Pass the calamine lotion....

Just a quick update from your favorite van driver (Autumn) to let you know that we have crossed into North Dakota. On Saturday night we stayed in Williston and spent some time at TCBY and the Super WalMart to get away from the mosquitoes. Yesterday the crew did another 88.5 miles to Parshall where were again hounded by blood sucking monsters. I think Jonathan's kill count is maxing out around 30/day. Today should be another big mile day with a pit stop in Minot to run some errands.
I also wanted to let you in on the next package drop, as a few of you have asked. We won't be there for another 2-3 weeks, so no rush. Packages can be addressed to:

General Delivery
c/o Autumn Bills
Wabasha, MN 55981

No street address is necessary. Please be sure to put down a return address.

Thanks again for all your prayers and support. Thinking of caring friends and family back home has been an encouragement to each of us and we are praying for you to be blessed in return. Thank You!

Last of the Mohicans and Dinosaurs

So 5 days since the last super-brief blog... I think we are getting better at this as Montana is much more Internet accessible. We write you now from Glendive, MT. Unfortunately, nature has forced us to take a rest day a little earlier than we had hoped for due to some pretty nasty thunderstorms and hail. To be honest I do not think any of us mind too much since the sunshine has been relentless and thus there has been some isolated cases of sunburn. And well, the last precipitation we saw was 2 states ago so I am sure the locals are eager to get some rain. Today is going to be spent learning about dinosaurs at the local museum and whatever other shenanigans we can come up with!
When we last wrote we were in Great Falls, MT enjoying the luxuries of the local Best Western, indoor pool, coffee bar, wireless Internet.... and the much beloved Dairy Queen. We also gorged ourselves at the local Chinese Food Buffet... nothing too extreme maybe 3 plates a piece at the tune of 8 bucks a person. We are getting pretty good at being thrifty. We spent Sunday morning enjoying every second of the hotel room and shower before heading off to the local diner for some grub. We then headed over a few blocks to the local Baptist church for worship. They made sure to send us home with 2 amazing chocolate cakes which were devoured later that evening. We biked from Great Falls to Geyser, MT, a total of 47.2 miles. We spent some time with the locals of this small town in the Cabin Creek Cafe and were able to camp for free on the yard of the Community Hall. The night brought some surprises... I (Carrie) am not sure why we all saw the train tracks next to the campsite but failed to realize that a train might actually be coming on those tracks. So at about 2 am when we were all comfy in our tents and sleeping bags, we were jolted awake by the loud sound of an oncoming train... I am pretty sure we all thought we had pitched our tents on the tracks because of the volume of the train's whistle. For those who have not experienced this delight, it is sort of like awaking to a horror movie only to realize you are in a tent safely located many yards away from danger. And when the 2nd and 3rd train roll through hours later you will be much more prepared for what is to come.
We got an early start the next morning biking about 60 miles from Geyser to Lewistown, MT. Lewistown for those who are unfamiliar with MT is the geographic center of the state. We had an early arrival into town and thus were able to indulge ourselves with some laundry, a grocery store run and a quick email check. Thanks to the local Kiwanis club we were able to camp for free once again. The most exciting portion of this day would be the completion of a 1/2 gallon of chocolate ice cream by 4 very hungry travelers. I think we can all agree, we wished there had been more dessert.
Our next day we biked our first (and perhaps last, maybe not) century day! Total miles 101.7 from Lewistown to Sand Springs, MT. The beginning of the the day was glorious with about a 20 mile descent with the wind at our backs. Before we knew it we were breaking for lunch 40 miles in and were feeling great! We continued to bike and unfortunately the sun was relentless, the wind changed direction and our last 20 miles kicked our behinds as we had a collection of up and down hills very close in proximity. We were blessed with a free place to camp behind the local and only general store in a 50 mile vicinity. Very shabby chic.
Yesterday we biked from Sand Springs to 19 miles shy of Brockway, MT. Total of 68 miles. We were greeted by Autumn at the local rest stop and when we opened the van doors we saw a pile of packages...Christmas in June!!!! Thank you so much to all who sent care packages, the Trader Joe's goodies, candy and Nutella are very much appreciated. Perhaps more than anything though we all loved receiving the letters and well wishes which made our faces smile and perhaps gave us a small twinge of being homesick. We really can not thank you all enough! Brady and Peyton... thank you for the artwork it now adorns the walls of Jane! We spent last night again hanging out with the locals at the B.S. club (the Brockway Supper Club). Thanks to Gus and Bev the owners who not only let us camp for free, but fed us and whipped us up one wicked margarita, and also opened their home to us so we could shower! Montana is certainly full of hospitality for sure!
The terrain so far in Montana is beautiful but a bit monotonous. I (Carrie) feel like we are constantly in the movie Last of the Mohicans and thus the music from the film has become my theme music. It's hard to see the terrain and think that not so long ago there were travelers making their way out here to make a life of there own. I think the cyclists can agree that some of the roadways make us feel like we are in a covered wagon as we try to cover the vast, bumpy terrain. We are off to enjoy a movie this afternoon... not sure which one... pretty sure only one movie will be playing at the local cinema but we will have to see! You have to love the small town atmosphere, it makes decision making a whole lot easier!
Thanks again to all of the supporters... we could not do this without you! Much love and we will keep you updated on our progress!

