Day 36 (May 31) - Blue River, OR

Just before going to sleep last night, I decided to follow up on a caption on Oregon's official highway map that had the following to say about one of the roads on today's route: "Road is closed seasonally. Please check on road conditions." Eric and I logged on to Oregon DOT's website and found that Mackenzie Pass was indeed closed for snow.........over 30 feet of in fact! That's not a typo. THIRTY FEET of snow! In case you're interested in taking a scenic drive out there, you need to wait until mid to late July, and then you only have two months before it's closed again.

Needless to say, the "short" course for this morning turned out to not be so short. Such is life on the bike trip across the country. It was, however, a beautiful route, passing through the classic landscapes of the pacific northwest - gargantuan evergreens, snow capped peaks, roads drying from recent rains, and the smells of old forest.

Tomorrow = the ocean.

Day 35 (May 30) - Bend, OR

Throbbing toes, chafed raw skin, severe stomach cramps, and a faulty break caliper all tried to stop 131.8 miles today. I'm happy to report the conglomeration of maladies were ultimately unsuccessful.. Tomorrow, is a 'short' day - if anything can be called short at this point - up into the Cascades, which this evening provided some of the most scenic backdrops of the trip to date. I'm hoping for a good night's rest tonight. If burning 7,000 calories won't get you one, I'm not sure what will.

ps - two days to go

Day 34 (May 29) - Burns, OR

Carson here. On occasion after the day's ride, I don't exactly feel like writing in the blog, so I ask Eric to do it. This evening is one of those times. Due to a mystery flat from taking the road bike off the car rack, I was semi-forced to ride the time trial bike over what turned out to be terrain with several considerable pre-Cascades climbs (not to mention the galing headwinds again). The time trial bike isn't geared up for that kind of riding, making for an interesting day, which ended about 12 hours before the planned longest day of the trip - an epic 131 miles to Bend, OR - giving new meaning to "bend, don't break." In the spirit of climbing with aplomb, Eric found a blog of a novice cyclist who has signed on to ride over the Col du Tourmalet, a mountain in one of the Pyrenees stages of the Tour de France. Each year, the Tour organizers open up a mountain stage to amateurs a few days before the pros get there....his article, "What Have I Gotten Myself Into?" is worth a few minutes. Too bad all this isn't leading to that. Now on to Eric for the real post.

If the word "burns" conjures up an image other than a great conflagration or Mr. Burns, then perhaps you've been to the booming burg of Burns, Oregon, our first stop in the incorrectly named Pacific time zone. (Um... this is Eric writing now. Yeah.) This blog post is on the late side because of the time change, and the need to consume mass quantities, and the various and sundry other activities that take place every night to make the next day's ride possible: laying out of clothes, inspecting of bikes, packing of food and water, examination of route, analysis of weather, and appeals upward for smooth roads, no trucks, and an immaculate hotel, with a showerhead strong enough to fell an elephant.

A freak pre-ride flat, rain, face-sanding headwinds, and the 4,848-foot Stinkwater Pass couldn't keep Carson from logging yet another 100+ mile day. Even I turned in 30, after doing battle with the proprietor of our lodging establishment and his wide-eyed and staring "associate" who were astonished to find a guest showing up at 9:00 in the morning, asking to check in. At least this room has internet access... and the door locks.

And now, we need to get busy digesting the evening meal, which consisted of several selections from a local "American Chinese" bistro, featuring garlic chicken, lo mein, and customers who drink the soy sauce at the bottom of their noodle bowls with straws. Hypertension!

Day 33 (May 28) - Vale, OR

Vale, OR is apparently a town with quite a few murals - more than your average little, hidden town on the western edge of Mountain Time. Since Eric and I made it here in record time (I actually beat the car here - 72 miles in 3:33!!!!! THAT, mis amigos is Fast with a capital F), we went out for some additional riding this afternoon and are about to go photo document some ole fashioned Oregon Trail murals. Unfortunately we won't be able to post any pictures today because we don't have internet.... But soon enough they'll be up.

I can't really wrap my mind around being in Oregon and having cycled here. It's pretty crazy. Four days to go!

Day 32 (May 27) - Boise Rest Day

Eric once again. Why did we call today a "rest" day? To be sure, there was no Ironman-distance biking, but by mid-morning, we'd already devoured the hotel's free breakfast, made lodging reservations for Oregon, gotten in some quality running time, soaked in the whirlpool, had a conference call, answered e-mails, uploaded pictures, scouted out activities for the day, and done about two hundred other things.

