New Ulm, Minnesota - Day 27

Day 21 - After breakfast everyone left Rapid City, South Dakota in a pretty large group and since the roads were narrow we established what was an informal pace line for the first leg of the ride. At one point, after my pull, I stepped out to the side to let everyone else pull up and I was astonished to see about eighteen people riding in single file within six inches of the next person's wheel. After the first rest stop, the groups began to break up and by the time we entered the Badlands, everyone was kind of riding on their own and quietly taking in the scenery.

Being in the Badlands is like being on the moon because of all the craters and just how beautifully desolate it all is. Tony described the formations as looking like giant sandcastles. Different layers have different colors and it was cool to see lime green and magenta splayed along the sides of these buttes.

Kadoka is yet another small town across America. The entire place looks like a city park and the people are all very friendly. We had a catered dinner of fried chicken and roast beef at a local restaurant and then after some chatting, everyone dozed off one by one.

Day 22 - The same restaurant that catered to us the previous night provided a delicious breakfast of biscuits and gravy. I rode by myself today to let my thoughts wander free, but the ride was so quiet and the yellow-green fields, open blue sky and rolling hills occupied my mind enough. I stayed alone until Tony caught me with 20 miles to go into Pierre. We rode together for the last little bit and stopped to take a picture before we crossed over the Missouri River into the eastern half of the country.

Camp was in a really nice park right along the Missouri River. Since there were some bootleggers and homeless people in the park, most of the group stuck around in the park to make sure that nobody went rummaging through our stuff. Noah, Simon, and I watched the sunset from a small dock and after writing some postcards (which I have still not sent out) I went to bed.


Day 23 - The scenery on this day was extremely boring. I took a total of two pictures: one of a gigantic farm-machinery contraption on wheels and another of a water tower. Reuben and I rode quickly to get to Miller so we could at least sit down on a comfortable chair in an air-conditioned high school auditorium.

That night we celebrated Chad and Janet's birthdays. Chad turned 21 so we stuck around the bar after dinner to buy him drinks. The locals were really friendly and seemed genuinely interested in what we were doing. It is nice to know that we are doing seems to be having a small effect.

Day 24 - Again, the day's ride was very boring but early on when the sun was still low and the roads were clear, I felt very relaxed and at peace. Today we crossed the halfway point for our journey, so hopefully we will get some more of "Oh, you're almost there then" rather than "Well, you've got a long way to go." The ride finished in De Smet, the childhood home of Laura Ingalls Wilder. De Smet is a perfectly quaint town with lots of beautiful green lawns and tall rows of trees everywhere. Our campsite was in a beautiful park, something you might find in a secluded part of Paris along the Seine River. We had a filling dinner at a Catholic church and afterwards the sun was still up at 9 o' clock. A bunch of people were working on their bikes while I laid in my tent enjoying the sunlight and some music.

Day 25 - We woke up to a nice little thunderstorm and pouring rain. After hastily packing everything up in the rain I left with Dewayne. Poor guy had half his stuff packed and his stakes just pulled up when the rain started pouring and the wind started blowing. We got breakfast in town and then chased the storm that just hit us and ran from a new storm that had formed behind us. Halfway done with the ride, we had arrived in Brookings, South Dakota and the storms had dissolved. Doug, Ed, Austin, Reuben, and I messed around town for a long time before setting out again.

About sixteen miles to camp we crossed over into Minnesota. I was pleasantly surprised at all the green lushness in the state. There are a lot of trees and lakes in Minnesota and so far I have not seen anything to call boring. I saw a lot of windmills in the middle of crop fields. The whole idea of windmills is quite genius actually. They are aesthetically pleasing and a good source of natural energy.

I arrived in Tyler, Minnesota and after setting up my tent and taking a shower, a few of us walked over to a pizza buffet for dinner. It was Ed's 28th birthday so we stuffed him silly with pizza and then fed him ice cream cake. After dinner, a few of us threw around a frisbee and then went to bed.

Day 26 - There was a thick fog hanging low over the air. It was very dark and ominous, but surprisingly peaceful. Nobody said anything for the first part of the ride. The air was cool and chilly as we rode mile after mile into the hazy unknown laying before us.

