Day 5 - Canada!

We had a great day of riding today. Last night we decided to change our route a little to miss a big mountain that we were supposed to climb. At the end of the ride today, we were supposed to climb about, 2,500 ft to Rossland, BC, but there was an alternate way that added about 5 miles to the total day and we didn't have to climb as much. We all chose the later and it turned out very well. We rode along the Columbia River much of the day and it was absolutely beautiful. I tell you, this country up here is gorgeous.

We rode 55 miles today and ended up climbing 2,500 total feet. We are in Trail, BC. Tomorrow we are going to try and make it to the ward or branch up here and attend sacrament meeting (church). It may be a little interesting because we don't exactly have the appropriate cloths, but it should be ok. We sure have been having a lot of questions posed to us about the church on this trip. I'm sure it is because of Kaitlin receiving her call and the questions that may bring up. Eli Baron actually wants to go to church with us tomorrow. That should be interesting.

Well, here are some pictures about our day. We are staying in a nice little campground tonight. I have been exhausted enough at the end of the day that I have been sleeping quite well.

Day 4 - A day of climbing

We had a beautiful day to ride today. When we woke this morning it was a chilly 41 degrees and there was some pretty thick fog. We really didn't start riding until about 10 because it just wasn't warm enough and the fog was not burned off. When we did start, we immediately began climbing. We had a 2,000 ft climb to get over the Chewela mountains. It was a pretty tough climb, but we were rewarded with an 8 mile downhill ride after we got to the top. That was fun. Kait and I hit 40 mph coming down. We had to ride about 23 miles after coming down and that seemed to be nearly harder than riding up the hill. I guess it was because you were tired.

We are camped at the fair grounds in Colville, Wa. It really is a pretty nice place, but I think we may have to listen to the trains tonight.

We are supposed to have another big climbing day tomorrow and we will enter Canada. We have been trying to see if there is another way to get to where we want to be and not have to climb a particular mountain to get there. I will let you know how that goes.

Some nice pictures from today. The hair was due to a 40 mph downhill wind and a little harrowing ride. Kaitlin did great today. She really did well on the climbs. We both were getting pretty tired by the end of the day.

Day 3 - What a beautiful day!

Today we started the trip. Last night had me a little worried. The wind came up at about 7pm and later the rains came and my mind was just thinking about what kind of a rough day we were going to have the next day. The wind was blowing quite hard (about 15 mph steady today) but it was right at our back for most of the day. We rode west out of Sandpoint and are spending the night in Cusick, Washington. We rode 50 miles and mostly along the Pend d'Oreilles river. It was so beautiful.

Another cool thing that happened today was Kait received her mission call. Of course we were not home, but at noon we Facetimed with Carey and she opened the envelope and pointed it at the iPad and Kait read her call. I can't say where she is going. You will have to wait until she gets home for that, but it was fun to be with her on such a special day. I am so happy that we are able to have this experience together before she leaves.

Kait is doing so well. That girl is a tough little rider. She kept up with me and even led the way much of the day. She worries a bit about the time in the saddle and the climbs, but she really is doing great.

We went for dinner tonight in this little tavern in Cusick. One of the locals was telling us that it was taco night and "even though the place looks to be a dump, they make great tacos". She was right. They were very good and we all had such a good time in there talking about things.

It seems to be a little warmer this night. I hope it is. We have a little climbing to do tomorrow. I hope it goes well.

Day 2 - Met up with the bunch

Wow, we had a cold night in Deer Lodge. It must have gotten down to close to 30 degrees. When we woke there was frost on the ground and on the picnic table. We did get a little cold and had to stop by REI in Missoula to get a few more cold night items.

Deer Lodge was also the location of the Montana Territorial Prison back in 1897 and the prison was used until 1979. We were able to tour the prison and it fel quite eerie to be in a place like that.

We drove about 275 more miles today and arrived in Sandpoint at about 4:00. It was a nice reunion with six of the people that I rode with last year down the Atlantic coast. Boppy (he was from Florida last year, but has been living in Columbia since our trip last year) made dinner for everyone. We had sausages, cabbage and potatoes. It was really good and we had a great time catching up on each others lives and reminiscing about the trip we took together. They seemed to be really interested in Kaitlin's life and why she wasn't in school. She was able to explain to them that she was waiting for her mission call. They all seem excited that she is part of the group.

We start the trip in the morning. We will start at 8:00 and have 50 miles to ride. It shouldn't be too bad of a ride. However, it is blowing like crazy out there right now.

Here is a picture of Kait freezing this morning.

Day 1 - Another Start

Well, I started out today to have another biking adventure.  My daughter, Kaitlin, and I are going to Sandpoint, Idaho to ride around what is called the "International Selkirk Loop". We will start in Sandpoint and ride west and north through Washington and then up into Canada. We will then drop back into Bonners Ferry, Idaho and back to Sandpoint.  This little adventure will take us 10 days and 5 to 600 miles. We are now on our way there and spending the night in a place called Deer Lodge, Montana. Hope we can share some cool experiences with you all.

