THE FINALE!

On Saturday afternoon (around 11:30) Brittany and Amanda started their journey from Mitchell to Canistota, South Dakota (We all like how it rhymes). We literally blew 45 miles there, it was pretty amazing. A storm was happing around us, never quite hitting us, yet helping us the entire way. Once we reached Canistota we were greeted by Lindsey who is by far the best hostess in Canistota. We thuroughly enjoyed Lindsey and her parents company. We took the afternoon easy then ate a delictable dinner of meatballs, potatos, orange fluff, corn, and CHOCOLATE CAKE! It was a feast. We then enjoyed our evening by being introduced the Henry and Jeffery (both horses), and watched Life Aquatic where we learned that "we don't know what is going to happen, we just go and film it, that is how we've always done it".

We awoke Sunday morning to sunny skies and a sweet Canistota wind. Brittany attended church at First Baptist in Emery, SD, while Anna and Amanda read Time magazine and explored the vastness of Canistota over coffee. We enjoyed Karen's special eggbake as well as the entertainment we were fed. That afternoon we again visited "The Land" and Henry and Jeffery, Jeffery got a little bit spooked so we all sat and watched him freak out a little then decided to go back to the house to sleep and read (boy are we a lively bunch), but it was great. That evening we witness of the funnied dinner conversations in the world, over the confusion how to eat Southwest Chicken (Thanks Roy!) After dinner we prepared for out last day of biking, it felt semi-daunting to prepare for out last day biking together... and biking over a hundred miles.

Monday, June 30, 2008...
Wake up 7:00
Start biking 8:30 (earliest we've started yet)
Pedal on, Pedal on, Pedal on for miles, Pedal on, Pedal on, Pedal on! (this is part of a song in case you feel confused right now)
We biked a good 52 miles to Canton and enjoyed a delicious lunch of PB&J and cookies (of course). Then we biked some more, got lost, then biked up a million hills and down what felt like 2, then biked some more, and stopped and ate apples at a beautiful church, then maybe cried a little, then bike a little more, asked for directions, then biked, and somehow ended up in Sioux Center. Ate way too much pizza, and biked to Orange City!
Arrival 8:30
AND WE'RE DONE BIKING!
We were warmly greeted by Brittany's room-mates, and got a sudden burst of energy and biked to campus, to reminesce, and biked back. Amanda and Brittany ran to the store (where did all this energy come from?) then we watched a movie, Bobby, which put us all in a good mood... (Just joking, it's good, but sad). We were in bed by way too late, and woke up way to early, but anyway, we're done, and we're glad you joined us on our trip.

Mom, I hope this kept you informed enough, and didn't freak you out. And all others, we appreciate you.

Stay tuned to future blogs from us three once we get home, we will all do one more, and...
In 2010 we are planning a trip across France and Spain on El Camino de Santiago, (the way of Saint James/ Pilgrimage).

Pierre, Miller, Huron & Mitchell, SD

So Thursday morning we awoke to the sweet aroma of French toast and bacon. After a delicious breakfast, packing the car, and saying our farewells to Charli (tear), we drove to the edge of town and Amanda and Brittany started biking East. Anna was able to return to Pierre and spend a few more precious hours with Charli before receiving a phone call from the bikers. They were in need of a bike tool to help Brittany change a flat she had gotten (dang construction!) Soon after Anna arrived with the tool the tube was changed and all was well, or so we thought. Anna drove ahead to Miller and Brittany and Amanda continued to bike. As we biked on the gradual uphill to Miller we noticed that somebody had cut the grass next to the road. Now this usually wouldn't be a problem but somebody obviously had a blower on the side of the mower that caused the grass to cover the shoulder. At first we thought "No big deal, this won't last very long. Honestly, how long of a stretch would somebody mow for?" And as we approached mile 10 of the grassy shoulder we realized this was one serious lawn mower. This was not normal cut grass, this was piles of long, wet grass covering the smooth perfect shoulder one would not expect to find in South Dakota. With ten miles left to go we decided to bike hard and make it to Miller quickly. And as Amanda sped on going 16-18 miles per hour, Brittany peddled as hard as she could and managed a mere 12 miles per hour. Yes, that's right, another flat. Obviously we failed to remove the rock that caused the first flat (although we did check and thought all was clear). Not letting it take the fight out of them, Amanda and Brittany started walking towards Miller as Anna drove the last 6 miles to come pick them up.