Eventually, the fog lifted and the sun burned through the clouds. Puffy and pearl white clouds stayed behind over a bright and deep blue sky. There were huge fields of grain, corn, and soy growing right alongside the road on the way to New Ulm. As we approached the outskirts of the city, there was a sudden increase in trees and I was immediately reminded of being back home.


We arrived at the Martin Luther College just in time to unload and choose rooms. After cleaning up and taking a nap, we had a simple dinner of rice and chicken teriyaki at the dining hall. After dinner, a few of us walked over the movie theater and watched the premier of the new Batman movie, The Dark Night. Afterwards it was 1 o' clock in the morning, and not being accustomed to staying up so late, after we got back to the dorm we passed out very quickly.

Day 27 - Chad, Austin and I got breakfast at a small breakfast diner in downtown New Ulm. I got two eggs, hash browns, sausage links, two pancakes, and a biscuit and gravy platter. Against my own expectations, I finished everything without a stomach ache. Afterwards, we went to the laundromat to wash our filthy clothes and while waiting for everything to dry, the three of us joined Greg and his fiancee Sarah for a game of Life.

The trip is over halfway done now and now there are "days left" rather than "days done." Each morning I wake up, I know that I get to do something incredible. To be honest with you, I am having too much the time of my life to even think about returning to civilization. My parents are going to kill me for saying this, but as soon as I get back I want to buy an actual touring bike so I can start doing my own unsupported rides all around North Carolina and elsewhere.

The next rest day is in Valparaiso, Indiana on July 27. I think that I am going to visit my sister Alison in Chicago that day and possibly the night before as well. You can expect an update on one of those two days.

Rapid City, South Dakota - Day 20

Day 15 - The day's ride was only 54 miles so a few people stayed in Billings to explore the city and visit museums. However, I just wanted to get going so I left with Tracy. The entire ride was very colorful and highlights included yellow flowers, a wide and open powder blue sky, and gigantic killer dandelions the size of my palm.

After making it into Hardin, Montana and setting up my tent I got lunch with a few of the other early riders. We ate some tasty Indian (Native American) Tacos at a local establishment. Later, just before dinner, a few of us went to the community center to go swimming. Following a phone conversation with my sister Carolyn I fell asleep to the Beatles.

Day 16 - Today I finally got chased by dogs. Apparently, this is an issue that a lot of bikers run into frequently. I have never been so blessed to experience such a rush. Noah, Simon, and I took some lewd pictures at a Native American Memorial park we ran into a few miles later. Later on, after lunch, a friendly stray dog started tagging along after us for a few miles. Being dog owners, Noah and Simon turned around and led the dog to the nearest inhabited building while I went on. I made it into the state of Wyoming and after a very hot last thirty miles I arrived at camp in Sheridan, Wyoming. I know that state borders are invisible lines but I must say that crossing the border into Wyoming was a sigh of relief; mainly because Montana is just so freaking big.

We stayed at a luxurious KOA campground that night, so there was no real reason to leave. A few people went into town to watch the Tour de France but I stayed at camp and ate a lot of ice cream before passing out due to the lactose overload.

Day 17 - Today was an extremely long day. The ride was about 112 miles and though I felt good for the first half of the ride, by the second half of the ride I was barely paying attention to anything but the road directly in front of me. I just wanted to make it into camp and take a shower. Part of the ride was extremely green with lots of tall trees but part of the ride was extremely brown with never ending climbs.

I rode into Gillette, Wyoming with Tony. About five miles outside of the campground we both saw a car pull up behind us and just stay on our tails. I tried to wave them on but then a girl poked her head out of the passenger side window and started taking pictures of us. We were a little disheveled and sloppy from being so tired, but after we made it into camp we found out that the pictures were for a story that the city newspaper was doing about us. Check out the article they did on us here. Sadly, they did not use the pictures they took of Tony and me. Maybe it was because I was shirtless and disgusting.

