The Missoula Footbag Alliance

Kevin, Evan, Jeremiah, and Me.

Before we left town, Janice and I had a very fortunate meeting with some members of The Missoula Footbag Alliance. We actually met Evan and Jeremiah 2 years ago on our last bicycle tour, The Rocky Mountain Bicycle Expedition, and I couldn't believe it when our paths crossed again. It was awesome to see Evan and Jeremiah again, but it was incredible to see their progress. I am not an expert at judging footbag skill, but Kevin, Evan, and Jeremiah all seem to be expert with the footbag. They make magic with their feet. They combine skill and timing with creativity and style--and the end result is something totally amazing.

For a footbag demo, check out this video of Kevin. And for more info: a site dedicated to spreading the art of freestyle footbag.



Kevin in action.

Big Sky Country

They call Montana big sky country, and it's easy to see why. The blue sky was above us, but it also seemed to be all around us.

As I rode today I thought about the sky. I wondered what percentage of the total sky--the sky surrounding the earth--I was actually seeing. How much sky can a person see if they stand in one spot and looked around in all directions? Say you're on the ocean and there's nothing around, how much sky are you actually seeing? Can you see more of the sky from on top of a tall mountain? These are questions that need answers. (If you're interested, maybe you can search online--or offline--and see what you can find. You could post your findings under messages, or email me. Thanks.)

Thanks John, Scott, Jenny, and Lisa

This is a photo of Janice and Me with John Fiedor. John was one of the kind people we met back in Dayville, Oregon. In just one night John did a lot for us. He welcomed us into his home and fed us. He shared his stories, and wisdom, and good humor. He even let us play his guitars. Scott and Jenny Shine, two other cross-country cyclists, were also present that evening, and so was Jenny's friend Lisa. It was a great night, and I learned a good bit about Oregon, and fossils, and mammals of the past. John works at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, so I knew I was getting the real story about the nearby fossils.

We've been thinking about John, Scott, Jenny, and Lisa--and about fossils--as we make our way across the country. Thanks again friends! You all are awesome!

Missoula Sunset (My 4th and final post from Missoula)

This is a photo of the western sky above Missoula. I took this yesterday as Janice and I made our way home from the movie theater. This time it was Ocean's 13. Yesterday was a rest day, and we treated ourselves to a hotel. It was part luxury and part necessity because Missoula doesn't really have a campground in town. We slept in, washed our clothes, ate some food, lightened our load by mailing some things home, and then went out to the movies. I enjoyed the film, and being inside for two hours was a novelty, like it always is on a bike tour. If you read on you will see more about my outside/inside theory.

Biking With My Shadow

Ok, I'm waiting again. Each time I want to add a photo, I have to wait for this computer to load all the photos on my camera. It takes a few minutes. And once the computer recognizes all of them, I have to scroll through them, which is very slow, and select one. There might be a better way to do this but I don't know. I have about 1,500 photos on my camera, which may be one reason it's slow. Enough about the burdens of technology. I wait and I write for you, and I'd sit here all day if I could. But the clock is ticking--12 minutes until this computer kicks me off the net. I will try to get one more photo up.

Ok, here is a photo of my shadow. My shadow moves beside me. With his shadowy wheels he moves over the sand and the road with surprising ease. He is silent and he keeps his face hidden. As the sun moves my shadow changes shape and size, and this too is fun to watch.

Photo of Camp

While I'm waiting for the computer to load my photos, I guess I'll write a little something.

Today is Day 25 of the tour. For the last 25 days we've been biking and traveling and living outside. We spend so much time outside, that going inside is now like a novelty. Thankfully, I enjoy being outside. I enjoy living my days with the wind and the rain and the sun and the moon. The sun tracks through the sky and another day ends. A week goes by and we're a couple hundred miles closer to home. A couple weeks go by and spring is looking more and more like summer. The world flows by as we ride and I see what I can see. There is no windshield. We see and world and we also feel it. Sometimes the world is gentle an sometimes it hits us hard.

Ok, the photos have loaded. I will now pick one.

This is a photo of our campsite in Kooskia, Idaho. That night we forgot to check for sprinklers and we almost got soaked. If our tent was two feet closer to where the camera was when I took this photo, then we would have had a wet night. I was very thankful when I looked out of my tent at 3:00 in the morning and saw the burst of water fall short of us.

We're in Montana!

Janice and I are now at the Public Library in Missoula, Montana, but by the time you read this we may be back on the road, riding south east toward Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park.

Missoula is a college town in western Montana with a population of about 57,000 people. We've spent the last week or so riding across Idaho, enjoying the mountains and the small towns. We've ridden about 1,000 miles, which means we have about 3,000 more to go. We are on schedule and feeling good.

I will now start posting photos.

This is a photo of Janice riding up a mountain pass in Idaho. Whenever I see this sign it reminds me of my band, Eager Beaver and the Worms. Jake and Andy, I miss making music with you guys.

A Rest From The Road

Hi Friends. Janice and I are in Baker City, Oregon. Today is a rest day. The only biking we will do will be from our campsite to the supermarket, library, and movie theater. We've been working hard--riding and sampling trees--and now it's time for a rest day.

For the last couple days I've been thinking a lot about something my brother Chris said. Before Janice and I left for the tour, we were talking with Chris about working out and staying in shape. "The road is my gym," said Chris. And I couldn't agree more. But for us, the road is more than a 24-hour gym. It's the course, the way, the path of least resistance through a rugged and sometimes hostile landscape. We stay on the road and we watch the road. We avoid rocks, and glass, and metal, and dead animals that lie in our path. We share the road. We feel the road. And sometimes, I swear, we can even smell the road. When the road is smooth, our tires rejoice and we sail along. When the road is rough, the wheels shake with disapproval and the vitamins rattle inside their containers. The road changes, but the road goes on and on, some might even say forever. For us, the road will be taking us into Idaho and into the Rocky Mountains. We are about to start map 3 of the TransAmerica Route, which will take us from Baker City to Missoula, Montana.

That's all for now. Enjoy the road and be safe.