Category: Family News

Last Thursday, we visited Daddy’s Uncle Lon, in Thompson Falls, Montana. We stayed the night with him there and visited Daddy’s cousins, Chelsea and Leanna and a few of their children on Friday. We enjoyed our relaxing day with them. It was great to see them again.

Later that day, we drove to Conner, Montana, to stay with Linda & Phil Teakell, the warmshowers hosts Daddy and the boys stayed with a few weeks ago. What a wonderful time! Their hospitality was tremendous–we felt right at home. They took us raspberry picking, taught us how to milk their goats, gave us a ride on their 4-wheelers, let us enjoy their hot tub, made us delicious food, and completely took care of us. The creek provided us some relief with the 100 degree weather. Thank God for that! We enjoyed the Christian conversations we had with them. We also were invited by some neighbors, Becky & Scott, to a campfire Saturday evening. Sunday morning, we joined them for their church service. We were warmly welcomed and greeted, and were blessed by the pastor’s sermon on how God is light. We had such a wonderful time and hope God will cause our paths to cross again. Thank you Linda & Phil!

We left just after church to start our almost 11 hour drive to Torrington, Wyoming. It was long, but we enjoyed the beautiful drive. That evening, we had a close encounter with a potentially tragic situation. Driving on the highway at 85 mph, with no other cars in view, in the pitch black, Mama looked up from the wheel to see a deer in the roadway–just standing left of the dotted white line. In a split second, she gasped, and realized that she had just changed lanes from the left to the right. As we flew past the deer on our left, Mama noticed another deer off the road on our right. She braced herself for the possibility of that deer running in front of us. This all happening in a split second, and then we were past them. The girls looked up and Mama explained what had happened. We all were a bit shaken. Thank you Lord for keeping us safe! And thank you everyone for praying for our safety.

We arrived in Torrington after 10pm at Daddy’s Aunt’s house, Aunt Betty Sue & Uncle Cliff. Despite their small house, they gladly opened their home to us and made us quite comfortable. After a night’s rest, we spent Monday driving around with Aunt Betty Sue. We went to Fort Laramie, an old, preserved military fort. We also visited the old Oregon Trail wagon ruts that were cut into the sandstone. Finally, we stopped by Register Cliff, where hundreds of people passed on the Oregon Trail. As they passed this cliff, many would carve in their name and the year. We found some pretty fascinating inscriptions. We spent the afternoon cleaning out the sub and hanging out with our aunt and uncle. We enjoyed some wonderful conversation with them. We left the following morning, heading to Fountain, Colorado for the night.

We ended up making several stops and were waylaid a bit (one stop in Mitchell, Nebraska to fill up our bottles with Kangen Water, thank you Brad and Susan!) but finally we made it to Colorado Springs. We stopped first at Chick-fil-A for dinner, since it was after 7 and we were definitely hungry. Mama used her Chick-fil-A gift card that she received from her secret pal. She sends her hearty thanks! Thank you also to Christie, who helped us locate the restaurant. After eating, we went to a nearby Apple store. For the past week or so, Mama’s phone had been out of order. We dropped in and were helped by one of the employees. It only took a few minutes for him to diagnose the problem and fix it–for free. Thanks so much, Apple man! By this time, we were ready for bed. We drove about a half hour to Fountain, CO, to our Airbnb for the night. We were greeted at the door and showed to our rooms. The accommodations were perfect and we rested comfortably. 

We are now packing up, showering, and getting ready to head out. We are going to see Garden of the Gods, a natural and amazing attraction in the area. Tonight, we’ll meet up with the guys and spend time with them for the next few days. Mama is especially delighted to spend her birthday with them.

I wanted to post pictures, but due to the time constraints, I won’t be able. Hopefully soon.

Signing off…

We got out Kremmling by 8:30 Monday morning. As usual, it was later than I wanted but we had a pretty easy day ahead of us so there was no reason to be out of shape about it. The goal was Frisco, 45 miles away. Paul Mattson, a warmshowers host, had agreed to host us for the night so we decided to stop there. Also Karolina was staying over at Paul’s for an extra night so we’d have the providence of hooking up with her yet again 🙂 

Kremmling was in the heart of the valley leading up to Hoosier Pass so the ride to Frisco was technically uphill all the way and it was situated about 2500 ft below the summit of Hoosier Pass. Despite the uphill ride (we gained an accumulated 2795 ft in elevation) the ride was really pretty easy and we had some great views. Our path led us on a beautiful ride around the Green Mountain Reservoir. And from Silverthorne we were able to get on a bike path which led all the way to Frisco (and even continued on to Breckinridge). 

Having recommended Karolina listen to The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, I’d started to listen to it myself on Sunday. I made it into Chp. 2 and decided to listen to the remainder of the chapter during the first part of our ride. It’s hard to focus very deeply when trying to navigate a narrow shoulder, avoid stuff in the road, and get yourself up hills… but I managed to very much enjoy what I heard and felt prepared if Karolina and I had a chance to talk about it. I texted her that morning and asked if she’d listened to any of it and she responded with, “Yes, I am on chapter 2 and this woman is FREAKING AMAZING!!!! I have goose bumps listening to it so I have to take one chapter at a time to have the time to think about it and digest. It is a LOVELY reading!!!” By the way… I told Karolina that many of you were praying for her and she wanted me to pass on a hearty thank you. 

We pulled into Frisco just before 2 PM and I called Karolina to ask for directions. She happened to be downtown at the Marina, on the bike bath, so we met her there and she lead us to Paul’s place. Paul greeted us kindly and told me when we were ready he’d show me how to use the washer so we could do our laundry. We got cleaned up, did our laundry, and decided to walk into town to look for new sunglasses. I was looking for a pair of Native Patrollers. Forrest had rode over mine in Idaho and I’d bought a cheap pair of replacements in Missoula–a pair that hurt my head after anything prolonged wearing. I’d been hoping that I could find a pair of Natives in Frisco–and I did 🙂 

While walking downtown we stopped in at Abbey Coffee for a milkshake and a coffee. As we sat there enjoying our drinks a family walked in in cycling clothes and put in an order. They sat next to us and we began talking together. They were so excited to hear about our coast to coast trip! It was a pleasant conversation about family, church, etc. (She also had 7 kids, 3 of them from Ethiopia). We gave them our blog, so maybe they’ll chime in. I think they live in Kansas City. Who knows, maybe we’ll see them again someday! 

We got back to Paul’s house at around 5:00. Dinner was scheduled for 6-6:30 so the boys got on their devices and I went upstairs to visit with Paul. We enjoyed some great conversation about pastoring, preaching, church, the Bible, and everything in between. When dinner was ready and we were all seated he kindly allowed me to say a blessing over the meal. Around the table were the three of us, Karolina, Paul, and his son Anders. We stuffed ourselves with yummy pot roast, potatoes, brocolli, and some of the best gravy I’ve ever had. And for dessert we had Tillamook ice cream. We laughed over stories and had a great time together. What an awesome warmshower host! I’d highly recommend Paul’s place for any cyclist passing through. 

After dinner the others all left and Paul and I continued our friendly and meaningful conversation. I really enjoyed it. When I got up to go to bed he thanked me for the conversaton and gave me the hug of a friend. I was really blessed by that. Not sure how the Lord will use all the scattered topics we covered, but I pray He blesses Paul and draws him and his son to Jesus. 
We left Paul’s by 7:45 heading for Hoosier Pass. I had mixed emotions. I was a little fearful of tackling the Pass because, after all, it was Hoosier Pass, the tallest Pass we’d climb on the entire trip. We’d already gained almost 2000 ft in elevation since Kremmling but we still had 2500 ft left to go. Furthermore, though the climb out of Frisco and into Breckrenridge and Blue River is pretty gradual, I’d heard the last 4 miles of the pass were steep switchbacks. So there was an element of fear in it all. But along with the fear was a strong element of excitement. This was Hoosier Pass! The last serious climb out of the Rockies; the tallest summit of them all. It sent the clear message: after this, you’re done with the tallest mountain range; after this, you’re nearly halfway home; after this, you’re as good as in the plains. 

