Final Thoughts

We are 2 teachers, riding on 2 bikes, we traveled 2222 + 273 miles (that's 2501 miles for those of you who don't like math) mostly on highway 2 from Rochester, New York to Columbia Falls, Montana. Along the way people kept asking us "why we were doing this, did you have a cause?". Our response was, "cause we can!". The inspiration for this trek was to do do something big during our 30's because Michael and I both turned thirty this year and let me tell you, this counts as something big. We spent a few days riding with two 19 year old bikers from New Hampshire, met a gentleman who was fulfilling his lifelong dream and celebrating his 60th birthday by biking from coast to coast, ran across large groups and small groups of cyclists with varying abilities and equipment, and learned that bike touring is something that anyone can do. This experience was a learning experience for the both of us. We learned a lot about ourselves, about biking, about human kindness and about highway 2. We were hoping to stick with the 2 theme and report that we only had 2 flat tires but that wasn't the case. A list of our final stats include: 2501 miles, 30 days, shortest day 36 miles, longest day 105 miles, no crashes but Michael fell off his bike once (it was my fault). Shawna gained 1 pound (I can hardly believe it either), had 8 flats and 8 showers. Michael lost 12 pounds, had 4 flats and 4 showers. The list of road kill is too long to mention but you could imagine how much we sa in 2500 miles. There were a billion mosquitos and we only had mentionable tailwinds a handful of times (maybe twice). Needless to say this was an epic adventure and we are both glad we did it. Since Michael convinced me to sign up for the Portland Marathon we are looking forward to our next adventure in October. Life is good, go big or go home.

Pizza Size Pancakes

Why not in Minot wasn't quite what we had built it up to be but catching a movie and library time gave us a reprieve from what seemed like endless amounts of pedaling. We encountered a few snafus trying to leave North Dakota, fixing flat tires and patching tubes during a down pour proved to be quite the challenge. Eight miles from the Montana boarder we were forced to hitch a ride back the nearest town of Williston, ND to buy new tubes. That was our first time in a car in 24 days, it felt really fast. At the bike shop we met two young gentleman heading in the same direction as us so we spent the next few days in their company. We heard about this breakfast challenge in a tiny town called Nashua, MT, and Michael was tempted to go for it but we ended up splitting the meal instead. Our new friends Frisco and Dylan went for it but couldn't quite make room for the pizza size pancakes. We were eating fluffy white goodness for a few days and loving it. The trek through Montana on U2 was long, really long. I have been keeping a journal and one of our daily rituals is to come up with a creative title for each day. To give you an idea of our last week on our bikes I'll list the titles and let your imaginations take care of the rest. "Oil Boom", "Flat Tired of Williston", "Winds of Change aka Isolated Thunderstorms", "Mission to Malta fueled by Pancakes", "2222 Baby", "Into the Waves of Wheat", "So Long U2...For Now", and last but not least "A Day of Rewards". Our friend Sam Glickel was able to ride the last two days with us and it was quite the grand finale. Riding through Glacier National Park was one of the best experiences in my life and I think Michael and Sam have similar feelings. After several long, hot, hard, windy, days of U2 the sweet reward of humongous mountains, crystal clear lakes and creeks, clean fresh air, and little traffic was sweeter than any candy I have ever tasted. After reaching the top of Logan Pass we had the mother of all descents down the west side. Michael couldn't quite tell if the tears in his eyes were caused from the wind, the raw emotion of completing this journey, or the pure awesomeness of the park. My guess is that it was a little of each. At the west end of the park we rewarded ourselves with a giant cinnamon roll, huckleberry beer, huckleberry lemonade, lunch and huckleberry ice cream, all before noon. We greeted U2 one last time with smiles for our short trek into Columbia Falls. The Newman's had a huge banner and even a finish line for us to cross to end this most amazing journey.

Far to go from Fargo

There was nothing to fear in North Dakota, mostly because there is nothing in North Dakota. Actually this state was not what we expected, in a good way. Believe it or not there are hills to climb, wetlands to admire, trees other than telephone poles, and amazing city parks for camping at no charge. North Dakota is known for it's hospitality and we found that to be true. We have put in some long days, although our mileage doesn't quite reflect our hard work, we blame the HW (headwind). Thankfully it haven't been too strong but it blows us enough kisses that we feel loved. The other night we rode after dark for few hours and were greeted by fireworks and chaos upon entering Hope, ND. Apparently it was the start of Hope Days and each year it begins with a huge kickball tournament. The population of Hope is around 300 people and there were at least many if not more at 11:00 pm on the school football field partaking in the annual event. As school teachers it was bit odd to see all of those Bud Light cans littering the school property but we joined in the festivities. We even debated taking a rest day the next day to watch the derby and rock out at the street dance but we decided to keep pedaling. We have been running into several other bikers who are following the northern tier, most traveling the opposite way (some call it the right way). By the way we must take this opportunity to thank Emily Dean for lending us her Adventure Cycling maps, we've definitely put them to good use. It is hard to believe how far we have come and how little we have left, although we hear Eastern Montana can be quite the mental challenge. I'm confident that just as we were a little afraid of ND, Eastern Montana will keep us entertained just the same. Today we are taking a rest day in Minot (my-knot) and have dubbed today, "Why not in Minot?". We are hitting up the local movie theatre, eating a bunch of candy, spending quality time in the library, and then loading up on groceries before heading towards the Big Sky state. I think we are going to beat Rachel and Sam to Montana. They will beat us to Columbia Falls but at least we got to the state before they did (not that it really matters but I like to create little competitions where I know I can win). We are eager and excited to see Glacier National Park and hope Sam and Ty will join us for our final descent.

