Vacation within our vacation

We may have forgotten that we are on an intense bike trip. We spent yesterday in West Yellowstone checking out every nook and cranny of the town like true tourists. We scouted out the ice cream shops, got a random cash donation from an older man, and met some more cyclists. That evening Ray came with the truck and picked us up to take us to their cabin for dinner and to stay for the night. We came in to find Jess, another cyclist they adopted, and TONS of their family members! We had such a fun night meeting everyone and being treated just like family. They made a DELICIOUS dinner that we enjoyed

among lots of stories and laughter. This morning we woke up to more amazing food. Homemade scones, French toast and bacon. The family had plans to drive into the park then do some biking around to see the sites. We got dressed for our day and prepared to bike that direction, but we were given an offer we could hardly refuse. They welcomed us to hang out and use the hot tub then stay for another night. Biking in the cold rain...sitting in the hot tub? Needless to say, we spent a whole day retreating in a quiet cabin in Island Park, Idaho. We hot tubbed, read, journaled, napped, wrote letters, and napped some more. Israel and Natalee decided to make a trek to the store, which ended up being much longer than necessary thanks to inaccurate information on Yelp! Next time we will just open our eyes. We got supplies to do some baking and still had time for more hot tubbing and napping before the family returned. We are now gearing up for another big dinner. Tomorrow we sadly must part ways with our new adopted family, as they are headed East towards South Dakota and we will continue South into Colorado. We are so thankful to have met them. We must make our way into the park and restart our bike trip. We are going to do a loop that should take a couple of days to get out of. From there we will exit into the Grand Tetons then be on our way! We probably won't be able to update until we get out of the park but you can be sure to anticipate lots of interesting pictures!

Whether the Weather

Coming at you live from West Yellowstone, MT! Because of some more unfavorable weather conditions, we felt like we would NEVER make it! We had to shift our days around but we still made it by Sunday like we had planned. Our departure from the campground in Alder was delayed when Natalee's iPod and charger mysteriously went missing while it was charging in the bathroom. Since it was only purchased off eBay for $25, we hope that person puts the large sum of money they make off of it to good use.(or that they thoroughly enjoy Beyonce')  We exited the campground with a big dark wall of sky behind us. We kept our eye on it as we rode but decided to stop in Nevada City, 7 miles up the road when we saw a car coming from the direction we were headed, covered in ice. Ironically, Nevada City is not really much if a city at all, but they did  have a welcoming bakery for us to enjoy while we waited out the weather. The main baker was an incredibly sweet and vibrant lady who kept giving us free baked goods to try. We didn't get her name but some of us like to think of her as "Future Natalee" After eating enough sweets for a week we dragged ourselves out of there and back to our bikes. We made it maybe 2 miles up the road to a quaint, touristy town called Virginia City and just like tourist, got sucked in. By the time we were ready to continue, we realized that it was nearly 5 o' clock and we had only covered a little over 8 miles. It sounded best to just get over the Virginia City Hill and make it to Ennis for the night. This would give us a day of eating sweets and traveling only 24 miles, but we would be well rested for a relatively flat, easy 70 mile ride to West Yellowstone the next day. We camped in a beautiful area and with an early start, the plan seemed to be going without hitch. That is until we got about 5 miles in. From then on out we had strong, head on winds making us work twice as hard all day. It was a good thing we had some of the most beautiful scenery we have seen because we had PLENTY of time to take it in at the rate we were going. It made for a very long and exhausting ride but we finally made it into town late yesterday evening. Our bellies were in no mood to wait to boil rice on a camp stove so we went into one of the first places we saw, The Slippery Otter Pub. We had delicious Jalepeño Wontons and Pizza. Gary, a fellow bicycle enthusiast from New Mexico, found what we were doing very interesting and bought us all a beer. We definitely feel like we have been an inspiration to people along this trip and that is what it is all about. Dead tired, we sat around for a while trying to figure out sleeping arrangements for the night. When we say dead tired we mean that Jordan could barely fight the urge to use the table as a pillow. We are usually so excited to be eating warm food that we tend to forget that we don't actually have a set place to stay for the night. It sounds kind of odd and scary, but even more odd is that we have yet to feel too concerned. We truly are homeless. We figured we at least have our young age going for us and we don't look as rough and scary as some of the hitch hikers we have seen (and smelt), resulting in people looking after us rather than running from us. Israel also believes that it might be our stifling good looks. Well we checked for a cheap hotel because our need for a shower was tipping us over the edge to be categorized with the hitchhikers I just mentioned. The Ho Hum Motel looked like it was going to be our cheapest bet, but we just couldn't spend $80 to sleep in a place that reminded us of Animal City. We are all big fans of Animal city..when it comes to pet shopping. Paying to sleep in a room that smells like it is a little different. While we were trying to decide what to do a man named David started talking to us and telling us of his bike touring adventures across America and many other countries. He turned out the be the owner of The Slippery Otter. After sharing many adventures, he let us camp out in the lobby of his ski rental place since it is no longer in season. Anything with warmth and bathroom is an oasis for us. We have so enjoyed the sense of community that we have found among cyclists and all adventure seekers. Today we will explore the town and maybe some more of the Yellowstone area then we will bunk in cabins with Terri, Mike, Margie and Ray, as well as many more of their family members. We are very excited and grateful for that! These are the reasons why we continue our journey during tough days of cycling. The next few days we are going to be exploring the Yellow Stone area before getting back on a regular riding schedule.Here is a quote to leave you all with:

