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Montana |
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Montana |
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Idaho/Montana Border Crossing, June 8
2 Down, many more to go...but things are movin' right along! Entered Montana
this morning after a relatively easy climb up Lolo Pass to the summit at 5,230
feet. It's amazing that the 1,500 foot hills that plagued Felipe and I in the
early days are now child's play. Yet, the Rockies, Tetons, Ozarks, and Appalachians
loom so I won't toot own horn just yet. I'm 35 miles from Missoula, Montana, and
once there I'll have to decide on my plans for the week. Maybe fly home early,
but maybe I'll be adventurous and go on a 3 day rafting trip (excellent rapids
and rivers in Montana & Idaho) maybe a little guided fishin' or huntin' (who
wants some fine medium rare elk burgers or tasty venison?)....or a couple days
hikes around the mountains if a group happens to be leaving when I arrive.
The future is wide open! Anyhow here's some answers to some questions I've been
receiving by email:
Total weight of cargo: about 45-50 I believe, 19 less now than when I arrived in
Baker City
Wearing a Helmet?: Obviously!
Top Speed: 37mph
Slowest Speed: 2.5mph (any slower and you'll fall on your ass!)
Reason for Riding: The challenge of it, and getting the opportunity to see
small-town America at a leisurely pace.
-Darren
Fighting CRAZY winds the last 12 miles after my stop at the Lolo, Montana
Dairy Queen, I arrived in Missoula, Montana, headquarters o f Adventure Cycling
(the tour group to whom I must pay a cool $3250 to join after Felipe's untimely
departure!) Anyhow, I talked it over with them and its looks as if I'll be able
to ride along with their group of 12; leaving Missoula on the 27th or so and
arriving in Virginia in the first week of September. I splurged yesterday and
got myself a motel room, partly because their is no camping (except rip-off KOA)
and the hostel recently closed, and also cause I have not slept in a bed in too
long! After realizing that guided huntn', fishn', and raftn' trips are way too
pricey for me, I decided to rent a car and drive up to Glacier National Park at
the US/Canada border for a couple days of relaxing hiking, photography, and
biking without all my heavy gear. Glacier is suppose to be incredibly beautiful
so I am looking forward to soaking in all the sights...more to come
-Darren
p.s. Becky, the bakeries in Montana, esp. their prized cinnamon rolls, are mouth
watering! ;)
Hello All! I certainly wish all of you could be here to see the sights if this
wonderful National Park. Going to the Sun Highway is civil engineering
marvel opened in 1932 that links up West Glacier to East Glacier via Logan Pass;
taking you over the Continental Divide (West of the divide, all rivers flow into
the Pacific, east of it, all flow into the Atlantic) High country indeed!
Yesterday I drove the scenic backroads of the park in my luxurious Ford Aspire
equipped with what appears to be a souped up lawnmower engine at best. Driving
the 150 miles from Missoula to Glacier, it took me a good hour to get the balls
to go the speed limit. After being on a bike at 10-20 mph for three weeks, 75
seemed like the fucking Concord! Oh well, I got here. Anyhow, the backroads
treated me to views of wild elk the size of my Aspire, and I finally got to see
my first wild bear; munchin on some scraps of food beside the road. I wrastled
with it for a while, but I didn't want to hurt it or anything, so I took off.
Today I'm going to hit up some views of the Glaciers, and weather permitting,
maybe rent a canoe and do some paddling on one of the many scenic lakes in the
area. Good luck on finals to u UCSD and UCLA folk, and one more thing...Some
emails written to me were delayed for a few days, so if I don't respond quickly,
then please understand. bye bye now!
-Darren
Where the Sun at? Oh glorious Solar Mass, shine your face on thee! So I awoke
at 5 this morning to weasel my way out of paying 17 bucks a night for a national
park campsite. By arriving at the site very late on Friday and sneaking out this
morning by 6, I avoided any contact with the rangers and their monetary demands.
I know you might say that its immoral to cheat a national park out of the money,
but for a primitive campsite with no facilities, I'd say $17 a night is a bit
steep. I left a $10 donation upon leaving, so I'm not a complete crook. Anyhow,
after writing to y'all yesterday afternoon I decided to rent myself a lil'
trolling boat and cruise St. Mary's River for a little fishin & photographin'.
