Me and the Burro chill'n in the coast.

This should have been sent last Thursday. Unfortunately blogspot did not receive it. My bad...

That's right sports fans, I'm at the beach. Flew in yesterday with plenty of fan fair and excitement.This is a pic of el burro sipp'n on a cold one at the beach. I let him have a sip for making all the way here, he was very thirsty (check the waterbottle cage). The whole beach was gray with cloud cover and dark sand, very windy. It had a rusty shell of a ship in the sand, that I climbed in for a photo op. The other tourists were not so amused.
I think its going to take two weeks to wash off all the dirt I'm carring around. After that I may look for a place to live and some where that will give me $ for services rendered. No real thought as to the future right now, just enjoying the view.

The rusty old ship

Portland or Bust.

Its hotter than hell out here now, with little sign of letting up. Actually the futher west I go the cooler it gets, but yesterday I actually thought I was riding in hell. Ran out of water, broke my front rack, and went delirous from dehydration. I dumped a bunch of my none essentials on the side of the road to take weight of the rack and speed up my traveling. If I decided to go on from Portland to the coast, I've decided I need to drop the front panniers (bags), rack, and all other none essentials at Portland, possibly in a locker at the airport. Otherwise I'll just stop in Portland and make it to the coast eventually. Just really tired of being homeless and riding a bike for eight hours a day. After two months, one week, and three days, anything will start to get old.

Head for The Rockies

A few weeks ago some one asked me which place I liked the best out of all the things I've seen. I didn't have a good answer, and thought about the question long after. Each place I've been to has its own charm and wonder, how could I choose just one. And then, I crossed the Rockies. This has got to be some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen. I has everything and not in a gaudy way, it all fits seamlessly together. Tall trees, Huge Mountains, and rushing rivers, each one complimenting the other. I made sure to ride slow and spend a couple of days just taking in the beauty. Another great thing about the Rockis is there is no signs of civilization. Most places have at least powerlines, farms, or livestock. Not here just the road and you, surounded by wilderness.
Well, I've made it to the other side of the Rockies and have hit the desert like terrain of Washington state. Desert in WA, you may ask, yes its true. A dry arrid region stands between me and the green valley of Columbian Gorge. I figure Im down to one more week, so instead of breaking this week Im going to push on to the coast. I may stop in Portland next weekend, because from what I hear their having one of the biggest beer festivals in the country that weekend. And if you know me in the least bit, you know that I have a slight fondness for beer. So, by next weekend you'll either have a post from me saying YEEEaaah I made it to the coast or one that says AAhhww yeah, beer good, Ima make it coast, eeehhaa soon. hik-up! Take care all. Dont stop Beliving

My next Car

I've been taking steafy photos of old cars that really appeal to me. I'll post them all when I get settled and can organize them all. This was a great old beater I saw in Grass Range, MT. If you can't see, its got the #13 on the side whcich led me to belive someone actually raced this at one time.

RockyMountain High

Start of the Rockies

Far away pics are not my camera's strong point. But I wanted tp get a pic of the Rockies in there

Slept Near this one night in MT

Pierre SD

I'm sending so older pics of things that never got sent. This is the capital of South Dakota. I ws really digging the black dome when I took this.

Earth Lodge Replica in North Dakota

I'm on top of the world!

M High Plains Drifter

Montana is even bigger than u think. Crossing a state typically has taken me 5-6 days. It took me 10 days to get to Missoula, which is where I'm at now, and I still have about half a day left in MT. Not only is the state big, but so are the people, terrain, and weather. Many people I've come across have been larger than life, with huge hearts and open minds. The terrain has changed so drastically from east to west in MT. This state has it all desert, plains, rolling hills, and mountains. While the wind and heat have been brutal. I've been told time and time again by cyclists I see heading east, that say I'm doing it the hard way heading west. I knew the head wind would be a factor but never did I expect it to be such a major facor in this ride.
Through all the struggle, though I've managed to make it to the rockies. I crossed the continental divide a few days ago, and have passed the 3000 mile mark as well. My saddle is cashed, but with just 2 weeks left I've decided to stick with it. There is still so little I've been able to put into words on this blog, about the trip. Typing into a little keypad on my cell prohibits a lot of detail, but still so much has happened, its hard to even rember it all. I hhave been keeping a journal though. And when I get settled into Portland, I hope to elaborate on all the exciting things that I have experinced. Until then, I hope all of you are doing well and are making the most of youe time. Will write again soon when I've crossed the rockies.

WIld West here I come

I've taken yet another day off, in an attempt to rest sore knees and muscles. I'm just inside Noth Dakota, looking west to Montana, which stands less than 50 miles from me. Once in Montana I do not expect much contact with the outside world. Its very desolete out there from what I've been told. So this may be one of the last posts for awhile. Currently, I'm about two thirds of the way through my trip. I've got some where around 1200 miles to go with 2500 behind me, ish.

The Dakotas have been beautiful, with very friendly people and LOTS of wind. At times it seems like Im standing still, even thouhg my legs are still moving, thats how strong the wind is here. I've been riding mostly through the Missouri Plateaus, which as you can imagine are hilly then flat, very brown. In the last couple of days the color has come back to the land in a big way, with fields of yellow and violet as far as the eye can see. This is because I've rode into the black hills of Dakota, which are not as flat and very round. Its amazing how the country side changes, ever so subltly, everywhere I go. Montana should be flat with more wind and less color. I'm starting to prefer, the hills and mountains to all these flats and there unceasing wind. At least with the uphills there's usually a downhill.

I've added a few more links, so check out these other blogs of folks I love or at least can stand. Larisa's started a blog for her trip to Switzerland, which she left for this week. And in true L'sauce style is already making a time of it. I wanted to thank eveyone who has sent emails, called, or posted a comment on the blog. It truely keeps me going knowing how people are doing, and that they are thinkg of me just as much as I think of them.