Now, Carson is putting the finishing touches on a pasta creation in our fully equipped kitchen, a storm is beginning to rage outside, and I'm trying to remember everything that happened. Great Basque food for lunch in downtown Boise -- yes, Basque. Visit to a giant bike store. And then, in a case of role reversal, I -- that's right, Eric -- biked about 10 miles, and Carson came to pick ME up. More accurately, we met up at a local Y, where we got in some lap swimming. Yes, it was a triathlon day. Carson met a local postal employee, who asked intelligent questions and even estimated Carson's daily calorie intake.

"Dinner is served," Carson says, so that's all for now. Red Sox/Mariners on the local TV here... of course!

Day 31 (May 26) - Boise, ID

A month and 11 states ago today, the bike trip began. As I look out the window here in Boise, ID, where a gorgeous afternoon is greeting the Memorial Day picnic-ers, it is easy to forget the frequent struggles of the journey's first two Appalachian (Ap-uh-lah-chun) weeks and the fallow field doldrums of the third. Idaho has been stellar. My hands and fingers still tingle with the memory of 2,200+ miles, but even that is an overlookable reminder of often hard-fought hours on the road.

With a rest day tomorrow and then 6 straight days to the coast, Eric and I are eager to bicycle Oregon, hopefully free of malapropos mental, mechanical, meteorological and other worries. Since we've not had a chance to post photos the last few days, check these out:

CRATERS OF THE MOON NATIONAL MONUMENT AND PRESERVE


ARCO, ID


FAIRFIELD, ID

Day 30 (May 25) - Fairfield, ID

No Internet connection here in Fairfield, so a brief post....89 miles today in a screaming 5:06! The countryside and mountains in Idaho have been spectacular. There is snow in them thar hills, and it is quite special. Eric got a flat 15 miles in today, but changed it in record time -- foreshadowing the long but quick ride to follow.

We think there is some sort of bike race going on here in tiny Fairfield (Pop. 395) and are about to check that out in the sunny yet still spring, crisp afternoon....but first a few bowls of cereal. Photos later if I can figure out how to get iPhone to do it.

Day 29 (May 24) - Arco, ID

Eric here. Carson is napping; our motel room door here in Arco, Idaho (the first city to be lit entirely by Atomic Power!) is open, and the breeze is blowing in the quiet sounds of a small town.

Today was planned to be about 66 miles, but after 50, we (oh, all right... CARSON) had a brilliant idea: why not trade the last section of monotonous Idaho-way for a bike through the nearby Craters of the Moon National Monument, the "weirdest 75 square miles on the face of the earth?" Well, that's exactly what we proceeded to do, and the result was some of the most fun we've had on the trip. The volcanic rock formations (formed long ago from 'liquid hot magma'), juxtaposed with
wildflowers, spindly trees, blue-white-black skies, a brief downpour, slick roads, elderly tourists, campers, and gung-ho mountain bikers who wanted to know where we started our trip ("Idaho Falls," I said, and then paused, and corrected myself: "Boston!"), made for an otherworldly, but very enjoyable, afternoon. Carson is convinced that the loop road should host a cycling time trial.

The Atomic Burger here in Arco was a bust, and we briefly considered going to the Atomic Motor Raceway but were dissuaded by their web site, which featured an exploding mushroom cloud, flaming radiation signs, and an admonition that, "If you attend the race PLEASE TRY TO GET ALONG WITH ONE ANOTHER." Whoa. Maybe cribbage will be a better way to round out the day.

Day 28 (May 23) - Idaho Falls, ID

The fickle weather held, and the first three hours of today were the best of the trip. There were long climbs (the first was Teton Pass ~ 4 miles at 10% grade over 8,600 ft) and longer, serpentine descents. Imagine the classic mountain stage you may have seen on TV from Le Tour. The remainder of the afternoon had a bit of everything: cold, heat, rain, snow, tractor trailers, empty back roads, hills, flats, headwinds, tailwinds, a calm, people honking and flipping the bird, people waving and giving thumbs up. Now it's time to do some laundry and cook up a quinoa-dried fruit smorgasbord. 9 cycling days remaining - 3.5 in ID and 5.5 in OR....then the return trip will have us hit up several National Parks, where we hope to do a little cycling too, and several baseball games at various professional levels.