The last four miles of the climb were not easy. The air was thin, the road was steep, the shoulders were narrow. But, you know what… we did it!! We pulled out of Breckrenridge by 9:40 and were at the summit in 2 hours!! What an awesome moment. What a blessed accomplishment. We took the picture and then found a place to sit down and have lunch. 

The ride down was no less than awesome. It was nearly 5 miles of sweet downhill. We hit 39.8 mph 🙂 We stopped in Fairplay for a coffee and a milkshake and rode into Hartsel by 2 PM. There’s free camping in Hartsel across the street from the Cafe and not much else beyond Hartsel until Canon City (another 55 miles). So this was really the best option as far as a place to stay. It was raining as we came into town so we quickly got the tent set up and headed to the Cafe for a bite to eat. I had planned to cook something to save money but with the rain that wasn’t happening. So we opted for the Cafe. When we were done eating I was so tired that I wanted to go to bed. We headed to the tent and got inside. I did get a little nap but the noise of the Cafe–the loud music, the knocking of billiard balls, and the conversation of the customers–all combined with the early hour, made it impossible to go to bed for the night. So the boys took a bike ride and I headed back to the Cafe for a drink and free wifi. 

I was concerned about our camping situation. We’re in an open field of sorts, on gravel, next to the road, and squished up next to dilapidated cars and trucks. Nothing to complain about really… but it’s supposed to storm most of the night, which means wet bikes and a wet tent. I asked the waiter if there was any place in town where we could sleep under shelter. He said no and I gave up the idea. But then, as I was chilling in the Cafe Forrest and Rocky came back from biking and struck up a conversaton outside with one of the local ladies here, a young lady with a very kind and welcoming face named Shawn. In the midst of the conversation she offered the use of a barn across the street. Thank you Lord! I think we’ll take her up on that one. Later she came inside and walked over to meet me. She gave me a huge smile and a firm handshake and thanked me for taking my two sons on this great adventure. It was so touching–a great reminder of how blessed I am to be able to do this. 

We head to Canon City tomorrow. It’s about 50 miles with a bit of climbing–the last bit on our way down to Pueblo. We’ll be meeting Chantry and the girls there at a warmshower host’s home. We’d originally planned to spend 3 nights at this home but I think we’re just going to spend one night there and the other two at the KOA in the same town. We’re so looking forward to seeing them… it’ll be our last visit until we get back home–bittersweet to be sure. 

Thank you one and all for your prayers and for tagging along on this blog. 

Until next time… 🙂 
 

We left Walden at around 8:00. So much for an early start… I think it was hard to get out of those soft, cumfy beds. In any case, we headed out of town well rested and ready for a good ride. The morning would be a steady climb up to the summit/Continental Divide at Willow Creek Pass and the afternoon would be a steady descent to either Hot Sulphur Springs or 17 miles further to Kremmling, depending on the church situation. 

The first leg of the ride brought us to Rand by 10:00 where we stopped at the Rand Store for water and the use of the restroom. As we rested in the shade for a few minutes a car went driving by and then backed up and parked on the opposite side of the road. I looked more closely and Karolina was gettin out of the car and walking over to us with a smile. She’d stayed in Walden with a couchsurfing host named James, who was now giving her a ride to the bike shop up the road in Granby. I told her our plans for the night and we agreed that we would hook up in one place or the other. 

From Rand we started the more steep section of our climb up the pass. The map showed a gradual incline and the summit was 10.5 miles from Rand so we expected we’d have a pretty easy go of it. By 12:08 we reached the summit, took a selfie with the sign and headed down the other side glad to be on the downside of the day’s ride. The ride down ran for a good ways along the Denver Creek and we were awed by the beauty. We kept looking around and soaking it all in. It was absolutely beautiful. People were camping all over the place by the river, many were fishing, and the scenery was captivating. At one point we had a horse across the road running in pace with us. When we stopped to see if we could go over and pet him, he ran off. Guess he just wanted to run. It was near there that we also caught sight of a moose with her calf. What large animals they are! 

We arrived at Hot Sulphur Springs around 2:30 and stopped at the gas station to ask about the churches in town. The attendant was very little help so we rode on. Stopping at a Community Church we went to the hotel across the street and asked if he knew how to get ahold of the pastor. He lent me the phone book so I could look up the number and call it. The number was disconnected. He said the lady down the road at the motel went to church there and could help us. We went to see her and she said the guys name was Mark but couldn’t help us further. I thanked her and decided we’d better bike on another 17 miles to Kremmling, a much larger town with, I trust, more options for church. It was mostly downhill so we weren’t too bummed to have to ride further. Besides, it would be 17 miles we wouldn’t have to do on Monday and it would get us 17 miles closer to where we plan to meet the family on Wednesday night. 

But what a surprise the Lord had for us riding out of Hot Sulphur Springs! We suddenly found ourselves riding through a canyon with a river and railroad track down below us. It was 4-5 miles of stunning beauty. I could hardly keep my eyes on the winding downhill road. I looked left, then right, then left, then back behind me, then ahead of me. I grabbed my phone, held the handlebars with one hand and snapped shot after shot with the other (don’t worry, we’ve gotten pretty good at that 🙂 And as soon as we came out of it and looked back, all we could see were grassy foothills. The entire thing was hidden behind uncomely hills. What a privilege to ride through there. 

We rode into Kremmling at about 4:15 looking for churches as we rode down the main road through town. Seeing none for quite a while we decided to stop into a coffee shop to ask. Of course we had to give them our business so I ordered a coffee and the boys got some ice cream. The lady barista was very helpful. She told me there was a Baptist church in town (which we’d apparently already passed) as well as a Community church, among others. I figured I’d call the Baptist church first. She found the number in the directory and gave it to me. Turns out the pastor was on vacation until Aug 6. I explained to the lady that we were looking to find a place to worship on Sunday but were also hoping to find shelter at the church for 2 nights. She said she couldn’t authorize that and the deacon who could was on vacation as well. She suggested I call her back in 15 mins. While waiting I could see that there was a church two blocks from where we stood outside the coffee shop. So I decided to check it out. The church was locked but a building similarly painted stood next to it and a jeep was parked outside. Looks like someone’s here. I walked in and met a man named Marshall. The building served as a Food Pantry for the Community Church next door and Marshall was doing some bookkeeping for the church. I explained who I was and what our need was and Marshall immediately offered a cool room in the basement of the Food Bank and all the food in the kitchen. Wow! How many times does God exceed our imagination and requests!? Moreover, there was a shower downstairs for our use as well. And they had wifi! Could it get any better? 

We settled in, got a shower, and began looking through the cupboards for dinner when I got a text from Karolina. She was in town at the local pizza place and had pizza for us. So we walked down to meet her. We ate the pizza and got caught up on how her day had been. But then the conversation turned to spiritual things. She was still thinking about some things I’d said to her last Sunday when we were staying at the Episcopal church in Dubois, WY. She’s very sensitive to the LGBTQ community and believes love is an overpowering feeling and not a choice. She also believes that if something exists (say, a loving relationship between people of the same sex) then it’s natural–because it exists. Besides, her moral compass tells her steps a good person and that same sex relationships aren’t wrong. I listened and then posed this question: What if your moral compass is wrong? What if it’s broken? And furthermore, how can you know for sure if it’s not broken? Does your feeling it’s right make it right? Does your friends agreeing with you–or even the whole world agreeing with you–make it right? Your feeling a thing is right doesn’t make it right. Your wanting a thing to be right doesn’t make it right. Right is what the Righteous Judge of all the earth says is right. You’re gambling your eternal condition–which is a matter of heaven or hell–on the biased judgment that your moral compass agrees with the moral compass of the Judge of all the earth. But what if you’re wrong? In the Bible God teaches us that we’re fallen creatures with a fallen moral compass and He tells us what’s right and what’s wrong. How do you know you’re not calling good evil and evil good? “Then how do you get your moral compass corrected?” she asked. By surrendering yourself to Jesus Christ and asking Him to change your heart. Your sinful actions aren’t the essence of your problem. Your fundamental problem is your sinful condition. ––It was an awesome conversation and she listened intently the whole time. She said, “You make a lot of sense. I’ve never been challenged in that way before. You’ve gotten right down to the foundation of all that I believe and questioned it. I need to think about this.” I told her that’s why God brought her on the TransAm, so she could meet us and I could share the gospel of God’s grace in Jesus Christ with her. She smiled and gave me a big hug. Last Sunday I’d reommended she read Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Butterfield. So after our conversation I again reommended it. She downloaded it immediately on Audible and committed to give it a listen as she rides. Please pray for God to open her eyes and save her soul. We hope to see her again later this week but she biked on ahead of us today so only God knows if and when we’ll meet again. 

