Portland, Oregon

HP has arrived! He made it to Portland after a long day’s ride. While it was a long day, it was also a wonderful day. HP cycled on the Historic Columbia River Highway to Troutdale. This road is very scenic: a winding narrow road through cool forests and great overlooks that provide vistas of the Columbia George. HP said that this was one of the nicest roads that he has cycled.


Initially, HP thought about asking Mark (Joe’s son) to pick him up somewhere just outside of Portland. He was concerned about cycling into the city. However, HP quickly became aware of Portland’s “bike friendly” access. HP said that “even in Switzerland we could learn from Portland's attitude toward bikers.” HP will spend a few days with Mark and his family before flying home to Switzerland.

CONGRATULATIONS, your journey is done! HP, you are now an official member of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery.

Cascade Locks, Oregon

From Walla Walla, HP made it to Umatilla. On the way there, east bound cyclists told him of the terrible headwinds he would face in the Colombia River George. They reported gusts up to 40 miles per hour. Hearing this, HP feared that while he would be facing west, he would actually be traveling backwards to the east.

HP stopped at West Roosevelt where he camped at the city park. In addition to cyclists, the park also hosted Mexicans who harvest the area’s strawberries. Since many of them were accompanied by their families, the park had a great family atmosphere with barbeques, music, football games, and youngsters.

While the festivity was fun for HP, the night was more exciting. At midnight HP was awakened by what he though was a terrible thunderstorm. The “heavy rain” just soaked his tent. By the time HP was fully awake, he realized that he pitched his tent directly in the path of the lawn’s sprinkler system. HP wanted to move his tent but as one sprinkler stopped another one started. HP could not figure out where to move his tent so he decided to try to sleep “listening to the rain.” He did not get much rest and had to pack a wet tent before leaving.

On June 30th HP cycled to The Dalles. Despite the dire warnings, the headwinds were not bad. He did have wonderful views of the Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood.

After experiencing one of his greatest rides, HP arrived at Cascade Locks on July 1. He continued along the Columbia River Gorge with some great downhill rides through the forest. This area is very popular with local cyclists and HP met many of them. HP often stopped to talk because he had a great tailwind that pushed him westward. Closer to Cascade Locks he got off the Interstate Highway and took the Historic Colombia River trail. The trail has fantastic vistas, shade, and smooth asphalt.

Walla Walla, Washington

Today HP was heard saying: "Voilá, voilá, me voilá a Walla Walla!” Obviously, getting there was great. HP started his ride with clear skies and cool temperatures; and most importantly without headwinds. In addition he enjoyed a good shoulder and little traffic!

On the way to Walla Walla, he stopped in Waitsburg (on highway US 12). There HP got a cup of hot chocolate at the White Stallion Café. He quickly drew a crowd and he had to tell about his ride. When he tried to pay his bill the waitress told him "I don't care about that, I want to hear more!" From Waitsburg HP again left highway US 12 and followed the Adventure Cycling route to Walla Walla. While this route had more hills, it also had a lot less traffic. Just west of Walla Walla, one of 4 east bound cyclists yelled "Are you HP?" HP stopped and met Stephen, Amy, John and Donna. They know HP from our blog and are traveling from Astoria, Oregon to Missoula, Montana.

As HP got closer to town the temperature rose significantly to over 90 degrees. In fact it was so hot that HP jumped into the hotel pool before he registered at the office.

Dayton, Washington

HP’s departure from Clarkston on June 25 occurred after a sleepless night of thunderstorms with lots of heavy winds but just a few drops of rain. HP started the morning with good temperatures but tough headwinds as he climbed a 2,200 feet to the Alpowa Summit. Needless to say, he was tired. Adding insult to the day, HP even had to pedal downhill to Pomeroy.

Tom, an old friend from HP's first trip across the United States, bought supper for HP in Pomeroy. Tom was celebrating his remarriage with Victoria. During HP and Tom’s 2002 cycling trip across the U.S., Tom and Victoria were getting divorced.

Dayton offered HP another view of U.S. history. The town boasts 90 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. What really got HP's interest however, wasn’t the history but the nearby wineries. Now that he is fully refreshed he looks forward to more westward cycling. The Ocean is getting nearer!

Clarkston, Washington

On June 23rd HD left Kamiah following the Adventure Cycling route to Winchester. He choose this route over US 12 because several east bound cyclist reported heavy traffic on that route. HP felt that the change was good even though he gave up cycling along the Clearwater River and acquired a tough uphill climb of 3,500 ft. The landscape reminded him of the Swiss Pre-Alps. He reports that the weather was good and not too hot.