Day 18 - Unluckily, I woke up to a pretty awful tension headache which put me in a bad mood for the entire ride. In order to not put every one else in a bad mood I was pretty silent. Because of this, I did not really care to take in my surroundings. All I really recall was a bunch of rolling hills and a lot of green and wide open spaces. But at one point, Noah and I raced an antelope running along the side of the road. We clocked the antelope at around 25 mph.

We ended up staying at a Senior Center that night in Newcastle, Wyoming. After dinner, about ten of us played a T-shirt trading game and I ended up with Liz's Starbucks shirt and water bottle while Nick ended up with my UNC Crew shirt.

Day 19 - I left with Noah and within twelve miles we hit the South Dakota state line. The scenery was awesome. There were deep green fields and rising hills on both sides of the road. After a little bit of more riding we made it into the Black Hills National Forest. The climb to the peak was refreshing and quiet. There were a lot of tall evergreens that casted much needed shadows on to the road. Speeding down the road right next to the cliffs was pretty exhilarating. I wanted to take a video of it but I figured that might be a little dangerous.

Eventually, we made it into Custer, where Noah and I messed around for two hours before setting out again. We entered Custer State Park and began to climb up towards the top. This park is absolutely incredible. There are magnificently tall dark green trees and sparkling blue streams that seem to whisper a quiet peace. There is a lot of camping in this park and I would love to come back one day and just get lost here.

After leaving the park, we had to battle some ferocious crosswinds to make it to the checkpoint just before our final turn. After reaching the checkpoint and turning onto highway 79 we had to battle a steady headwind of 35-40 mph with gusts up to 50 mph for eighteen miles. It was pretty miserable and we were forced to break up our groups. After gritting my teeth and yelling at the wind (I was kind of going nuts) for about two hours I finally arrived at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and checked into a nice dorm room.

Day 20 - Simon and I got breakfast at a place called Tally's this morning where I ordered steak and eggs with hash browns and a pancake. After getting back to campus, Janet drove Letty, Rachel, Chad, Simon, Noah and myself to the Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse monuments to do a little bit of sight seeing.

These guys did a few things for the USA I guess

Tomorrow we have a century to ride to Kadoka, South Dakota. We have six days of riding through the rest of South Dakota and then into Minnesota and then a rest day on July 19 in New Ulm, Minnesota.

Some reflections of the trip so far:

- The USA is really big
- Bargaining is really easy
- Rednecks do not have to be from the South
- Native Americans have extremely interesting stories. Do a little bit of research and you will be surprised with the diversity among the different groups
- You are only as old as you think you are
- There is absolutely nothing you cannot do

Billings, Montana - Day 14

Day 10 - The morning was dark and fog hung low over the hills and mountains as we left Missoula. Although some people might call the weather miserable, the air was cool and a nice change from the usual heat and dryness. As the day progressed the air got lighter, but puffy clouds remained blotting the wide sky.

As Noah and I approached the campsite in Avon, Montana, we stopped at a restaurant known widely for their incredible pie. Eventually, we finished up the last three miles of the ride and set up camp in a building at a campground intended for elementary schoolers. Needless to say, it was quite cramped that night.

Day 11 - We left the campground early in the morning after a light breakfast and began a climb that started out gradual and progressed to steep near the crest. After eleven miles, we were at the top of MacDonald Pass (elevation 6325 feet). This is the highest point for the entire trip and it was a rush to finally be at the top. The scenery was much the same as the past few days, but beautiful still. Shortly after catching my breath, I began a long and steady descent into Townsend, Montana where we set up camp at a high school.


After dinner we went swimming for a while at a local pool. Following that, eight of us played a pretty sorry game of ultimate frisbee before falling asleep. Funnily enough, I feel like the more exercise I do, the lazier I get.

Day 12 - The day began with a beautiful climb through Helena National Forest. Right on the side of the road there was a babbling stream and as the sun filtered through the trees the light speckled the water amazingly. The road was still wet from the night before and everything seemed to shine.

We passed through White Sulpher Springs where the town held a parade for July 4. One of the more interesting floats included Confederate Flags with posters boasting, "The South will rise again." Hmm... Montana.