Day 28 (May 23) Jackson, WY - PART TWO

Doing a trip like this must have many sub-surface side effects, specifically on one's biochemistry. I don't suppose it's that surprising the whole pro world in this sport is tainted by drug use and questionable IV supplements - especially considering the toll appears to reach beyond the daytime activity itself. There hasn't been much sleep going on during Bike Trip '08, and when I do manage, there have been a disproportionately high number of nightmares and bathroom trips. It is not a glamorous thing, yet inerestingly to me, pretty much entirely different than my experiences at high altitude, another place the body is put under unusual stress. There, I've always - knock on wood - had deep and sound sleep during the continual effort to mitigate the effects of super-hydration. So as I hide here under the covers at 2:52 AM trying to will the clock to breakfast time with my head up trying to avoid the seemingly imminent head cold, I can't help but anticipate a return to familiar pillows and a less demanding calorie requirement.

Day 27 (May 22) - Jackson, WY

Snow, rain, tornado warnings, and flood watches marked Wyoming this afternoon. I went out on reconaissance today on the bike to check on the 3000 ft climb only 4 miles away from here...and got a flat tire 1.5 miles into it -- just long enough to get cold and wet! Empty printer toner after a long wait on the guy checking his fantasy baseball stats hindered any map printing for tomorrow. Shrug and move on. Idaho Falls, ID tomorrow if the snow holds.

Day 26 (May 21) - Dubois, WY

Truth be known, there have been several times along the way where I've been on the verge of pressing the bike trip's red abort button. Today was no exception - the conditions have generally just not wanted to cooperate. Through 50 miles this morning, the goings were great. The scenery was finally beginning to change and become the sweeping landscapes we like to postcard. The things short little notes were made of, however, quickly changed. First came the darkening clouds, then lightning bolts that surrounded causing me to take cover in a thicket of trees (see video), then the hail...after it cleared, I got back on the bike to find 40+ mph headwinds and eventual driving rains. About 6 miles from Dubios, a man in a truck pulled up beside me and offered a ride. I very appreciatively accepted. A few minutes earlier, in fact, I had tried to text Eric the following message: "Meed mercyride - 8miles from Dbs" but there is limited cell coverage in the deep backcountry.

When I got the motel, Eric gave me the bad news - via the National Weather Service - about tomorrow's route:

...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE EAST SLOPES OF THE WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS..TONIGHT: A STRONG COLD FRONT IS MOVING ACROSS THE STATE TODAY BRINGING IN MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES AS WELL AS SIGNIFICANT WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED AND ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE. BRIEF HEAVY RAIN, LARGE HAIL, AND STRONG WIND GUSTS OVER 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. ADDITIONALLY...SNOW LEVELS WILL DECREASE TO AROUND 7000 FT THIS EVENING...SNOWFALL WILL BE HEAVY AND WET THIS AND WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT. TOTAL SNOWFALL OF 12 TO 15 INCHES WILL IMPACT SOUTH PASS AND TOGWOTEE PASS...POTENTIALLY MAKING TRAVEL HAZARDOUS DUE TO SLICK ROAD CONDITIONS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES.

THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY: TWELVE TO FIFTEEN INCHES OF SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE BY THURSDAY EVENING. SOUTH PASS AND TOGWOTEE PASS COULD REMAIN SNOWPACKED AND TREACHEROUS.

The snow-packed and treacherous part did us in. We were forced to pack up the car, cut our losses at the Dubois motel and drive to Jackson. As we crossed the continental divide and the Togwotee Pass, the snows were already starting -- and they are reaching Jackson at this moment, along with the impenetrable cloud and fog.
I'm extremely disappointed, as I feel all of the previous rides were preparation for crossing the 9,600 ft pass. With 10 rides to go until the Pacific, here's hoping for no more route thwartings.

Day 25 (May 20) - Riverton, WY

The thinner air means a little more work but also a little less resistance. With the temperature holding around 85 all afternoon and having gone through 96 miles in 6 hours, it was a scorching day....until the dreaded rear flat tire....the rear flat tire when you forgot your tire levers. Whoops. After changing the tire in a manner not worth repeating, I got back on the road and made it to Riverton, WY - 121 miles from Casper - in a blazing 7 hrs 35 minutes. From my calculations, over 6,600 calories were burned today not counting those burned by Eric on his 41 miles....and now we're hungry. So in the interest of being prepared for a 2,000 foot climb tomorrow and then a 3,500 foot climb over the continental divide the next day through forecast snow and rain, Eric and I are off for some food.
We'll try to post some photos later this evening.

