accomplishment, there is just a lot less stress and worry at the end of the day. 

For instence… 

Apart from cycling most of the day, we also spend a good part of that day taking breaks, refueling our engines, and hydrating. Another good part of that day is spend fixing things, reading maps, and negotiating with receptionists a cheaper nights stay or bargaining with RV park manager to let us tent camp there even though its not in their business’ policy to let us. I guess it’s more of an adventure to do things our way. You’re exposed to more things, forced to do things that you usually would prefer not to do- Like sleep under an overpass like we did on Day 2, or cycle through the everglades through the dark, or even cycle an extra 40 miles to gamble that you’ll find a more decent place in the next town, or the next town, or the next. 

Sometimes however the risk was greater than the reward, we found this out the hard way the other night. We spent a good start of the day cycling only sixty miles which later turned into a 100 mile day. FINALLY around 10pm were forced to come to terms with a 45 dollar turquoise colored motel room (luckily with 2 beds after some slick negotiating). I cracked a few jokes to the Indian hotel manager about how awkward its going to be sleeping in a queen size bed next to marcus because we simply couldn’t afford to pay for the more expensive room with two beds. She took a couple of seconds and gave us a room with two beds for the price of one. The only catch..the room was upstairs and after a few minutes of struggling we managed to maguiver our 60 pound bikes up the stairs and into our room. I still chuckle about the receptionist feeling bad for us having to sleep together, little does she know that marcus and i are used to a tent that is about the size of a twin bed ;) 

But on a more serious note, it’s amazing how much people will do for you if you just ask them. We’ve been offered free nights stay on many occasions, free camping when we would have gotten charged on other occasions people have even taken our problems and made it their own. Like the time I some how got the entire ranger station in vicksburg trying to find us a way across the mississippi. There were ones on the phones, on the internet, negotiating a road atlas, talking to their tourist information officer for us. On the same day, still facing the same problem of either cycling 60 miles south to another town that would allow cyclists to cross and then 60 miles north again (a two day detour) the sherriff of vicksburg solved our problem by calling one of his deputies to drive us across the river personally. Now ain’t that jus somethin? He gave us a little tour and filled us in on some history also. Strangers are definitely half the reason that we’ve gotten as far as we have, I appreciate it. A LOT!