First Views of the Rocky Mountains

Early Morning in Central Montana

Many mornings in Eastern and Central Montana I tried to beat the wind by getting up early. I tried to be on the road by 430AM. Before the sun came up the landscape was very quiet. Within 2-3 minutes of the sun presenting itself the wind started to howl. It was at that point each morning that I would find out how difficult of a day I would have as the wind would be at my back or blowing at me preventing me to reach the Rockies in a timely manner.

Eastern Montana

Eastern Montana had much the same scenery as central and western ND. It took 10 days for me to peddle this area. The towns in eastern Montana were very small with very few services. The weather was frustrating, but not rainy. When getting up early the air was very crisp and cool. This lasted until 11AM. By noon it became very hot.

The rattlesnake above was sunning itself on Hwy 2. As I passed it I realized what it was. I turned around and took a photo of it. I wasn't positive that it was a rattlesnake...But when I spit on it the snake quickly coiled and began to rattle, I knew it was warning me to stop my rude behavior.

Long Desolate Road

These 2 pictures are great examples of the vastness of North Dakota. The photos were taken at the same spot...On top of a hill...One facing east and one facing west. There were several times in ND and Montana when I stopped peddling and attempted to hear something, anything that resembled civilization. Often times I failed....I heard only 2 sounds...The wind blowing and my lungs gasping for air.

Photos taken on Hwy 1804 between New Town and Williston ND.

Lake Sakakawea

Lake Sakakawea stretched over 70 miles between New Town and Williston ND. Of 4213 miles of maps this section was the only portion of the trip that Adventure Cycling deemed it necessary to give a warning of safety...Over 70 miles without services...No food, no water...No nothing. Although it was a one day trip I packed 2 days of water and food with me in case of bicycle mechanical failure. I was lucky, I made it to Williston in one day. The bad news...I ate granola bars for lunch and dinner for the next 2 days.

Canola Fields

The Woman Loved Holsteins

In Esmond, ND I again camped in a city park. While eating dinner at a bar A woman asked if I was the one tenting in the city park. She assumed I was a cyclist. For whatever reason she immediately told me how much she loved Holstein cows. She bet me that she loved Holstein cows me than I loved to ride my bicycle. She told me to walk 2 blocks past my tent. She said it would be obvious which house was hers. She was correct.

Was it coincidence that her dog was black and white?

Short Cut

Near Devils Lake I attempted a short cut that would have subtracted 10 miles from the day. My map showed a road going through a wildlife refuge. About a mile into the refuge I came upon a herd of buffalo. I know nothing of buffalo and I didn't know if the buffalo in front of me were tame or dangerous. I waiting for 45 minutes for the herd to move or for a vehicle to drive by. My plan was to wait for a vehicle and then peddle as close to it as possible as "we" drove through the herd. The vehicle never showed up. I thought it best to turn around and peddle the 10 miles.

Devils Lake, North Dakota

The Devils Lake area was interesting. Over the years I've heard that the "land surrounding the water is sinking into the lake." Whatever...I never thought too much about it. As it turns out...There may be something to the sinking theory.

My route took me 30-35 miles along the lake. There was lots of road construction. The current roads were not being repaired. New roads were being constructed because the roads that I were riding on would be under water in the next few years...At least that's what I was told by the locals. Its a long story, but they seem to blame environmentalists.

No farm is an island...Note the middle picture. It's difficult to see, but it's a picture of a farm that is halfway under water.

One more item regarding Devils Lake...It stunk! The smell of dead, rotting fish was always in the air. In one area I tied a hankerchief over my nose and mouth. I don't care to return.

Scenes From North Dakota

After leaving Fargo I peddled to Binford where I camped in a city park. Above is my second tent of the trip.

North Dakota had several marshes and wetland areas...Pelicans, swans, loons, and several varieties of ducks were easily seen from the road. ND surprised me with its beauty.

