71- The final 25 miles..... Only four months later

So I haven't been able to bring myself to write about the last day of my trip, perhaps its because it means it's actually over (Unlikely, I make each day a adventure you know) or it's the fact that I have to now have to try to voice what the trip meant to me.... Or even tougher, to wrap my head around what I learned from the coast to coast ride. Until now.....

Well here it goes.  I woke up in Seaside after a restful nights sleep at Neil's house. I showered in the guest bathroom which smelled of incense and bathroom cleaner. The guest room that Abi and I stayed in was his daughter's old room, complete with old fliers from high school events still pinned on the cork board.

Neil was a wonderful wonderful host, as adventurer himself, he always has a story to share about a trip, or a sight or sound he remembered. My favorite story he told us was a hilarious coffee horror story. He attempted to order a cup of Folgers coffee in India and ended up with a cup of hot coffee grinds. He showed the man how he wanted his coffee by preparing a liquid form, with one or two scoops of grinds rather than a whole cup full. The man took a drink of Neil's creation and immediately dumped it out, immediately handing him another cup of moist grounds.  Neil reluctantly took it and drank/chewed his cup of "coffee."  He said he was radiating for the rest of the day from the caffeine. Neil's laughter and the ways his eyes lit up made the story so very memorable.

Neil, you rock!

Oh yeah, the last day... well I packed my panniers for one last time.  Rolled up my tent, which I hung up in his garage to dry over night. I couldn't help to think with each thing I put away, "this is the last time i'm going to use this on this trip."
 Jolly was loaded and I was all suited up for the last day of riding.  Neil was packing for a trip of his own. He had his backpack loaded in the trunk of his Suzuki, and was gathering his bike gear as Abi and I left.

It was a cool and overcast Oregon day.  We rolled silently to the Sea Side beach where we had decided we would take our ceremonial tire dip photos (There was no good place to do the dip in Astoria). The tide was low, as low as it goes.  It felt like we rode a mile on the packed sand until we finally reached the water.  There was a lady going for her morning run with what looked to be be some tiny bread of a lap dog chasing behind her. (I didn't know those little dogs could walk, as most of the people I see with them have them in strollers or in designer dog bags).  We waved her down and asked her if she would take photos for us.  Abi and I laughed afterwords because she probably had no idea how important the photos she took for us were to us. She snapped a quick set of photos with my camera. Then Abi and I took each others photos, standing there with a grin on our faces and thumbs held high. Perhaps the most memorable photos of the trip?

Thumbs up from Team Turtle 

We then made the long trek back to the bike path.  The wet sand made our already heavy bikes heavier.  We stopped and tried to beat and bang the sand off of our wheels, it didn't work... We both rolled along  with the sand grinding and scraping with each revolution of the wheel. I don't know about Abi, but riding past all the people on the path made me feel like a champion, I doubt any of them really knew why two hobos on bikes were smiling so much. We were sooo close!!

We decided on taking the most direct route to Astoria, riding on the shoulder of 101.  Never mind that it was a busy (and now sunny) morning. I stopped and let Abi ride ahead, as I did oh so often along the trip.  We rode along 101 with traffic whizzing by.  We saw touring cyclists riding the other direction that presumably  starting their tours down the Pacific coast. We screamed, hooped hollered and yehawed at the top of our lungs, seeming to be out of our minds i'm sure. We had made the trip to Astoria the day before in Neil's car, So we recognized each landmark and knew exactly how far we had to ride till we reached the end.

The bridge going into Astoria was a experience to say the least. I'm thankful I made it across it alive, man it would have sucked to get squished in the last two miles of the trip. I rode as straight and as attentive as I had the whole trip, the whole time with a steady row of cars and trucks squeezing past.


 And just like that we were there. We had made it to Astoria after biking over 4250+ miles from the Atlantic.  We still had to to find the "official" end of the route, The Astor Column.

Enter the steepest  climb of the trip. No lies, no exaggeration, the road to the top of that stinking hill in Astoria was the steepest chuck of pavement I believe I have ever seen.  I stuck Jolly in the lowest gear she had, slid up on the nose of the saddle and made a mad run at it.  I eventually had to stand off my saddle cranking my loaded bike side to side. Success! Man I love climbing....  Abi made her best run at it but her gear range proved to be too limited to keep making  forward momentum.  She hopped off and pushed her way up.  We rode the twisting road the rest of the way to the Astor Column, all the time with wooden gliders flying over head and the sounds of ooos and aaahhs from people throwing them from high atop the column.

