Enjoying the ride

Extremes, that's what you deal with when trying to live outside of the box or in our case off the bikes. The highs are great, thrilling and make you feel alive/happy! The lows are a slap in the face, reality check time. Things get magnified, insignificant things at home take on a different importance, like clean water from a tap. We continue to cash in all the good luck chips,being way off balance, and feeling that it will be time to ante up soon.
Some good things; smooth pavement with rolling hills, partly cloudy skies with a cool tailwind, peanut butter with nutella sandwiches after riding all morning, hot showers in a clean bathroom, fresh laundry (I've already mentioned that), cold beer at the end of a ride (even if it's Miller Lite), old guys driving old trucks that smile and cap tap, little kids that yell HI! from their front yards, wildflowers in grassland, water towers (it means town is about 3-5 miles away), NOAA, birds that fly with you, getting off your bike!
Some bad things; the feel of cracked repaired black top (clunk, clunk, clunk can you feel the rhythm), cross winds that blow you into traffic, cold beer (it gets in your way of losing that weight that you swore you'd lose on this trip), shower curtains and floors in public bathrooms, skeeters, ticks, abrasions (you now where), the smell of your bike gloves, biker tan lines, uneven tent sites, a no vacancy sign at the state park campground, wide loads, old ladies driving land yachts, charlie horses.
It's all a mix and balance, with you hoping that you'll come out ahead. Accessing NOAA on the iphone has been the biggest development since our last tour. It's been invaluable with just this week it saving our hides big time! Some lucky decisions helped us skip Fargo and stay a little south. It showed heavy rain for 24 hours or more when we got to Minnesota so we decided to hold up, camping in the park at Pelican Rapids. We got about 2 inches of rain over the next 36 hours but stayed mostly dry and could walk to stores. We ate out a lot and got our hair cut by Dora who filled us in on the mashed potato wrestling that goes on in her home town during the August festival. There also is the largest pelican in the world there (yes he is a statue). Just north of us though they got baseball size hail and Duluth got 10 inches of rain in that time period! Did you hear the zoo in Duluth got hammered with eleven animals dying, the polar bear getting out of his cage, and Fiesty the seal found swimming the streets? Good luck or good decisions probably a little of both saved us a lot of headache.
We are spending our 17th anniversary in Isle, MN on Mille Lacs Lake getting some R&R. You all may think we are nuts calling this vacation but at least there are two of us doing this together. Never feel that you have been with someone too long to say thanks. Thanks to John for carrying the tent, sleeping bags, sleeping pads and cook kit! Thanks for letting me know I can do this and making it fun!
Off to Wisconsin for the fourth of July holiday. It seems like a ten day event, with more traffic on the roads, so we are hoping to take time at Mark Hoffman' s Land O Lakes family cabin in Wisconsin. It seems like a lot of down time recently but with over 2000 miles behind us, we are doing great in the time department and have time to slow down and enjoy the neighborhoods.
With Floods up north, floods down south, and fires in Colorado, who knows what's next? But, with a little good technology, planning ahead and talking to the locals, the experience will go on and be filled with great extremes. Here's to enjoying it all! Kate

Taking notice

Sometimes we can go through our days so distracted that you miss the the little things going on around you. There are interesting things no matter where you live, are you looking? Living off the bike brings it front and center. You search for the little things that all of a sudden go from the mundane to entertainment. That expression sometimes you're the the bug and sometimes your the windshield becomes all to real. You experience some occurrences that otherwise might not catch your attention. We have had horses run with us, dogs chase us (or are they trying to run with us also), made rocky mt goats jump over the edge, birds pretend they were injured to distract us from their nests (as well as try and shit on our heads), John howled at a coyote, it stopping and taking notice, prairie dogs complain about us, bison stare us down, ground squirrels try and get us to run them over ( kamikazes? no dumb) and mostly cows stare at us with a look in their eyes that says WHY? We also get that look from the drivers of on coming traffic. Lots seem to acknowledge us in a friendly manner whether it be the one finger wave, the cap tap, the head nod, the peace sign, the high five or the wave. Which ever style they choose, it's fun to be seen. But they do kinda look at you like the cows asking WHY?
It's a good question with the answer varying as frequently as the the wind direction. Yup there is that wind thing again! You can't get around it out here. It can help you crank out 100 miles with little to no pain or make you almost cry over a stupid things like a mushed banana. We are getting smarter though then previous tours. When the winds at your back, ride! When it's in your face keep your days short, maybe even get a hotel and if there is a detour sign talk to the locals it could save you a 30 mile unnecessary side trip.
It's definitely not the food! We cook as much as we can but sometimes grocery stores are few and far between. There is a lot of green outside but not real popular on the menus. The small towns usually have a diner or bar but the food choices are the same, who would have thought a Irish girl like me would be sick of french fries.
I think the driving force that motivates us, that keeps us doing these tours, is how it simplifies life. Lots of planning to get to this point (thanks to everyone who has helped us let go of our ties) but when you are out on the bikes the only real worries are about your next meal, where to sleep, where to clean your clothes (pure joy) and what direction do we go next? That last question is even easier for this tour, east! The iPhones are a blessing and a curse at the same time. It is great to hear from people and know what's going on but a bit of a leash with trying to find the next charge. The Dynamo hubs have been helpful but the charge controllers have issues that we'll save for another time. I've got to say though after 6-8 hours in the saddle there nothing sexier then John navigating right to the supermarket in a busy city.
If you see a person touring on their bike slow down, give them some room, maybe some local color and a salute of your choosing. We are off to skeeter land Minnesota and are trying to go off the Adventure Cycling maps for a bit, hopefully we find our way! Can you really be lost if you don't care where you are? Kate and John
PS Dinner tonight was romaine lettuce w/ ranch and microwave lasagna! We're in a hotel!!