We walked over to the church at 9:00. I thought there would be Sunday school but the worship team was practicing and a few other people were standing around visiting. Marshall was there and introduced us to his brother Mike. We had a nice conversation and then took our seats and waited for the service to start at 10:00. The singing was very contemporary though more than half of the congregation were over the age of 60. At last one of the church elders came up to speak (the pastor was preaching at a church in Canon City). He’s involved in business management and spoke to us about stewardship from the passage in Mt 25.14-30 about the talents. His message hovered on the surface of the text and was often more business than text but it was good to be reminded that we are stewards before God. Everything we have and are is a gift from God and we are accountable to use it for His glory. It’s a good call to self-examination. After the service we spoke with a few people about our travels and they wished us Godspeed, which was a blessing. 

We’ll be hanging out at the Food Bank today catching up on things and doing some reading. Also, I’ve downloaded Rosaria Butterfield’s book and will begin listening to it today as well. I hope I can finish it before Karolina and I meet again. No, I’ve never read it. I’ve always wanted to and everyone I respect highly recommends it. So it looks like Providence has found me the time… 🙂 

I reached out to two warmshower hosts yesterday and secured some lodging ahead of us. We’ll be staying with Paul Mattson in Frisco, CO tomorrow night. Tuesday night we’ll be camping out in Hartsel. And then on Wednesday night we’ll be meeting up with Chantry and the kids at a warshower in Canon City. Yes, you heard that right. I asked Susan and Mark Helms in Canon City if they would not only host us but allow my family to crash the party–for 3 nights! Crazy request I know. But, thanks be to God, she said, “We have 36 acres. I’m sure squeeze you all in for a few days Bring the family!” Wow. What an answer to prayer. We really wanted to spend those days together before the family heads back to the Cape but we can’t afford a hotel in Pueblo for 3 days (which was Plan A). Please pray for God’s blessing on Mark and Susan Helms and that we’ll be a blessing to them. Note, they have two Great Danes and two horses 🙂 Not expecting anything…but it’ll be awesome just to pet them all! 

The stats: from Walden, CO to Kremmling, CO we cycled 78 miles in 6:19 with a total elevation gain of 2664 ft. 

That’s all for now. Thanks for praying and thanks for following. 

Until next time… 🙂 

Our time at the Rawlins Mennonite school was a great blessing. I arranged with John, Joann’s husband, to give us a lift from Rawlins to the Walcott exit on I-80. He was more than happy to have his son Jeffrey come by the school at 9 AM and pick us up. 

My main concern was avoiding the 13 mile stretch of I-80. So Jeffrey was to drop us off at the Walcott exit and we’d hop on Hwy 130 headed for Saratoga. It would cut a total of 18.5 miles off our trip. But that plan presented a problem. If we stopped at Riverside it would only be a 38 mile ride and we’d pull in at around 2 pm. That’s too early to stop and it’s not enough miles for one day. So it made sense to go on to the next town. The problem is that Walden is the next town and it’s 50 miles from Riverside–with absolutely nothing in between. That would mean biking 88 miles uphill with a 9:30ish departure… Not happening. We could of course stray in Riverside, but then that would hinder our getting close enough to Pueblo by Wednesday night to meet Chantry and the girls. So what to do? I figured the best option was to ask Jeffrey to take us as close to Saratoga as possible. That would cut off a few more miles and make reaching Walden possible. As it turned out, he took us all the way to Saratoga, leaving us 66 miles to cycle to Walden with a 10 AM start from Saratoga. How did the plan work? Well. We pulled into Walden at 6:30. 

The ride was really bleak. There was nothing but sagebrush and a few cows to look at the whole way. The foothills and rocks were nice to look at but other than that it was just a matter of putting in the miles. We stopped in Riverside for a quick lunch and a refill on our bottles and then made for the WY/CO border. The closer we got to the state line the more dark thunder clouds formed around us. We seemed to be surrounded by thunder storms on both sides and in front. If we put on the rain gear we wer too hot so we left it off and waited to see what would happen. When we crossed the CO state line, the happening happened: it started pouring–and it continued to pour for the next 2 1/2 hours all the way to town. And on top of that, we found a headwind the whole way… 

We rolled into town like three soaked rats. Before reaching town I’d decided that we weren’t going to be setting up any tents in the city park so we were looking for a motel. I didn’t really want to spring for the expense of a motel, but we were soaked and the clouds looked like they could dump all night long and then we’d have wet stuff in the morning to deal with. So a motel/hotel was the best option. As we came into town the first thing we saw was a Baptist church. Forrest suggested we try to find shelter there and save our money. I was up for the idea but there was no number on the sign. So we headed for a local store to see if we couldn’t find how to get ahold of the pastor. 

The store clerks were clueless so we asked a customer. She suggested we head to the sheriff’s office and ask them. I thought that was a good idea so we headed over there. The lady behind the glass greeted us with a smile and said, “I think you’d like to sleep in the city park tonight.” We were supposed to check in with the sheriff before setting up our tents in the park but I’d already called last night and got permission. Soaking wet and standing before her with my helmet still on I replied, “Not really…” “Well if there’s no one in the gazebo you can sleep in it.” “Is there a Plan B?” I asked. She looked up thoughtfully and I said, “Can we possibly get shelter at the Baptist church up the road? All we need is floor space. I would’ve called the pastor but I don’t have his number.” “Hold on a minute. I know him. I’ll call him and ask.” Wow! What providence! This may work out after all. It seemed like 15 mins before she returned. “I have good news!” she said as she returned to the window. “You can stay at the Roundup Hotel for free tonight.” “What? How’s that possible?” “I called the hotel and asked them if they had any room for a father and two sons who are biking across the nation and need a warm, dry place to stay the night. And they said to send you right over.” Wow! Praise God! We thanked her, blessed her, and headed down the road to the Roundup Hotel. It turns out the owners of the hotel are members of the Baptist church and the pastor called them asking them if they could put us up. They happily accomotaded us in a Victorian house they’re still renovating to be used as a hotel. They put us up in one of the rooms. It has 3 beds, a stove, a claw foot tub/shower, and plenty of space to hang up all our wet rain gear to dry. And we have wifi! Can you believe it!? The Lord is so good. We’re in Walden. We have a dry place to sleep. And we have a kitchen to prepare our meals. Thank you Lord for taking care of us. Please pray the Lord blesses Casandra and Brandon (the owners of the hotel) and the pastor of the Baptist church and the gospel ministry there. 

We’re off to bed now and we hope to get an early start. Tomorrow we’ll be climbing Willow Creek Pass (9621 ft). Thankfully, with all the climbing we did today, we’re already at 8100 ft. So it shouldn’t be too bad. Hopefully the storm passes in the night. Coming down the other side of the pass we’ll either stop in Hot Sulphur Springs or Kremmling. If Hot Sulphur Springs has a good church we can attend on Sunday we’ll stop there; if not then we’ll head on 17 miles more to the larger town of Kremmling.

Thanks for praying. Thanks for following. 

Until next time… 🙂 

We wanted to get an early start from Jeffrey City and so I was up by 5:15. I got packed up and started on breakfast before waking up the boys. Paul had decided to take a rest day so I knew we’d be leaving him behind. I wasn’t sure about Karolina and how early she wanted to get on the road so I was prepared to start ahead of her and meet up with her later. We left the church by 7:00 and headed to the Split Rock Cafe so we could use the wifi for a few minutes before heading out. By 7:15 we were heading out of town for a 66 mile day to Rawlins. 

