Dispatch from America: There will be blood . . .( possum blood that is)

Well Abby and I escaped Kansas with only 1 reference to Oz thankfully! When I saw the rolling limestone hills of Missouri I had a familiar sensation from childhood. Was it that Appalachia looks similar, the amount of road kill present, or could it just be the Hardees cup along with some trash on the road? Ah the sights and smells of Dixie! Now the James Gang were from Missouri and they did all their train and bank robbing on accounts of "Dixie" after the South fell. Turns out that Missouri was not a member of the Confederate States of America, but was claimed by the CSA without any formal control or succession. Could have fooled me.

To date the bike tour is slowly approaching the East coast. What motivation we had in escaping the snowy roads of Colorado has been sucked through the soles of our feet. The daily fight against an enemy who takes no form but manipulates all that it encounters; THE WIND. A "tail wind" falls into the realm of gnomes and sprites, often talked about in the mountains but never seen. Missouri has proven to be a human powered roller coaster with short and steep hills. Between a sore knee and the lack of a shoulder to ride, the hills make our gear selection erratic and clumsy like the driver tossing Keystone empties out his window. I instantly hate riding in Missouri, worst of the 8 states thus far.

I look forward to the day I ride out of Missouri and can deliver possibly the best line when dealing a coup de grâce to my foe, Missouri. As Daniel Day Lewis so eloquently states, "I drink your milkshake, I drink it up"!

Dispatch from America's Breadbasket

I am going to attempt this Dispatch, but the Achilles heel will be that WiFi in the majority of the country thus far has been a joke. I think that if the cell phone company's can speed it up then their devices might be worth the greenback.

Abby and I have exited Colorado into Kansas. The last 2 weeks were cold and more than the freezing temperatures was the WIND! We all know head wind v. tail wind, but until I had spend weeks fighting a moderate to strong head wind/side wind that wants to push me into oncoming traffic I had under estimated wind's ability to unravel the nerves. We have been fortunate to meet some great people on this trip and Lander, WY was really the pinnacle. Don, Dot, Jake and Tori(pictured above), of the Newton Clan put us up for 2 nights, opened their house to 2 stinky bikers and then drove us out of their way to get beyond the winter weather. THANK YOU!

With the wind pushing us aside we rode through the remainder of WY, a desolate state. In Saratoga, WY there is a hot springs. Once called Hobo Pool because of the proximity to the train tracks and who frequented the hot and relaxing waters. We were awakened at 1:30 am by the local peace officer for camping in a "no camping" site. He proceeded to make us pack our bikes and go else were. We took in another soak then shoved out of town with our hobo binndle's of bikes. 10 miles later and a near miss with a scared badger, we found our new campsite.

Our original route was slapping us in the face with winter weather, "Why are you still here?" it chided. We took Cameron Pass at 10,276 ft. into Ft. Collins, CO. Damn near 40 miles of downhill with a tail wind and we were back in the land of t-shirts. We spent the night in Ft. Collins, checking out New Belgium Brewing and visiting Tom and Michelle, some of Abby's extended family.

So for the past few days Abby and I have been picking our way Southeast through Colorado to get back on route. As a friend of my Dad says, "everything in this part of the country is square with the world". Hot days abound but a storm is coming in from the West. Abby walks in with a gas station biscuit and some coffee and smiles, "wind has changed, and it's a tail wind" with a grin from ear to ear.

Time to ride!

Dispatch from America: Damn this place is cold!

They said, "head South, you are going to run into snow". They also said, "Y'all are late to be riding bikes here". Finally they said, "Not me, I could not do what you are trying to". Well, "they" were right on the first two. I am riding up to 9,000+ feet outside Teton National Park, there is ice building up on my tires. What starts out as tiny ice crystals in minuets is a snow encrusted tire and out slides my rear wheel. Thanks to my worn multi-directional cleats I am able to detach one of my shoes to keep from laying the bike and myself on the frozen asphalt. Abby and I ran into snow outside Darby, MT last week. Since then we have have seen temps go from the high 80's to a low of 7 degrees.

We holed up in the kitchy town of W. Yellowstone, MT for 2 days. When the sun came out and melted the snow, we rode into Yellowstone. Geysers, bison, elk and RVs abound. The wind is against us, we take in Old Faithful and a walk around the thermal areas of the Park. The theme of "closed for the season" signs looks to be a trend. When we approach Grant Village in the South of the Park, nothing is open. The conditions are cold, windy and snow is on the forecast, we just want a cup of coffee. We ride into the employee housing area and ask Bill if there are any camp grounds open nearby. He tugs at his white beard that has been stained yellow from years of cigarette smoke and puts his hands back in his government issued green coveralls and says, "Nope, but I can rent you a room here for 20 bucks". Sold!

Montana was great, not to ride a bike through when we did, but definitely a state that I would love to spend more time in. Wyoming as well, its just to cold to be on a bike. Hiking in the cold is different, slower with potential wind breaks in the trees. Biking on the other hand in these conditions is arduous compounded by frozen toes, frozen water bottles, and headwinds that cut your mileage in half but force you to put out twice the effort.

So "they" were right about the weather, but I am not going to plan my life and trips around what other people suggest. I listen and apply some of what people have to say, but I am going to see for myself and ride my own ride. This is where great stories and adventure come from. Following a prescribed way of life is what diminishes our cultures sense of exploration and adventure. "They" are semi-correct, a cross country bike trip is not in most people's realm of possibility, but a 2 day ride through Yellowstone could be. Take the inspiration of the 2 day ride and let your mind run with other possibilities.

What I want to tell people is to stop eating the lumberjack sized portions at Applebees and re-watching re-runs; evaluate their priorities. I am confident in my critique because I have been on both sides of our society. I lived the debt ridden and consume at all costs lifestyle and I got fat, unfriendly, and depressed. I unplugged and semi-dropped out and while some haunts are still there, I don't deliver pizza anymore hoping that a semi-truck strikes my car so I do not have to pay for it.

Abby and I are outside Dubois, WY wishing that the headwind would reverse itself, the Indian summer would return, and we would not be skipping the Rocky Mountains of Colorado due to winter setting in. At the same time, we are enjoying the ride and challenges we face. Our plan is to ride to Rawlins, WY and into the Ft. Collins, CO area, then into Kansas to meet back up with our original route. The wonderful thing about bikes is that we can re-adjust and roll with what comes our way. Thanks to all of you who sponsored the foot long subs! Besides the scenery and Americana we take in, eating copious amounts of food is a perk of punishing yourself on trips like this. In closing, if you ride 60-100 miles a day then you can eat a mandarin pork ribblet basket from Applebees that contains 2 days worth of recommended calories, just make sure you earn it.

More from the road.