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page.

 -St. Augustine

Beautiful, Big Sky Country

Jordan's dream comes true

Amazing lady/baker/future natalee

Selfie :/

Faithful Brooks

Delicious stop in Enis

Natalee's a skilled lady 

Very confused 

Dave allowed us to stay in his snowmobile shop

Snowmobile shop !

Ice, Ice Baby

We are knockin' out states like nobody's business! I know you guys felt like we were in Oregon forever but look at us now! We expect to be in Yellowstone, Wyoming by Sunday. So the riding conditions took quite a turn for the worse since our ride up to Sula on Tuesday. We had to conquer Chief Joseph's pass the next day, but waking up to cold rain and news that it was going to snow on the summit had us taking our time and enjoying a long breakfast in the country store. While we sat there trying to muster up the desire to intentionally travel into such unpleasant weather conditions, some familiar faces walked in the door. We met Terri Lynn, Margie, Ray and Mike on our way through Hamilton and here they were at the country store, also about to head up the pass. They have been planning a route from Oregon to Maine for a couple of years and are now traveling it. We have been traveling to some of the same places and running into each other the last few days. It is funny how that works out. We meet some bikers, travel together for a day or two or three, then either split ways or change paces. A few days or weeks down the road we will pass cyclists coming from the other direction and they usually have encountered some of the same people. The way this connects so many different people from different places and walks of life  really makes this seem like a small world. But anyway, back to our cursed Dwayne's Day. If you have been reading carefully you may have noticed that Dwayne's Day is supposed to be a celebratory day of rest. We are on our 4th Dwayne's Day and they have all been quite the opposite. We finally get going up the pass and well..it was as bad as we expected. It rained the whole way up and sleeted once we reached the summit of over 7,000 ft. We have been taking pictures of almost every pass we have gone over but due to the conditions I made the decision that stopping, taking off my gloves and unwrapping my camera from the many bandanas and zip loc bags (a.k.a. my life proof case) was not worth it. A nice older lady entertained us as the Visitors Center and also told us we were crazy, until we knew we had to leave to make it to Wisdom or it was just going to get colder. The entire way, we just kept calculating the miles left, how much time it should take, and if our hands and feet could stay that cold and wet for that long without any permanent damage. The previous day's ride in no way foreshadowed the misery that was before us. We made it to Wisdom and immediately went to Antler's Saloon, where we heard they had excellent pizza. That pizza could have tasted like cardboard but it was warm and it was food so it WAS the best pizza that we have ever had. We decided tonight was the night to cash in on Natalee's dad's offer of one hotel stay when we are in need of a recharge. We probably would have sacrificed our first born to not have to sleep outside that night. Thanks Dad. This graciously accepted hotel room was extremely hard to leave in the morning, but we finally did. The weather conditions, again were not favorable, but the rain mostly held off and and the temperatures did warm up out of the 40s. Once we got through Jackson we had two passes to go over and a small, unexpected hail storm to conquer. We succeeded and by the end of the second pass we were at a little lower elevation, therefore a little warmer weather. We stayed in Dillon and camped right next to our new roadie friends that we met in Hamilton. Dillon is a neat, quaint small town and after our tough two days we decided there was no need to rush getting on back on the bike today. We checked out the Taco Bus and the Patagonia Outlet then got some groceries before finally heading out. We had a flatter, slightly warmer, significantly dryer day, but slight head winds made for still a good ride ahead of us. We have made it to Alder for the night and once again are camping next to Margie, Terri Lynn, Ray and Mike. After a small pass tomorrow it is all down hill into Yellowstone! Jordan may even get to try out his new cycling-herding skillz on buffalo so stay tuned!