At lunch in Ferdinand he spoke German with a lady traveling from Washington State. She has been working as a teacher in Germany and was excited to practice her language skills.

HP found Winchester to be a very nice quiet town with a wonderful Lake. However, HP had to keep moving so on June 24th he cycled out of town and enjoyed a glorious downhill of several thousand feet. At the end he only had a slight uphill of 700 feet to the Snake River. Near Clarkston he enjoyed cycling on a bike path along that River. Interesting fact: Clarkston was originally named Jawbone Flats. Before he leaves, HP hopes to find out the origin of this name.

Kamiah, Idaho

After spending a few days in Missoula, Montana, HP and Carl headed to Lolo Hot Springs on June 18th. On the way they experienced some flat tires. But once they arrived they enjoyed relaxing in the hot springs and sleeping in a cabin. They decided that the extravagance was warranted because they faced Lolo Pass the next day.

Going over Lolo Pass proved more challenging because the weather turned unfavorable. They experienced rain and cool weather which continued for several days. However, what was most troublesome was that Carl got sick requiring them to spend an extra day in Powell, Idaho at the Lochsa Lodge. While the Lodge was filled to capacity, Trudy the manager came to their rescue and gave them one of the staff’s rooms. Trudy’s husband, Dr. Wang treated Carl and recommended that he not continue bike riding. Trudy drove Carl back to Missoula where he will catch a flight home. Once again HP is alone.

In Kamiah, HP was invited to a veterans’ barbeque for supper. There he heard some great stories from Vietnam and World War II Veterans.

After talking to some east bound cyclists, HP changed his planned route for June 23 and will head toward Winchester, Idaho before going into Lewiston.

Missoula, Montana

HP got to Great Falls on June 10th after cycling 39 miles from Fort Benton. He experienced nice weather--cool but sunny—and enjoyed the city. However, the next night in Augusta was much more exciting. After a long cycling day HP just wanted to get to sleep early. In the middle of the night he was awakened by someone trying to get into his hotel room. While this gave him some wonderful fantasies it also produced some fears. Could it be a serial killer or burglar? With raised bike pump, HP flung opened the door only to see a late night partier who got the wrong room. The next morning HP saw this man at breakfast with his companions and said “Ah, burglars are not just working during the night; you have a day job too?" His companions must have heard the story because they laughed themselves silly.

On June 12 HP reached Lincoln after cycling 57 miles. It was tough riding over Rodgers Pass but the weather was cool. However, the only place to stop was a closed saloon. Not only was a cool drink denied HP, a nasty dog kept him from resting in the saloon’s shade. The local sheriff saw HP’s dilemma and offered him a ride to the local jail. While HP declined the ride he did accept some bottled water and friendly conversation.

By June 13 HP reached Ovando, Montana and stayed at Nord Johnson’s B&B. While running a B&B with his new family, Nord also leads outdoor activities including mountain climbing, river rafting, and fishing. In case you think that the world has gotten too large and impersonal, Nord asked HP to stop in Geneva, Switzerland on his way home to meet and greet his very good friend Yves Menoud.

Despite all the great cafes’ enjoyed along the way, HP tells us that Ovando has one of the nicest.

Finally, HP arrived in Missoula on June 14th after 52 miles of cycling. It was nice weather, but a little warmer than on previous days in the mountains. However, the best part of the day was the downhill ride with good shoulders, wonderful forests, and scenic mountain views.

In Missoula, HP received great news. Carl, who cycled with us in Missouri, decided to rejoin HP for the rest of the journey. They are spending a few days there while they await the arrival of Carl’s bike and gear. In addition, HP’s friend Leo, from Chicago, was also in Missoula at the same time and bought him lunch. Leo was heading to Seattle where he would meet his wife Sue for the start of their bicycle trip along the Columbia River.

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Fort Benton, Montana and Falls Church, Virginia

While Jeff decided to go home to Falls Church, Virginia, HP continued cycling. He spent a warm night in Havre, Montana watching it snow. From there he cycled to Big Sandy and then Fort Benton. What started out as a group ride has become a solo adventure for HP.

Chinook, Malta, and somewhere east

We are sad to report that Joe is not feeling better and decided to go home. Someone above must have been looking out for him. His back home neighbors and friends were touring the west and just happened to be in Glasgow and decided to call Joe and see where he was. They offered Joe a ride home and he felt that it was his destiny to go. Our ride will not be the same without him and he will be greatly missed.