Medora

Where are we? I look around and see rolling terrain, low dirt buttes, ranch land. Southern Utah? Nope, we've finally crossed the border into North Dakota. The churches look different, the liquor laws are definitely different from Utah but when I saw two young men in formal clothes, riding bikes I thought first oh there are the Elders. Nope, just two boys going to work at the same restaurant in uniform. John's sister Patty calls and wants to meet because she is in the area. Really! Then a Pelican flies over your head, you shake it, check your blood sugar and think where the hell am I really. Medora, ND! The confusion continues! General Custer is sitting outside his tent on the corner, there is a man walking down the street carrying a rifle (he's the the one we asked directions to the coffee shop) and the town is set up like a made for TV Western Disney movie with both a taffy store and a doll shop. Lucky me I've been dying for a good day at the mall. There are wooden planked sidewalks and another cowboy on the corner telling some stories about the good old days. You remember when the white man drove the Native Americans from their land etc...
Medora is so different from the towns we have past thru over the last few weeks. Those have been mostly older depressed smaller communities that have seen better days, when either logging or the railroads were king. Beautiful, sometimes stark landscapes, the kind of towns when Steve Earle comes up on your random shuffle as you ride you know exactly what he is singing about.
Medora is definitely a change of pace , the home of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, another grand chunk of land saved for our enjoyment. A little hokey but we all have to make a living, right? We got to see the cowboy hall of fame, where they were having a roadshow firearm evaluation going on. Hence the man with the shotgun wandering thru town.
We are dealing with some bike repairs and will be here for a few days waiting for parts. Hopefully we will see the park a little more and maybe ride some of the Maah Daah Hey trail on some mountain bikes. John guided some trips out here years ago with Western Spirit, then the weather was very hot and buggy. Thankfully now it's cool (OK I can see my breath in the tent) rainy and essential bug free (OK except for the ants and spiders).
Spending so much time on the bikes lets you think lots of deep thoughts and ask the big questions. Like if this is the 'bread basket' of America where is the good bread? Why is ground beef $ 7/pd when we just biked by the cattle and why are the tent sites in the RV/ campgrounds always set on the low ground. Signing out from our puddle in the Medora campground. Kate
'Believe you can and you're half way there'. TR

Three flats and a storm

We knew they were coming, anyone who rides bikes knows they happen, usually at the most inconvenient time. They come in clusters like cops writing speeding tickets, bug bites and death. We've gone about 1,200 miles so far without a flat but with a severe weather watch out for the area, an ominous looking blue/black sky, the timing really didn't surprise us. We had been trying to stay ahead of the weather all day, visions of whirling winds and golf size hail keeping us moving. The first flat was actually a double (2 for the price of 1) slowing us because we thought we had it fixed. Then the next flat, the rain starting and then the third. Thankfully the really bad weather was somewhere else and we just got a little wet.
These events also can lead to other opportunities if you take a look around. Glasgow, MT had one bike shop 'for small repairs' 'with irregular hours' as described on the Adventure Cycling map. It was a Sunday morning and the owner Ron came down to help us out, the most charming 78 year young gentleman. Filled with love of bikes and restoring them he told us stories and walked us through his shop or 'museum' as he called it. Not only did he have the supplies we needed (big odd size tubes most shops might not carry ) but Ron had the attitude we needed to keep us moving. Not just moving to out race the storms but to remember the simplicity of biking and the joy it can bring. That may sound corny, but after 7 straight days riding, refocusing can help avoid a lot of unnecessary frustrations that tend to cloud the big picture.
Montana is almost behind us, maybe 3 more days to North Dakota. The Hi Line, as route 2 is called in this area, follows the rail line. It's pretty much the only reason a lot of these towns are here. Trains have been our companion now for 3 weeks appearing in the middle of no where and hearing them in your dreams. Seems, like roads, campgrounds like to be right next to the tracks too.
Big skies and big terrain, the size of the state scaring me at first but with it' s diversity and the tailwinds it flew by. We had bad weather climbing Marias Pass, 3 hours of nonstop rain with it clearing after lunch, cold but no snow! We ended up riding the next 5 days, who can say no to 10-20 mile an hour tailwind. Lots of miles ridden but relative to the hours spent slowly climbing the passes earlier in the month it felt like a free ride at times.
We are taking the day off in Wolf Point, MT, home to the Lakota Sioux and Assiniboine tribes. They are very friendly and not afraid to come talk with you and find out what your doing. I've already been nicknamed Freckles and prayers are being said for our safe travels ( I think ETOH was involved with that gentleman ).
Poncho's is the RV park where we are staying. The owner told us about another biker who after a few days of rest disappeared, leaving his tent behind. They came to find out he had a change of heart and took the Amtrak back to CA telling the depot to let the RV park know he was done with the tent too and they could have it. I wonder which way he was traveling, just starting and heading east or almost done and ran into the western headwinds and he cracked? I can picture it either way.
Everything changes, for better or worse, even the winds so we'll have to keep that in mind as we head to North Dakota. I hope things are blowing the right direction for everyone. Kate

P.S. iPhone charge controller broke. Squawking may be sporadic till I get the new parts. John