Once reunited, we drove towards Sunshine Bible Academy, where we stayed for the night. We were welcomed by the sticky, buggy air of the Midwest... and by some kind people who allowed us to clean up in their home. After a dinner of pop-tarts and cookies (lack of stove/fire and motivation equals dinners such as that) we headed for bed. It was great to be sleeping inside on a soft mattress when it was raining and windy and lightening outside. Thanks Amanda and Charli for setting us up with the school!

Yesterday morning, we were greeted once again with rain and wind. Eh. We took our time in the morning (not unusual, but the rain did slow us down even more) and soon it was 2pm...how did that happen? Oh yeah...we drove to Miller because we all decided to take the rain hour to call friends and family. We stopped by a restaurant and lounge to pick up service (Amanda found great success while Anna and Brittany struggled.) When the precipitation ceased, we could not determine the direction in which the storm clouds where going, so without discussion we traveled on by car to Huron in search of lunch. Soup and bread sticks would only do, so we stopped in a twice recommended place that had none. The kind waitress saw our dismay, and referred us to the Crossroads--a small diner in a hotel--where we got our fill.

Hmm...3pm...still haven't fixed Brittany's flat tire...we just went...all the way to Mitchell, SD. Anna confessed that she was done camping (I'm ashamed, I'll admit--but I'm sick of being WET!) and Amanda agreed. Everyone was up for a hotel room and by the time we were settled in our Holiday Inn Express room (that just opened the day before! Thanks Mama & Papa K!) we looked outside and witnessed the torrential wind and rain storm only a South Dakota plain can create. We were glad to have escaped that one!

Today, with a fixed tube in Brittany's bike, we head towards Canistota for our second to last day of biking. It's hard to believe we're nearing the end.

Storms and Badlands...

Sunday night in Deadwood, a storm put a damper on our sleeping. Although the tent is mostly waterproof, a puddle ended up forming inside. Brittany's entire back was wet and her pillow was dripping. Everybody was awake for a large majority of the night.

Despite the lack of sleep, Amanda and Brittany started biking from Caputa to Interior, SD. Anna drove ahead to Scenic and sat outside a thrift store reading for a good two hours waiting for the bikers to get there, where they ate lunch. After lunch Anna drove on to Interior and set up camp. She met a young boy named Donald who offered to help her set up the tent, and she let him but refused to take him along to get coals for fire. As Anna was dealing with a clingy 13-year-old, Amanda and Brittany made their way from Scenic to Interior... nothing too exciting happened minus the prairie dogs barking (they have PLAGUE! by the way).

That evening at the campsite was relaxing and peaceful. We ended up going to bed at 9pm to wake up at 6am... sourdough pancakes made from sourdough starter over 100 years old were for breakfast at the campsite cafe. We had a great day planned with all three of us biking twenty miles to Wall, hang out there, and then bike the easy twenty miles back. Turns out, however, that Wall is actually 32 miles from Interior and the ground turned from flat to extremely hilly with three spots labeled as "passes!" In the 96 degree heat we were not mentally prepared for this, but we all managed. When we got to Wall we ordered large chocolate shakes and French fries. After walking around Wall Drug and filling up on free ice water, we found a tree and layed in the rocks beneath its shade for a half hour nap.

We then headed back towards the Badlands National Park... a hard 8 miles uphill (mostly) against the wind. Luckily it was more downhill on the way back as we assended 800 feet on the way to Wall. Amanda was thinking about food for dinner as she biked and realized that if we made it back to camp in 23 minutes we could eat buffalo bugers! Brittany biked ahead at 19-23 mph in order save us a spot. When the biking was getting hard, a kind family drove up along side each biker and offered water. And the buffalo burgers were great!

With some concern about the forecast, we headed to bed as soon as possible. Not long after they had taken Melatonin and dozed off, the wind picked up. The wind was so strong it ended up pushing the tent in on all sides! The lighting was something else as well, flashing every second - literally. Although it was scary we were all holding up until it started to rain. It was misting in our tent onto our faces and Anna was in a large puddle within seconds. Game plan? Go to the bathroom. We grabbed our sleeping bags and blankets and headed that way. About 30 seconds after arriving there was a knock on the door. Amanda opened it to none other than Donald and his fast dog, Sammy. Amanda kindly asked him, "What are you doing?" He said his trailer was shaking. It was weird that he came to the ladies bathroom! After moving to the game room and talking we decided to call our friend Charli to see if we could come a little early to her house. Thankfully she answered her phone at 3:30am.