We leaned out bikes against the benches at the base of the column and made out way up the spiral stair case to the top. We climbed with a purpose and with relative ease, though our legs did feel the result of thousands of cycling miles.  The view was amazing, almost too much to take in. The Pacific coast, the trees behind us to the East.  The ocean rolling rhythmically, waves breaking and repeating. We snapped some of the last photos of the trip and eventually (and reluctantly) made our way back down.

At the base of the column Abi received the 9,000th comment on her "devil-goat day" t shirt.  This time the comment came from a Mary Washington Grad, and not a fearful random person who was sure Abi was a devil worshiper. And with that comment- a big big trip, big country, big world made small again.  A Virginia Native and a alumni of the same college Abi has just graduated, talked to Abi about the things she remember from her years there (and the devil goat day of course).

After the Virginia party ended we made our way back on our bikes said goodbye to the Astor Column and to the picture perfect scenery.

ZOOOOOOOOM!!! back down the hill we had just labored up.  We went straight to the bike shop at the base of the hill, where we dropped our bikes off to be packaged and shipped back home. There I found the UPS truck that had my replacement cell phone (as you may recall my old one grew legs and ran away). I said good bye to Jolly, and Abi said bye to the U.S.S. Adventure. We were bike free. we walked first, to a thrift shop to find backpacks to carry some of the stuff we didn't ship with our bikes.  With no suitable backpacks found there, we then went to the JcPennys and found back to school supplies displays,  A harsh moment for Abi I am sure. As her adventure was coming to a end and it was soon going to be back to academia. Well anyways we both bough a snazzy bag.

We stuffed our belongings into our new packpacks and wandered around town.  Turns out with out bikes touring cyclists look, smell, and behave much like homeless people.  We walked slowly to the bus stations were we purchased the passes that would take us to Portland later that day.  Then we found a bench by the ocean to relax on.  As I recall neither Abi nor I had much to say. I think we were both fighting off sadness that it was really over. She napped on the bench as I watched the seagulls fly about and the trolley go dinging past.

It came time to board the bus so we made our way back to the station. The buses came and went and eventually Abi and I were the only ones sitting there. Along came our bus to Portland and we climbed aboard. The bus stopped at every little hole in the wall in between Astoria and Portland to pick up another interesting face. I wondered about all the stories they had to share, but I was too sleepy to bother starting a conversation.

The winding road made the speed of 45 mph in a tour bus feel like a wild ride in a Indy Car.  I was green in the face by the time the we got to Portland.

Abi and I both had our flights scheduled a few days out, so we had time to kill in Portland, (my wonderful Aunt Becky and Uncle Peter were a blessing and purchased my ticket back home, thanks again yall!)  Every other town we stayed in was a little warm and welcoming place that was excited to host two worn out cyclist. Well Portland was not so little not so warm.  Big cities tend to make me a little anxious.... okay, a lot anxious. Pair that with not having eaten much that day I can turn into a bit of a grump.  Well Abi and I wandered around Portland the bike capital of the U.S.... with out our bikes..... after having finished a huge bike tour, grumpy hungry and stressed. Is this how its really going to end?  We struck out on the hostel..... we were turned away into the cool Portland night, "sorry we are full, try a hotel or something"

We hiked across the city looking for a vacant room. Passing restaurants and shops. My hunger building with every step (i was too stubborn and too grumpy to eat).  We eventually found a vacant room at a hotel just outside the conference center. The very first thing we did was order not one, but two Pizza Hut Big Box deals. We ate pizza till we couldn't take another bite and called it a night.

The next morning we woke up with out our bikes for the first time, only two empty pizza boxes on the floor and our new backpacks stuffed with clothes and electronics.  We checked out from our oh so fancy hotel (not so fancy) and made our way towards the trolley stop where we could ride to the airport. The convention center was barricaded off at every corner due to the fact that The President was coming later that day for some uhh Presidential stuff I assume.

Portland ended up being much kinder in the day time. We found our way to the airport, then found the gates where our flights would be boarding  We then  hoped back on the trolley to explore.  My first stop was See See Motorcycles- a shop that is turning out some really cool bikes. Drooooool city. Then we checked out a three story book store, a few record stores, and a  few bike shops.  We hiked across town to the Rose Garden which was ahhhmazing, then to the authentic Japanese garden (also ahhhhmazing).  Portland was very kind, very fun and had lots of cool people. I do believe I will go back there someday soon.