The sky was overcast, we had a slight breeze, and it was a pretty level road so it was easy to go at a pace of 15 mph for a good while. We came upon the famous Split Rock historical site and stopped to look around. The naturally “split” rock stood high in the sky and served as a navigational point for the early travelers crossing the West. They could see it for a mile before reaching it and for 2 miles after passing it. We took some pictures, used the restroom, and headed on. 

Continuing our good pace the next stop we made was Muddy Gap. We’d been fighting a sidewind for a good while before reaching it and it was a nice stop to grab a few snacks and refill our water bottles. From there we planned to stop at Lamont (10 miles) for another refill and then finally in Rawlins (33 miles further). Between Muddy Gap and Lamont we would cross the continental divide again (which meant we had some climbing to do) and between Lamont and Rawlins we had to cross it yet again, this time higher. 

After Muddy Gap the weather started getting hotter. We were really looking forward to stopping in Lamont. Rocky had the lead and suddenly pulled over for no apparent reason. As I rode by I said, “What’s up?” “I have a flat,” he said. Bummer! We pulled over and got started on it. Thankfully it was the front tire. I looked the tire over and found that a staple had punctured it. We got it repaired easily enough but were having trouble getting it aired up to capacity because our air pump was leaking. So we put about 55 psi in it and hoped we could top it off at Lamont. 

If I had checked my list of addenda I would have known that the restaurant and all services in Lamont had closed–but I had not. As we approached Lamont and looked across the road we saw a dilapidated restaurant and an otherwise overgrown area where life used to be. Our hearts sunk as we rode on by. No more air for Rocky’s tire. No bathroom. No more water. And there were no more services for the next 33 miles. It was over 90 degrees now and the clouds were dispersing. We still enjoyed a slight breeze, which kept us from dripping in sweat; but it was just plain hot. 

We were getting very low on water and we were getting overheated. There wasn’t a single tree in sight to provide a break in the shade. Finally Forrest said, “I’m getting way too hot. I’m about ready to wave down a car and ask for some cold water.” I encouraged him to press on and committed the matter to the Lord asking Him to send help. 

Heading slowly up the long hill towards the second crossing of the continental divide I looked up to see Rocky pull over to the opposite side of the road. We were still about 15 miles from Rawlins. As Forrest reached the spot he too pulled over to join Rocky. What were they doing? As I drew closer to them they waved me over and I could see that they were standing next to a cooler at the end of a driveway with the words “Free Water” written on the side of it. I came up to them and they handed me a bottle of water. There was a note taped across it which read, “He (Jesus) said to me, I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life,” Revelation 21.6. Dear traveler, we wish you Godspeed on your journey, but most of all, we wish for you eternal life, where we will never hunger or thirst again! Blessings, the Nisly family.” Tears came to my eyes as I drank deeply from the bottle. God had sent help. He knew our need and He heard our prayers. 

Wanting to leave some bottles for other cylists (like Karolina, who was still behind us), we drank only one each. But we decided to grab our empty water bottles and head up to the house at the end of the driveway to see if we could fill up and use the bathroom. A Mennonite lady named Karla Nisly kindly welcomed us in. I told her what an answer to prayer her water was and asked if we could have some more. She gladly let us drink up, fill up, and use the bathroom. As she told me about her “water ministry” and her husband’s work I shared that I was a pastor and that we were unsure of where we were staying in Rawlins. There were three campgrounds there but they were all off route. She then tentatively offered their Mennonite school as a place we could stay. It had a kitchen, a shower, and plenty of floor space. I expressed my gratitude for her kindness and said we’d love to stay there. So she gave me the directions and said she’d confirm it with her husband who was one of the Trustees. 

The remaining 15 miles to Rawlins seemed to go much more smoothly after our stop. We had water and we had a nice place to stay. I soon received a text from Karla that her husband Steve said we were most welcome to stay in the school. Knowing that we had a kitchen to work with we stopped by the grocery store in town and picked up stuff for dinner and breakfast. Coming out of the store I greeted another Mennonite lady (Joann, with her son Jared) asking her to confirm the directions to the school. What in the world would we obviously non-Mennonite cyclists want with the Mennonite school, she probably thought. She looked at me a little funny when I told her we were staying there tonight. I then explained that I’d met Karla and been in touch with Steven and that they’d offered the school to us for lodging. She then figured we were legit and gave me directions. 

Joann asked me if we were going onto the Interstate. I told her that unfortunately there is one section of the TransAm that puts us on the interstate and it’s the section leading out of Rawlins to Walcott and that we were not looking forward to it. I told her I hoped to find an alternate route or possibly hitch a ride to Walcott. She went on to tell me that her husband John would be glad to give us a lift since he travels to Walcott every day for work. Hmmm. I think I’ll be in touch with John. 

We pulled into the school just as a thunderstorm was beginning, thankful not to be setting up our tent tonight. We arrived very tired and most grateful for a dry, quiet respite. In fact, since this is such a nice place and since the bikes need some TLC and since we’ve got some sore spots that need attention and since we need haircuts–we decided that we take a rest day. I contacted Steven and he was more than happy to let us stay another night. 

It’s really amazing to see God provide for His people. Our faith often is so weak. I think it was John Newton who said, “Ask great things of a great God.” It’s so encouraging to know that He hears our prayers and that so many of you are joining your prayers to ours. Of what should we be afraid? If God is for us who can be against us? And if God is caring for us as a Father for his children then let us trust Him and ask of Him all that we need. For of this much we can sure: He is more ready to give than we are to ask. 

Thanks for praying. Thanks for following. 

Until next time… 🙂 



I woke up just before 6:00 this morning. The night had been quiet and restful and I was more than ready to get up and get going. I set my alarm for 6:00 because I wanted to spend some time reading–something that I’ve hardly had the chance to do since this trip began. It was chilly so I put on my base layers and proceeded to put away my hammock and get my bike ready to ride. I rolled my bike through the park to rest near the pavilion where I’d planned to sit at a table and read. I read a sermon on Lk 9.55 exhorting us to know what spirit we are of. I.e., to know our natural temper, to know what motivates us, and, chiefly, to know whether or not we are a child of God or a child of disobedience. 

The boys, Paul, and Karolina were all still asleep. After a while a man came over to a table near me with a camp stove and a box of food supplies. I said hi and continued to read. I was charging my phone at a nearby outlet and when I was nearly done reading I walked by him and started a conversation. His name was Brian and he was making himself a cup of coffee and breakfast. I innocently commented that I wished I had brought a way to make coffee on this trip because I really missed it. I’ve probably only had three cups of morning coffee in the last 5 wks. He immediately offered to make a cup and I was happy to oblige him. And wouldn’t you know it, it was Starbucks Italian Roast! It never tasted so good. I nursed that little cup for the next 45 mins at least. Thanks Brian! I shared my testimony with him and pray the Lord might use it as an instrument for his salvation. Brian finished his breakfast, packed up, and left and I went back to my reading. 

I’d gone down to the boy’s tent earlier to get them up and, though it took them a good while, they finally got stirring and were ready to go. They came up to the pavilion where I was. Paul was also getting ready to go and was soon packed up. We were all waiting on Karolina because she had the breakfast stash. Soon she too was up and came to the table with bags of cinnamon rolls, breakfast burritos, muffins, and bear claws. We weren’t too interested in the sweets but enjoyed the hearty burritos. After breakfast Karolina went to get herself packed up and I took the opportunity to read Scripture and pray with the boys. Thinking of our conversation with Cody last night I read Ps 19. I also shared with them some of what I’d been readin about our motives and natural temptations and led us in prayer accordingly that God would be glorified by today’s words, meditations, and actions. 

