Trees!!

We have reached bonafide timber!! and along with it some rather large and intimidating mountains called the Tetons. We haven't seen forest since the beginning of Oregon, and as mentioned earlier I like trees.

Today we find ourselves in a little town called Victor just West of the Wyoming border. The town is nestled in the Teton valley and promises to host us comfortably. We have a concert in the park tonight and a good dinner of hamburgers and fries to look forward to. Tomorrow will require some climbing in the first 20 miles to get to Jackson. We've heard some bad things about this pass, regarding its steepness, lack of a shoulder, and just general undesirable nature, but we met an older gentleman coming off of the pass who didn't blink an eye when telling us what he had climbed. So the thinking is if he can do it, surely two young guys like us can do it, besides the fact that Andrew isn't going to let me wimp out and take the bus.

Well, alright, the last couple days have been busy. Alot of miles have been put on and we've met many people. I'll give some of the highlights. The first is an officer of the law in the small town of Kimberly. If I had been thinking I would've gotten his name, but as circumstances were less than ideal it slipped my mind. Andrew and I had spent the afternoon in the town's park talking with the local hoodlums, conversing with a young family, and in general enjoying the levity of a timeless corner of the world. We had asked around about staying in the park and everyone was totally fine with it. Well we looked around the park and saw the place we wanted to stay. It was a fortress in the sky, a refuge against all the enemies of a touring bicyclist (namely bugs and watersprinklers). This stronghold was none other than the playground (see picture below). So we put our bikes underneath and brought our sleeping bags upstairs and settled in for a much needed night's rest. Around 11 PM the man in blue shines his terribly brilliant flashlight and interupts all manner of attempted slumber. He informed us that a neighbor had called us in, so stumbling bleary eyed down the oversized purple ladder and fumbling for our IDs our protector of the peace checked to make sure we weren't felons. After telling him what we were about and trying not to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation he graciously let us stay in our makeshift Hilton for the remainder of the night. So it goes.

The next morning we were riding into a town called Burley to get Andrew's bike new wheels. As we're riding into the heart of this town an elderly man pulls alongside me in a Cadillac DeVille. He asks me where we're going, I tell him New Jersey. His next question was if we planned on stopping by the newspaper office. I told him no but if he led the way I'd be happy to follow. This led to the meeting of one of Idaho's most generous citizens. His name is Dale Wipple. After taking us into the newspaper office and introducing us to the owner he asked him to do a story on us. It then came out that I really wanted business cards, to which Dale simply asked to have them made at his expense. He then took us to the bike shop and paid for Andrew's repairs. I could add a lot more detail to the story, but suffice to say we are very happy to know Col. Dale Wipple. He has graciously sponsored us through his organization, National Pioneer Hall of Fame, www.nationalpioneerhalloffame.com/news . We look forward to a mutually beneficial partnership.

One other highlight was the by chance staying in a little town just outside of Idaho Falls called Iona. I've never felt so at peace in a town as I have in this little community. We pulled up to the town hall after riding around 84 miles and after the police incident we wanted permission to sleep in the park. We talked to a couple of very helpful individuals who ended up calling the mayor to ask for permission, to which he generously acquiesced. They then contacted the park maintenance supervisor to check on the sprinkler schedule for us. After that we enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon in the park watching a softball game where the Ninja Turtles triumphed. All in all it was very nice to spend time in such a warm community.

Okay, so I have one more thought, then I'll put up some pictures then I'll get off this thing and get some dinner =) Having grown up on the East Coast, specifically in New Jersey, I have often felt that life is a dog eat dog affair, that people are primarily only concerned with themselves. This trip has proven otherwise. It has been such a joy to bike through small town Western America and experience the hospitality and generosity of those we pass. I think the key is to break down all walls of self sufficiency. I don't know how to articulate the openness that people feel when you ride up on a bike but it's real. People that would normally pass by behind their tinted sunglasses stop and talk to you. People who mom and dad would normally tell you not to talk to come up to you and start asking about what you're doing. Some are just curious, some want to give advice or local information, and some just want someone to talk to. I don't know how to capture the openness that comes with bicycling without a bicycle but if I can figure it out I'll definitely write a book about it. To bridge the communication gap between the elderly couple on vacation, the local trouble makers in the park, and the middle age parents out with their kids, that is something worth knowing. People, I believe, are for the most part intrinsically good and generous it's just a matter of bringing that out of them. With some people it's closer to the surface than others =) but I really think that there's vast potential for cross generational and demographic communication that is not being taken advantage of for the simple reason that we don't know how to go about getting the best out of people. I do hope that makes some sense, it's a first go at writing my thoughts and it is in need of revision, but I think the heart of the matter in its rawest form is there.

Below are some pictures from the last couple of days. This first one is of one of homes away from home. Kimberly's playground =)

This is a picture of one of the many wind farms we've passed. I've talked to some of the locals about it and they haven't seen a drop in their utility bill...but they are really cool looking.

This was at one of our campsites. Looks really picturesque right? Well over the horizon is a windmill, over our heads are high voltage lines, a hundred meters behind us is the local sewage plant, 300 meters up stream is a hydroelectric plant, and over the river is a bridge over which trains frequented at all hours of the night, but honestly we slept like rocks that night and couldn't have cared if we were sleeping a subway.

These mountains are in the way of progress. We got over them. We are currently facing larger mountains. Hopefully we get over them tomorrow =)

That's all for now, thank you for all your comments and support. If you're new to the blog we are raising money for Living Water International. 80% of all donations go directly to them. You can either donate through the donate button or mail a check to 11 Daylily Dr., Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054. Please make the check out to Kevin Dolan (my first name) with Living Water in the memo line.

Till next time,

Nate