It eventually came time to say goodbye and head back to the airport for my flight back to Virginia.  It was on a crowed train car that Abi and I exchanged a awkward half hug and then we parted ways.

As it turned out I was on the wrong train route but I realized it in time to hop off and get on the correct one.  I found my way to the airport again and got some sushi and waited on my flight.  As most of you know my idea of being on time is being 15 min early.  So my idea of being early is pretty silly. I waited and waited and finally it was time.

There I was 6'4'' Thomas Hash carrying a pannier, faded by the sun, still with a plop of bird poop on it from the first day, wearing a tattered flannel shirt that I stole from my dads closet before the trip, complete with camo crocs boarding the plane....Oh yeah did I forget to mention the giant straw hat that replaced my helmet for the last week of the trip, oh yeah and the handlebar mustache and grungy beard from three months of not shaving. Where was this bearded beauty sitting you may ask?
 FIRST CLASS BABY!

The first class hobo 

That's right lil ol country boy from Dublin VA, was flying home in style. The fella I sat beside was some Ryan Seacrest looking guy that was talking to his Partner on the phone about his music contract opportunities in Tokyo (not making this up).

Have I mentioned yet that I have never so much as stepped on a airplane prior to thas first class flight back home? I was scared out of my wits.  We took of and I was wondering who would speak at my funeral if the plane was to go down, and I was picking who I would make alliances with if I was lucky enough to survive the crash.  Well I made it through the flight luckily and lived to tell the story.

After a layover in Chicago, a flight delay and gate change I was back on Virginia soil by 10am the next day.

I hadn't slept a bit since Portland and man was I happy to be back on the ground.  My Dad was waiting for me there at the airport in Roanoke, with a smile that I love so much to see.  (Love you Pa!)

And just like that I undid all I had done, back home. Back to the routine. Same sights sounds and people that I had left. To say the first month back was a harsh transition would be a understatement. I couldn't sleep in my own bed anymore, my dog was scared of me (I think it was the silly hat), and I missed my Babigale (whom i had spent every moment with for close to three months.

Over the past few months I have re-acclimated myself back to the "real world" but my routine now includes allot more star gazing, sitting out side and pondering life (along planning with my next adventures).

I have now realized just how much I learned while riding my bike across the United States.

The first is patience, it requires a great deal of patience to travel that slowly. But I learned that though the end goal may not be visible, working towards it in small manageable goals will get you there.

The second thing I learned was the value of simplicity.  Yeah yeah hippy talk I know. But having just what you need and nothing else is a good feeling. The less variables there are, the less there is to go wrong.  A bike a tent and a stove is alright by me. I came up with a way to avoid getting into overly complicated and stressful situations. I call it my KISS method or Keep It Simple Stupid. Try it, it works!!

The third thing I learned is to TYG or trust your gut.  Intuition is a powerful thing that I believe to have helped me quite a bit. Listen to those little feelings that tell you something may not be right, or that are telling you to go for it.

Fourth- (Not sure how many there are going to be) The value of hard work and community.  I had dreams of finding a distant land unlike that which I have ever seen, where I would find happiness like minded people and bikes...lots of bikes. While the scenery was very different all along the way, the communities remained small and the people honest and hard working.  I realized that I wasn't going to find a utopia out there, in fact I found just the opposite.  I found that there is no place quite like home, in my case no place quite like Southwest Virginia.  We have beautiful mountains, which host a plethora of outdoor activities, wonderful people who genuinely care about each other, and opportunities a plenty.  There are hundreds and hundreds of Dublin Virginia's in this world that are driven by people that love their homes and want to do the best to make it welcoming to others.  There is hope after all.

Lastly I learned just how many good people there are. It was truly amazing at the amount of hospitality and geunine kindness I saw from folks that did't know me from Adam. One of those good people joined me for the whole trip. I am thankful to  have met Abi through this trip.  She was a genuine joy to share the trip with and I learned allot from her.  She made for some good laughs, (okay allot of good laughs) and a bunch of great memories. Love yah Abi!! p.s remember when you spewed water all over the table?

Those Vans...

 I know that I will remember this adventure for a long time and I hope that the stories of my trip will be the catalyst for others adventures.

What is stopping you from going after your dreams? Dream, plan, and go for it.  Don't be afraid to pack your bags and roll.