Jordan not excited about a rainy day

Here is a picture of the top of Chief Joseph Pass stolen off of the Internet that is just had good, if not better as one we would have taken.

It's gettin' hard to breath up hurr!!

Pizza at Antlers

On the Big Hole

Margie, Ray, Terri Lynn and Mike

KOA KAMPGROUND DILLON,mt

The Taco Bus! Delicioso!

Big Sky Country

We have finally moved on from Missoula. We decided to stay for one more full day in order to do a few more things that we had planned. Jazz night was a neat way to change things up from our regular routine of biking and camping. We stayed at Mike and Joanne's again that night. Monday morning we were excited to make it to Adventure Cycling Association's headquarters. It was well worth the trip. They take all bike tourists' pictures to put up on a wall and give them ice cream. You guys know how we like ice cream. With just a quick glance at the wall, we recognized several of our new cycling friends that we have met along our trip. Afterwards, Natalee treated herself to a wonderfully needed massage and the boys indulged in an R.E.I. shopping spree. You could say we tried or hardest to relax on our last day off. We found another warm shower host for the last night who is known to put on some pretty serious jazz concerts. We were not lucky enough to come at the right time so I guess we will just have to be satisfied with one night of Jazz music. Christmas came early when we opened our care packages that were sent to Missoula. Israel's family and girlfriend, Caitlin, really know how to make our day. When we awoke on Tuesday morning it was time to get back on the road. With two days of rest and relaxation, as well as flat grounds and tail winds, we were able to put in 80 miles for our biggest day yet. It was a quiet day, but an excellent ride. Well except for having a total of two on our wipeout count for the day. You guys are welcome to make bets on which vagabond stood solid all day. We had perfect conditions and absolutely beautiful Montana scenery. We took the bike path that runs along the highway which was also nice. It is much easier to notice what is around us when we are not checking our mirrors every 6 seconds. We took a break in Hamilton and checked out Higherground Brewery that Mike suggested to us before we left. We were not disappointed. The ride to Sula was just as beautiful with just a little bit of incline. This was the best day for riding yet. From here we climb up over Chief Joseph Pass to over 7,000 ft, which will make for our highest elevation so far. Keep checking in for updates on how lovely of a ride that turns out to be!

Representing forRIDE FOR READING, MOAB AND SWIFTWICK

 We made it on the wall at Adventure Cycling Association head quarters

Spreading the good word

Jordan, Israel and Gil at Free cycles Co-op!

Pictures!!

There it is

Find the snat!

Are you tired of seeing these yet? Because we are.

This doesn't make sense..

On our way down from Grangeville

Tearin' it up..

Teamwork makes the dream work

Having to get a little tow over the road work area of highway 12.

Prime Time Riders

Sweet Katherine..

If you're asking yourself, the answer is yes. That is the Deathly Hallows symbol.

Yolo.

Jazz and Martini night

Our lovely hosts Mike and Joanne.

We made it on the wall!

The wall of bike tourists at Adventure Cycling Association. We spotted several of our new friends among the mix.