For $15 an hour, I got a lake 15 miles long by 7 wide all to myself; not another
boat in sight. No fish though, but that's allright. So two hours on the lake,
and then the weather started turning sour. So I walked the 3 miles back to Fish
Creek , and rested in my tent till the rain subsided. Well that rest turned out
to be 12 looooong hours in the tent, for the rain never let up. I had half a
loaf of tasty Missoula bread to snack on, which I quickly devoured, leaving me
to snack on raw oats for the remainder of the evening. Then up at 5 and in
the car by 6 to drive the 50 miles of the Going to the Sun Road. 20 miles in,
the gates were up and the road closed; ice near Logan Pass (Continental Divide)
needed to be sanded. 3 hours later, listening to the worst radio stations known
to man, snackin on some more tasty oats, it opened up, and here I am sitting in
Two Dog Flats Cafe on the east side of the park, watching the weather turn
progressively poorer and poorer; snowin' like mad. I'll wait it out tonight, and
see if I can get a couple hours of sunshine before I take off to Missoula. San
Diegan's & Angelinos, send some sunshine this way please!
-Darren
When we last spoke, I was sittin in a cafe on the eastern border of the Park
waiting for the rain and snow to subside. After waiting there for an hour, I
decided to move on....except the road that caused me 3 hours delay in the
morning was now closed indefinitely! So now the only way to head in the general
direction of Missoula was to skirt the Southern borders of the park via highway
89, then 49, and then 2 (2 runs west/east through the US) While on route 2, I
was scoping out the available campsites in the area, with several to choose
from, I decided on Devils Creek Campground and pitched my tent. Knowing that the
Laker game started at 5:30 & wanting to cheer them on to a 3-0 series lead,
I found my way to the local bar (the Snow Slip if I'm not mistaken...correct me
if I'm wrong Val & Doug.) There I met Ian, a tour guide in the park
who recently moved from Minnesota, Bob the Bartender, Penny from Point Loma and
her family, Doug and Val from Canada, etc. At halftime of the Lakers losing
effort I asked if I could play the piano in the bar. Well, that move proved to
be a profitable one for me, for for the rest of the night, I was tickling the
ivories in exchange for free beers bought for me left and right. Bob called up
the owner of the place as well as others to tell em to come in to listen. A
collection dish was set out and I played for hours, racking up complementary
booze and piles of cash amounting to no less than 6 dollars! A medley of tunes
were played from the tried and true Simon/Garfunkle, the Beatles, Clapton, some
Joplin Rags, a classical assortment, and of course traditional Israeli favorites
(no Montana saloon singalong would be complete without the age old stylings of
Bashana-Haba'a & Hatikva!) Anyhow, a good time was had by all, I got
good and drunk at the expense of all the kind folks I was surrounded by, and I
promised to return one day to give another performance. Maybe some of y'all will
come to Glacier Park with me one of these days and we'll pay 'em a visit. I
returned to my campsite late last night as the rain fell, and surprise surprise,
its still coming down as I write this huddled in my tent on rainy Montana
morn....
-Darren
Ahhhhhh....so nice to write to one email address instead of over 100...many
thanks to my friend Zac Bell for his help. www.biking4books.com
(ignore the web site address if u don't know the story behind it. I'll share it
with u at a later date!) will have all the archived emails from me as well as
new ones daily. In addition, I will try to scan in some choice photos of the
first 3 weeks when I return to civilization (bad joke...in many if not all ways,
the areas I've been to are FAR more civilized than Los "Angeles") on Wednesday.
In addition, if anyone has any ideas on what they'd like to see on the site,
then by all means let me know, and we'll get working on it. I might possibly opt
for a daily audio message to be posted on the site if technology & time
permit.
Anyhow, I'm back in Missoula , for tomorrow I have to find
storage for my bike, check in vain for your care packages (Eve?!?) at the Post
Office, etc. A good evening to all!
love, Darren
p.s. Thanks for sending the good vibes Satya! They arrived today, so I expect
smooth sailing to the coast!
Hello to everyone and good luck again to all you folks taking finals this week!
Tomorrow I leave Missoula and arrive in LA at 5, so all you Angelinos out there,
gimme a call so we can get together during my brief stay. I took care of some
errands today in Missoula, getting storage for my bike, finding out some more
info about the tour, returning my lawnmower to the rental agency, etc. Tonight
the tour director of Adventure Cycling is kind enough to let me use his backyard
as my camping site for the evening...showers on the house! So tomorrow I can
wake up fresh and clean (which is a rarity these days!) and thereby not offend
anyone on the plane with my noxious body odors!. I got rid of my deodorant in
Baker City to reduce weight, which in hindsight might have been a poor move.