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE THOMAS KYLE HASH

70- Rest and reflection

0 miles from Seaside to Seaside

Hind sight is 20-20. Looking back I'm not sure there is too much I would do differently on this trip. 20 short miles remain between me and the end of this cross country journey by bike. It's early monday morning and my bags are packed, my bike is clean and my plane ticket is waiting.

We took a day off yesterday to enjoy the ocean, prepare for our flights home and kick back a little bit. We took a car trip to Washington State, where we may or mat not have gotten stuck in the sand. Though Neils little suzuki is all wheel drive its ground clearence is not all that. We got pulled out by a big chevy truck, silly silly me.

Yesterday eveneing was spend visiting with Niel and Marcello, we walked downtown for dinner. We sat around and shared tales and we laughed till my belly hurt.  Marcello is a journalist form Italy, who is couchsurfing while writing a few peices about western culture (mainly music).  We then had a nice fire on the beach, took a dip in the Pacific and had a few drinks before calling it a night.


I am rested and ready to ride. Let's go live!


Thomas H

69- Beach bum in training

50 miles from Tillamook to Seaside


Pacific, pacific. Climb descend, stop to look at the ocean, climb, descend, repeat until you reach sea side. i love the ocean. Who knew?

Abi and I have been talking about Sea Side for the past week.  We met a lady at a campground a while back who has a beach house in Sea Side.  She invited us to stay when we passed through.

Well we got there to find the drive way empty and the blinds shut. Luckily Abi founds a warm showers host in Sea Side who very kindly took us in on very short notice.

Neil (our host) is rad, our clothes are in the drier and I am a very happy Thomas.  20 short miles to go.

Thomas

68- Hello?

71.232323232 miles from Grand Ronde to Tillamook

The camp ground in Grand Ronde was a interesting experience to say the least. Just as I was getting nice and settled in, juuuust about asleep, in rolls not one but two rv's full of loud.  Who shows up to a campground at 10:30?  They Loud's set up camp, cooked out, yelled screamed laughed and hollered into the wee hours of the morning.  I eventually got to sleep despite the racket.

I woke up to peace and quiet.  A Nice calm cool Oregon morning.  I went to check my phone that I left charging in the rest room. Door open, light on, no phone to be seen.  Bummer squared.

After asking my noisy neighbors, talking to the park managers and checking the bathroom about 15 times I pedaled west free of the technology that most of us are so dependent on.  Luckily for me I have taken the majority of my photos on a acctual camera and not my phone.

Phone you were a good one, i hope your new thieving owner treats you well.

Pacific!!!

Oh my beautiful ocean!! Abi and I stopped the at the first beach sign we saw and slowly walked through the sand to the big blue. It was a amazing to stand looking at the ocean that we just rode across the US to get to.  That being said, we still had 50 more miles to ride that day.  It was all I could do to get back on my bike.  But after all winners never quit and such.  So we rode on.

We reluctantly camped at the RV ground in Tillamook, this one was much quieter and i had no phone to get stolen. So two thumbs uP :)


A very phone free,
Thoma 

67- Does this hat make by butt look fat?

82 miles from Coburg to Grand Ronde

Remember how I said Oregon is the Virginia of the west? Well todays ride proved that statement true yet again. I was having a hard time comprehending I wasn't out on a ride back home.

That being said, of course it is beautiful... it looks like VA!! The mountains have a nice blue color again. The freshly mown fields rolled out of sight and the smell of hay took me right back to Hedge Lane.

We are on the last map, with only a 150 miles till the end. Wow.

Abi picked me up a straw hat at the truck stop in Coburg this morning. It is truely a wonderful hat. Thanks Abi!

Im having a blast. There is a certain energy that I haven't felt since the first week. Pretty cool feeling.

Also we have started getting props for riding across the country. I was told by couple from Tenessee that I should be very proud of my accomplishment. And we even got our first high five from a fellow cylist. You have no idea how glorious that high five felt.

Thom

66- Cascade Classic

83 miles from McKenzie Pass to Coburg

We have the best timing ever. We just so happened to be going down the pass when..wait for it.. the Cascade Cycling Classic was racing up it. We got a great perspective on just how slow we are. We also realized it is very tough to come up with things to yell at the racers who are not the leaders... Go faster!! Uhh no thats not it. Great job!!! They know its not true.. Uhhh Keep it up?? nope.

Also people make nasty noises while riding. If there is only two riders its not too bad. A pack of 70 riders sounds like.. Well its not a pretty sound. Lots of snorting and hacking. Eww

The rest of the ride was very pleasant. We met a few friendly east bounders and had nice chats with them. 