1,000 Miles!!!

Just a quick note to announce that we have officially reached Great Falls, Montana and therefore cycled over 1,000 miles from Florence! YAY!!!

Thank you for all of your support! Keep spreading the word about the cause... as outstanding a trip as this has become, that's not why we're out here. Make every step count!

Hello Idaho... Goodbye Idaho.... Hello Montana!

Sincere apologies for the lack of postings since Richland. Idaho had some lovely scenery but absolutely no internet access. One coffee shop owner actually laughed at Autumn when she asked if there was a place in town with wireless internet.
In any case, on June 12th we crossed the Oregon - Idaho border at the Brownlee Dam, cycling 68 miles to Cambridge, ID. We were permitted to camp in the town park under the pavilion, but not before exploring lovely little Cambridge... and attending our first RODEO! Unfortuantely you wont find any pictures in the slideshow as we all forgot our cameras, but picture this: each and every one of the 360 Cabridgeinians in attendance, each with a cowboy hat, boots, and/ or belt buckle the size of Idaho itself. Needless to say, we were pretty much beside ourselves.
From Cambridge we pedaled 82 miles (or farthest distance yet!) to Riggins, a relatively small town which is currently mobbed by salmon fishermen and whitewater rafting enthusiasts. There was not an empty square of grass to be had so we backtracked to the lovely Pine Hurst Resort and Cabins, located south of Riggins. There we met Mrs. Beverly Ford who offered us a great deal on a cute little cabin where we were able to cook in a real kitchen and eat at a real table... simply luxurious.
The following day was a "short" 28 miles into White Bird with viscous head winds--- we've taken to telling people we biked against a one-way tornado. Our camp site was on the Salmon River amongst sprawling, desert mountains and boisterous, early- rising fishermen who were not all that eager to share their space.
Our next stop was Lowell, 68 miles down the Lewis and Clark Trail, where the sign reported a population of 24, crossed out and replaced with 23. The roadway we will be following at least into North Dakota roughly follows Lewis and Clark's famous westward trek. There are periodic markers with information about what they did or saw at specific points, giving us new scope for how arduous their journey must have been. Also between White Bird and Lowell is the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. We stopped several times to read roadside signs and monuments about the Battle of White Bird. White Bird Mountain offered some amazing switchbacks that took us the better part of the morning to travel. They zig-zagged through lush mountain pastures with horses herding themselves right across the road.
The entire length of road between Powell and Lowell, (65 miles north east) runs along the powerful Lochsa River. We were passed by quite a few white water kyakers and rafters traveling in the opposite direction. Powell is not really a town at all, more of a ranger's station and lodge, the Lochsa Lodge to be exact. We spoiled ourselves with a feast of hamburgers and blackberry cobbler ala mode.
Yesterday (6/17) we did the 53 miles from Powell into Missoula where we have been hosted by Jen's family friend Keithi. Keithi has generously put up with three stinky cyclists and one slightly less stinky driver (at least until we got our showers) for not one but two nights... and she grilled us STEAK! Today was a rest day during which we visited WalMart, Target, the movie theatre, and the insides of our eyelids. It has been absolutely glorious to rest our muscles, feel clean, and human for the day. Thanks Keithi!!!!
Next stop: Lincoln, MT.

