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.