All I wanted to do today was make it out of Iowa. I encountered a few nay-sayers this morning- just locals who don't know me and what I am capable of, they didn't think I could make it to the state line. I meet people like this everyday, men between 50 and 70 who have a negative attitude. This morning I was able to shut one of them up. There was a man who thought he could keep up with me since he did some touring 20 years ago.
He had heard there was a woman on a bike in town and looked all over town trying to find me this morning. He asked a few questions about what I was doing, but he was much more interested in telling me everything he had done. It didn't look like he was in top riding condition- but who am I to judge? He bought me breakfast and continued to tell me all about he adventures of yesteryear. He asked if he could ride with me for the first 16 miles of the day. I was a little hesitant, but agreed to let him join me. I tried to ride behind him, but he was cramping my style so I passed him. He was able to keep up, but not for long. After 9 miles I heard him yell for me to have a good day. I was a little confused, after all we had not been 16 miles. I stopped to find out what was going on. He caught up to me and admitted that I was in much better shape than him. It looked like he had taken a trip through the sprinklers, he was soaked, and could hardly breath.
I should not have gotten pleasure from this, but I did. I have encountered men like this everyday for the past week and a half. They all seem to think that I will not make it very far. The only thing that separated this one for the others is that he had a bike, and I had something to prove.
It was a good riding day. Right now I don't have official bike maps, just a gas station map of Iowa. Once I had been about 32 to miles today the directions seemed a little fuzzy. I stopped at a post office to find the best way to get through this little, little town. I was sent down a 6 mile gravel road. The only problem is that I did not make it all 6 miles. I think I only made it 1 mile before 2 dogs started to chase me. When I am on a paved road I can either go faster when I see dogs, or stop. Today stopping seemed like the best option- I thought the dogs would see me as less of a threat if I stopped.
One of the dogs bit me and ran away. Lucky for me a big pick up truck was coming down the road. I wasn't going to risk letting this truck pass me by. I stood right in the middle of road and waved it down. They stopped, and gave me a ride to the center of town. Once I got to the town center everybody decided I needed to go to the emergency room. The same truck that picked me up gave me a ride the nearest hospital- 25 miles away. I spent most of the day sitting in an exam room waiting for somebody to scrub my broken skin and give me a band-aid. There are some puncture marks in my leg and there is going to be a lot of bruising. I am on antibiotics to prevent infection and pain killer that are likely to make me loopy. I also have a really bloody sock to deal with. I guess the people were right today- I didn't make it out of Iowa.
My new plan is to make it out of Iowa tomorrow, but don't worry I will not try to bike while I am taking pain killers. Tuesdays are never a good day for me.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Hello from Missouri Valley, Iowa. It feels like I have not been on the road for very long time, but today was day 27. It occurred to me tonight how the road has changed me. I am staying with Sarah tonight, in a motel. This motel is so different than the places I have stayed. The carpet matches the bed spread. In this motel there are not random pieces of furniture, like formica tables. I think what I miss most is the little dirty, but laundered, towel for removing make up or cleaning your rifle.
Last weekend I stayed with my friend Tara’s family and had a great time. Kameran, Tara’s brother, showed me residential Bismarck from the back of a scooter. While I was there I ate really well, and lately I love to eat all the time.
From Bismarck I headed south. I ended up in Pollock, SD, where the people are very kind. I stayed in an empty house while I was there- the owners were away on vacation. It was ok- they knew I was staying at their house. Their neighbor brought over pumpkin bread, and zucchini bread as well as a few other treats for me to eat while I was there. I got breakfast before I left town, and everybody in the café was so thrilled to see, and talk to me. I had never even met these people before and now I have a few new pen pals.
Tuesday was a low day for me. Before I even got my bike loaded I started struggling with flat tries. I didn’t leave my campsite until almost 11:30, after 2 miles I was hungry, but I didn’t know what kind of meal to eat at 11:30. I opted for breakfast. While I was eating breakfast the air leaked out of the tire I had been struggling with all morning. I had to get serious, and take this repair to an operating room. I moved into the backroom of a hardware store to do the ultimate patch job. It was nearly one by the time I got back on the road.