For those interested in sending us material encouragement, we have ok'ed a "drop point" to which mail can be sent and held for us. We will most likely be passing by this post office around June 24th... so take that into account in timing when you send. The address is:

General Delivery
Please Hold for East-Bound Cyclist: Autumn Bills
2nd and Main Streets
Brockway, MT 59214

There must be a return address so they can return anything that gets there after we do. We will have another drop point further out in North Dakota soon for those who might need more advanced warning.

Richland, OR

So after our perfect rest day on Sunday, we traveled on to Sumpter, OR (about 60 miles) and ended up camping on the shores of Phillips Lake, several miles east. We roasted marshmallows and went to bed, only to awake to the sound of snow falling on our tents. This wasn't just a fluke, but a serious snow storm with big, round flakes that stuck to the ground, bushes, and our tents. Carrie ran to the van and brought the rest of us poptarts in bed... and then Jonathan got out to take some pictures. We waited out the worst of the snow, then packed up and donned every article of clothing we could before getting on our bikes for a 25-ish mile ride to Baker City. There we stopped for some amazing pizza and a quick trip to a Bi-Mart before getting back on our bikes and traveling another 35-40 miles to Richland. This second leg was equally cold... but the snow turned to rain due to a decrease in elevation. Autumn came and rescued us about 5 miles short of our destination and found us a fee place to stay under a pavilion at the town park (we like Autumn and have decided to let her stay with us indefinitely). Tired and soaked through, we made a quick dinner of canned beef stew and then fell asleep soon thereafter. Today is much warmer and more sunny, but we are looking at a fairly high and steep climb out of this little valley and the wind is still wild. After consulting the internet and several locals, we've decided tomorrow looks like a better day for our ascent and will stay on tonight in our little public pavilion from which we heard coyotes howling in the hills last night. We continue to be thrilled and amazed by pretty much everything we encounter from day to day. Wet? yes. Cold? absolutely. Blessed? Beyond anything we could have hoped for! God is so good!

Below are pictures from our rest day through today... enjoy!

... And on the 8th Day They Rested

When last we left you we were exiting Eugene OR on our way to Blue River. We very quickly realized that navigating cities is not as easy as say, navigating from one town to another. Our trusty map had a very clear line denoting where to go from street to street in Eugene. Nice and simple, follow the bike path. It turned out to be not so nice and simple, the bike path turned out to be any street in the town, you simply improvise and head east. Once out of Eugene we had a wonderful ride following the McKenzie River 58.6 miles to our destination of Blue River. Our FANTASTIC driver/group mother/grand negotiator found us a free campsite to stay that night and access to natural hot springs the next morning via a wonderful girl named Maria. We were told that the hot springs were "clothing optional" after a group vote, clothing was worn. This evening was our first encounter with the heavens opening, a.k.a rain, after setting up camp. No worries, no one floated away. And Jane, our trusty Chevy Express Van 1500 series, served as a great temporary shelter.

Day 4, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEN!! What present do we have for you? Well, how about natural hot springs?? How about a hotel room to stay in complete with a hot tub and free continental breakfast?? And how about a nice dinner out in the lovely town of Sisters OR??
The bike ride for day 4: Let's just say that we cycled 58 miles, reached our destination, and will never discuss it again. Note to the people who make the maps that cyclist follow from Blue River OR to Sisters OR.............CHANGE THE ROUTE....PLEASE!!!!

Day 5: 46.6 miles from Sisters to Prineville OR. This was an absolutely wonderful ride. The weather this day gave us some of the first glimpses of blue skies. After the "fun" ride on day four, the flat terrain was a welcome surprise. An accidental departure from the map lead us through Terrebone which provided excellent views of beautiful Smith Rock, known worldwide as an excellent place to rock climb. Upon arriving in Prineville we were blessed by pastor Larry McGarry of Assembly of God Church, who allowed us to pitch our tents on church grounds free of charge.