Oregon is def the Virginia of the west. I don't dislike it.

Tho

65- Sisters

65 miles from ochoco park to McKenzie Pass (Lava Creek campground)

Twas a beautiful climb up to the pass. The campground we stayed at was at the trail head to the PCT. As some of you may know, Dan P. is thu hiking the pct. We only missed seeing each other by a few days.

I wrote dan a message beside the trail with broken limbs, we shall see if he notices it.

The campground was beautiful, right beside a lake... Mosquitos liked the location too. I have over 25 fresh bites... All on the back of my knees. I must have sweated off the bug spray on my little hike. Itchy itchy

Th

64- I was thinking...

81 miles- Dayville to Ockicho Park

Today was a quiet day for me. With the trip drawing to a end I find myself thinking about home and the things im looking forward to.

The list goes as follows-
Seeing my family
My pup
My friends
Work
Mountain biking
The river
Applying the things I have learned to the "real world"

Though with these thoughts comes the list of things I am going to miss.

New adventures everyday.
Meeting new people
Being rediculous with Abi on the daily
Having new things to take pictures of,
And just about everything about bike touring.

Oregon is beautiful, the road was oh so smooth today, and we had a nice rain shower on the climb.
T.

63- Chiiiiiillll

45 miles- Prairie city to Dayville
Twas a calm and chilly morning in Prairie City. We got on the road fairly early to catch church in John Day. We caught it and met a few nice folks, all of whom were very happy we stopped in. We were the youngest people there by 30 years.
We hung out in John Day for a hour or so and people watched as I enjoyed a cold coke.  We rode 8 more miles to Mount Vernon and had lunch. We sat there and relaxed for a while (were I drank more coke). Chill chill.
Long story short, we rode very little and relaxed alot.
We are staying at the church here in Dayville. They have been hosting cyclists here since 1976. The wireless internet, washer, dryer, stove, fridge and microwave were all payed for from donations from cyclists. Very cool.
I like these short days.
Sun shine and smiles from Oregon
T.

62- Rain rain

69 miles- Baker City to Prairie City
We were rained on for the 6th time today. Not too bad if do say so my self, which I did just say, so... not too bad.
It was a pleasant rain, the kind that is more amusing and refreshing than bothersome.
Overall it was a chill day, we stopped on the road side and had a hour lunch break. We had three nice climbs. I took them nice and slow, to take in all the beautiful scenery.
I'm in Oregon... I still can't believe it.
T.

61- Oregon-mi

81 miles- Campground on the snake river to Baker City
We rose with the sun and rode like the wind... untill Abi flatted. Then we fixed tires like the wind. Well okay thats nothing like the wind.
There is a old saying in cycling that goes something like, "For every flat there is a reason, a reason far more meaningful than a puncture or pinch" (thats not a real saying (but it is now (feel free to use it))).
Well, as we were putting the wheel back on the USS Adventure a cyclist stopped to check on us. Harmony was riding from San Fran to Missoula annd her rear tire was threadbare. So Abi passed on her tire she had just removed. I think Abi saved her some headache. Good work team!
We ended up crushing out the 80 miles to Baker like it was no biggie. I arrived barely showing signs of riding. Abi never broke a sweat. Lies all lies. It was freaking hot! Just as I realized my blood was on the verge of boiling the rain came. I rode the last five miles in a decent little down pour as Abi waited for me under a tree.
We are in Oregon, yes the final state of this here cross country bike trip. Crazy you say? I agree! It seems like just yesterday I was riding the Colonial Parkway with a belly full of Grande breakfast. We are less than two weeks away from the end.
In other less bittersweet news, (this,news is just sweet) we are staying at a wonderful warm showers host in Baker City. We have a load of laundry in the dryer, a belly full of pasta and ice cream, and nice beds to rest our little heads.
Life is good, Oregon has made a wonderful first impression annnd imma bout to fall asleep.
Your friend, cousin, brother, son, grandson, random acquaintance, friend of a friend, or however you know me.
T.H.
Ps our host raises guide puppies for blind folk. Yeah its pretty dang cool, I know.

60- Snake river

75 miles- New Meadows to a camp ground on the Oregon State Line.