After making it to camp in Harlowton, Montana, seven of us had a hot dog eating competition. Noah won by eating six hot dogs in about five minutes. Montana has almost no rules about fireworks and so Doug bought fireworks powerfully equivalent to what the city of Raleigh might set off for the show at Meredith College for dirt cheap. All of us played with fire late into the night (11 o' clock) to celebrate the birth of our country.

Day 13 - Howling winds woke me up early and after taking everything down I discovered that half the people had left early already and so there was no organized breakfast. Luckily, there was a diner not too far away and on the way to Billings. After finishing breakfast, we set out at 8:30 AM, about two hours later then we normally would. The wind was at our backs most of the day so the ride went by very quickly considering our late start.

Apparently Meth is a big problem in Montana
Joe, Reuben, and Noah agree

Billings, Montana is the largest city in Montana and after settling into the dorms at Montana State University, we had an incredible dinner that most notably included over-sized pieces of steak. Later that night before bedtime, a few of us rode our bikes to watch Hancock.

Day 14 - Late this morning a group of us got breakfast at a place called Stella's. Chad tried to eat four monster pancakes for the grand prize of one free cinnamon roll. He got through two and then bonked. After a painful walk back to the dorms, we mostly lounged around and did a lot of nothing. Rest days tend to be like that. Before July 12 (our next rest day in Rapid City, South Dakota), we will leave Montana, enter Wyoming and arrive in South Dakota. Expect an update then.

Missoula, Montana - Day 9

Today is a rest day in Missoula, Montana and seeing as I have internet access today, here is another update!

Day 6 - A small group of us left the Gonzaga campus from the Centennial Trail and rode across some very nice rolling hills until we got to a small town hosting some sort of festival. There were Lion King floats and people dressed up as old Scottish soldiers marching through a small downtown area. We rested here and then made our way into the state of Idaho. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Idaho is not all like Napoleon Dynamite.

We arrived in Sandpoint after a little while. It is a really nice city with a cool downtown and lots to do and lots to see. The buildings kind of remind me of the East Village in New York City. A group of us went to the beach and cooled off in the water before dinner back at the high school where we stayed.

Day 7 - Leaving Idaho was incredible. This section of the trip has been the most breathtaking so far. Everywhere as far as the eye can see, there are high mountains, deep blue lakes, and amazing evergreen trees. I rode with Noah for most of the day and we just kept our mouths shut as we tried to soak everything in.

Eventually, everyone crossed into Montana and we stopped to take pictures. After the second rest stop about halfway in, I set out with Nick, our mechanic (also a very strong rider who I probably should not have been riding with), for about twenty more miles until we saw a lake that we wanted to jump in. A lot of places in Montana have huge bodies of water surrounded by about a quarter mile of fields with white and purple flowers followed by immediate hills speckled with evergreens. So, about one hundred feet from the last rest stop, we pulled over onto a dock and dove in. The cold water was refreshing to our tired legs, and after refilling our water bottles at the rest stop we rode the last twenty miles into Thompson Falls. We had a catered dinner from a restaurant called Minnie's. I ate until I was almost comatose and went to bed shortly thereafter.

Day 8 - Minnie's allowed us to come in for breakfast. I thought that I was going to eat a small plate of something light; but, after they brought out four biscuits smothered with gravy, with a side of two huge scrambled eggs and a tall glass of milk, I began to think otherwise. Being the idiot that I am, I finished everything on my plate and made the first twenty five miles of my ride miserable. After digesting, I felt a lot better and then set out by myself and went through some incredible hills, lakes, fields and mountains. The day began early so the shadows playing through the thick forest of trees as the sun rose were nice and cool.

After a quick climb to our halfway point, I set out by myself again and made it into Missoula County. The heat was beginning to get to me so I resolved to make it to camp as quickly as I could. The day's ride was just over a hundred miles and with twenty left to go I put up my camera and sprinted to Missoula before I could pass out. The picture above is the view behind me as I rode towards my destination. It was curious to see how far I have gone in so little time.