Day 24 (May 19) - Third Rest Day

First, let's start the rest day post off right -- a friend of mine just let me know (see previous day's comments) that she ran a sub 4:30 marathon yesterday....It was roughly her 14th marathon, and she's been more than diligently trying to qualify for Boston the last few years. Only a few more minutes to knock off for her age group! The two amazing things are that she donated a kidney about a year and a half ago, making hydration an interesting feat, **AND** apparently, well - I'll let her words speak for themselves:

"The chip results may say 4:32 - but myself and other runners had to stop for a train that was crossing the train tracks - really!! Not making this up. It's not like the fish story "you should have seen the one that got away"..."

Now, speaking of trains, the coal train video I mentioned yesterday is down below! It's amazing. We've biked by several of these...a guy at the bike store in Casper told us 40-60 of these leave Wyoming every day...We measured this one in the car.

This morning, we visited the Fort Caspar Museum, a reconstruction the city's earliest cowboys and indians days complete with violently accurate (?) dioramas. We also visited Mountain Sports to get the bikes tuned up. If you are ever in town and not mesmerized by the boots, buckles, and chaps-clad mannequins in the storefronts, stop by and visit Mountain Sports. They were awesome and quick with the tune ups (turns out, my rear hub was all messed up and it was what they called "an ordeal" to fix). But alas, now we're ready to tackle the big hills, first gliding through the oil fields and high deserts of eastern Wyoming.

Day 23 (May 18) - Casper, WY

Today as usual, we woke, ate the hotel's free breakfast x 4, and took off from Valentine, NE on the bikes. Compared to the last two days' 30-40 mph headwinds, today's 5 mph was super. I rode the Guru and set out on a blistering pace. At 50 miles, near the settlement - that's a better word than "town" - of Eli, NE, Eric caught up with me in the car and, as planned, we started the rest day early and in motorized style on our way to Casper, WY. Along the way, we passed numerous, long trains with car after car after car carrying coal towards the east. At one point, we measured one of the slower-moving trains and found it to be over 1.3 miles long....probably closer to 1.5 miles if you factor in that it was moving towards us. We'll post the video this evening!

Now for the drive: Purists will say that we cut out 260 miles and will not have officially biked across the country. Well, I'm not a purist and am very glad we picked up and moved the rest day to another new state on the new-state-list. In fact, up until today's drive, I've been mostly underwhelmed (or as Eric called it 'non-whelmed') with the bicycling and the magnitude of this endeavor. This afternoon as we hurtled across the vast sand dunes and empty hills of western Nebraska, the enormity of pedaling across the country began to sink in. I think after a good rest day tomorrow, we'll be ready to confront and savor the Rockies, the Cascades, and whatever other speed bumps are ahead.

Day 22 (May 17) - Valentine, NE

note to self: Next time you decide to ride a bicycle across North America, start from the west.

Pounding and direct headwinds again today. Weather reports say sustained 27 mph with gusts up to 36 mph....nevertheless, we made it here to Valentine, "the Heart City of Nebraska." About to go check things out around town....Wait, what's that I hear????? Sounds like the unmistakable ching-ching-chings and 'gimme a 20' from the nearby South Dakota casino a'callin. Eric and I aren't gamblers, and we definitely aren't high-rollers, but who can resist making a visit after over One Thousand Seven Hundred miles biked!

Day 21 (May 16) - Bassett, NE

TGIF, right? It was an absolutely PUNISHING second day in Nebraska [hangs head in disbelief].

In funny news, two days ago Eric and I noticed an ad in the local paper calling for submissions to a contest seeking videos about western Iowa. Half jokingly, half not, I entered the video I took of the tractor trailers on the shoulderless roads in Iowa. Just moments ago, I received an email indicating that my video had been disqualified because it did not meet the fundamental requirement: it was taken in "central Iowa" and did not pertain to "western Iowa." Looking back - in fairness to Iowa - the last day in the state(Day 19 of the blog), which was in western Iowa proper, was the best day of the trip so far for me. Perhaps I should go back, edit, and resubmit.

Finally, there have been some requests for behind the scenes details on the bike trip - e.g. what's going on, how we feel, condition of equipment, etc... I've debated since early on about whether to post that here; it is all getting captured in my personal writings. For now, I'm not going to touch on that stuff, as I am wary of readers misinterpreting the details as me being ungrateful, not having fun, not eating enough, so on and so forth. Suffice to say that the trip is physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and personally demanding - often in ways I did not expect. There are probably some other 'ly words in there too.