With out Joe our readers will see some changes to the blog. Joe's computer went home with him which means that we are dependent on getting access to the Internet at hotels and libraries. In addition, we no longer have the capacity to upload photos and maps.

To the extent that we can, here is an update of what we saw over the last several days. Leaving Glasgow we stopped at the local museum. While it was not opened we were able to see its eclectic yard display that included tractors, a steam shove, a caboose, and a jet plane. We figured that, except for the jet, all the items were likely local. But we don't have a clue as to how or why the jet was there.

A little further out of Glasgow we saw a hill side full of dinosaurs. They are on display and sold by a local sculpture. I wonder if the homeowners association back home would object if we bought one of them for yard art?

About 10 miles east of Malta we saw our first glimpse of mountains. Presumably, they are the Rocky Mountains or at least their foot hills. Looks like we will soon be trading headwinds for hills.

HP is in Malta and Jeff cycled to Chinook. They plan to meet up in Great Falls where they will develop their strategy for the rest of the trip.

Saco, Malta or Glasgow

HP and Jeff are cycling ahead for a few days while Joe is taking some rest and relaxation in Glasgow. Joe has not been feeling well. Yesterday, he was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and ordered off his bike for a few days. We expect that this will disrupt our daily blogs. When we rejoin at the end of the week we will update the narrative, photos, and maps. Otherwise we are all well but will miss the opportunity to keep in daily contact with our family, friends, and followers.

Jeff has biked to Malta today while HP biked only as far as Saco. HP continues to smell the roses. Jeff is anxious to reach Havre before the weekend to get some much needed repair work done to his bike. Joe is anxiously waiting to be able to bike to anyplace other than to downtown Glasgow. All three should meet up again in Great Falls by Monday.

The Old Men

Glasgow, Montana

Perhaps we should train our bodies to sleep a little latter. We were on the road before 7 a.m. and the temperature was only 40 degrees. However, the sun was bright and the winds calm. It quickly warmed up to make a wonderful day.

Besides yesterday’s weather not being conducive to photograph, Joe has not been feeling well. Despite his feeling poorly, he could not pass up some old barns today. We plan to monitor his recovery by the number of barn photos that he takes.

We did make a café stop at Nashua. We ate at Berger’s Café and Ice Cream Shop. Their food looked great and the portions were enough to feed an army of hungry cyclists. However, we behaved ourselves. Joe had soup, Jeff oatmeal, but HP had the works—soup, breaded chicken sandwich, and gems (potatoes). The folks in the café were curious about our trip but offered a gloomy forecast of what could lie ahead. If the weather warms in the next day or two, we will be cycling though mosquito ally. Just west of here there is lots of irrigated agriculture. One of the farmers said that the standing water breeds mosquitoes big enough to carry off a cyclist. Perhaps we should wish for a few more cool mornings?

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Wolf Point, Montana

Today’s weather proved that strong winds are not exclusive to the Dakotas. It was a challenge but we got here and all is well. Near our destination we met Chase and Clancy who were cycling east. They are in their 20s and full of energy. They started on the west coast and their plans are to cycle to Maine before heading south to Virginia. From there they plan to cycle directly west to California before heading home to Washington, We were exhausted just hearing about their plans; oh to be young again!

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Culbertson, Montana

We must have upset the balance of nature last night. We camped in the town’s park rather than sleep in a motel. The absence of head winds for the past several days returned, making the first 25 miles very challenging. However, we did start out with a good breakfast. Rumor has it that rather than eating real breakfast food, Jeff just had 2 slices of apple pie and coffee. Rumors just spread among cyclists.

On the way north, we stopped at both Fort Buford and Fort Union. Fort Buford is connected with the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center. There we met Kerry who welcomed us and provided a great overview of what we were to see. From the Center we cycled to Fort Buford. It was established in 1866 and housed both cavalry and infantry units. Next we cycled to Fort Union which was not a military fort but rather a trading post. There we met Lisa and Dave who were dressed in period customs and provided an outstanding description of life at the fort. They even served us boiled coffee in tin mugs. Fort Union dominated the area’s fur trade between 1828 and 1867. It belonged to John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company.

Cycling got easier as our direction changed from north to west. We stopped at a café in Bainville and met Neil Knudsen and his wife, son, and parents. Neil is a minister and just completed services and was treating his family to a lunch. In Culbertson we stopped at the local museum. Not only was it free, it was great. While only 16 years old, the museum is filled with artifacts from the surrounding community and depicts life here over the last 100 plus years. In the museum, Joe saw a sign that accurately depicted his view on eating. The sign read: “A well balanced meal is having a cookie in both hands.”