I spent 35 miles worrying that my front tire was going to go flat, when all of the sudden my rear tire went flat. It was an easy patch. Unfortunately I only made it another 5 miles before the rear went flat again. I started to dig through my tube reserve. All of my tubes look far beyond repair. I had been fooling myself by holding onto all these tubes. I was stranded on the side of the road. The only productive thing I could think to do was sit on the side of the road and sob.
Sobbing didn’t get me far so I made a tidy pile of all of my belongings in the ditch, and started walking. When I reached a house a woman with hair rollers, and kelly green polyester pants answered the door. As soon as she opened the door I start to cry again. I tried to start speaking by telling her I was having a terrible day. Before could even finish she started firing questions at me-
“Why are you driving out here alone?”
I tried to answer, but could not before she started asking more questions.
“Are you running from something?”
“Is someone chasing you?”
“Are you hiding something?”
She slowed down a little bit, but then she got all worked up again. She started by telling me, “I can’t help you. I don’t know what to do. I can’t leave here. I just don’t know how to help.”
Finally she decided to be productive and drove the truck out to the field to find her husband. While she was out looking for Marvin I was instructed to sit at the picnic table. I was afraid to move. I was afraid of her. While she was gone I thought about running away, being around her was making me feel worse about my situation.
She returned with her husband. He was all smiles when he saw me. He offered to take me wherever I needed to go. I asked for a ride to the nearest campground. I just needed to get away so I could gather my thoughts. When we got to the campground we could not find anyone there, of course there was a self check in area, but Marvin was not going to leave me there without a plan. After driving all around the area we found the camp managers house. The manager sent us to the office, and followed us there. He made a few calls and found a bike shop 80 miles away, in Mitchell, where his maintenance director lives.
I was able to pay for the tubes over the phone, and the next morning the maintenance director brought the tubes to me. Hopefully I don’t find myself in that situation again.
It warmed my heart that strangers would go out of their way to help me.
Last weekend I stayed with my friend Tara’s family and had a great time. Kameran, Tara’s brother, showed me residential Bismarck from the back of a scooter. While I was there I ate really well, and lately I love to eat all the time.
From Bismarck I headed south. I ended up in Pollock, SD, where the people are very kind. I stayed in an empty house while I was there- the owners were away on vacation. It was ok- they knew I was staying at their house. Their neighbor brought over pumpkin bread, and zucchini bread as well as a few other treats for me to eat while I was there. I got breakfast before I left town, and everybody in the café was so thrilled to see, and talk to me. I had never even met these people before and now I have a few new pen pals.
Tuesday was a low day for me. Before I even got my bike loaded I started struggling with flat tries. I didn’t leave my campsite until almost 11:30, after 2 miles I was hungry, but I didn’t know what kind of meal to eat at 11:30. I opted for breakfast. While I was eating breakfast the air leaked out of the tire I had been struggling with all morning. I had to get serious, and take this repair to an operating room. I moved into the backroom of a hardware store to do the ultimate patch job. It was nearly one by the time I got back on the road.
I spent 35 miles worrying that my front tire was going to go flat, when all of the sudden my rear tire went flat. It was an easy patch. Unfortunately I only made it another 5 miles before the rear went flat again. I started to dig through my tube reserve. All of my tubes look far beyond repair. I had been fooling myself by holding onto all these tubes. I was stranded on the side of the road. The only productive thing I could think to do was sit on the side of the road and sob.
Sobbing didn’t get me far so I made a tidy pile of all of my belongings in the ditch, and started walking. When I reached a house a woman with hair rollers, and kelly green polyester pants answered the door. As soon as she opened the door I start to cry again. I tried to start speaking by telling her I was having a terrible day. Before could even finish she started firing questions at me-
“Why are you driving out here alone?”
I tried to answer, but could not before she started asking more questions.
“Are you running from something?”
“Is someone chasing you?”
“Are you hiding something?”
She slowed down a little bit, but then she got all worked up again. She started by telling me, “I can’t help you. I don’t know what to do. I can’t leave here. I just don’t know how to help.”
Finally she decided to be productive and drove the truck out to the field to find her husband. While she was out looking for Marvin I was instructed to sit at the picnic table. I was afraid to move. I was afraid of her. While she was gone I thought about running away, being around her was making me feel worse about my situation.