Now what? We were all ready to go except Karolina. She suggested that we take off and said she’d catch up later. Since it was getting late I thought that was a good idea and the four of us left at about 8:30. We had 59 miles to go with two obvious climbs, the latter much worse than the first. But since we’ve learned that you can’t take the elevation profile on our maps too seriously, we knew we were probably in for more than we expected. And so it was. According to the straightforward elevation difference, we had to climb from approx. 5300 ft in Lander to about 6300 ft in Jeffrey City, a 1000 ft. But by the time the day was over we had so many hills that we climbed 2566 ft. And it was so hot that we were going through our water quickly. After the hills we were to reach a rest area at Sweetwater Station. We were looking forward to filling up our bottles for the remaining 19 miles. 

During the ride Paul decided that he’d go his own pace so it was just me and the boys. Despite the many hills and hard climbs we each felt pretty strong so we cycled hard. We finished the climbs, reaching the “summit” at 12:45, and then arrived at the rest area by 1:30. We still had 19 miles to go. As we left there heading for Jeffrey City we realized we had a strong tailwind. That was all the encougement we needed. We rode hard and fast and pulled into Jeffrey City in a little over an hour. What a great feeling. Karolina ended up waiting for the bike shop in Lander to open at 10:00 so we wound up traveling the whole way without her. She pulled into town just after 6:00.

The town looked dead with boarded up “barracks,” dilapidated buildings, closed businesses, and not a soul in sight. To the left I spotted the legendary pottery store: Monk King Bird Pottery. A radio played outside and the door stood open. We’d been told by a number of cyclists that we had to be sure to stop in and see the store owner. So we did. His name was Bryon and he was not a little inebriated. We looked around a bit and found a cyclists log we were meant to sign. I had Rocky sign it for us but before he did I noticed that our friend Samuel had been here yesterday. Guess he’s a day ahead of us now. We may catch up with him yet. 

We left the pottery store and headed for the Community Church. Strangely, it was in the middle of a huge open field accessible by a sandy road we had difficulty biking down. I can imagine that before the uranium market collapsed in the early 1980s and Jeffrey City went bust the church would’ve been surrounded by houses and life. But now it sits dilapidated in the middle of a several barren acres in which we spotted 5 antelope. We entered the church from the rear and came into what serves as a gym. The walls are covered all over with signatures and greetings from all the cyclists who’ve passed through. So I signed the logbook and Rocky and Forrest signed the walls. The classrooms are used for lodging so I picked a room for us and wheeled my bike into it. We found a door that led to an upstairs so we checked it out. Turns out it’s the sanctuary. They actually still hold services here at 1:30 on Sundays but in a town of only 50 people they must be very small. 

After showering we walked across the field to the one restaurant in town, Split Rock Cafe. Hoping they had wifi I brought my iPad so I could upload the July 17 post. I hear the place gets pretty lively in the evenings with men who drink too much and wives who come to drag them out so I was grateful that we could get in early. The place was empty so we picked our seat and ordered our dinner. It took Billy a good while to cook our meals but he was very nice and I tipped him well. He’s been living here since 1965 (although I’m not sure how long he’s been working at the Cafe). When we were finished I asked him if he had any dessert since there was none on the menu. He said he didn’t know, but maybe there was ice cream. He soon returned and said he had vanilla ice cream so we ordered a bowl for each of us. He brought it and said, “That’s the first time I’ve ever served anyone ice cream. I don’t even know how much it costs.” He brought my ticket and I saw that he’d charged us $1 per bowl. Shoulda had two each 🙂 

We walked back to the church to find a westbound cyclist here, Robert. Not sure where he’s from but his accent is so strong it’s hard to understand him. He lost his tent and slept last night inside a greenhouse for sale at a Garden Center. Now that’s being resourceful. Not sure what he’s going to do from here on out. 

We’re off to bed now. It’s hard to believe we’re in the legendary Jeffrey City, WY. Tomorrow we’ll be in Rawlins and at the end of another map with a total of 1665 miles under our belt. That’s over 1/3 of the way home. Wow. 

Thanks for praying. Thanks for following. 

Until next time… 🙂 

We spent Sunday afternoon at the Episcopal church catching up on email, texts, and the blog. Sometime in the afternoon another cyclist showed up, Paul from Denmark. He’d started his trip in Canada visiting family and then hopped on the TransAm in Missoula. He seemed nice enough and we all enjoyed dinner together. He was planning on heading out early in the morning and we expected to meet him in Lander. But when I woke up just before 7 (I didn’t sleep well at all), he was still there. Karolina soon asked him why he hadn’t left yet and he said, “I’ve been cycling alone so far and you all seem like nice people so I figured I could cycle with you.” So by the time we all got ready it was 8:20 before we were on the road. Lander here we come!

Karolina took the lead and we were soon blazing a trail at near 20 mph. It was faster than we were used to, but it was largely downhill so we all just tucked and pedaled. Before we knew it we were pulling over to rest at a gas station with 30 miles under our belt in less than 2 hrs. A westbound cyclist soon pulled in from Lander. He’d cycled the 45 miles in 5 hrs so that gave us a pretty good idea of what to expect for the remainder of our day. The only thing was, we would be facing a strong headwind the whole way. It made for a tough ride but we pulled into Lander around 5 PM, making it a 6 hour ride from the gas station. It was a really hard day’s ride and a steady push for 8 hrs of riding, but we stayed together pretty well and were a support to each other both on the hills and against the wind. 

We arrived at the City Park to find a brass band practicing and a feast being prepared. After some detective work I discovered that the community band was practicing to open for special guest, Low Water String Band. The food was being prepared to feed the brass band. So I asked the cooks what they planned to do with the leftover food, implying that we were hungry cyclists who would be delighted to help find a place for it. 

Soon we had a free concert going on in the park and a community of people covering the lawn enjoying the show. I was at my hammock hanging up the wet clothes I’d rinsed to wear again tomorrow and the cook walked over and said to me, “We have plenty of extra food for you, your sons, and your friends, if you’d like it.” Nice! I grabbed Paul from his tent and we headed to the table. I called Forrest––who went with Rocky and Karolina into town to rescue food (read: our dinner, breakfast, and lunch) from Safeway and the local restaurants before they threw it out––and told him get back to the park asap because I had gotten dinner for us all. 

The food was awesome. Brats, baked beans, pasta salad, bean salad, watermelon, homemade chocolate chip cookies, tea, chips, and caramel candies. Thank you Lord! When Karolina and the boys came back she said, “I got pastries for breakfast and some food from a restaurant that will do us for lunch tomorrow.” Wow. This is amazing. I figured out that the pump on my stove is missing the O-ring. That’s why it wasn’t pressurizing. So I’m going to steal the ring from the lid to the bottle and just leave the pump in it all the time. But at this rate, I’m not even sure when I’ll need to use it again. I don’t expect that Karolina will be with us the whole way, but it sure is a blessing for the time being. I hope we’re able to give back to her in some way. She seems to really enjoy sharing her “mission” with us. 

After we finished eating I sat back and enjoyed the concert and got all set up to type this post. Rocky and Forrest headed off to the playground. Paul went to bed. Karolina probably went to her tent to rest until she’ll be heading to the restaurant before they close to get some food. Soon Forrest and Rocky come walking back with some strangers, a man and children in tow. I turn as he introduces me to Cody. Cody eagerly shook my hand and congratulated me on our amazing adventure. Then Forrest said, “They homeschool their children and they’re Christians.” “Oh!” I said. Praise the Lord. He then shared how God answered his daughter’s prayers as they drove through Yellowstone today, enabling them to seen a mother elk with her calves and a mama bear with her cubs. We also spoke about the wonder of seeing God’s glory in creation every day we bike. Then a lady came over and introduced herself as Sharon, Cody’s wife. She was very happy to meet me and after a bit of small talk she asked, “Can we pray for you guys?” “Absolutely!” (I can’t remember the last time a stranger did that for us… I was overwhelmed with gratitude.) We made a circle and Cody prayed for our protection and the Lord’s blessing on our time together. After he said Amen, Sharon said “I want to pray for your wife and daughters because I’m a wife too.” So we bowed our heads again and she prayed for Chantry, the girls, and that God would provide us with many divine appointments so we could be the instrument in His hands to change the lives of others ––I forever. I immediately thought of Paul and Karolina who are cycling with us. That was a divine appointment in itself and I pray they were as blessed as we were. We learned that Cody and Sharon live in southeast Kansas so I suggested that maybe we could stop and see them when we travel through. Not sure if it’ll work out, but we exchanged numbers and gave them the blog. As she left Sharon said, “Be encouraged dad, I saw Christ in your son (Forrest) at the playground.” That really warmed my heart. Sometimes it’s so hard to see Christ in our children because we can be so critical and our expectations can be so high. Thank you Sharon. Thank you Jesus. 