Roughest bike path ever, hot hot heat, and a sweeet downhill that nearly melted my face off.

t

59- New Meadows

60 miles- White Bird to New Meadows

Solid day of riding and reflecting. I wish all of you could experience this adventure with me, If only for one day. I can tell you day after day about how beautiful, amazing, or awesome the experience is, but none of it translates. The photos don't even come close to capturing what inspired me to take it.

This is so much more than a big bike ride. While it is pretty physical to ride 65 miles day after day, the journey is far more mental even spiritual..

After 50 some odd days of the ritual of camping, packing and riding you can really find a rhythm. That rhythm allows you to spend your time on the bike thinking about what is to come, what has passed or just take in what you are going through. I am not sure I even think about the fact that I am on a bike most of the time.

So while I wish I could tell you about how great todays ride was I can't.

I can tell you however, how great it is to reflect back on the past year of my life. Alot has changed and I feel I have learned alot, matured just enough and gained a appreciation for the things in life that matter. Family, friends, new experiences and old memories are just a few.

t.

58- Weeeeeeeeeeee!

62- Syringa to White Bird

Climbing makes me happy. I spent most all day happily spinning up up up. What never occured to me is the downhill that was to follow the beautiful climb.

  It was a great suprise. 2,600 feet lost, 15 switchbacks and 0 cars. The switchbacks were even banked, so you could really hit them. I may or may not have made motorcycle noises through a few of them.

We planned on camping at the City Park buutt it was a bit sketchy so we rolled on a bit further to a rv park. Camping by the river for the third night in a row.

Couldn't be much happier.

T.

57- Rollin on the river

73 miles-Powell to Syringa

Oh my beautiful riding. Idaho ranks number one thus far.

We rode beside the river alll day. We were treated with cool breezes at every mountain stream as they crossed under the road and into the river.

We stopped for a dip in the river at White Pine and ended up using my inflatible matress as a raft. We each made a few runs, each time going a little further up as to not be outdone. Abi made a very impressive run down some rapids that I was too chicken to try.

We camped at a cafe that also led rafting trips. We hung out with the river guides and relaxed as the sunset.

I love Idaho, seriously this place rocks.

T.

56- Idaho!

60 miles from Missoula to Powell

Todays ride was the bomb. We had a wonderful tail wind that pushed us up Lolo pass. The downhill was so fun, we coasted right to the campground. Camping tonight by the Lolo River. We took a dip as soon as we got there, it was very cold but felt burrfect after a hot day on the bike.

We made the walk to the lodge up the road for dinner and wifi. Ommnom and hello!

Big thanks to John for chasing me down this morning to give me my phone charger and to Sandy who packed pb&js for lunch. Yall rock.

Idaho is beautiful! Annd our servers name was Jethro. Good start ID.

T

54/55- A party just for us!

46 miles & 0 miles

The Adventure Cycling Association caught wind of team turtles arrival in Missoula and threw us a huge party! Well kinda, okay not really ...but we did luck up and hit Missoula the day of the ACA's grand opening party. There was a bluegrass band, beer and free ice cream....heaven!!!!!

Abi and I toured the facility and got our 15 seconds of fame when the tour guide gave us a shout out. That shout out is how we found our host/home for the weekend. More on that to come.

We had started earlier that day in Hamilton and rode 30 miles of wonderful bike paths to Lolo. During the first few miles of the day I took a sprinkler directly to the face. Someone should tell the buisineses that its not nice to have water spraying in the faces of cyclists.

From Lolo we had to ride the shoulder of 93 to Missoula. Holy hecktic, it really made me appreciate the bike paths we had ridden earlier that day. Once we reached Missoula we found great bike paths, bike lanes, and shared streets.

Back to our accomidations in Missoula. We met a couple in our tour of the ACA hq that was very impressed by our adventure. John and Sandy offered to take us in in return for info and pointers about touring. Next summer John and Terry will be riding the northern tier route on cycles that John builds himself.

They have been wonderful hosts! I was able to use their repair stand to get Jolly back up to speed. (She was looking rough after my tumble) They treated us to wonderful homecooked meals and even shuttled us downtown to meet up with friends.

Today's rest day has been perfect. We rode back to the ACA hq to have our photos taken and have more free ice cream. There we spotted a familiar green steel lugged bike. Miles had arrived minutes before we got there. We had a great time catching up. I hope to ride with him in the days to come, but we all know how that has gone in the past.

On my ride downtown my bike decided it would reveal a new noise. My left pedal was making a awful pop/creak/horribleawfulpleasemakeitstop noise. When I got back to the house I pulled it apart and overhauled it. Silent as a single speed descending now... Ahhhh how nice.