The first 50 miles out of Fargo was extremely flat and desolate. After awhile it occurred to me that I hadn't seen a vehicle on the road for miles. I waited for one to pass me. I decided to conduct an experiment. I wanted to see how many miles I could peddle on the yellow center line before I came in contact with a vehicle. I was facing a head wind so I was riding very slow. Because of my speed, I guessed I could get up to 5 miles before meeting a vehicle...I was wrong. I peddled 12.7 miles on the yellow line before a tractor(!) met me on the road.

Scenes From Minnesota

Near Pelican Rapids

Read the sign...

Crossing the Mississippi River for the last time

Minnesota...Land of 10,000 (small) Lakes

Crossing the St. Croix River

Great River Bike Trail...Self Portrait

When living in La Crosse I rode this trail 3-4 times a week during summer months. It hadn't changed much over the past 6 years...But it was nice to be able to include it on my trek across the country.

The self portrait was taken near Hastings MN.

Prairie du Chen to La Crosse

I lived in La Crosse for nearly 5 years. During that time I always wanted to ride my bike along the river road south to Prairie du Chen along the Mississippi River...I never did it. I felt fortunate I was able to ride it on this trip. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy and I peddled into a little rain. I'll have to do it again when the weather is better.

LARGE BARGE

While sitting at a picnic table in Marquette IA on the Mississippi River this large barge was traveling up-current. I know nothing about barges. What I do know is that I've never seen a boat push 12 barges at one time...3 rows of 4. I think others were impressed also because several people stopped what they were doing and started to take photos of the large barge.

Scenes From Iowa

Nice to be back home...



Looking down river on the Mississippi near Marquette.

Iowa Country-side near Cascade

Above: Statue of chief Keokuk



Bottom Picture: Church in Dyersville

Sebree, Kentucky

There was more than enough room at the inn...





I was very fortunate on my trek across the country to come in contact with many nice people. Some of the nicest were in Sebree KY. I didn't know what to expect when I rang the bell at the church door. When the pastor greeted me with "Hello fellow cyclist", I instantly felt at ease.

The First Baptist Church of Sebree took great pride in hosting cyclists in their church. They converted the basement of their church into a cyclist hostel. The space consisted of a living room area with leather sofas and chairs that faced a big screen TV. At the opposite end of the room was the kitchen area that was filled with food that cyclists could prepare in the microwave or stove. There were 3 large sleeping rooms with 3-4 mattresses in each. In a corner of each of these rooms stood a shelf with clean sheets for each mattress as well as fresh towels for the shower! I shared the church basement with 3 other cyclists...A couple from New York and a gentleman from Boston.

To top it off...The pastor's wife did my laundry! The pastor wouldn't accept a donation. The next morning I left $10 folded in a postcard with a thank you message in the church's mailbox.

Finish Line

I MADE IT!...safe and sound.




There wasn't much pageantry to the end of the ride. My last day from Concrete WA to Anacortes was a little over 60 miles. About 20-15 miles before the end there was a lot of pretty scenery. The route took me along the coast where you cold see into the Pacific. The end of the route was at the Anacortes Ferry terminal. As I got closer to the terminal the route turned inland until it went into a small bay area. There wasn't a "TA-DA" moment or even a sign that said "Congrats...You've reached the end". I reached the terminal...Looked around for 2 minutes...Asked a woman to take my picture...Looked around for 2 more minutes...Called my family and friends...Then headed to town.

When I asked the woman to take my picture I said..."I just got done riding my bike across country". She asked me why I wasn't crying or jumping up and down. I told her her I was too tired to jump up and down and that I left all of my tears on the Rockies and the Cascades.

HOME SWEET HOME

Made it home 2AM Thursday night / Friday morning. Spent yesterday and today decompressing and running errands.

Here are the final stats on my ride.