Today I spent a couple hours at the Missoula Public Library, and I carefully put
myself in the far corner of the building to spare the other readers. Anyhow,
tomorrow I will ride my bike to the storage site, lock her up, and walk to the airport to, putting my journey on hold for the
time being.
Have a pleasant evening everyone and write soon!
-Darren
p.s. Thanks so much Jeff, Elyse, Mara, Julia, and Claire for the wonderful care
package you sent, I was so excited to pick it up today, and it was great to see
all my favorite treats in there (the peanut-butter & crackers are especially
tasty!) And I broke my promise about eating in McDonalds because I couldn't turn
my back on those wonderful gift-certificates! Everything was super and I really
appreciate it! love, Darren
California, Los Angeles, June 25
Happy summer to all! I am on my way to the airport as we speak, concluding my
nearly two-week hiatus from my cycling trip and anxious to hit the road again,
although a bit nervous that I might have lost some of my strength and endurance
from sitting on my ass for two weeks. Oh well, nothing like a couple Rocky
Mountain mountain passes to whip ya into shape again! For those of you whom I haven't
spoken to, graduation was very nice and to all you fellow graduates I really
enjoyed seeing you all! For those of you UCSD'ers hittin the rat race now, find
a good job for me too! Following graduation, my parents and I went to Vegas,
where I donated $150 to the casinos, destroying my dreams of making a fortune to
fund my trip. Oh well, I'll clean dishes for meals, pick fruits and vegetables
for some spare change, smoke old stogies i have found (short but not too thick
around) , pushin' brooms for 8 by 12 4-bit rooms, and anything else if need be.
After all, wouldn't that make things all !
the more adventurous? Ah, cruising at 3 mph on the 405 right now on the way to
LAX. I could bike faster than this! Traffic on a Sunday afternoon; one thing I
must say I won't miss. Anyhow, so I arrive in good ol' Missoula tonight at
11:30. I'll Monday is rest and orientation day with the tour group of 12. I pay
them $150 for a one-week trial ride with them, where they see if I'm bearable or
not, and vice-versa. Let's hope it all works out. From Missoula, I'll be heading
to Yellowstone, then to the Jackson Hole area, then Virginia! (in 2 months, that
is) To all of you that have mourned over the loss of my daily emails over
the past few weeks, fear not for I am now back on my daily update schedule.
Although if your piss-poor tendency to send me email continues, I might have to
reconsider. To the Kashpers, Robinson's, and the Sanchez's, thanks for letting a
scraggly-bearded homeless man stay in your homes....I'd be happy to reciprocate
and let any of you stay in my luxurious ten!
t when ever you please. Take care everyone and keep in touch!
-Darren (I capitalized it this time Zac...aren't u proud?)
www.biking4books.com
(818) 261-2101
Good evening everyone! I'm relaxing at the KOA campground, where i met the
Adventure Cycling tour group of 11 people yesterday evening following my flight
to Missoula. They all seem very nice and quite diverse, ranging in age from 22
to 67 and from all over the country. Some are new to bike touring, some have
been doing this all their lives. I'll go into each person in detail as I get to
know them all. Today was a rest day, and I spent my time in Missoula doing
random errands, checking once again in vain for general deliveries at the post
office, sending some extra weight back to LA (be expecting a package Gabi)
picking up a jersey given to me by the Festina company, doing paperwork
necessary for the tour, bike mechanic work, etc. This evening we had a nice
barbeque at the Tour office, a complete meal consisting of juicy steak,
delicious corn, tater salad, ales and wine galore, ice-cream, and much more! I
should say farewell to those delicacies, for the tour provides us with "!
food" from now on; mainly peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, oatmeal,
coffee, and other tidbits. Thats fine though, I can always hit up the
restaurants if need be. So anyhow tomorrow we head south for a 70 mile ride. I
wish it were a bit shorter so I can ease back into it after my 2 week hiatus
from riding, but alas I must tackle the hills in full force once more. The
weather here is absolutely beautiful, so at least that won't be an issue. Well
that's all for now. The tour like to leave at the crack of dawn so i must get my
much needed rest. Be sure to write everyone. Take care!
-Darren
Hi folks. Just passing the time away at Hamilton City Park, 17 miles of my
nights destination of Darby, Montana. I broke another spoke 10 miles back, which
will throw a wheel way out of true and make it nearly impossible to ride.