We packed up in the rain and drove the two hours to Pierre. We arrived at about 6am and headed right to bed. Thanks Charli! Today we took it easy (on little sleep) and spent some much needed catch-up time with our college friends Charli and Amanda. Charli showed us around town; took us to her work and the capitol building. We also enjoyed choice meats and fried olives and mushrooms from Cattleman's Steakhouse. Good day!

Deadwood

Directly after we left the coffee shop The Wild Side, we returned to out car, and who did we see there...? JONATHAN! He biked 28 miles on a Cruiser!!! and found us, amazing. We unfortunately left him for Devils Tower, and would have loved to give him a ride, but our car was packed. You have no idea how packed our car is, it is full of CRAP! but we can't get rid of anything because it is all necessary "crap".

Upon arriving at Devils tower we were warmly greeted by a forecast of hail and rain. So... of course as we approached the half-way point of our hike around this halo for aliens, it began to rain. We finished our hike and headed to trading post and found used pans on sale!!! yahoo! So that night as we found the PERFECT campsite at Devils Tower we enjoy an nice meal of mushroom rice (don't worry we didn't pick the mushrooms ourself). We were in desperate need for a relaxing night so we watched "In the Land of Women" and went to bed.

The next morning we took our sweet time, and had fluffy yellow eggs with tomatoes and the famous POTATOES (God Bless the IRISH). We all sat at the table kind of dreading the biking for the day, so finally Amanda claimed... "I DON'T WANT TO BIKE TODAY" Brittany agreed, and Anna was happy for the company. So we drove to Deadwood and stopped in may cute towns including; Aladdin, Spearfish, Sturgis (because we all know that Anna has a little bit of Sturgis in her), and finally Deadwood, home of Wild Bill Hickok, and Calamity Jane.

We decided to stay at the Whispering Gulches Campground and were pleased to see that it has a pool, free showers, and a fire-pit. Upon arriving Anna and Amanda biked into town and listened to some drunk singer make a fool of himself by saying completely inappropriate things to people walking by, while Amanda drew and Anna read. Brittany stayed back and cleaned up and set up camp. And for all of you who care... BRITTANY SHAVED HER LEGS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 7 MONTHS!!!

Last night we chose to go gourmet... so we made the most wonderful French Onion soup, wit bread and cheese on top. We ate the whole pot of soup... the whole baguette... a block of swiss cheese!!!!WHOOOOOHOOO! And since that wasn't enough we went to the store to buy peanut butter M&M's. They didn't have any so we settled for Reese's cups. After our walk to the store Anna had this brilliant idea to go see Wild Bill's grave. It was in a cemetery about a half mile up a very steep hill. We charged up it and searched in the dark... in a cemetery for it. It was pretty amazing and after searching for about 30 minutes we kind of gave up and sat on a bench overlooking the city of Deadwood. For those of you unfamiliar with Deadwood... It is a city build on scandal and illegal activity. So as we sat and admired the city from above we heard the constant rumble of the thousands of Motorcycles running around town, and a singer at a steak joint. It was loud and beautiful. As we began to walk down the road towards the exit of the cemetery, what did we come across...? Wild Bill's grave! It was too dark to see, but satisfying to find. We walked back our camp sit in good spirits and promptly fell asleep, dreaming to Wild Bill and the Wild West!

This morning we awoke to a hot tent, we were baking, and wearing all of our sweats! We decided to take a morning to ourselves. Amanda went to town and drew and old building and befriended a biker, while Anna (can you guess)...read, and Brittany read Harry Potter in Espanol. At around 10:30 we all met in town and looked around at the stores. We were pleasantly surprised to enter a store and see a wide variety of moccasins! And these little Indian girls all bought themselves a pair of moccasins; Amanda's are red (summer style), Brittany's are black (boot style), and Anna's are Fudge Brown (boot style). We left the store satisfied and ready for something cold to drink. The local coffee shop, Big Dipper, supplied us with cold coffee drinks, and 18 cookies!