Miles peddled: 3957.55
I completed the trip in 52 days which included 1 day of rest.
I averaged 76.10 miles a day.
The longest day was LaCrosse WI to Stillwater MN...135.33 miles.
I had 10 days of 100 miles ridden or more.
Six days between 90 and 100 miles.
Five days between 80 and 90 miles.
Six days between 70 and 80 miles.
eleven days between 60 and 70 miles.
Seven days between 50 and 60 miles.
Six days of 50 miles or less.
The shortest day of the trip was 32.53 miles...Wyoming IA to Dyersville IA.

This evening I started to organize the over 600 pictures that I had developed this morning. My plan is to have them labeled and in albums by this Friday. Speaking of Friday...My wife is throwing me a welcome home / congratulations party on Friday July 28th. The party is at our place 5pm until whenever. Food and drink will be served. RSVP if you plan on attending.

For those who can't make it to the party...I will begin loading pictures onto the site tomorrow or Monday. Jamie

MISSION:ACCOMPLISHED

A short entry as I'm using a computer at a hotel that I'm not staying at...Shame on me.

I completed my ride yesterday at 1PM. I fly home from Seattle tomorrow afternoon. On Friday I will begin posting pictures and telling you about my adventures riding over the Cascade Mountains.

Thanks for all of the kind words and prayers.

Jamie

Ione, Washington

A short entry as the Ione public library allows 15 minutes of computer use for non-locals.

Peddled a little over 105 miles today. It was another scenic day while traveling along the Pend Oreille River. The roads were flat to gently rolling hills with little to no wind. Tomorrow the climbs begin. My goal is to be complete with the 5575 ft Sherman Pass by noon. Depending on how I feel I may tackle Wauconda Pass which is a mere 4310 ft.

It's go time. Today Liz purchased a plane ticket home for me leaving Seattle next Thursday afternoon. I have an estimated 378 miles to go...all up and down. Think positive thoughts...it's going to be a tough 6 days. Jamie

Clark Fork, Idaho

Heavy legs...I felt tired and sluggish all day. Luckily it was another beautiful ride in Northwest Montana. Today's ride started like yesterday's ride ended...Along the Kootenai River. The river provided more great picture opportunities. I followed the Kootenia along Hwy 2 for about 10 miles and then went on Hwy 56. This stretch lasted 35 miles and the scenery was awesome. The Cabinet Mountains were on both sides of me as I followed Bull Lake and the Bull River. The terrain was gently rolling hills. There were many times when I thought I was going to climb the mountains but the road would twist and turn around each long upward hill.

Hwy 56 ended and I continued on Route 200. This stretch took me along the Cabinet Gorge Reservoir and the Clark Fork River. The sky clouded on this portion and it sprinkled a little here and there but nothing serious. Eight miles west of Clark Fork I crossed the Idaho border and entered Mountain time. I should reach Washington sometime tomorrow afternoon.

Current stats after 46 days:
Route miles complete: 3687
Miles peddled: 3439.75
Miles ahead of schedule: 706.2
Days ahead of schedule: 10.8
Estimated miles to finish: 533

Until next time...Jamie

Libby, Montana

All is well. A short recap from the last few days since leaving Cut Bank.

Cut Bank to Glacier National Park (GNP): Between Cut Bank and GNP I peddled through Browning MT. On an Indian Reservation, Browning is a rough town. As luck would have it I arrived 1 hour before a pow-wow. The streets were filled by locals riding horses bare-back. Sometimes running down the streets the horses seemed scared from all of the traffic. It was a sight to see. From Browning I started my up-hill trek to GNP. After the flatlands of North Dakota and Eastern Montana...The foothills of the Rockies were a welcome sight. The steeper the climbs the less wind there was. I've always welcomed hills to wind...This trip has not changed my mind. The views of the Rockies were breathtaking. Many of the climbs were tough but I stopped several times to take photos. Before entering GNP there was a 6 mile ride down hill. Downhill is good. I camped in GNP at Rising Sun...About 5 miles into the Park. Each time I visit GNP I am more and more impressed with the scenery. If you've never visited GNP...It is a must.