At our hotel we met Robert; a younster at 60. He is cycling from Seattle to Minnesota along the northern tier of the United States. He took 3 weeks off work to do this and needs to average 77 miles a day to meet his goal. He told us that he is "not smelling the rose but looking for bragging rights." We had dinner with him but we all found it difficult to wish each other great tail winds…since we are going in the opposite direction.

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Fairview, Montana

In the town of Alexander we stopped at the local museum. When Joe and Jeff stopped it was not yet opened. HP’s timing was much better. There, HP met Leann Eriockson, the museum curator, retired teacher, and a reporter for the Watford City News. After a tour and local history lecture HP was interviewed about our bike ride. It seems that our Swiss friend is getting more press coverage then President Obama.

With the change in time zones, Jeff and Joe got into town really early. They checked out the town’s one hotel and decided to camp in the town park. It took several more trips up and down Main Street until they made all of the arrangements and paid the fees. It is a lovely park and it reminded them of their Adventure Cycle trip across the United States. On that trip, town park camping was relatively common.

For lunch we went to a local café where our waitress (who was old enough to be our mother) told her daughter “those guys look to old to be cycling.” Despite the comment the food was excellent and the sandwiches were packed with lots of good stuff. Rumor has it that one of us had a slice of pie for desert.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and enjoying the quiet. However, when we went for dinner, our first choice restaurant had a sign posted in the window that read "Taking a Snow Day." We had to go further down the street for our evening meal.

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Watford City, North Dakota

Did we say this before? Today was the best day so far. The weather was great and cycling fast (that is after the first 25 miles where we climbed).

We cycled through parts of The Little Missouri National Grassland. To quote the Forest Service “…where pristine vistas inspire the imagination; where rugged, unspoiled beauty of the Badlands invites exploration; and where the sights and sounds of the wide, rolling prairie stimulate the senses.” However, they missed one big “where”: where Joe and HP took lots of fantastic pictures.

Heading north we stopped in Grassy Butte for quick refreshment. Like most towns its size, they have one “do it all store.” This one sold plumbing and automotive parts as well as light groceries and snacks. The owner, Don Trotter told us that the coffee was free. He said “that some things in life should be.” Next he offered us some of his wife’s home made cake. He said that despite the fact that he tries to sell pastries, she is always bringing in a cake to share. HP asked Don about rattle snakes. Don showed HP a 5 foot skinned snake and said that it came from his farm. He had a “live and let live” philosophy about snakes. In fact, the snake kept his farm free of mice. However, he got a new dog and things changed. The dog and the snake decided that the farm was not big enough for both of them. The dog lived but the snake didn’t. Thanks Don, you made our day and we enjoyed your coffee and your wife’s cake. BTW, before leaving we did spend some money.

If the Grasslands weren’t enough we next cycled into the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It was even more spectacular! We dropped down into the park and then had to climb out. However, that did not distract from our wonderful day. In the Park, Joe asked the Ranger where he could photograph buffalo. The Ranger gave Joe a harsh look and said “buffalo don’t like bicyclist.” He went on to explain that buffalo have poor eyesight and when they see a bicyclist they think it is competition. Joe joked that he was fast but the Ranger quickly gave him a reality check. He said that “buffalo can run up to 35mph and they can get that fast in just 2 strides. While Joe still took some buffalo pictures he made sure that Jeff was always between him and the buffalo.

Just check out all of our photos at the link below. While words cannot describe this wonderful place, perhaps the photos can give you a taste of its beauty.

HP was stopped along the highway by Tony Baltes. Tony knew HP from our blog and was also looking for Joe and Jeff. Tony and his wife are driving to Oregon where he will cycle the Lewis and Clark trail in reverse ending up in Ohio.

For those into pure cycling stuff, when we turned north we caught a tail wind that had us moving at 15-25 mph for about 30 miles to Watford City.

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Killdeer, North Dakota

Today was a perfect cycling day. It started out earlier than expected with the change to Mountain Time. We were on the road by 6 a.m. We enjoyed moderate temperatures, sunny skies, no wind, and little traffic. The weather stayed perfect until 11 a.m. sharp. At that time Mother Nature decided that we had enough of a good thing and turned on the winds!