We then decided to sit and watch the crazy tourists in town who feel the need to take pictures of everything including this weird looking wooded statue of a... farmer? We listened to a man sing about his ex-wives at the restaurant next door and cooled off.

At around 1:00 we left Deadwood to swim at the pool and enjoyed every moment of it. Now... clean and full of PB&J we have half a day to waste and intend of doing so.

From Emblem to Sheridan to Gillette to Moorcroft

Starting in Emblem, population: 10. This might have been one of the most beautiful stretches of road, but Amanda and Brittany only made it 30 miles. Then Amanda pulled over and said, "I need to mentally assess my physical capabilities." (Who says that?!) They rested and had lunch, and once they were ready to go, they noticed that Amanda's back tire was flat. The hand pump didn't work because it wasn't compatible with the new tube valve (a presta-valve--for those bike savvy readers). Amanda went to go find a phone because WY has no service, and the third door she knocked on there was a sweet lady who let them use the phone and a man who was willing to drive them to Dirty Annie's (a combination restaurant/store in Shell, WY, population: 50). At Dirty Annie's they toasted their Fat Tire's to their first flat tire. We must mention that they were only $1.75 each--so cheap!

Meanwhile, Anna finally found cell phone service at the top of the mountain pass and received their distress call just before her phone died. They were soon enough reunited and on their way to Sheridan to visit Chelsie, a Northwestern friend. It was a HUGE relief to be in such luxury for the evening. Wash cloths, ice and chicken curry--not to mention beds! and a shelter from the rain. Thanks Chelsie!

The next day we went to the Back Country Bike Shop and loaded up with supplies. Every now and then one of us would say, "This is what our bike shop would be like..." Bike tubes were eco-friendly patched and new converters were purchased. Amanda and Brittany started biking around 11am and the landscape was beautiful with cows and sheep conversing. The first 55 miles were awesome; the last 15...sucked. It was so windy. They ended up in Spotted Horse, population: 2. Anna hung out in Sheridan at the Java Moon and then watched one of the most amazing lightning storms from the car off hwy 14-16.

We headed to Gillette, WY to Green Tree's Crazy Woman Campground. There we made tortilla pizza's in the microwave (to Amanda's dismay), and met a young man named Jonathan who was getting his Master's in Neuro-Science. He was so excited about our biking adventure, he considered biking to Moorcroft with us the next day. So exhausted, we sat in the camp's lounge until after dark, then remembered that we hadn't set up the tent...whoops. Last night was one of the LOUDEST we've ever experienced. Trains, planes and automobiles, birds chirping, the rain, people talking...etc. etc. etc.

Without Jonathan, Amanda and Brittany headed to Moorcroft, a mere 28 miles from town. It was nice to have a short day. Not much exciting happened for anyone. Now we're on our way to Devil's Tower to see the first (so says the sign) national monument in the US.

Farewell from Amanda

This... I suppose is my farewell blog to all things I have learned to love... and hate in Montana.

First off I want to send out a farewell to Chrysalis, my home and existence for these past two years. I enjoyed my time there, and will always miss all of the girls and staff I have learned to Love.

Farewell to my 10:00 p.m. curfew, I will not miss you... and am fairly happy to be rid of you.

Farewell to my beloved Mona Lisa, I miss you... and every time I smell skunk I think of you and sigh.

Farewell Sue and Dennis, you have been my shelter from the storm these past two years. I miss you both a lot and want to congratulate you on your brand new baby grandson. Sue, you are forever a friend and I will call you about all of my home decor questions this summer (and let's be honest... for the rest of my life)

Farewell Bonnie you are forever a friend, and you have a place to stay in South Korea.

Farewell Jane, I will miss our late night talks and snowboarding adventures.

Farewell Big Mountain, I will miss your short lines, and powder days.

Farewell coaching soccer and teaching art, I will miss you both, but at the same time, am happy our days together are done.

Farewell Glenn and Vivian, I will forever miss the Queen of leftovers (not to be confused with the left over queen), and Glenn's stories of Flint and U2 concerts. I will forever pedal on.

Farewell Christian School in Eureka, it has fun and interesting, I will hold on to the memories of self portraits forever.

Farewell Kathy Beaumont, I will miss our Tuesday night talks and prayers.