It’s getting dark now. The sun is laying low on the horizon behind the tre line in front of me. An orangeish glow tops the trees. The park is absolutely quiet. All the noise of the band and its audience is gone. The park is spotted with the tents and bikes of several cyclists just like us. Thank God for a free place to camp, free dinner, a free concert, free breakfast, and probably free lunch and dinner too––Karolina just got back and I can see a bag in her hand. I guess we’re all set for tomorrow. But most of all, thank God for sending Cody, Sharon, and their 4 children over to pray for us. I pray He blesses them with more of Jesus, they’ll need it if they keep sharing Him so freely with others as they did with us. 

It’s bed time. Thanks for praying. Thanks for following. After breakfast and a stop at Starbucks (!!!–only seen 2 Starbucks on this trip so far!) we’ll be off to Jeffrey City. I hear the Baptist church at which we’ll be staying has a shower. That’ll be nice. 

Until next time… 🙂

I can’t believe it… we started our 5th week of cycling yesterday and we’ve made it to Yellowstone National Park. Wow! It doesn’t seem possible. As of today we’ve traveled 1329 miles. We passed into Wyoming at 5 PM and we’re camping tonight at Madison Campground in Yellowstone. Tomorrow we’ll go by Old Faithful, Grant Village, and exit out the South Entrance of the Park with the rest of Wyoming ahead of us. I’m totally awed by it all. We’ve seem so much and yet there’s so much more to see. We’ve traveled so far and yet there’s so much further to go. It’s stunning and exciting all at the same time. Thanks for praying us this far. Now please keep praying us all the way home! 🙂 

We’d planned to leave Twin Bridges by 6:30 but by the time we got packed up and said goodbye to the other bikers it was 7 AM. Remembering that the grocery store/coffee shop opened at 7 I decided we should stop in for a coffee. Last time we did that (in Baker City) we ordered ice coffees so we could grab and go. But I spaced it and ordered a 20 oz hot Americano. Guess we’re sitting this one out. Forrest stirred it with a straw to try and cool it down faster and we used the time to get on the wifi and catch up on email & texts. It was then that I uploaded the last post (July 10-11) so it was a blessed providence. We finally got the coffee down by 7:45 and awere on the road again. 

The challenge for the day was the Virginia City hill, which, according to my map, summitted at 7000 ft. But, surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad. It was steep; and it was hard. But it ended up shorter and lower than expected. We had to climb nearly 2300 ft from Twin Bridges but it was so gradual until Virginia City that before we knew it, we only had 1000 ft left. We stopped in Alder at a bar to use the bathroom and fill up our water bottles with cold after. The bartender wasn’t very nice but maybe she was having a bad day. Before we left a man came out and talked to us about our trip. He warned us that the climb was extremely steep but told us the downhill would be a blast. 

When we arrived at Nevada City/Virginia City we stopped to look around at “old Montana.” It was a tourist trap of old buildings, gold panning, and train rides. We took a few pictures, used the bathroom, and headed on. Virginia City was up the road a mile and we were soon through it and headed up the hill. It was a 5.5 mile climb and we actually peaked at around 6800 according to my GPS. I was really surprised when my GPS elevation map showed we were approaching the summit. I expected it to be a good bit further but was very happy to have reached it. We parked out bikes on the roadside and sat down to make lunch before heading down the hill. 

The ride down was a blast but it was cut short by a line of cars behind a flagger with a stop sign. The Department of Public Works was paving several miles of the road leading into Ennis (which at at the bottom of the downhill). We pulled up behind a pickup truck and he offered to give us a lift into town. I hesitated a bit, not wanting to cheat, but figured we didn’t want our bikes ruined. Besides, it was a downhill into town anyway. So we took him up on the offer and loaded up. The ride into Ennis was one of loose gravel flying into the air behind the truck we were in as well as every other vehicle. Once we got ahead of the pavers he dropped us off and, having no reason to stop, we blazed through town on our way to Cameron. But unfortunately they were paving a few miles on the other side of town as well. No pickup this time. The flagger let us through and we biked on the shoulder hoping it would be better. But soon cars and semis were driving by flinging gravel into our faces and on our legs. And of course our own tires were tossing up loose gravel into our gears and derailleurs. It was several miles before we were clear of the tar, but the loose gravel was a problem for a long while. 

We rode into Cameron hot and tired. We stopped at the one store/bar in town and bought some juice and an ice cream so we could use the restrooms (for paying customers only). I got to talking with bartender and asked her about the campground up ahead where we were planning to stay. When she looked at me funny I knew there was a problem. “What campground?” she sai9d. “The one on my map.” “Why don’t you bring your map in and I can take a look.” I pointed out the campground. She recognized it as Ruby Creek Campground but said it was a few miles off the road and recommended we go to another one up the road (15 miles further). Ugh. That was the last thing I wanted to hear. I figured we’d make for Ruby Creek. It had already been a long, hot day. But once we reached the turnoff to Ruby Creek and looked as the road went off in the other direction we decided to keep pedaling. We reached Riverview Campground by 7 PM, a total of 80 miles. What a day! The boys put up the tent while I made soup for dinner. We traded off for the next 15 mins between spooning hot soup into our mouths and swatting mosquitos. They were eating us alive. We couldn’t get into the tent fast enough. In fact, the got in too fast. We’d left everything out. Our clothes hung on our bikes to dry, our dishes and stove were left out for breakfast, and our towels were draped out to dry. And of course we left the fly off the tent so we could see the stars. 

July 13 on the TranAm

When we woke up at 6:00 in the morning the dew was so heavy that everything was soaked. Our sleeping bags were moist and everything else was dripping wet. Bummer. I opted not to cook breakfast, dried everything as best as I could–so I could put it all away–and grabbed all the wet stuff and headed for the neighboring campground to use the dryer. The boys finished packing up and met me there later. 

By the time we got on the road it was 8:00. Later than I wanted but no worries. We only had 50 miles or so to go. But we still needed breakfast… My map showed a restaurant at the next campground do we headed there. Unfortunately it was only open in the evening. We went into the camp store to see what we could find for breakfast. The lady suggested we pedal another 10 miles to an awesome breakfast place between Earthquake Lake and Hebgen Lake. So we bought a pop tart to hold us over and got back on the bikes. 

On the way we stopped by the Quake Lake visitor center to watch a short video explaining the history and geologic data of the historic earthquake and subsequent landslide that created the lake. The quake struck on Aug 17, 1959, killing 28 people and causing a massive landslide that closed off a section of the Madison River turning in into a 6 mile long, 190 ft deep Quake Lake. It was both beautiful and sad. 

By the time we got to Campfire Lodge for breakfast it was nearly lunch time. And by the time we got our order it was lunch time. So we had lunch instead of breakfast. It was just as the lady had promised–a breakfast to be reckoned with. The pancakes were as big as dinner plates. The guy said one biker came through a few days earlier and ate three of them! But then he had to sit on the bench for 4 hours waiting for it to digest so he could bike on. I shouldn’t tell your that another biker came through trying to brave the pancakes only to barf it all up in the parking lot. The moral of the story: even after a hard day’s work the stomach is still often smaller than the eyes. We managed to enjoy a nice lunch and get away on time. 