GNP to Columbia Falls: Most of this day was spent climbing the Going-to-the-Sun-Road. Climbing the East side of Logan Pass was easier than I thought. There are many turn-offs on the "road" and I took advantage of them by taking pictures. All will be impressed by the pictures. The weather was grand. When I started the climb it was cool. A few miles in I took off my jacket and was very comfortable wearing shorts and a short sleeve jersey. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and no wind. A little more than half way up the road it went to one lane as there was an avalanche a couple weeks ago. Many of the cyclists that I met traveling East were disappointed that the "Road" was closed because of the avalanche. While passing the avalanche area there was a wall of snow to my right. I had a very uneasy feeling as I read a sign that said "snow is unstable". When I reached the top I had a quick snack with a guy named Tucker who I met the night before. He started his trek in Maine and will be finishing in Seattle. The down portion of the ride was glorious...Twelve miles down with a 6% grade. The road has several curves and bends. I tried to keep it under 40 mph but it was difficult. I stopped 4 different times to rest my wrists as breaking was a chore. Each time I stopped by rims were hot to the touch. The ride down was very fun. Although the down portion took much less time than the up portion I managed to get in some good photos. I finished the day outside of the park in Columbia Falls were I camped at an RV park.

Yesterday...Columbia Falls to Eureka Mt: Met up with Tucker at a bike shop in Whitefish. My bike needed some minor attention. We started the 52 mile trek to Eureka a little after 1pm. About 10 miles into the ride we were greeted with a 20 minute thunderstorm. After the rain the sun came out and the temp reached the low 90s. There were clouds ahead of us so we both decided make the remainder of the ride as quick as possible. We reached Eureka around 530pm and set up our tents in the city park about 10 minutes before the next rainstorm arrived. Hwy 93 that stretched from Whitefish to Eureka was a scenic ride but paled in comparison to the day before. The hwy will be remembered most for the uncountable number of logging trucks that rocked passed us all afternoon long.

Today...Eureka to Libby MT: About 7 miles west of Eureka we came upon Lake Koocanusa. The lake is massive. It stretches over 70 miles and the route today followed over 50 miles of it. It was beautiful. Up and down the lake's bluffs each turn and bend brought with it an impressive view. Many pictures were taken. Seventeen miles from Libby is Libby Dam. The dam holds back the water of Koocanusa and forms the Kootenia River. I fished the Kootenia a few years ago for an afternoon. It's a mighty river.

Talked to a few cyclists this afternoon that started in Anacortes WA 7 and 8 days ago. I can begin to taste the finish line.

After 45 days...Current stats:
Route miles complete: 3615.5
Miles peddled: 3371.86
Miles ahead of schedule: 699.5
Days ahead schedule: 10.7
Curses directed at myself for having to purchase a third tent..118...The story later.

Jamie

Cut Bank, MT

Today may have been the toughest ride of my trip. I was on the road a little after 5AM. The first 15 miles were uneventful...No wind. As I climbed a long gradual hill I had a sinking feeling that when I reached the top I was going to be greeted with a stiff headwind. Unfortunately, I was correct. The remaining 25 miles to Shelby were tough but manageable. As I reached Shelby the wind really started howling.

While checking the weather yesterday the forecast called for 10 mph winds until 3PM. After 3PM...20-25 mph gusts...Not good. I think the weather people at weather.com were still hung over from the long holiday weekend. The 20-25 mph gusts arrived around 9AM.

After a big breakfast in Shelby I started toward Cut Bank...25 miles away. I figured I had 9 hours to complete the 25 miles. I know this seems like a lot of time but I knew I would take several breaks. I took my first break 2 miles out of Shelby. I was already exhausted. Not only did I have to contend with the headwinds, I also had to deal with the wind from semi trucks traveling in the opposite direction. When a semi past I almost had to swerve into the wind as not to get blown off the road. The 25 miles miles between Shelby and Cut bank also featured several stings of rollercoaster like hills. Very fun.