Fortunately I me and 2 other riders rigged up a temporary replacement to hobble
into town; now I'm nappin' and emailin' as I wait for my rear wheel to be
relaced with heavier guage spokes. For all of u about to depart on bike tours of
your own, I suggest really researching wheels and their designs, for i surely
didn't and have paid the price time and time again. Anyhow, today has been
somewhat tough for me. Firstly, getting used to riding long distances again
after my break, and secondly, getting used to abiding by rules laid forth by
adventure cycling. I find it difficult to be told when to wake up, where to meet
nightly, eating scraps, etc. Hopefully I can adjust. Anyhow, let's hope
everything goes smoothly, especially with the bike as tomorrow we really start to tackle the Rockies, beginning with a 4,000 foot climb to the
summit of Chief Joseph Pass. Have great night everyone!
-Darren
It's almost dinnertime here, and as the Italiano meal is cooked to perfection by
my tour mates, I am relaxing in the camping section of the Wilderness Motel in
Darby, Montana, which, according to the snow cone salesmen on Main Street, was
considered the most dangerous city in Montana during the 1960's, 70's, and 80's,
in no small part due to its laws that permit drinking in public as well as
anywhere in the city. According to Mr. Snow Cone, Darby had its share of
discreet hanging even in the 80's, and to this day child molesters and other
scum of the earth are given a free one-way plane ride over the nearby peaks of
the Rockies. Skydiving included, sans parachute of course. Anyhow, I got my
wheel all fixed up at Hamilton, so I hope for smooth sailing come tomorrow.
After a 71 miler today, we expect to cross the Pass in mid afternoon and
complete our 55 mile ride at early evening. Considering the Rockies await me at
6:30 tomorrow morning, excuse me for keeping the email brief. I !
shall keep you posted on the climb tomorrow. Have a great night!
-Darren
Good morning! After a 7:00 departure following a breakfast of gruel, we are
no in Sula, Montana, 18 miles from last nights campsite. I decided to get myself
another breakfast, knowing that the nutritious and delicious ham, eggs, toast,
hasbrowns, and cinnamon roll will provide ample fuel for the Mtn. Pass. So I'm
off to conquer the beast. Wish me luck!
-Darren
Well, not soooo wonderful. Millions of mosquitoes bearing down on you constantly
has a tendency to spoil the scenery a bit. We arrived in Wisdom, Montana (pop.
150)at the conclusion of our days 59 mile ride up and over Chief Joseph Pass at
7,240 feet. The largest single day of vertical climbing for the entire trip is
behind me. Honestly, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. However,
I wish I wouldn't have gorged myself on that big breakfast in Sula, because
combined with all the water and Gatorade I had to drink while climbing, it made
me feel bloated as hell. Anyhow, after a very nice descent and a ride through
the Big Hole Battlefield National Monument, which was fought many years ago
between the US Gov and the Nez Perce Indian Tribe, we arrived in Wisdom. The
filthy mosquitoes were swarming so badly that half of us decided to get a couple
motel rooms. The others decided to tough it out at the park right next to the
stagnant water; breeding ground for all the mosquitos. Since it was my turn to cook tonight, I had to spend a couple hours
cookin and cleaning there, getting ravaged by the blood sucking beasts. But I'm
happy to be back in the comforts of the motel, ready to get some rest for the 67
mile ride tomorrow into Dillon, Montana. Nitey Nite all y'alls!
-Darren
Hello from Dillon, Montana. Population 3,900 (a bustling metropolis in my book),
elevation 5,500. I'm sittin in Papa T's restaurant as I wait for yet another
bike repair to be completed. I hobbled the last 33 miles into town as a result
of a bent front wheel rim. So as the Bad Beaver Bicycle Shop unbends it for me
as does some other routine maintenance, I'll have ample time to stroll through
town, and try to find some Cortizon to douse myself with to sooth my many
mosquito bites. It was the consensus of the group that Wisdom, Montana (last
night's stop) was the worst city on the trip so far, all because of dem stinkin
bugs. How anyone can live there in the summer is beyond me. Tonight we stay at
the KOA in Dillon, which means hot showers, convenience stores, etc. Tomorrow we
head for Ennis, Montana, approx. 72 miles from Papa T's (and their wonderful
Western Philly Cheese Steak). Sure beats the Rice, Ramen, & Bean combo
(served in one delicious heap) that served as "dinner" yesterday. Good
night all!