1000 MILES AND MANY LIVES, ID/MT

Hello from Missoula Montana, our long lost friends! We have had a few days with no service and quite a bit of riding as well as excitement to fill our days. We have made it to our third state. Let's see where we last left off...In Riggins we stayed in an awesome campground right on the side of the Salmon River with a clear view of Rita's Ragin' Rapid. The next morning, we finally did not have to start our day with an elevation gain, but we had a thirty mile warm up for a pretty big one. We found a neat fruit market along the way where we tried many things and realized we left a pair of shorts along with a certain "wallet" back at the campsite. Don't worry, it was recovered after a certain someone put a few extra miles on their trip for the day. From there we made it to White Bird where we fueled up before making the journey up White Bird Hill. I am not exactly sure why they deemed this a "hill" at an elevation of 4,245 ft but hey, whatever works. A long hill with a head wind made this quite a tough climb. The locals let us know that bikers' favored the old highway. It was longer, yet less steep with almost no cars, but it did have cows. Some of us felt a little threatened by the snorting, unfenced animals. On the other hand, Jordan may have found his calling. A cycling cattle herder. It is the newest up and coming profession. Once we finally made it up Mt. Everest..I mean White Bird Hill, we had a few miles into the biggest town we had seen in at least a week, Grangeville. At this point, a population near 10,000 is getting to be a pretty big deal. We camped for free under a pavilion in the city park. We awoke, bundled in our fleeces, to kids swimming in the steaming outdoor pool. Don't worry, they reassured us that the pool was heated to a blazing 79 degrees. We instantly felt demoralized. Before leaving, we loaded up at the grocery store oasis. We never knew we could get the feeling of a kid in a candy store just by walking into a regular-sized grocery store. We took off on a beautiful, fast descent along a river. Before getting too far, we got a little distracted. We were almost stopped at the site of a barn because of that one little enticing word.."Saloon" on the side of it. We were not completely sold though...until we came a round the corner and noticed the giant slip n' slide they had running into the river. Anderson and Cassandra explained that they just got it yesterday and no one had used it yet. It was our responsibility to christen it and we over achieved. A morning in tights and fleeces turned quickly into an afternoon of beer and slip n' sliding. If ever in the area we highly suggest checking out River Clan Saloon. After our fun we made our way to Kooskia for two reasons. 1. Lunch and 2. To find the legendary Bouncin' Bobby whom Anderson and Cassandra warned us about. He is apparently a to-himself town character who has been known to snap and stab people with broken pool sticks if they push the wrong button. He is also known for frequently doing rain dances in a thong at the local airport. Lunch was accomplished but sadly we did not succeed in a Bouncin' Bobby siting. We trucked on into Lowell to stay for the night. We didn't have a lot of options but the big sign at Three Rivers Outfitters that read "HOT TUB & COLD BEER" made the decision easier. We are glad we stopped because this is where we met up with what would be our family of fellow cyclist for the next few days. Danny, Matt, Jace, JC and Lars made up the Prime Time Riders from the L.A. area and they had adopted Nick, from San Francisco, a couple of days prior. They also had Katherine...that story may just be too long for explanation. We meshed instantly and were happy to find that we had the same destination the next night. That day was an incredibly scenic, gentle incline up the highway. We crashed at Lochsa Lodge with another cyclist we attempted to bring into our family along the way named Sara. She is from the San Fran area as well and has a pretty neat magazine called Actually People. Sharing our experiences with each other made for a pleasant night and reminded us why spending time in the outdoors is such a fulfilling and special thing for people to do. The next day was our last day in Idaho! We all were destined for Missoula with only the Lolo Pass standing in our way. The ride was not too bad and the last mile was definitely one to remember to say the least. As the old Native American saying goes, "We were among many full moons.." or uhhh...something like that. If you have to ask, you can't afford it. We cooled of at the Lolo Pass Visitor's Center for a  little while with free hot chocolate before making our decent into Missoula. It was very exciting to finally make it to the home of Adventure Cycling Association. We luckily found  last minute warm shower hosts that were willing to take in all 8 of us and even provide delicious meals. I don't have to say anymore than that to convince you guys that they are amazing people. Mike and Joanne took wonderful care of us all and had many stories of their own to share. Prime Time Riders set off on their journey the next morning and we chose to hang around Missoula. We checked out the bikeway system and went to a popular wave on the river that Mike suggested to see local kayakers. We had another wonderful dinner at Joanne and Mike's then went out for Jazz and Martini night #classy. Today is another day in Missoula. We promise to update a little more often because no one wants to sit down and read a novel. We have just had sooo many adventures! More updates and pictures are soon to come!

Too windy ! Nat makes perfect paper/tent weight

The hoots cafe, WATCHOUT they'll take your chips

A very rewarding , beautiful ride up old 95

Selfie Dwaynesday

Jordan hearing cows ... New fave

Slip-n-slide at River Clan Saloon. Thanks Anderson and Cassandra !!!

The white stag of Kooskia !

KOOSKIA

Finally on the Lewis and Clark trail area

Coolest seven dudes from Cali , we'll miss you cats!

On the trail with the fellas

Up and over the Lolo pass after a great night and some unconventional riding.