We had yet another delicious meal this evening, prepared by our hosts. This time we had bbq chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, broccoli and pie. mmm mmm good.

Think im over? Nope day just keeps getting better. Abi and I went to a screening of Reveal the Path, a film by the makers of Ride the Divide. It was a beautiful film and I am sure it inspired many people to get started living out their dreams. As for me, it was a great feeling  knowing I am living a experience comprable to what was being shown on the screen.

From there we headed to spend the evening hanging out with my friend G-nat and his work amigos. We had a great time swaping summer stories and even started a dance partay at the Flat River Brew House. Too fun.

I'm done now, off to sleep and back on the road in the morning.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend too.

T.

53- How can I go when the wheels don't roll?

75 miles from Wisdom to Hamilton
Brrrr! A cloudy morning made for a cold first 19 miles. The climb warmed me up though. I opted for the Gibbons Pass alternate. It was a beautiful gravel road that put a big smile on my face. I rolled along beside a creek and got a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains at the top.
I was having a bit too much fun on the descent and got a good taste of Montana ground. My speed was higher than a loaded touring bike likes to travel on a gravel road. The front fender got all wild and shaky, and some how ended up getting sucked up into the wheel, locking my front wheel and pitching me over the bars.
Lesson of the day, save the rough roads for a mountain bike. It was fun, but my arm, shoulder and knee tell me they are not sure it was worth it.
In other news I saved a kitten from the middle of the road today. It was a little Siamese booger that came a few inches away from being squished.
I was sitting there wondering what in the heck I was going to do with a kitten when a lady in a teal ford Taurus stopped. She had seen the little ones brush with death and stopped to make sure it was okay. Thank goodness she took it, I don't think kittens travel well in paniers.
We are camping in a families yard from Virginia! What a small world.
Montana is great, I now hate fenders, and am stoked I can keep on riding after my trip over the bars.
Looooove T.

52-America!

43 miles- Bannack State Park America to Wisdom U.S.A.
Today the sky was blue and the winds calm. A great day to ride across America.
We were treated to a delicious breakfast by the Jackson's and shuttled from the campground back to the route. We climbed another pass, this time with ease, and descended into the Big Hole Valley. Very beautiful.
We stopped in Jackson for lunch. I had a burger and a Bud, a American meal if I have ever had one. Before we got back on the saddle we relaxed a bit in the hot spring fed pool. It felt great.
We crushed the last 18 miles to Wisdom, only to find a swarm of evil blood sucking insects waiting for us. We opted for a break from the bites and checked in at the Nez Perce Motel. Very reasonably priced and quite nice.
We met a very drunk British cyclist by the name of Colin. He and the other gentlemen in the bar had been celebrating a bit too much. One guy there sounded just like John Wayne...if John Wayne was drunk and yelling. Another guy there in his mind fifties, kept calling John "Bro". Strange.
Happy 4th yall!
T.

51- Road Agents and Vigilanties

27 miles- Dillon to Bannack State Park
30 mph headwind = longest climb of my life. We stopped about 8 miles in and considered turning around and going back to the koa in Dillon. After much debate we decided little progress was better than no progress, so we pushed on. I eventually did push actually... I stopped put on my crocs and walked my bike because I was fed up with being blown off the road. Silly silly wind.
I tried hitch hiking but no trucks would stop, only response I got was a few waves and one middle finger. Still not sure why, but I guess meanies gonna be mean.
I eventually ran out of water and I stopped sticking my thumb out and started shaking my water bottle. A very nice lady in a white Chevy stopped and i was able to fill my bottles.
Abi and I were both spent by the time we got to the bottom of the first pass, luckily Bannet State Park was 4 miles off route. There we met two of the nicest people yet.
Paul and Jamie Jackson of Texas, are spending their summer volunteering at the park. They host at the campground as well as work the visitor center and do other odd jobs. One of their odd jobs on that breezy Tuesday included restoring team turtles spirits. By the time we reached the campground Abi and I were both exhausted to the verge of tears. I put up my tent, got in and was just about asleep when Paul came over to check on us.
It wasn't long after that when he returned with two plates full of stuffed peppers and mashed potatoes. Delicious! We were also treated to ice cream and invited into their home to relax. They treated us like family!! Thanks so much to the Jacksons for their hospitality and encouragement! You guys have no idea how much it meant.
We checked out the town after we came back to life. Bannack is a period mining town with lots of very interesting history. We learned of gun fights, robbers and corruption.  Very thankful the wind pointed us towards Bannack!
I rested well and my spirits were lifted. On to day 52.

