Enjoying my day off in calgary with Tess and Mr. Evans at the Holiday Inn, sipping on some champagne…he is too good to us. I’ve just bought the “new” Wilco and had a Chai tea, we’re planning on doing some pant and shoe shopping this afternoon and for the first time in a long while, both my body and clothing is clean…oh happy day. This is most likely my last chance for “the internet” for quite some time, so I’m going to make the most of it. I’ve been promising pictures and so here they are…with a bit of background.

We partook in some “world famous malts and shakes” in Shosoni, WY. I was having a really rough day, but Lorig helped me through that century. My favorite part of that day is that we all knew to go to the malt shoppe with no instruction. Lorig and I were among the first to arrive and one by one, Texas 4000 jerseys walked through the door. There was a street dance that night that several of my teammates attended, I was under the weather and so slept in to prepare for the ride to Thermopolis the next day.

In Thermopolis, some enjoyed the “world’s largest hot springs”, while others napped in the shade. The smell of sufur is something I’m glad to be rid of, to be sure. Tess made friends with a watermelon that day. This pic is courtesy of Brett.

John, Tess, and I found ourselves covering for the Monday ride leaders. After a long lunch stop, we back-tracked to get water, coke, and chocolate…when we caught up to our riders, a storm was upon them. We were worried their spirits would be low, but they were sooo happy to see us.

After we picked up the first 3 riders, another 2 flagged us down. I rode in the trunk of the van with Mitch’s bike to make room for all. All eyes stayed on the storm around us.

We rode into Yellowstone on a beautiful day. At this point I was behind Brett, he hitched a ride on my back pocket up the last hill to the park.

We met a fantastic cyclist named John as we waited to be shuttled into Yellowstone – the van dropped the first round of cyclists off at the camp site and then shuttled us up to the top of the hill into Yellowstone to keep costs low. John has made several trips to the areas of Canada we will be traveling. He made us feel better about finding water and gave me some great tips on dealing with bears in a camping setting.

John Galvan and I rose earlier than the rest of the group on our ride out of Yellowstone to take the Montana state line. We have sprints to state lines, mostly for pride and bragging rights. John took Montana easily. Then we rode an extra 10 miles to the Idaho state line, which I took, whether he let me or not is still a mystery. It was beautiful and also the Continental Divide, we hung out there for a while. We ran into a family who took our picture at the Idaho sign and told us that there was an accident on our team in Yellowstone…I dedicated the sign to Tess Evans, she’s off the injured list and back on the bike tomorrow.

Lovin’ up our first van day in Montana.

Paul’s accidents have left some holes in his chamois, we patched one with a flower. Go team Friday!

This was the day I was blown off the rode into the grass. Double rainbow was a nice closer to the day. Pic courtesy of Brett.

Meg was one of the ride leaders on the 4th of July, this is her rendition of Lady Liberty in the Golden Corral parking lot.

The 4th was a really rough day for me, the wind and cold was almost too much to bear. Then an Exxon sign shone like a beacon in the night. We all filled up on hot chocolate and had a grand ole time as can be seen in Bredt and Lorig here.

On Brett and my zamboni day, we stopped to see a camel and reindeer on the side of the road. There’s nothing like a camel to fill the group with glee.

This day was also pretty rough, the wind was getting the best of me. I was getting crabby. Then I looked down and on my left sleeve I saw a ladybug. It lifted me right up, power postived me right out my my sour mood.

This was my favorite day, the morning after one of our notorious “nights before a day off.” We drove out of Glacier Park and to Two Sisters cafe. Two Sisters played great music and served great food. Here are Tess, the good Capt Merriweather (Aaron), Colonel Clark (Skip), me, and Carly. Tess looks like she’s taking a snoozer, but this was one of her favorite spots too.

Glacier Park was magnificent, it made me giddy.

Canada is beautiful. We had an unexpected century our day from Glacier into Canada, but spirits were high. Lorig, Meg, Bredt, and I finished the ride togehter.

There are these huge patches of yellow flowers that I just can’t get enough of.

The girls riding strong into a rest stop yesterday.

Gotta jet. Miss you all. Think of me as we head into the Yukon. Love, Lib

Turns out we have internet access two days in a row, and this time there are several connections so I have more time to write…

So much has happened, it’s difficult to know where to start. Perhaps with Team Friday, that’s my van team. Tess, John, and I are the care takers for the Rocky team on Fridays. Our specialty is food prep, but we also boast high marks in the enthusiasm category. We’re working on efficient van/trailer backing up and creative street chalking (we chalk the streets in places where there are tricky turns or we think the riders might get lost). Tess and I (wo)man the van and set up rest stops and John follows the riders in the Accord – since he’s the only one who knows how to drive stick. I love em both. We’ve started sampling the finer root beers the Northern United States has to offer. Henry Weinhard is our favorite and it says “Mmm…my favorite” on the bottle cap. I’m partial to the cream soda varieties.