The rest of the ride was beautiful. It rouded Hebgen Lake and gave us a great view of some massive mountains across the lake. On the way I was in touch with our new dear sister in Christ, Linda Teakell. She was trying to secure us a camping spot at the Madison Campground in Yellowstone, just 14 miles past West Yellowstone, MT. She got back to me and said “I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the campground is full into August.” Looks like we’re staying in West Yellowstone–but could even find last minute accommodations there?. “Something miraculous is going to happen!” she said as she hung up. I believed that too. So we pedaled on and didn’t worry about it. God’s in control. 

We got to West Yellowstone around 2:30 and headed straight fort the Free Heel and Wheel bike shop. Dan, the owner/mechanic was super nice and got our bikes straight in. Forrest needed a new rear tire. It had been bulging for the last 200 miles or so as the tire wa pulling away from the bead. Strange. The same thing happened to the front tire back in Dayville, OR. And these are brand new Continental Tour Rides. If we weren’t on the road I’m sure we could get a refund… Oh well. Rocky’s rear disc was bent and needed straightening. My gears needed a slight adjustment. When I told Dan that we were disappointed not to get a place at Madison, he suggested I go across the street too th Visitor Center and ask them about it since he thought they usually had room for bikers. So I did. “They won’t turn you away,” she said. “Even if the campground is full, they’ll never turn away hikers or bikers.” A miracle? Sure! Dan filled up all our bottles with ice cold water and after a quick stop at the grocery store we headed into Yellowstone Natinal Park. It was after 4:00 and the majority of the traffic was exiting in the lane opposite us so we had a pretty sweet 14 mile ride into the park. And sure enough, they put us up at the hiker/biker site directly behind the registration building. God be praised. 

We waved at two other cyclists there and proceeded to set up camp. Soon the young lady comes walking over with her hand out and said, “James?” “Yes….” “How do you know me? Who are you?” “We’ve heard all about you guys from Samuel. I’m Laura and this is Nate.” “Oh! How cool! Nice to meet you.” Within an hour Jack and Alex showed up on bikes and greeted us like they knew us. “Samuel told us about you guys,” they said. “We stayed with him in Grant Village last night.” It’s crazy how the TransAm works. They say you can send messages ahead, leave messages behind, and generally communicate backwards or forwards. Turns out Samuel (who left us in Conner when we stayed an extra day with the Teakell’s) is talking about us 🙂 We recommended that Jack and Alex stay at the Teakell’s on their way West. Lord willing, they’ll get a good dose of the joy of the Lord on top of some Christlike hospitality. 

We put all our stuff in the provided bear box (“This is bear country,” they said) and went to bed. In less than 30 mins I was half asleep and suddenly awoke to the sounds of dozens of animal calls. Coyotes and I don’t know what else. But the woods were full of it. It was one of the eeriest and coolest things I’ve ever experienced. “I’m really sleeping in the wild,” I thought. The boys were asleep and missed it. I reminded myself that my God is God of the animals and rolled over and went to bed. 

Thanks for praying. Thanks for following. God is good. God is great. All the time. 

Until next time… 🙂 

I think I can finally add some pictures! 

***PS. I realized too late that I added several Yellowstone photos from July 14th to this post. We arrived at the Madison Campground in Yellowstone on Thursday the 13th and rode through the Park on Friday the 14th. 



We had such a refreshing and blessed time at the Teakell’s that it was hard to leave. Yet we managed to leave the driveway just before 8 AM. Linda took the traditional photos of us and of our departure as we pulled away. We headed to the Sula Country Store for a few road snacks and then began our 10.5 mile climb up Lost Trail Pass. It really wasn’t that bad and we were at the top just before noon. If you head down the pass you immediately enter Idaho so we turned left on Hwy 43 for the short 1.5 mile climb up Chief Joseph Pass, which was also the first time we crossed the Continental Divide at 7241 ft (I think we cross it 3 more times as we meander through the Rockies). 

We had a 27 mile ride down into Wisdom. We were warned about the flies & mosquitos on the way to Wisdom but they actually weren’t too bad–that is until we reached Wisdom and turned towards Jackson. The 18 mile ride to Jackson was so mosquito-ridden that we had bites all over us. That whole area of open fields is irrigated by flooding, which creates a swampy environment ripe for them. It was quite an acrobatic feat to keep our bikes on the road while slapping mosquitos off our legs, hands, face, arms, and back. 

On the way to Wisdom we stopped by the Visitor Center at Big Hole Battlefield. It was the scene of a brutal and sad battle between American soldiers and the Nez Perce Tribe in Aug 1877. Many lives were needlessly lost on both sides. It’s a sad reminder that for how quickly America gets up in arms when other nations are mistreated we have much to be ashamed about in our own nation’s history. 

We pulled into Jackson glad to get off the road and indoors. Jackson is in the middle of nowhere with a population of 36. The Bunkhouse Hotel/Post Office doubles as a bike hostel so we had options for the night. We could camp in the yard, rent a queen bed in a public room of 6 queens, or rent a private room with a queen bed. Camping outside meant fighting the bugs, dealing with barking dogs, dirt bikes speeding through town, and the strange man across the street jamming on an out of tune guitar on his porch and singing grunge rock at the top of his lungs as if he was on stage and we were the audience. Renting a bed amidst beds meant being in a room with snorers and TV watchers. So we rented a room and I slept on my mat on the floor. We had a good night’s rest and got out of town by 7:15. 

The early morning temp in Jackson, at an elevation of 6475 ft, was 50 degrees. So we put on our base layers––I even put on my rain jacket, and we headed off to climb 2 passes and, Lord willing, make it 76 miles to a bike camp in Twin Bridges. The first pass was Big Hole Pass. We’d gradually gained so much elevation by the time we reached the Pass that when we really had to start climbing in our lower gears it was extremely short. We reached the summit in 30 mins and took our traditional photo shoot with the sign (7360 ft.). The ride down was super cool but within less than 10 miles we were climbing Badger Pass, which, though it was only 6760 ft, it was a harder and longer climb. We reached the summit before noon and were quickly heading down the other side to Dillon hoping to stop there for lunch and shopping. 

Dillon was a really nice town and there’s a warmshower there, but we really wanted to make it further than the 50 miles from Jackson to Dillon. So we chilled in the sidewalk of Safeway for 45 mins for lunch and a long rest. The patio furniture for sale out front worked well for our respite. Once we felt refuled we headed out strong to ride the 26 more miles to Twin Bridges. There was nothing to speak of along the way but it was a really beautiful ride. As great as the iPhone camera is it just can’t take in what the eyes can see. The beauty of the mountains, the hills, the clouds, the fields, the valleys, etc. You just need to soak it all up, enjoy it, give thanks to God, and ride on. There’s simply no way to capture it. Even the memory of it all will soon fade. So I’ve learned to smile and praise as I ride, because I may never see it again the way I’m seeing it now. This country looks so much more beautiful at 15 miles an hour than it does at 70. What a blessing it is to see it from the seat of a bicycle. 

We did pretty good getting to Twin Bridges by 5 PM. With all our stops, a long rest in Dillon, and a strong headwind the last 14 miles of the ride, we made good time. Originally we biked right past the Bike Camp clear to the other side of town. But a nice man in town redirected us and we made a u-turn and found it. Good thing the town is so small (pop. 381). There were already two guys here who’d stopped for lunch and liked it so much that they decided to stay the night. We were able to get a shower, clean our bikes, lube our chains, and the boys even took a swim in the river. 

Tomorrow’s going to be a challenging day. We’re hoping to make it to a campground on the other side of Cameron. It’s only 66 miles but we have to climb 2300 ft over a steep Pass and then go uphill another 400 ft or so after the huge downhill. I know we can do it but I also know it won’t be easy. If we make it, then Thursday’s ride should take us to Madison, WY inside Yellowstone National Park where we hope to find lodging at the local Episcopal Church. 

My connection out here in the mountains will not allow me to post pictures so I’ll have to save them for later. 

Thanks for praying and thanks for following. We think of and pray for you daily. 