50- The Principle of Zen Bonk

71- Ennis to Dillon
As I was composing a to-do list for this cross country trip a friend on mine suggested that I add "finding my zen bonk" to the list. He is a very credible source as he has completed the S.M. 100 on a ridged single speed for a number of years and to the best of my knowledge ridden the continental divide route.
Most of you are probably familiar with the concept of Zen, so I won't get into that. But I'm guessing that the term bonking is a head scratcher.
Well bonking is a cyclist term for hitting the wall, or running out of steam. Put the principle of Zen with a good old fashion bonk and you have todays ride.
A zen bonk occurs on a day that is just a bit longer than you want it to be, with temperatures just higher than comfortable, with winds just strong enough to slow you and inclines steep enough to bug you. On a ideal day you will never find your zen bonk, you will be too focused on how much fun you are having or how great your legs feel, it's the days that things just aren't clicking that it will be waiting.
My legs feel sluggish...shut it out. Ignore them. I'm hot...get over it. I wish I could pull over and nap... You will never finish if you quit now... Ahhh Ha!  ZEN BONK!
Through all the inconveniences of today's ride I found a appreciation for what it is I am doing, a respect for my surroundings, and motivation to push through. Though I wanted to stop a number of times and call it a day, I pushed through and Montana rewarded me with a beautiful ride.
The sky was just the right shade of blue, the mountains grand enough, and the clouds dense enough to allow me to forget all my worries.
A very very nice end to the day.
T.

49- Moving

Montana you are alright by me. What a great day on the bike.
71 sweet sweet miles from West Yellowstone to Ennis.
Abi and I got another late start, as she visited the catholic church in town, and I caught a imax movie about Yellowstone's history. Sorry that I skipped church God, but great job with this part of the world.
We got on the road around 12 and headed West. We rode past beautiful mountains still sporting patches of snow on their peaks. For the first half the day we had a glorious tailwind. whew it was nice... but it seems that with touring the highest of highs are probably going to be followed by a head wind.  We earned the remaining miles. We followed a storm into Ennis, arriving there just as it did.
We took a break earlier in the day and visited Quake Lake. The lake was formed in 1959 as a result of a land slide caused by two earthquakes. The valley was full of tourists camping when the mountain came down that august night, killing 28 people and stranding hundreds more. A survivor of the disaster was there visiting the memorial the same time we were. She shared her memories of the event with the crowd of strangers.
  "It was like god picked us up and sat us down in another world," she said, talking about seeing the drastic changes to the landscape when the sun rose. She and 27 others took refuge on the side of the mountain, to escape the rising water. They were eventually rescued by a man who heard what happened and used his personal helicopter to evacuate the campers.
Wow!
We are camping tonight at a very nice RV park just outside of town. The sunset was absolutely amazing.
Pumped yet again to see what tomorrow has in store.
T.

48- 48 bucks to camp!?!

50ish miles to West Yellowstone
We took another short day so we wouldn't have to rush through Yellowstone. I really enjoyed my time in the Park. It was beautiful, and mostly pleasant to ride through. We had a few RVs that came a little too close, but at least they were traveling 45 and not 65mph. It is very expensive to do anything in the park however, like $3.45 for a shower and $8.95 for a bbq sammich.
We saw two moose, were not eaten or mauled by any grizzlies, nor were we charged or gored by any buffalo.
We did come out from the general store at Old Faithful to find two bikes on the sidewalk and one very badly crushed helmet. I hope it was a freak gust of wind and not a meany-mean person. Abi rode the last 30 miles to West Yellowstone with no helmet, what a rebel!
We got here before the bike shop closed and Abi was able to get a new snazzy helmet. Thanks Free Heel and Wheel, yall rock!
Then came the chore of finding a place to stay. Camping for more than I have paid for a hotel? No Way! A hotel room for more than a entry level hybrid bike? I think not!
Thanks to our new friend Sam, we have a nice warm and free place to stay here in highdollarville. Sam is a cyclist (who has even done some touring in South America) who offered his kitchen floor to us when he saw us riding around with looks of hopelessness.
He sat through all 4billion of my photos from the trip and shared a few of his touring photos. Sam can't thank you enough, you are the man!
Stoked to see what tomorrow has in store.
T.
PS we got state #8 today. Montana!!