She returned with her husband. He was all smiles when he saw me. He offered to take me wherever I needed to go. I asked for a ride to the nearest campground. I just needed to get away so I could gather my thoughts. When we got to the campground we could not find anyone there, of course there was a self check in area, but Marvin was not going to leave me there without a plan. After driving all around the area we found the camp managers house. The manager sent us to the office, and followed us there. He made a few calls and found a bike shop 80 miles away, in Mitchell, where his maintenance director lives.
I was able to pay for the tubes over the phone, and the next morning the maintenance director brought the tubes to me. Hopefully I don’t find myself in that situation again.
It warmed my heart that strangers would go out of their way to help me.
Friday, September 12, 2008
I am out of Montana
I have now been over 1500 miles. The most rewarding part of traveling this far is that I made it out of Montana and I am still alive. Montana is a really big state. They call it, “The Big Sky State.” I will always think of it as, “The Big (cloudy) Sky State.” It was sunny two of the nine days I was in Montana. I think I would have enjoyed the scenery much more if it had not been obstructed by clouds.
One of the things I noticed about Montana is that there are more grasshoppers there than any other state. They were viscous creatures that enjoyed throwing themselves at me. It kind of stings when a grass hopper launches itself at you full force. The transition between Montana and North Dakota was also the transition between grasshopper country and cricket country. Crickets are much more docile. Unfortunately crickets don’t have enough sense to dodge a bike tire.
While there are plenty of grasshoppers in Montana there are not a lot of people. Most of the towns I pass through had populations of three to five hundred people. Despite the small populations all of these towns were able to support at least two bars, one or two motels, a grocery store, and occasionally a post office. I think in order to constitute as a town in Montana there is a two bar minimum.
The most interesting night I had in Montana was my night in Circle, Montana. My camping options were either the town park (I try to avoid town parks), or the Horse Creek RV Park/ Trailer Court/ Laundromat. The owner of the later decided for me that I was going to stay at his establishment. All of the neighborhood kids watched as I inflated my tent and set up camp. I was the only camper in this dry dirt patch of an RV park. After I was set up at my campsite I went to hunt for food.
I had filled up on grilled cheese, and was ready to do a load of spandex/ synthetics. I was sitting peacefully in the in the laundromat enjoying the wind free environment, when the owner stormed in.
“HOGS!” he yelled. “HUMAN HOGS THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE. HOGS! THEY ARE ALL HOGS.”
He proceeded to sweep with vigor while still sputtering about the human hogs. I was slightly terrified. He made me look at the pile of dirt he had swept- just to exemplify the fact they were hogs. I got him to talk a little bit. I think talking about it calmed him down some. I offered to help him clean. He refused my offer, but proceeded to tell me how dirty his customers were. I learned there is nothing easy about the coin-op Laundromat business.
He decided I would be more comfortable that night if I slept inside the Laundromat instead of my tent. That night slept on the floor of the Laundromat. I felt that I would be safer from him there than I would be sleeping in my tent in front of his house. I have to admit I didn’t get much sleep that night.
Since then things have not been nearly as eventful. After I got my spoke fixed in Great Falls I had more spoke problems. By the time I finally got to Bismarck I had 3 broken spokes. I was hoping the bike shop would be able to fix my wheel. They told me my wheel was weak, and if they did do the repair it would only be temporary. I now have two new wheels since they could not break up the set.
I am taking the day off today. I was convinced to do so by my friend Tara’s family. I am staying at their house here in Bismarck, ND. It has been wonderful staying in a home and eating something other than instant oatmeal, cereal bars, and grilled cheese.
In case you are wondering- I still love the adventure I am on.
One of the things I noticed about Montana is that there are more grasshoppers there than any other state. They were viscous creatures that enjoyed throwing themselves at me. It kind of stings when a grass hopper launches itself at you full force. The transition between Montana and North Dakota was also the transition between grasshopper country and cricket country. Crickets are much more docile. Unfortunately crickets don’t have enough sense to dodge a bike tire.
While there are plenty of grasshoppers in Montana there are not a lot of people. Most of the towns I pass through had populations of three to five hundred people. Despite the small populations all of these towns were able to support at least two bars, one or two motels, a grocery store, and occasionally a post office. I think in order to constitute as a town in Montana there is a two bar minimum.