Day 60 – I guess it’s done

We had a nice day on Key West.  I had some laundry to get done and woke early so that is how I started the day.  We then rode out to the site marking the southern most part of the Continental US.  The rest of the day I did some gift shopping and just rode around on the bike and looked the City over.  We boarded a ferry at 4:30 and are now on the way to Fort Myer, FL where each of us are taking off from there to our individual homes.

Key West is a nice place to visit.  I was most impressed with how kind the locals seemed to be.  It definitely is a tourist town, but I think I would like to visit again when I am not so rushed.  I am saying my goodbyes to very one on the boat.  It is actually a happy/sad deal.  I had a lunch/dinner with Tim and Nancy before boarding the boat and we were talking about staying in touch.  Nancy said that it was a 100% chance that we would see each other again and Tim looked at her and said, “Out of the people we have traveled with in the past, how many have we seen again, zero.”  They have traveled quite extensively as well, so I don’t know if we actually will see each other again.

As John and I have talked, I asked him if he would ever do a ride like this again.  He said no, but that he still wanted to ride across England.  I mentioned in a previous blog that that is where my Mother’s side of the family comes from.  I told him that if he wanted someone to go with, that he might let me know and I can see if it is in the cards.  However, I do think it will be a while before I do anything like this.

I am actually writing some of this the next morning.  We had pretty rough seas coming in to Ft. Myers last night and I had to quit typing.  I was getting a little seasick.  I have met back with Carey and my son Brandon.  Oh, I have missed Carey.  That is another reason that I am thinking that a 2 month trip alone may not happen.  I guess time will tell.  It is good to see Brandon again.

Well, this is going to be my last entry.  I hope you who have followed me have somewhat enjoyed my experience. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers on our behalf. This trip has met my expectations and I have learned so much about a sport that I love.  I have met and gotten to know some great people. I have had experiences that I will remember a lifetime.  I have been reinforced that God created this beautiful earth and that He is aware of us.  You know, when we tell people what we have done, they sometimes act like we did the impossible.  It only seems impossible because, probably, it is something they really don’t want to do and never will do, which is ok, this was my dream and not theirs, and also I guess it proves that if we want to accomplish something in this life, if we stick with it and don’t give up, we will accomplish it.  It is amazing what we can do a little bit at a time.

I again want to thank those that have made it possible.  I have wonderful people I work with and they have helped so much.  I know many of you have called me or written an email or test and encouraged me on, thank you.  I appreciate my family supporting me.  Carey had to deal with my daily calls.  She told me in the beginning that I had to stay on this trip for at least three weeks.  When the three weeks were up I jokingly said, “Now I can come home”, and she said, “Oh no, three more weeks.”  My dad took care of my yard and there are good friends taking care of my church calling as well.  My clients have been patient with me being gone and supported me as well.  Thank you all.  I have been able to live a dream of mine.

Hope to see you soon, Friends and Family.  Love you!!

A welsome sight!

 Lots of little homes like this on this island.

 Our group on the southern most tip of continental US.

 My good friend John.  I will miss him.

Above are Tim and Nancy.  I will miss them as well.  I was usually the third wheel with them. Below is our ship back to Ft. Myers.

 Goodbye, Key West.

Day 59 - Key West!!!!!!!

We have finished! And I am ready for it to be done. It has been a fantastic experience, but I miss my family and my work and am ready to be back.

Today got off to a bit of a hard start. We woke to a bunch of rain. The house boat was also swaying in the wind a bit. They were saying on the news this morning that Key West has received fifteen inches of rain since Saturday. Can you believe that. We were receiving much of that this morning. The thunder was enough to knock you off the bicycle seat. We didn't get going until noon trying to wait out the rain and then finally just had to go. It didn't rain for long after we left and then it was just a day battling the wind. I guess mother nature knew it was our last day of riding and wanted us to remember it. We ended up riding 55 miles. My odometer for the trip now reads 3,025.

It was quite the feeling arriving here. Everyone was pretty elated and after checking into the hotel, we all jumped into the pool in our biking cloths. I'm not sure management would have appreciated that in the sweaty condition we were in, but it felt good and we were ready to celebrate. We do have a bit of riding to do tomorrow. There is a marker on the south side of the island that designates the southern most part of the United States and we all wanted to ride there together. We were supposed to go there today, but because of the late start, we will do it together tomorrow and take a picture of the group.

We had our celebetory meal tonight. I again had sea food and key lime pie. It was nice to celebrate and we stayed out quite late just reminiscing the trip. I do think everyone in the group is ready to go home.

Sorry for the lame post on such a day, but it is late and I will write a bit more tomorrow.