I’m in Great Falls, Montana tonight, and for the first time in 34 days, we all have our own rooms…it’s kinda weird. We rode a century today. It definitely ranked in the top three hardest rides of the trip so far, ones that I wasn’t sure I was gonna make it to the end of (along with the ride to Pratt, KS, and Shosoni, WY). It was cold, rainy, hilly, and there were fierce head and cross winds the entire day. Around mile 85, I didn’t think I could do it anymore, I bonked mentally and emotionally, those are, after all, the two greatest components to making it through every day. So, Brett (my Zamboni partner…more on that later), Carly, Lorig, Bredt, and I stopped at an Exxon station in Ulm. The hot chocolate was plentiful and we left content and ready for the rest of the ride. I’m feeling great now and ready to Zamboni the team on our 95 mile ride tomorrow.

I’ve been counseling the team in bear ettiquette. We had a dress rehearsal in Yellowstone, but that’s like a hotel compared to the Yukon. I’m nervous cause it doesn’t matter how careful I am, there are 19 other people that could put us in danger by eating in their tents. I read the scariest book ever about how to deal in bear country. There was a section on what to do if a bear comes into your tent, it read “fight back with everything you have.” Didn’t make me feel better.

Gotta jet, we’re about to set off fireworks. Miss you all and will post pics soon. Send beef jerky, I’m gonna need protein really soon. Oh, if you haven’t been checking out the Texas 4000 site, you should. My fellow riders have been posting pics and journals, it’s worth a visit.

hey all,

we rode into helena, montana, today. we’re still trying to get used to midday mountain storms, but other than the weather, we’re feeling alright. we are officially in bear country, i haven’t seen one yet, but two have been sighted by other members.

i saw my family (sans jess) in yellowstone which was a real treat. besides touring the park with them, i was also the recipient of some chamois butter, cold weather gear, a shower, and a good night’s sleep in a bed. i have so many pictures, but no time to post…the line of riders wanting to use the internet is deep…

mobile phone coverage and internet available is sparse, at best. i really don’t mind at all, but i did start to worry about how behind the times i’ve become. i’ll have a lot of catching up to do when school starts in august.

many thanks to all those that sent letters and packages. the skittles were devoured instantly! i’ve bought many postcards and am trying my hardest to sit down and write them all, but my recent free time has been spent looking for shower and laundry facilities – one or the other please!

i had a small case of the stomach flu, but am now back and better than ever. we’re trading cities for scenery, it’s been breath-taking. it’s hard to believe we’re almost half way through. miss you all, but having a blast!

we thought we left the tornados in kansas, turns out we were wrong. the colorado police told us, hours after crossing the state line. we sought shelter in Yang’s gift shop off route 50 on our way to Las Animas. tofu, sausage, and chicken wings were on the menu for that unexpected rest stop.

with full stomachs, we returned to the road to outrun the storm. lucky for us, Las Animas welcomed us with open arms. to date, i’d have to say Las Animas and Witchita are my two favorite cities. david and sharon and their friends were so nice and i felt immediately comfortable. after a nice shower, a delicious meal, and some good conversation, i enjoyed my most restful night’s sleep of the trip.

yesterday we started into the mountains, i zambonied with andy. if i haven’t explained it yet, we rotate the “zamboni” position. Zambonis sweep the group, we are the last riders in the group. if someone flats, we help. if someone’s having a bad day, we power positive them to our destination, or make the call as to whether or not they have to sag. we climbed 2000 ft yesterday so we weren’t alone at the back.

we found ourselves in rush hour traffic in rainy 50 degree weather. the group decided to call it a day and head to rei for warmth and discounts. 2 hours later, meg, carly, lorig, and i found ourselves still at rei “watching the bikes”. lucky for us, martina, tess, and tess’s dad arrived to whisk us away to Boca de Bepo. after loading the bikes, we enjoyed a glorious meal, boys free, except for the lovely company of Mr. Evans…although we did bring leftovers home for andy.

today we road almost entirely downhill to denver. although it was cold, the ride was so enjoyable, and it was only 44 miles. i spent most of the day overhauling my bike…the pink tires are on! since learning andy’s plans to leave us at jasper, i’ve become his mechanic understudy.

i’m just hearing plans for monday’s ride to estes park…quite a climb. makes me tired just thinking about it. i’m feeling great, but worried about the mountains.

we’ve got a mail drop coming up…my last two have been empty. notes of encouragement would be greatly appreciated, we are nearing bear country, don’t you know?

no time to type, but i wanted to let anyone who’s been trying to call me know that i don’t have service right now, nor have i for the last few days. i’m alive and well and staying with great hosts in las animas. today marks two tornado sirens i’ve ridden in. i’ll call you in pueblo. love, lib