As intermediates: (1) Eric and I will make a video of what our mornings look like and post it here soon. (2) I am fortunate to have and to have been able to bring two bikes on the trip: a Specialized Roubaix Elite and a Guru Cron-Alu. The Roubaix is the workhorse used for rainy, hilly, and expected difficult days. It has logged the most miles by far. I clean and lube it after every rainy day and otherwise every two or three days. I also had it tuned up in Stow, Ohio. The Roubaix's only casualities thus far are a flat tire from running over a screw, a chip in the top tube from propping it against a metal sign, and a slowly deteriorating lunch box I've mounted to the front. The break pads will also need to be replaced before the Rockies, as the rainy days in Pennsylvania basically shredded them. The Guru - my bicycle baby - has been a rockstar when I've used it (three times to date). It is a time trial, agressive-position bike used when the terrain is expected to be "favorable", the weather good or forecast windy, and/or when the distance is shorter (though I did use it for back-to-back 103 and 104 mile rides on the trip). To date, knock on wood, the only nicks it has encountered are literally nicks: One on the top tube from again propping it against a sign (you think I'd learn my lesson) and a few on the down tube, unfortunate realities of loading and unloading bikes daily from the rack on the car.

Eric rides a Specialized Roubaix Triple. It too is doing quite well, only suffering two flat tires and a strange periodic clicking noise emanating from the front tire sort of like the sound of the magnet hitting the odometer sensor, only not that. We suspect something got in the tire during one of our changes of it. We hope to find out more in Casper, WY, when we go for our second tune up. Enjoy the weekend to its fullest!

Day 20 (May 15) - Creighton, NE

Eric writing (Carson is cooking one of the MRCs). When you bike a great distance, sometimes geography is your friend, and things just work out. I would like to think that that has mostly been the case and will continue to be. But sometimes, fortune tosses you a lightning bolt – such as this morning, when we were confronted with the concrete fact that there are only two crossings from Sioux City into Nebraska. One is easy, fast, short, and convenient – but it’s an interstate highway. No bikes. The other route was, shall we say, a bit longer and much more circuitous.

Naturally, we chose Option A, and I ferried Carson across the Missouri River in the car, at which point he hit the two-wheeler. This made for the first day that we didn’t both bike out in the morning – although after I passed him and checked into the new hotel, I biked back out and waited for him, so I still got in 28 miles, my longest ride so far. Once again I shake my head – the 14 miles back to Creighton, Nebraska, which is where we are now, featured stiff winds, roller-coaster hills, and stiffer pavement (including a mile-long “de-paved” section heading into ‘town’). Carson had to deal with that for almost NINETY miles today. (Carson: “Let the chafing begin!”)

Giant thunderclouds loom in the distance, a cool breeze is blowing through our motel-room doorway, and the smell of chili is in the air. For both of us, a truly bizarre introduction to Nebraska.

Day 19 (May 14) - Sioux City, IA

When I lived in Amsterdam - one of the, if not the, bicycle epicenters of the Western Hemisphere* - I was friends with a man named Zuo from outside of Beijing, China, a bicycle hotspot of the East**. Zuo would refuse to ride a bicycle in Amsterdam. No matter what one would say or do to urge Zuo to ride a bike, he just wouldn't concede. One day a few of us asked Zuo what it was with him and his animosity (?) towards them. Zuo said, "In China, I rode a bike everyday for the last 20 years, and it is the *last* thing I want to do here."

Despite Zuo's adamant self-sacrifice, I think even he would have given in today. It was an absolutely perfect morning for a long ride. The eager fields, brimming with the potential of spring, were deep with color and sounded of hidden owls and red-winged blackbirds. The temperature held in the upper 50's, even though the sun threatened with vigor. The roads were smooth and traffic non-existent. The beadlets of sweat dangling from the tip of a nose were the only distraction. It has been a day to re-live. A game from the American Association of Independent Baseball based out of Durham, NC (GO DUKE!!) beckons tonight - the Sioux City Explorers! Tomorrow: Nebraska and the halfway point by mileage!!!!

*Amsterdam, one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world, has approximately 700,00 bikes.
**Beijing has roughly 10 million bikes.

Day 18 (May 13) - Denison, IA

It was a rather unventful (and chilly) day. Made it to the Days Inn (which should be called the Nights Inn) in Denison, where there is a poultry processing plant across the street.

