Live from Montana!

Howdy to anybody who's been trying to find new stuff on my blog. I'm in Thompson Falls, Montana, and this is the first time I've had actual access to the internet (as opposed to, say, riding past a library that's not open, because it's only 7:15am).

The high school that's letting us camp on their lawn here is also letting us use their library computer lab! (Maybe to make up for the fact they only have cold showers?)

Dinner's in 15 minutes so I don't have time to upload any pictures - but I've been taking a ton, and hope to post links to them this weekend, when we're in Missoula. Resting!

Peg's dispatch (earlier this week - see below) was nicely coherent, I think, compared to how I think I was talking when I would get cell phone reception once in a while (I haven't had any for a couple of days now).

Now, for the scoop on this trip: WOW ! Holy moly!!! We've crossed two states and are in our third! We crossed Stevens Pass in the Cascades (on day two), then went 103 miles, then 95, then 94... Today was only 70 miles, but we crossed Thompson Pass (a 40ish mile climb). Tomorrow's another 100 or so into Missoula.

The main thing really is how incredibly beautiful the landscape is. I really do a lot of whooping and hollering (and ringing of my bicycle bell) because it's just so crazy gorgeous. Yesterday riding from Spokane Washington to Kellogg Idaho we were on paved, car-free bike paths for 40 miles!!

Here's the wildlife report: not as much road-kill as I'd expected, but included in that has been a deer, a rattlesnake, a racoon, and a porcupine! (That was huge, and fascinating.) Live animals have included llamas, alpacas, and yesterday: Three moose(s)!! They are HUGE. Really cool from a distance but a calf (the size of a grown horse) came onto the bike path and it kind of scared us - we waited until it went back down to the river before we crossed by.

One weird phenomenon (with various explanatory theories among the riders) is the amount of turds along the highway shoulders we've been riding on. Seriously. If anyone knows what this is about, please sent me a note!

Well, I have to run off to stuff my face with dinner. More this weekend from Missoula. Whoo-hoo!