The most interesting night I had in Montana was my night in Circle, Montana. My camping options were either the town park (I try to avoid town parks), or the Horse Creek RV Park/ Trailer Court/ Laundromat. The owner of the later decided for me that I was going to stay at his establishment. All of the neighborhood kids watched as I inflated my tent and set up camp. I was the only camper in this dry dirt patch of an RV park. After I was set up at my campsite I went to hunt for food.
I had filled up on grilled cheese, and was ready to do a load of spandex/ synthetics. I was sitting peacefully in the in the laundromat enjoying the wind free environment, when the owner stormed in.
“HOGS!” he yelled. “HUMAN HOGS THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE. HOGS! THEY ARE ALL HOGS.”
He proceeded to sweep with vigor while still sputtering about the human hogs. I was slightly terrified. He made me look at the pile of dirt he had swept- just to exemplify the fact they were hogs. I got him to talk a little bit. I think talking about it calmed him down some. I offered to help him clean. He refused my offer, but proceeded to tell me how dirty his customers were. I learned there is nothing easy about the coin-op Laundromat business.
He decided I would be more comfortable that night if I slept inside the Laundromat instead of my tent. That night slept on the floor of the Laundromat. I felt that I would be safer from him there than I would be sleeping in my tent in front of his house. I have to admit I didn’t get much sleep that night.
Since then things have not been nearly as eventful. After I got my spoke fixed in Great Falls I had more spoke problems. By the time I finally got to Bismarck I had 3 broken spokes. I was hoping the bike shop would be able to fix my wheel. They told me my wheel was weak, and if they did do the repair it would only be temporary. I now have two new wheels since they could not break up the set.
I am taking the day off today. I was convinced to do so by my friend Tara’s family. I am staying at their house here in Bismarck, ND. It has been wonderful staying in a home and eating something other than instant oatmeal, cereal bars, and grilled cheese.
In case you are wondering- I still love the adventure I am on.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
I am not moving fast enough!
I was quick to get out of Missoula, even though I did not get started until noon-ish on Saturday. I was able to travel over 80 miles with plenty of day light to spare. I stayed at a dirty little hole of a camp ground, hoping to get some rest. My plans to rest were foiled. Big thunderstorms moved in fast. When the storms were on top of me and the sky was dumping I decided the safest place to hide would be the bathroom. Yuck! After a while the rain stopped and the sky became quiet so I returned to my little tent. I was just about to fall asleep when a crowd of drunken gamblers returned from town. They were, hootin,' andhollerin,' and belching up a storm. By the time they had settled down it had started to storm again, and it was back to the bathroom for me. I did manage to get a few hours of sleep. When I woke up everything was wet, and cold. Riding my bike seemed like the most logical thing to do. I hit the road with strong head wind and intermittent rain. Right before I got to Roger's Pass, my Continental Divide spot it started to sleet. By the time I got to the top it was pouring, and I was freezing. The ride down was much worse than the ride up. I averaged about 8 miles and hour this day. Once I had been riding for 43 miles I came upon a construction site. The signs said loose gravel, but in the rain loose gravel turns to thick heavy mud. I trudged through this for 4 miles. After 4 miles, Frank, my new friend stopped and gave a ride into town. It was just 3 miles, but those three miles would have taken me almost and hour. I spent that night and all the next day at the Bunk House in Augusta, Montana. Augusta is a real life cowboy town, with big black hats and cowboy boots, staying there was a real treat.This morning the sky was clear and the sun returned, revealing snow in the mountains that was not there when I passed through on Sunday. My goal was to make it 100 miles today, but before I got started I noticed a broken spoke. Before this trip I thought flat tires and broken spokes were a myth, now I know better. I felt my best option was to ride into Great Falls and visit a bike shop there. I made the 50 miles to great falls pretty fast, but my bike sounded awful, and my tire was in desperate need of a good truing. By the time my repairs were made another 50 miles seemed unrealistic, so tonight I have taken out a loan from the bank and I am staying at a KOA, this camp site is costs more than one night at the Bunk House in Augusta, and I had heat there.Hopefully I will spend more time riding tomorrow.
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