Until next time… 🙂

July 1 on the TranAm

Having gotten ourselves to Slate Creek Campground last night, we were just over 10 miles from White Bird and the legendary White Bird Hill. The hill is–in total–a climb of about 12 miles with the first 8.5 miles being composed of 19 switchbacks. Looking from below, Rocky commented about one part of the climb, “Daddy, that looks impossible on a bike!” But praise be to God, we reached the hill and slowly but surely made our climb up it. All-in-all it wasn’t that bad. I confess that I approached it with trepidation. Riding the 10 miles to it, I kept thinking, “I’m not looking forward to this.” But I committed it to prayer, put off the fear, and just kept pedaling. The climb was long but very beautiful. We kept looking back over the hill we were conquering, looking back down to the small town of White Bird (pop. 91), and thinking, “We’re doing it! Look how far we’ve come!” 

Before long we were at a summit-of sorts–took our last picture of the huge valley below, and headed on to cover the remaining 3.5 miles of climbing to the official summit. Sadly, we forgot to get a picture of it but it was quite the climb to the summit. The reward was a visit to the White Bird Summit Lodge, a home/lodge filled with wild game from all over the world. The husband and wife team have been hunting wild game all over the world since 1985. The walls were filled with mounts from the typical moose, elk, and bear to the unusual bison, baboon, zebra, and giraffe! It was like going a world zoo. They were very kind to let us look aroun, use the restroom, and fill up our water bottles. 

The ride down to Grangeville was a blast full of twists of turns at high speed. We stopped in Grangeville for lunch and headed to Kooskia where we would meet up with Chantry and the girls for the Lord’s Day. The ride out of Grangeville was surprisingly hard. The elevation profile map pictured sawtooth hills, which, to me, looked benign and insignificant. Boy was I wrong! The road took us through farms and met us with rolling hills for over 15 miles. The downhills were great but the uphills were so steep that we all (yes, even Forrest 🙂 had to walk our bikes up several of them. Our consolation? We heard that there was an awesome downhill coming, just before Kooskia–and we found it. It’s called Lamb Grade Rd. and it was the steepest and scariest hill we’ve been on yet. It was an 11-13% grade hill full of switchbacks and covered in gravel. We rode our brakes all the way down and couldn’t take most turns any faster than 5 miles an hour lest we slide across the lanes and down into oblivion. It had its fun moments, but they were few and far between the many scary moments. After we reached the bottom I said, ‘I am so glad we didn’t have to go up that hill!” 

The directions on my map from the bottom of that hill were not accurate and we took a wrong turn, going 1.5 miles in the wrong direction. Unable to find our next turn (which was supposed to be at a mile), I stopped and tried to regroup. Of course, we had no service and no way of reorienting ourselves. All I knew is that we were definitely lost. Forrest had saddle sores so badly that he wanted to stop right where we were and have Mama come to get us. I reminded him that we had no reception and that Mama would be waiting for us in Kooskia. So we had to get back on our bikes and, one way or another, get ourselves to Kooskia. Soon a lady walked out to the road and waved us over. She could tell we were lost and proceeded to give us directions to Kooskia. We thanked her and started back. Her directions soon aligned with my map and we were back on track. We rolled into Kooskia at about 4:00 and I borrowed a phone to call Chantry–not sure why I thought she’d have service since we didn’t :/ But providentially she was in Grangeville and I got through to her to let her know we were in Kooskia. She had gotten to Kooskia a lot earlier, tried to find us, and when she couldn’t she headed back to Grangeville thinking that we’d stopped there instead (since that was the last time we’d been able to speak on the phone). So we hung out in the parking lot of Napa Auto Parts and waited for a good hour for her and the girls to arrive. 

What a glad reunion it was when they showed up! Chantry had already booked 2 nights for us at the KOA in Kemiah so we headed straight there and settled down for the night. Tomorrow we planned to attend the First Indian Presbyterian Church just down the road from there. 

July 2-3 on the TranAm

Kooskia/Kemiah are on the Nez Perce Indian reservation so I was looking forward to attending the First Indian Presbyterian Church near the KOA. It’s the oldest church in Idaho (1871). We pulled in 10 mins before service started and the parking lot was empty. Strange. We waited a few minutes and then decided to drive into Kemiah to the Second Indian Presbyterian Church. This parking lot was also empty. Was anyone having church today!? We drove to the gas station across the street to ask if she knew anything about the Indian church. She said, “What Indian Presbyterian church?” So we drove next door to the grocery store and stopped an Indian lady in the parking lot. She proceeded to tell me that the Indian Presbyterian were all celebrating some special event at a special place 30 miles away. Time to look for another church. It’s already 10:15. The Indian lady directed us to several churches in town so we drove through looking to see what we could find. We passed a Catholic Church. We passed a Lutheran church whose service was just ending. We passed a Presbyterian church with a female pastor. We passed an Assembly of God church with a husband & wife team as pastors. It was getting late now. Finally, we came to a Nazarene church whose service started at 11 AM. Looks like this is what the Lord had for us. 

The service was full of choruses and instead of a sermon a member of the congregation gave his testimony. We had lunch with Mody and Dawn Bass and returned for the 6 PM Bible study. The Bible study was attended by the elderly of the church. No kids. No pastor. It was taught by a member of the congregation. We missed the preaching of the Word that day but the fellowship with the saints there was sweet. In fact, one of the members sent us away with a cooler full of freshly smoked salmon and steelhead. Moreover, Mody and Dawn turned out to be a real blessing. We decided to stay over for an extra day and, having a hint from something Mody said to me on Sunday, we checked out of the KOA by 11:00 and headed to Mody’s house. They were surprised and delighted to see us and took us right in. We had a great day. They thoroughly spoiled us. They fed us well, we shot arrows, played horseshoes, shot his .22, rode his ATV, and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. We all had a blast and felt at home away from home. We stayed the night with them and were sent on our way in the morning. They treated us like their own kids and thanked us for coming by. Thank you Mody and Dawn!! You guys are the best 🙂 God bless you both.

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This is a video of Mody calling a Bull Elk. 

July 4-5 on the TransAm

We spent the Fourth of July enjoying a beautiful ride along Highway 12 out of Kooskia on the way to Missoula. Given our time with the Basses, and an immediate flat tire on Rocky’s bike, we had a late start. We didn’t get rolling until 11:30. The road was narrow with no shoulder but given the holiday the number of cars and semis on the road were minimal. We biked well into the dark, not stopping until 10:30, using our headlight for the first time for night riding. It was much later than we wanted to go, but once again, it was a matter of trying to get to the next Campground. We stopped at Jerry Johnson Campground about 10 miles shy of Powell, the base of our next climb, Lolo Pass. 

We got an early start on July 5th, deciding to stop for breakfast at Lochsa Lodge in Powell. After breakfast we headed up the Pass, a climb of 12 miles. It was as hot as a pistol and the road had very little shoulder; but thankfully the traffic was still at a minimum. We reached the Pass within 3 hours and gladly crossed the state line into Montana at the summit at around 2:45. 

The ride down into Lolo and then on into Missoula was nondescript and on a gradual downhill. We were able to ride most of the 47 miles at 12-14 mph putting us into Missoula at about 7:30. 

When we got into Lolo we finally had reception, allowing me to catch up on texts and call head to the Shady Sprice Hostel and reserve the last three beds. Thank you Lord. We met some nice cyclists, especially Malcolm Foley from FL. He started in Yorktown and is heading west to Astoria. Go Malcolm! He gave us some great advice about the road ahead. Thanks Malcolm! 

July 6 on the TranAm

Today we visited the Adventrue Cycling Association to have our picture taken, sign the guest book, and have our bikes weighed. Turns out, Forrest’s bike weighed in at 92 lbs, Rocky’s at 82, and mine at 94. The boys were missing a little more weight because we’re low on food and I’m down about 4 lbs because Forrest was carrying my hammock (although I told him I’d carry it from here :). Thank you Forrest. 

I’m typoing all this at the Green Hanger Laudromat while doing laundry and waiting for the bikes to get a quick onceover at a local bike shop. We’ll obviously have lunch here and only get a half-day’s riding in. But it was a worthwhile stop all the same. 

Thanks for praying and thanks for following. 

Until next time… 🙂