-Darren
p.s to Ilan: If u got this message let me know. Zac assured me u are on the
list, but I added u separately just to make sure. Shalom
Hello everyone. Gotta make this one a quickie cause a thunderstorm is upon us
here in Ennis. Today was a 72 miler from Dillon. The first 30 was smooth sailing
as a gradual downhill and light tailwind took us to Twin Bridges, Montana in an
hour and a half. After a bite to eat there, we headed uphill through the cities
of Sheridan and Alder. I was feeling rather ill during that stretch, and I
speculate that the drastic change in diet; from my previous meals of burgers,
fries, shakes, steaks, pasta & meat, fish, etc. to the current dishes that
would hardly suffice at a petting zoo, might be to blame for my lethargic state.
Anyhow, after a brief stop at the cherry stand in Alder I continued on through
vintage Montana gold mining country to the cities of Nevada City & Virginia
City; two restored mining villages (aka tourist traps). Then it was a 5 mile
steep uphill to 6,700 feet up and over an unnamed pass, with a absolutely
breathtaking view of the Rockies as a reward. Then a 10 mile descent to the city
of Ennis, pop. 670. And here we are, scrambling to protect our gear as thunder
and storm clouds start to envelop us. No problem though; for after four
consecutive days of nearly 70 miles a day each, the rain will give me a good
opportunity to get some extra sleep. Good night everyone!
-Darren
WHAT A DAY!
Outpost Lodge is not even a town, its actually one of several rest and RV
stops on the way to West Yellowstone. What was supposed to be a 72 mile day
turned out to be a 36 mile day, due to some of the worst riding conditions I
or my riding partners have ever been in. The weather was beautiful and we only
had to deal with gradual uphill the whole way. BUT, the first 10 miles were
unpaved loose gravel, which requires the utmost of concentration to avoid
taking a bad fall. That alone kinda stunk, but with a 20-30 mile an hour
headwind the ENTIRE day, it was one torturous ride. On downhills that one
could normally cruise at 30mph without pedaling, we were pedaling just to stay
moving. Plus, no services meant no breakfast and no snacks. Today is the kind
of day where your mind forces you to question whether you are really sane or
not to do these things. These thoughts are only temporary of course, but i
certainly hope that the headwinds subside soon. Anyhow, I was thrilled see
everyone at Outpost Lodge when I limped by, for 15 miles back I was determined
to camp there whether or not anyone else was. But everything worked out and
I'm ready to shower and get some grub. Have a good weekend everyone!
-Darren
To break up one long ride into two days is something we should do more often,
as I arrived in West Yellowston at noon today with plenty of time to relax and
enjoy the tourist mecca that this city is. Of course I quickly tired of the
thousands of antique shops, pin and button boutiques, and wildly expensive
restaurants. But the residents gotta make their money somehow, cause passerby
only pass by for 4 months. The rest of the year, it can routinely get to 40 or
50 below zero, so their ain't no 90 year olds cruisin in with their 100 foot
long RV's then! Anyhow, our 40 mile ride today took us away from Outpost Lodge
and by Quake Lake, a lake formed 41 years ago when the Madison River was
diverged due to a large earthquake in the region. Then it was up several small
hills to the beginnings of Hebgen Lake. We rode the bank of the lake, home to
grizzlies, bald eagles, endless varieties of trout, etc., for 25 miles till we
stped at out present location, the Wagon Wheel Campground. It's my turn to cook tonight, so John and I are busy preparing a meal of
pasta, meatsauce, salad, lemonade, beer, watermelon, etc. The group is
now down to 9, as strife within the group caused Marty, a biker from Portland,
to abandon it and head home. Sybil, a German biker, left two days ago, and
Steve, a stammering fool and a complete lunatic who would pass other bikers
but not let others pass him, who would replace his water in his water bottles
with Colt45, Ol'E, Schlitz, or other available malt liquors, who would
dangerously draft other riders, etc. etc. was kicked out of the group last
week........I'm back...after a group meeting and dinner it is now 8pm. So,
tomorrow we head into the parl, right by Ol' Faithful, and trying our best to
avoid the RV's as best we can. A 50 mile ride tomorrow means we'll have some
time to enjoy the sights....of course not NEARLY as much time as I would
like....but that's the story when u join an organized tour. Needless to say, I
got a major decision ahead of me. Good night everyone!
-Darren