The heat was getting to a lot of people, so after unloading all the gear, our rider leader Daniel had to make a few calls to organize how to pick the struggling riders up. In the meantime, I took a shower and then Reuben, Tony, Chuck, and I went to a sports bar for a snack. After we got back, we immediately went to dinner and ate even more. And by the way, I have decided to do the Burger Tour de America and try a cheeseburger (or two) every single day.

We stayed at a dormitory at the University of Montana and there was a piano there. After some songs and singing, it was time to sleep.

Today, I woke up and went grocery shopping. After coming back I printed out some sheet music for piano and Noah and I rehearsed Ben Folds Five's Brick, which we plan on performing to perfection later on in the trip. After walking around town for a little bit, I cleaned my bike and now I am just waiting to go to dinner. The University of Montana has a very nice layout with some beautiful green lawns reminiscent of Polk Place back at UNC.

Tomorrow, I will be in Avon, Montana. Our next rest day is in Billings, Montana July 6, so you can expect another update then.

Spokane, Washington - Day 5

I know that I promised daily posts, but coming across internet access has been very difficult. However, I will try to capture as much as I can whenever I can. So I will do a few day by day recaps while including pictures I have taken.

Day 1 - Jaime drove me over to the University of Washington campus and dropped me off. Seeing as I did not know anyone at this point, I was pretty uneasy and felt very awkward while everyone else was surrounded by their family and friends cheering them on as they left. The ride started out on the Burke-Gilman Trail and after our first rest stop I joined up with two guys from Maine (Noah and Simon) and we rode together up through some hills towards Snoqualmie.

The climb into Snoqualmie

We were on and off I-90 for a while, which really sucked, but eventually we began a climb to Snoqualmie Pass (the lowest pass in the Cascades). By this point, my phone (which was incidentally my camera as well), had fallen out of my rack bag. There was snow still on the ground and what looked like white water rapids rushing by just feet below the edge of the road. Sorry, but I do not have photos of this amazing part. After this, we started a long descent into Easton, where we stayed that night.

Day 2 - Within two miles from the start, I got a flat. And then twenty feet after replacing it, I got another. So I was pretty upset at this point, but two guys from California, Austin and Ed stayed with me while I fixed it and eventually we sped through and caught up with the pack at the next rest stop. During this stretch, there were some seriously beautiful countryside farms with mountains in the background and while everyone stopped to take pictures I kind of just kicked myself. After the rest stop, the ride into Vantage was pretty simple. The land along this section was pretty much just light brown dirt and walls. There was a long and steady uphill followed by a fun 11 mile descent into the campground. A few of us got burgers at a place called Blustery's. Wonderfully, Stephanie, another girl from North Carolina, found my phone and returned it to me. During dinner, the ride leaders brought me out a birthday cake which was very nice.

The view across Vantage

Day 3 - We began the day with a quick climb out of Vantage. After that, there were a lot of steady hills and beautiful countryside. I met up with Joe, from Chicago who works for Orbitz, and we rode together for the entire day. Although most of the day was fairly monotonous, it was beautiful still. Joe and I stopped a few times to take pictures of anything sticking out, and it was curious to hear near complete silence. The climb into Odessa was pretty much never ending. There was a whole lot of nothing on either side of the only road. We kept on thinking that after the crest of the next hill we would see the town. We met up with Barbara, who used to row and works for Intel, and we all rode the last two miles into Odessa together. After making it to camp, the three of us went into town and got a burger. After some ultimate frisbee post-dinner, it was time for sleep.

Day 4 - There was a huge group of us that set out together from the start. Before the first checkpoint I was riding with Noah, Joe, Reuben (from Minnesota, enrolled at Lewis and Clark), Ed, Austin, Tracy (strangely enough, also from Raleigh, and works at Ligon!), Dewayne, Greg and Chad (both from Omaha, Nebraska). There was a vicious tailwind and speeding along at 22 miles per hour, we sang Lion King, Queen, Tenacious D and bunch of other fun songs under a great big blue sky.