Day 6: 48 Miles from Prineville to Mitchell OR. This day's trip brought us through the painted hills of Oregon; through canyons, up and down small mountains. Mitchell is a thriving metropolis with a population of 153. It was a booming mining town at one point, but has unfortunately faced some natural (and unnatural) disasters that left only two businesses (a restaurant and a grocery store) to occupy the main street. Picture a wild west ghost town... think Guss Chiggins for you Will Farrell fans out there. We were able to camp for free at the town park where there were flush toilets (gasp!) and we had the pleasure of meeting a fellow cross-country cyclist by the name of Tom Jerry... (best wishes Tom!)

Day 7: 69 miles from Mitchell to John Day OR. The first 6 miles out of Mitchell were straight uphill and then the last 63 or so were beautifully downhill. A gradual descent that offered stunning views of the John Day Fossil Beds and surrounding canyons, rivers, and mountains. These gave way to green fields and huge ranches with cows... cattle actually. It was our longest mileage yet and we were triumphant, if a little sore when it was all said and done. Autumn, our valiant chariot driver was waiting for us in John Day and we loaded up the van and back tracked a few miles to Mount Vernon where we are camping at a Clyde Holliday State Park. Yet another random blessing that camping in Oregon State Parks is free on the first Saturday in June!

Day 8: REST DAY!!!
This morning we awoke at the usual 7am and cleaned up (ahhhhh showers!!!) for church. We had passed the Living Word Christian Center on our bikes and decided to worship there today. The beautiful sanctuary was only outshone by the hearts of the congregation who shared with us their kindness, prayers, well wishes, and coffee. It was there that we met the lovely and talented Sherry who has opened her home to us for internet use, doing of laundry, and a lavish steak dinner. Her house is perched up in the mountains of Canyon City outside of John Day, and the view here is indescribable. ...to the 4+ moms out there who are currently worrying, never fear, we are being taken care of!

So that's all for now. Apologies for the mass update. As internet becomes more readily available, postings will hopefully be less sporadic. Thank you for your comments on the blog, thoughts, and prayers!

In the beginning, there was rain.

Our endeavor has begun!! We spent Saturday night camping out with Carrie's brother Stephen and his girlfriend Cedar at Honeyman State Park in Florence, OR. Sunday morning we drove about 5 miles north and dipped our tires in the Pacific Ocean. As anticipated our first day did not come without its hiccups. It would have been nice to say that we biked in glorious conditions, sunny skies and mid 70s. Unfortunately, we were not so lucky. Max temp was about low 50s with a steady, dampening rain. About 16 miles in Carrie hit a pothole and her tire began to rub against her rear brake... a problem easily solved if she had realized it right away. Instead, she continued to bike for about an hour with a tremendous about of effort going about 7 mph when she could have been cruising along at 14 mph if the problem had been fixed. That first minor hiccup was met with frustration but also with a lot of relief knowing that it was a mechanical glitch versus physical inadequacy. While Carrie was struggling, having many conversations out loud with herself, Jonathan took a digger over some railroad tracks... no worries, there were no injuries, in all honesty it actually heightened the senses. We ended our first day with a steady climb up to Triangle Lake where Autumn was awaiting our arrival at a wonderful campsite, pavilion included. We were fortunate enough to be the only ones occupying the site and were able to sleep with a roof over our heads and have access to not only running water but also electricity. All in all day 1 was 46 miles from Florence to Triangle Lake, OR.
We awoke to glorious sunshine on day 2 with temps in the 70s. We biked 36 miles on beautiful country roads, up a 1022 ft climb, and around breath-taking lakes, arriving safely in Eugene, OR yesterday afternoon. Family members of Jenny, opened their home and more importantly their showers to us. We were able to spend some quality time with Jenny's family to help celebrate the defending of a thesis as well as a 21st birthday. Such a blessing to have a roof over our heads, a soft place to sleep and wonderful conversation.
It is going to make it hard to get back on a bike today, as in typical Oregon fashion the rain and gray skies have found us again. Today entails a 50 mile ride with Blue River being our destination. Autumn is a god-send. She has already advocated for the group by negotiating with a hardware store owner and getting him to sell us a top of the line hatchet at half price. We all are so proud to have such an awesome individual to motivate the cyclists, all the while being the best den mother and driver we could have ever asked for. Thank you again to everyone for your encouraging thoughts and prayers, they are helping us all.