I continued taking breaks every 2 miles until I reached Cut Bank. When I arrived my arms and legs were shaking. It has been almost 2 hours after I arrived and they are still shaking a bit. Day 4 (Blue Ridge Parkway) was tough, but the last 20 miles were somewhat easy on that day. I will contemplate over the next few days and decide which day was more challenging.

Halfway between Shelby and Cut Bank I spotted my first views of the Rockies. My goal is to camp in the east portion of Glacier National Park tomorrow night. Sunday morning I will climb Going-To-the-Sun Road which is in the Park. Sunday evening I will probably camp in the west section of the park.

Current stats:
Route miles complete: 3343.5
Miles peddled: 3116.79
Miles ahead of schedule: 686.7
Days ahead of schedule: 10.5
Curses directed at the wind: 83

Don't know when I will be able to write another entry. Until then, take care. Jamie

Chester, MT

I couldn't make it to Shelby today. Around 315 this morning I looked out of the hotel window and saw an American flag blowing in a stiff west wind. If the wind was this strong this early, it was only going to get worse. I was on the road a little after 4AM. As expected the wind became more fierce as the sun came up. My bicycle computer read 6-9 mph for most of the morning. I decided to stop in Chester for the day and evening. It's a town of just over 800 people. I'm writing this entry in the town library.

It's hard to believe that Glacier National Park is less than 200 miles from Chester. After the past 5 days the Montana landscape has been the same...arid, flat, and desolate. The trip today was 60 miles. Today was the first day that I didn't pass a herd of cattle. The land is dry and densely populated. South of the route today and yesterday I could see the Bear Paw Mountains. Their not nearly as large as the Rockies, but I'm still glad I didn't have to peddle over them.

My body is holding up well. The boil is healing and hasn't caused me any trouble since Fargo. I have a few aches and pains but when one decides to ride his bike across the country...aches and pains are expected. I hit the 3000 mile mark this morning.

Until next time. Jamie

Havre, MT

Was on the road this morning before 6AM. Made it to Havre MT...85 miles later, by 1230PM. Spending the evening at a Best Western in Havre. It was a hot early afternoon. Stopped in Chinook MT for breakfast around 11AM. Before entering the cafe the morning was cool with a great tailwind. Forty-five minutes later the weather changed. The temp was well into the 90s and the wind changed to a headwind. Tomorrow my goal is to make it to Shelby MT. I will be in the Glacier National Park area this weekend. The Rockies are looming.

My last entry was from Glasgow MT. Ginger and Aaron arrived around 2PM. We had a quick lunch and traveled (by truck) to the Fort Peck Reservoir. This area features the world's largest Earth dam...Which translates into a whole bunch of dirt. The dam looked like a giant dike. There is a road that crosses the dam...It was 3.8 miles across. If you find yourself in this area it is well worth your time to check it out. The dam features a free museum with dinosaurs and native American artifacts.

On July 4th I made it to Malta MT by 11AM. Ginger and Aaron met me for lunch there and were planning on going back to Billings afterward. It felt good to see familiar faces so I decided to call it a day and the Bryers gang decided to stay another evening with me. Glasgow to Malta was a little over 70 miles. After lunch we toured a dinosaur field station. The field station is where dinosaur bones are taken after being dug up. The staff at the field station cleans and preserves the bones. Malta is a town of just over 1000 people. The town has over 10 hotels/motels. Because this area of Montana is becoming a hotbed for dinosaur bone hunters the hotel rooms are often occupied by scientists from all over the world. Once again if you find yourself in this area, the field station is a must. The dinosaur displays were fantastic. We ended the evening by watching Malta's fireworks display with the locals. The event was quit amusing. The volunteer fire department was in charge of the event. We watched them down beer after beer an hour our leading up to the event. The fireworks were cool as we had great seats less than 50 yards from the launching area.