(left to right) Noah, Austin, Ed, Dewayne, and Tracy

After the first rest stop, we regrouped a little differently and set out again. We stopped in Davenport for breakfast/burgers at a small restaurant and then started riding again. I started out with Reuben and Joe, but when they stopped to take a picture, I sped off and caught up with Dewayne and Doug and we bolted up a long hill at 22-26 miles per hour, mainly due to the screaming tailwind through some more farmland. After the next rest stop it was into Spokane and to Gonzaga through some sticky traffic.

Almost into downtown Spokane

Currently, I am in a library at Gonzaga University. Today is a rest day and we have the luxury of staying in a dormitory for two nights. Spokane is a pretty nice place and parts of the Gonzaga University campus are really beautiful. Tomorrow, I will be in Sandpoint, Idaho. The trip has been amazing so far and I can honestly say that I have never seen so many beautiful places and I hope that it will only get better.

I miss everyone to death and I will update as soon as I can.

Before the Ride - Day 0

Leaving home made me a little bit uneasy. This is my first time traveling with no one I know personally and saying good bye to my parents was somewhat strange.

Creedmoor, NC

However, I have been in Seattle for two days and two nights now and I am staying with my friend from high school Jaime which is good because I spent time with him early on in high school, so there is some good familiarity there. He is here working as a conceptual artist for the video game company Bungie (based in Kirkland) and was willing to take me in for the weekend to provide free shelter and show me around. Check out some of his work here.

Seattle is a really great place. Aside from the fact that it is generally overcast and drizzling for ten months out of the year there is a lot to see and do. Plus, when the clouds do part for those two month it is quite breath-taking.

Puget Sound

Orientation was tonight and it was really awesome to meet a lot of different people from everywhere. I find it funny how people's ranges for "acceptable temperatures" range so differently. For example, there was a couple I met from around the Seattle area and they are comfortable in 50-70 degree weather. Apparently, 80 degrees is a bit too warm for them. As for myself and Stephanie, the other girl from North Carolina, our comfort range is 70-90 degrees.

All that aside, I start riding tomorrow morning at 7 AM (10 AM for all of you on the East Coast) and by the end of the day tomorrow I will be in Easton, Washington wondering what I have gotten myself into.

Training around the Triangle

This past Sunday I flew back into Raleigh and since then I have not been doing too much except for training, eating, and sleeping. While this may seem to be boring, being back in North Carolina has its rewards too. About to touch down in the airplane, I peeked out of the window and saw green everywhere. Trees, farms and not a single large building were in sight. Leaving New York, all I saw were buildings and more buildings. But please, do not get me wrong: I am not saying that buildings are terrible things, or that big cities do not have trees. All I mean to say is that it is nice to be back home.

When riding in the past, I usually took my bike out towards Apex and Cary after passing through downtown Raleigh. Recently however, I have been exploring the areas more north of Raleigh. I have ridden into Creedmore, Oxford, and Wake Forest. The roads to and from these places have some of the most spectacular and pristine views and it feels great to be part of the scene. Needless to say, I have been experiencing this state, where I have always lived, in a much different way. I think Alex would appreciate all the true rednecks that I have come across.

And now on to accounting some of my reunions with old friends and other recent developments:

Sunday, I ate three dinners: one at home with my parents, one with Michael and his family, and another one later that night at Cook-Out ($3.99 a tray, how can you resist?)

Monday night, after chatting for a while in Fred Fletcher Park about the "good old days" back in high school, Travis, Dylan, Matt, and I decided that we all had the munchies. At the suggestion of Dylan, we went to Mo Joe's at the intersection of Glenwood and Peace. After 11 PM they sell burgers for $1.00 and all you have to pay for are the toppings. Quite incredible I must say.

Today, I woke up early (8 o' clock) and set out on my weekly long ride. From North Raleigh, I went through Chapel Hill and into Hillsborough before turning around. Counting everything up: I drank two camelbaks and six 24 ounce bottles of water, ate two Nature Valley bars, a peanut butter sandwich and a few slices of a mango, shed three pounds and lost what once was a horrible watch tan that some of you were familiar with.

And now I will leave you with some pictures I have taken on my sweet new camera phone.

One of many fields along Dairyland

Seemingly unused silos

The road back to Chapel Hill

An abandoned house somewhere between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough