I seem to have lost my zipper

Note: There is an addition to the cast of characters: Donna White is another wise one.

We last left off on our day off about a week ago in Sandpoint, Id. The only pedaling we did that day was the mile or so to the local library and we did so sans panniers, which was wonderful. It was nice to spend a day relaxing and walking around the idyllic town. We found Sandpoint quite charming save for the confederate flag blowing behind a big pickup truck, which are more common than you'd think in northern Idaho, and a bumper sticker that read "Wilderness: Land of no use."

With a little extra pep in our legs the next day we were back to pedaling. We were treated to a beautiful ride along Lake Pend Orielle and at some 30 miles later we unceremoniously arrived in Montana. We were disappointed that there was no welcome sign when we crossed the border. For the day we road 70-ish miles and spent the night at Bull Lake, Montana.

The next day we must have felt our legs were a little too fresh from our day off because we decided to ride 80 rather hilly miles for a two day total of 150 miles. Toward the end we were starting to tire and we started to look for a good place to take a break and catch our breath. After biking up a tough mile long hill Kelly thought he found the perfect spot in the form of the Libby Dam Information Center. The only problem was that it was located at the very bottom of the hill we had just climbed via a different road. At this point we were all a little perturbed with Kelly and acting for all of us Gus started hitting Kelly with the maps. Seeking to redeem himself Kelly pulled out the afternoon snack he had purchased earlier. However, Kelly just dug himself deeper as it was a major flop. With these two actions the "Good idea, Bad idea" list was started with Little Debbie Pecan Pinwheels and biking down to Libby Dam topping off the bad idea list. As such, we spent the rest of the day's ride chiding Kelly which made the rest of the ride to the Rocky Gorge Campground tolerable. Our camp site that night was beautiful with a perfect view of Lake Koocanusa.

The next morning Larry and Donna (Liz's Dad and Mom) came to spend the weekend biking with us. Up to this point, Gus had been the dishes man on the trip. But Donna also likes to do the dishes, which we warned Gus the night before she arrived. Gus practiced his responses to Donna-- "this is MY kitchen, I do the dishes here. You have your own kitchen..." True to form, the next morning Donna started washing dishes. Gus jumped up to take them from her, but after refusing, Donna and Gus started fighting over the sponge and dirty dish. In the end, Donna won. Kelly and Caleb are right to warn "do not mess with The Donna".

Before coming out, Donna did not like biking; in fact, she had a bike for 10 years and hardly used it. Luckily, we were able to talk her into bringing it out. We quickly discovered she was a demon on the uphills, beating us all. However, her speed down the hill was about the same as it was up them. After a few days of practice, she has become the "down-hill demon" and has found a new love of biking. That night we stayed at Dicky Lake and had a fabulous dinner prepared by Larry and Donna.

The next day we were welcomed by drizzle that lasted all day long. We had a beautiful ride anyway. Lunched in Whitefish, then rode on to Larry's cousins' house. We were warmly welcomed by Greg and Joy Carson. We ate wonderful food, caught up on family stories, took warm showers, washed clothes, and slept in beds!.

Mark joined us, after riding the train through the night! It was great to see the guy and to have him finally join us. We rode up to West Glacier after a tasty breakfast with Greg and Joy. The pass was closed, so we picked out a campsite, dropped our bags, and rode as far up the pass as we could. The views were amazing. A ten mile-strech of the "Going-to-the-Sun" Highway was closed to traffic, but open to bikes and hikers. We took advantage of riding on the wrong side of the road. After a tasty dinner with Larry and Donna, we had to say goodbye to them until they join us again in New York.

On Monday, May 29, we rode from West Glacier on Highway 2, which snakes along the southern edge of the park. On the way up we ran into Dan, a guy we met in Sandpoint and has led Adventure Cycling tours in the past. Missing the adventure that touring brings he decided to bike with us and camp with us for the night. It was cool to have the added, unexpected company. We then proceeded to climb up and over the Contintental Divide and Marias Pass and spent the night at a hostel in East Glacier.

The next morning we rode to Shelby, Montana. This was a tough ride for us because it was Gus's last day. The whole day everyone was a little down knowing this fact and it seemed that everyone was pedaling a little slower with the hope that it would last a little longer. That night we tried to concentrate on the fun that we had with Gus over the past two weeks. Here is our favorite Gus story: The night the Margie and Anna joined us in Usk, WA, toward the end of our meal there was a brief silence as everyone was preoccupied with savoring every last bite of pizza and sip of beer. Out of the blue Gus looked up and with the most forlorn and utterly distressed look loudly proclaimed "I seem to have lost my zipper." It was hilarious.

Finally, we have arrived at the present. We met Gus and Margie at The Griddle for a wonderful breakfast, took some pictures, said our goodbyes and sadly went our separate ways. The great food lasted us well into the afternoon (thanks Gus and Margie!) and some 40 miles to Chester, Mt, where we had a sandwhich and terrorized the local library.

Until next time, pedaling along,

Caleb, Kelly, Liz, and Mark