I fought the wind and the wind won

First I have to mention two forgotten highlights of Michigan and Wisconsin. First of all it was great to meet up with Caleb in the little town of Gladstone, MI. Although our visit was short(he camped one night with us), it was definitely sweet. Thanks to the world cup, we avoided a major storm while watching the game in Ashland, WI. Our adventure cylcing maps directed us south through a scenic biway towards Fargo, ND. We enjoyed seeing all of the lakes Minnesota had to offer. Yesterday we encountered our first day of headwinds, they are not fun. The next 320 miles of ND are scaring me but KT reminded me that I signed up for an adventure, not a vacation. I'm sure we'll push through it. I just hate losing and there's no winning with a headwind. Gotta run. Computer is shutting down.

Opportunity Knocks

It's amazing when you knock what opportunities you'll find. After we left St. Ignace, we biked along US Highway 2 (I'm choosing to call it U2 for short) and haven't veered much from it since. Along the route we discovered the tasty pasty, a UP speciality, met some Yoopers (people born and raised in the UP), fixed a few flats, and have pedaled more miles than I thought possible. One day in particular we were out in the middle of nowhere scouting places to stay, a luscious green lawn caught our attention and we braved asking permission to snag a corner it. Instead of setting up our camping gear and sleeping under the rainy skies, Jim and Gayle offered us their newly constructed cabin, complete with a full bathroom and shower. Laying on a cozy futon, listening to it pour outside, having just showered and having no need for bug balm was absolutely divine. The next day we biked some more and ended up randomly connecting with a retired school teacher/25 year mayor of Crystal Falls and he invited us to stay in his party room, another night without having to set up camp...sweet! The most adventurous part of this entire journey so far has been meeting new people, hearing new stories, and making new friends. Currently I am in a K-12 school building in Floodwood, Minnesota using the computer while Michael fights of a migraine in the park. We've been on the road for over two weeks and are over half way there. We are a little nervous for the great plains but are hopeful that they aren't plain at all. We will be sticking close to U2 most of the way but hope to escape it from time to time. We'll let you know, until then...happy summer!

Rails to Trails...Love 'em!

Michigan has converted a large majority of unused rail lines into both paved and unpaved multi-purpose trails. Over the last few days we have spent a great deal of time on such trails. I must admit that at times I feel like a train as I meander up through this state. Since I last posted we have traveled from Columbiaville, MI all the way to the northern part of Lake Michigan. This morning we ferried from Mackinaw City to an Mackinaw Island and then over to St. Ignace to avoid the worlds largest (or somewhere up there) suspension bridge (plus I don't think bikes are allowed). Mackinaw Island is fairly touristy but it was fun to be in a place where cars aren't allowed. I still found myself looking over my shoulder anticipating the vroom of a passing by automobile. Although this is not a new discovery, bugs love me and haven't been afraid to show me there affection. I have over fifty love bites all over my body to prove it. I just wish they didn't itch because I'm a scratcher! We celebrated the 4th in style by ordering broasted chicken at Bob's Lounge in Claire, who knew that broasted really means deep fried, we were both a little disappointed but jo-jo's and biscuits made up for it. It turns out that Google is usually spot on, it's our interpretation of it that keeps messing us up. We got a little lost again and ended up circling a large lake (adding 15+ miles to our days journey). So far we have put in over 700 miles and had some long rides the last three days, 102, 93, 98. Yesterday would have been only 88 miles but I left my passport, journal, phone, etc. at the bar and we were stayed at a campground 5 miles outside of Mackinaw. Sarah and Ali, two first year teachers, were gracious enough to share their campsite and cooked us a wonderful meal before we departed this morning. All in all things are going well. We rode through our first down pour, our knees are still working, our butts are not as sore, and our bicycles are still alive and turning. Thank you all for comments, sorry I haven't responded but our access to computers in fairly limited. We hope life is treating all of you well. It's time to get back on our bikes....later!

Backtrack Attack!

It all started this morning as we left east Michigan. We slept in a neighborhood yard and I needed to use the restroom. Fortunately we had just passed a park with a bathroom only half a mile back from where we slept. Unfortunately starting a day with a backtrack set a precedence. Memphis was a cute little town with a cute little library. Having just decided to change our route we printed off biking directions thanks to google. We felt alive and wonderful as we meandered through more back country roads until google directed us onto a gravel road. "Seriously, Google, come on!" Really it wasn't too bad. After a nice long 10 mile gravel road ride we discovered that I had directed us in the wrong direction. For some reason Michael let me be the keeper of the directions, not knowing that I regularly confuse my left and right. Devastation set in when I discovered that we had to backtrack. Anyone who knows me knows that I despise backtracking. We had to veer from our Google directions and decided to pick them up later. That proved to be a bit of a challenge, thus the backtrack attack! After our 84 mile journey we figured we only made it about 70 miles in the right direction (My estimate would be lower estimate). The day is definitely ending on a high note because our new friends Kathy, Jack, and their fabulous family of animals hooked us up with a place to stay and a chance to get caught up on blogging. There will be no backtracking tomorrow!

Oh Canada!

Greetings Everyone!

It only took us a few days to traverse along the southern part of Ontario, paralleling Lake Erie. We put in some long days, 85 miles, 94 miles, then 98 miles. We loved the back country roads and found ourselves impressed with the generosity of Canadians, thank you Hal, Rob, Joan, and Tyler. We ferried back into the US yesterday and approached a random house in hopes of finding a lawn to crash in, success! Already this morning we've been to China and Memphis, Michigan of course. After chatting with some of the locals we have decided to change our route and head north around Michigan instead of taking the ferry across the big lake. We here the upper peninsula is a place not to be missed. That might mess with our plans of meeting up with Caleb but we'll do our best to convince him to head north as well. All in all we are having an amazing adventure, we hope all of you are too! Life is an adventure, it's all in how you look at it.