Over the past 4 days I've seen countless mule deer. Several times they have run across the road just a short distance from me. They are so close I can hear their hoofs click-clacking on highway. I've seen several crushed rattle snakes over the past week. Yesterday morning I saw a live one. It was sunning itself on the highway. As I approached it I thought it was a shredded tire. I turned around and took a great picture of it. I've also spotted several antelope.

Current stats:
Route miles complete: 3213.5
Miles peddled: 2994.18
Miles ahead of schedule: 686.3
Days ahead of schedule: 10.5

Glasgow, Montana

My first full days ride in Montana was a short one. I started this morning in Wolf Point and peddled to Glasgow (about 50 miles) by 950AM. The morning was cool with no wind. The reason for the short ride is that I'm meeting Liz's mother and brother here...Ginger and Aaron. The next town of any substance is Malta which is another 60-70 miles away. In hindsight...We could have met there. However, the weather (wind) in Montana concerns me. I wanted to have enough time to visit with them...So Glasgow it is. Besides, after yesterday I was 10.2 days ahead of schedule...I can afford to have a short day.

This portion of Montana is relatively flat. There are a few rolling hills here and there, but it's mostly flat grazing land with several herds of beef cattle roaming the prairies. This morning I saw a train from engine to the last car. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but the train had 87 cars! Like I said...The land is flat.

Yesterday I rode through 2 rough towns. Over the past week I've spoke to several cyclists traveling East. While on this trip I always ask a fellow cyclist traveling in the opposite direction what I can expect in the miles ahead. Over the past week most of the comments have been the same..."STAY AWAY FROM POPLAR AND BROCKTON". Poplar and Brockton are on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. The first town I encountered in Montana was Bainville. While eating at a cafe I was warned by several locals to be careful in the above 2 towns. The waitress said there is a murder a day in Poplar! I don't know if this is true, but between Bainville and Brockton I met up with a team of 4 cyclists traveling East. They had a support vehicle that hauled all of their stuff (cheaters!). The support vehicle had a broken back window and spray paint on the SUV's hood and doors. The damage occurred in Poplar. Once again I was warned by the team to ride quickly through this town...No problem! To make a long story short. The town was dirty and rough. While riding down main street a group of young kids in a car drove by and tossed 2 fire-crackers at me. They exploded well behind it me, but this experience served notice that I wasn't peddling fast enough. That was the only trouble I had in the town.

Current stats as of yesterday:
Route miles complete: 2999
Peddled miles: 2791.88
666.2 miles ahead of schedule
10.2 days ahead of schedule
Fire-crackers tossed at me: 2

All is well...Jamie

Williston, ND

A short entry. Made it to Williston by 330PM yesterday. The second half of the ride was tough...hills, heat and wind played a major factor in the fact that it took me 4 hours to peddle 30 miles.

A couple hours into today's ride I'll cross the Montana border...BIG SKY COUNTRY.

Wishing everyone a safe July 4th weekend.

Jamie

New Town, ND

A tough day of peddling. The westward head winds were in full force today. I was on the road by 6AM which helped me for the first 40 miles...After that I was welcomed with a stiff head wind and an afternoon shower that lasted 20 minutes. Once the rain was gone, the sun came out and was extremely hot. I made it to New Town ND at 3PM. The reason for spending the evening here is that the next town of Williston is 74 miles away. There are no services between New Town and Williston. My route is 4213 miles. Of all those miles tomorrow's ride to Williston is the only time Adventure Cycling warns you to be careful and bring enough water and food. It should be an interesting ride. I've talked to several cyclists over the past few days who were traveling East. They all said that the 74 miles is breath-takingly gorgeous. Over the past 4 days I've been very surprised of how pretty ND is.
I'm writing this entry at the New Town library. The computer is from the Carter administration and will not allow me to download photos.