Farewell Sophie Lake Run... never again will I have a more beautiful place to run.

Farewell Paula Cornell and wonderful Chrysalis food, I miss you already (as I eat a microwaved tortilla pizza at the Crazy Woman Campground).

Farewell all staff I haven't named, it is not because I don't love you, but rather because I biked 70 miles against the wind today and am fairly exhausted.

Farewell my spit schedule and hours, I will not miss having a two hour break in the middle of my day.

Farewell Montana Coffee Traders... You're seriously the best coffee in the world, and I will miss my Good Migrations, "Dusk till Dawn" mornings.

Farewell Eureka, "The Corner Video",and "The Front Porch" you are some of my favorite places in this world.

Farewell all things I have forgotten at this moment, I'm sure I will think of you and regret not writing something.

Farewell Montana, I will be back, hopefully to live, but first I must become debt-free and find myself... a new dog (I'll bet you didn't expect me to write that!)

With all my love,
Amanda

Yellowstone and beyond

And now to update you on the last few days. On Sunday we drove to Yellowstone and set up camp at the Norris campground. We spent our Sabbath relaxing and driving around Yellowstone to see the sights. After visiting geysers and mud pots we walked up to Old Faithful just in time to watch her explode (great timing!). By the time we got back to camp we were pretty hungry so Amanda started a smoky fire with one match and we made Ramen Noodles and our famous fries (this time we spiced them up with onion salt and chives). Anna takes the last bite of her Ramen and says, "I have a confession, I don't really love Ramen." Brittany responds, "I was just about to say those exact words!" Amanda agreed. But our potatoes were great. Right before bed we passed around the book "Dakota" by Kathleen Norris (notice all the Norris') and read aloud to each other until it got too dark to see the words. We all laid awake in the tent all night freezing on hard ground having pee. Well, everybody except Anna.

Amanda couldn't handle being in the cold tent any longer, so she got up at six and stoked the fire. She was able to start the fire without a match... whoo! For breakfast we made potatoes which we pealed in attempts to make hash browns the night before (mistake!). They looked a little bit like fish instead of hash browns. And, lesson learned, never put oregano in potatoes. We decided to go for a hike to some hot springs and learned that non-developed hot springs are not a pool. Amanda dared to put her feet in and discovered that it was hot where it bubbled and cooled off quickly elsewhere. We saw mama elk. And we picked some mushrooms Amanda was convinced were morrels. The lady at the information desk informed us they were not and advised us to not eat them. We didn't, but we wanted to. They were huge and wrinkly and heavy and juicy, etc. etc. etc. Upon returning to camp Amanda drew her backpack (of all things in Yellowstone), Anna and Brittany read for a bit.

For dinner we made apple buckwheat pancakes and homemade syrup. Amanda mastered the pancake flipping technique using her baking stone on an open fire. Some of the pancakes were a little overdone, but our caramel syrup made them edible. After dinner we decided to take another hike to Fairy Falls, a recommendation from Bonnie, and the one mile turned into 2.6 one way. But the falls were worth seeing! Anna read to us in bed, we took Melatonin, our minds turned off and we managed to fall asleep.

Yesterday we took our time in the morning. We all agreed that doing so makes for a better day. After breakfast, washing up some, and taking down camp, it took us a good two hours to drive out of Yellowstone - thanks to the bison. It wasn't until 1pm when Amanda and Brittany started biking from the East entrance. They biked 53 miles to Cody without hardly a break because it was a beautiful downhill ride with the wind at our backs. We award Cody with the most unbikefriendly drivers and walkers but the people treated Anna well. While the bikers were coasting, Anna drove the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway scouting out a place to charge the dead cell phones. She stopped in Wapiti at the post office and read for a good half hour while they were brought back to life. When she arrived in Cody, she went to Wal Mart 3 times (trying to remember everything we needed) and hung out at the Rawhide Coffee shop until Amanda and Brittany met up with her.

At 5:30pm we left the Rawhide to bike another 30 miles and to set up camp. Anna found the best place for the tent between two tipis and near a river after a stressful bout with a spot near the road and a Rodeo. The best part were free showers for all! After a while of biking Amanda and Brittany's feet and bum ached so they stopped in what might have been Emblem, WY. It's hard to say. Anna picked them up and they drove away into the beautiful sunset.