As a cyclist who, in the last 12 months, has been in contact with moving cars twice and the pavement an additional time at a high speed, I cannot summon words to explain how frightening biking in Iowa has been at times....and actually, in a lot of the midwest. I told Eric my nerves are being trained to which he responded: Uhhh. That's bad. No offense to those midwesterners out there who may be reading this, but I will be glad to see the mountains (I think).

One last tractor-trailer related video then I'll drop it!

Day 17 (May 12) - Ames, IA - PART II

Day 17 (May 12) - Ames, IA - PART I

Chapter One (Carson) >> This is a preliminary post for the day coming at you live via iPhone from the side of the road 62 miles from Ames, IA. More will come later, but for this moment I am waiting on Eric to drive by and pick me up to carry me about 20 miles down the road where presumably the Big Rig traffic will not be as heavy. A few minutes ago, I was hugging my narrow white line on this middle of nowhere country road (I could seriously bike a tightrope at this point) when a tractor trailor driver decided it a good idea to not move over and lay on his airhorn. A little rattled, I pressed on. Several miles later, it happened again - that time the truck giving me about 6 inches "wiggle" room. Not 10 seconds later another 18- wheeler coming towards me blew me off the road into the gravel excuse for a shoulder with its high speed vortex trailing behind. With that, I've decided to give up on this section of road, not risk life and limb anymore, and sit down in the high grasses, high winds, and low temperatures of central IA. I just recorded some related video I'll try to post later. This is the ugly head of the romantic bike trip many have been emailing me about, wishing they were on it. I wish things were more like you imagine. Will check in from Ames - Eric just texted and will be here shortly,.......

Chapter Two (Theresa) >> Carson just emailed me to say he was “airhorned again.” Then he was pretty much blown off the road by a truck a few minutes later. Got me thinking that for all of our progress – in transportation and other areas- the US is still behind the curve when it comes to mobility. I only read a few parts of Bill Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods,” but he mentioned being in areas where, as a pedestrian, he was literally not able to travel safely. Seems that Carson is facing some of these same challenges now – his chosen mode is incompatible with the tractor-trailers, and more likely, with the drivers who are confused, annoyed, or just unable to deal with a cyclist on their road. These Midwestern “county roads” are turning out to be more dangerous than the bad neighborhood in Worcester where Carson found himself in March (a little lost, but at least not ‘airhorned’). Smart boy is taking a break, waiting for Eric to pick him up. (The little Scion with Mass. plates is still probably no match for the semis; ah, Iowa!)

Chapter Three (Eric) >> First of all, let it be said that no matter its plates, the little Scion is more than a match for any other vehicle... as long as I'm driving. Carson, who I know has never been thrilled about the idea of me driving his car, was forced to admit that I must be doing something right when we looked at the gas receipts and realized that the Scion was getting the highest mileage of its career. (Carson: first time the car has been driven on non-city streets).

Second of all, while Carson was loading his bike on the car to escape the Highway of Death (en Espanol: La Ruta de la Muerte), we were treated to the spectacle of a tractor-trailer passing another tractor-trailer. In a no-passing zone. Uphill. In high crosswinds. Driver on a cell phone. Unbelievable. (Carson: you can't make that stuff up.)

Third of all, there was a dead snake on the shoulder. And a fox. Wasn't there a fable about a snake and a fox?

And now we head into downtown Ames, if there is a downtown Ames, to explore.

Day 16 - Second Rest Day

Happy Mother's Day!

The 2nd rest day finds us in Cedar Rapids, IA, home of Quaker Oats' birthplace and largest cereal mill, the utopian Amana Colony, and the mysterious and enviable Fifth Season.

Eric and I drove with the 40 mph north winds (thank goodness no cycling today!) to visit the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, IA, President Hoover's hometown. By the time we reached the part of the museum reflecting on his career as a president, it seemed only natural that he would eventually assume that position. Eric says the same thing about bike trip - that the Pacific is 'inevitable.' I'm not as sure, and we are already planning some creative by-passing of certain sections (western Nebraska?) to avoid extreme distances between lodgings and so that we can experience the trip more enjoyably as a vacation and less as some ridiculous endurance feat (which, I must say, after two weeks is not near the top of list of physically demanding extracurriculars I've pursued).

In any case, there will be new videos soon. Until then, Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers out there. Our appreciation extends beyond today!