Future story to tell: Yesterday I decided to take a shortcut through a wildlife refuge. BAD IDEA. There wasn't a listing of the animals in the refuge. About a mile in I came across a herd of buffalo on the road in a wooded area. My first instinct was to "ride through" the herd. But because my only experience with buffalo is eating buffalo wings I decided to turn around. I captured the herd in pictures and look forward to sharing them with you.

In a previous entry I thanked my friend Kenny for visiting me in Dyersville IA. A few days ago I received a phone call from Jenz. He somehow knows Kenny and is a journalist for the Waterloo Courier. He wanted to write a story on my bike trek. Last night we chatted for an hour and then he called Liz to ask her a few questions. To make a long story short...If Monday is a slow news day...There will be a story on me in the Waterloo (Iowa) Courier.

Strangely, this morning as I was riding in the middle of nowhere ND there was a news crew interviewing 2 female cyclists who were traveling East. I think they were cycling for charity. I stopped by and the reporter asked me tons of questions. There was a guy there with a TV camera. I think the reporter was from the local CBS station out of Minot. You may be able to go on their website and download the story...If it was aired. If they air it...I'm sure I will be seen.

When I get back to town I'll let you know when and where I'll be signing autographs.

Until next time...Jamie

3 Days...317 Miles

I couldn't wait to get back in the saddle after my day off. Tuesday morning while leaving Fargo I had a stiff head wind for about 40 miles. I knew this was coming. I started peddling a little after 615AM and reached mile 40 at noon...That was not good. I stopped at a bar to eat lunch and regroup. When I got back to peddling the wind had changed in my favor...I was off to the races! I finished the day with 110 miles. On Wednesday the cycling Gods looked well upon me again and granted me a great tail-wind for a second day...107 miles peddled. Today was a scorcher...Very hot. I finished the 3 day section from Fargo to Minot (317 miles) in 3 days.

This is all I have time for tonight. Until next time...Jamie

SELF PORTRAIT 2

This was taken last Wednesday on my 135 mile day. I was about 20 miles south of Prescott WI on Hwy 35. The Mississippi River is in the background.

DAY OFF

I took day 30 off. Over the last week I had a large "growth" about 6 inches above my left knee. As it increased in mass it became more and more sore. Friday was not good. Although it didn't hurt while I peddled...Walking was another issue. There were times on Friday that I had to hop on one foot into stores or walk with a severe limp to get water or snacks. Saturday morning the "growth" popped and by Saturday night the swelling started to decrease. However, it was a bloody mess. This morning I decided to go to a clinic here in Fargo. I'm glad I did. The "growth" turned out to be a boil. Some people who saw the growth thought it was a spider bit...Some thought it was a gunshot wound! I received two anti-biotic shots in my rear and a prescription of anti-biotics...4 pills a day for seven days. In 2 days I need to call the clinic to get test results of a culture they did from the boil. If they didn't give me the correct anti-biotics for the bacteria that was growing in the boil...I will need to get a new prescription in Minot ND...317 miles away.

All is well. The boil has stopped draining. The swelling is gone as well as the pain. It was nice to relax today. My goal is to be in Minot ND by Friday evening.

Jamie

Kentucky Country Views

Eastern Kentucky had many beautiful country views. The landscapes were very green and lush. However, the state has a major trash problem. I peddled next to and over many small creeks and rivers that were riddled with garbage...Lots of garbage. Western Kentucky wasn't as lush, but it had much less garbage.

Do dog owners in Kentucky feed their dogs? I think not. I used mace several times on some unfriendly canines in this state. Not only would they chase me, but they would try nipping at my feet. I didn't think I would need mace. Luckily a fellow cyclist I met in Mineral VA insisted that I take one of his 5 containers. His name was Sandy. He was from New Jersey and he had retired two weeks before his trip across America.