Along the route we were stopped by Helga. She is a 78 year old German woman driving a van packed with her bike, camping gear, and all the necessities for seeing the United States. She has crossed the United States every year since her first journey in 2000. Each year she selects a different route and this year she is taking a similar route to ours. After she flagged us down she celebrated our meeting by sharing some of her ice cold chocolate milk and a plate of fresh tomatoes. Once again HP has found a kindred spirit that shares his native language.

This is definitely a good trip for HP. In the town of Halliday he was told by the tenant of the Café that its former owners were from Switzerland. HP went to Rene and Christine’s home and enjoyed great hospitality; including the best espresso that he has had west of St. Louis.


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Beulah, North Dakota

We are back to the Tour de Café with today’s breakfast at the Lewis and Clark Café. We had excellent service and conversation from Betty (our waitress) and Tammy (our cook). Joe and Jeff went simple with oatmeal, raisins, brown sugar and toast. HP had the more exotic Lewis and Clark breakfast; scrambled eggs and hash browns (cooked with green peppers, onions, ham, and smothered with cheese. Food was great and the conversation fun.

Along the way we were stopped by Gary Green. Gary is touring the west in his pickup truck but really wanted to do it by bicycle. However, an illness forced him off his bike. While we were talking to Gary a state highway patrol officer stopped to talk. Once she satisfied herself that we were all ok, she wanted to talk about our journey.

Joe, true to his promise to smell the roses, stopped at the National Park Service’s Knife River Indian Village. Originally, this village housed the Hidatsa and Mandan tribes who traded with Lewis and Clark’s Corps as they wintered at Fort Mandan. From this village, Lewis and Clark met their guides Charbonneau and his wife Sakakawea.

HP felt at home today. He stopped in the town of Hazen for another Tour de Café stop. There he found a German Café and was delighted to have Sauerkraut for lunch. HP noted that they have become Americanized: they served ketchup with the Weisswuerstel instead of mustard.

At dinner, we met another interesting person. Otto Voegele came by our table to introduce himself. He is 78 years old and born near here. He started his working career as a coal miner, then welder, and now a full time entertainer. He sings Johnny Cash songs at local bars and clubs and has his own auctioneer business. He learned to speak German from his grandfather. While his German was Americanized, HP had a good time talking with him in that language.

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Washburn, North Dakota

Despite the cold temperatures and headwinds our day turned out great. Cycling through Bismarck’s river front park we noticed an exhibit on steamboats. Did you ever wonder what those long poles were for on the front of the boats: those things that looked like grasshopper legs? Well they were used to lift the steamboat over sand bars and were really called grasshoppers.

About 20 miles into our day we needed a break from the wind and asked a farmer if we could sit in his barn for a rest. Instead, Arlan invited us into his home for coffee. When he opened the door he yelled to Shirley that “they had company.” Arlan said that he has 2 sections of land (1,380 acres) overlooking the Missouri. He has about 400 head of cattle that he grazes on this land. During 2004, the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial, Arlan said that lots of cyclists passed by and some stopped to enjoy his view. Before we headed back into the wind, Shirley said “that the North Dakota wind never stops and when it does they declare a holiday.” They were wonderful folks and brightened up our day.

In Washburn we visited the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and a replica of Fort Mandan. The fort was used as a wintering spot for the Corps. According to our guide the temperatures got to 40 degrees below zero (and to think we complain about the weather). The actual fort was about 20 miles away but was recreated based on the detailed notes of Sargeant Glass, the Corps’ carpenter.

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Mandan, North Dakota

This morning started with a great breakfast at the Prairie Knights Casino. Next we had a good tail wind for 25 miles before Mother Nature decided that it wanted to make us stronger cyclists. We had rain and head winds for the rest of our journey.

A few miles outside of Mandan we had a choice of either cycling through Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park or staying on the road and going by the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery. HP chose the Park and its trails. HP visited the restored fort before heading into town. He liked the quarters that were provided for the cavalry (horse mounted troops).

Joe and Jeff chose the road route which involved climbing a large hill, which was a slow grind. After they got to the top Joe and Jeff waited for Rolling Thunder to pass before heading down the other side. Rolling Thunder consisted of about 500 motor cycles of all types and varieties. While difficult to believe, Joe and Jeff worked harder to get down than going up. Once we got closer to Mandan we got on a bike trail that took us into town. While the trail was paved, they must have had a lot of rain. Some of the trail was like cycling primordial swamps with several inches of mud burying our tires. So much so, that before we entered our hotel room we spent considerable effort cleaning up our bikes.

Mandan is where Lewis and Clark wintered on their journey west. As cold as it is now, Jeff believes that we should also winter here until it warms up.
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South Dakota Magazine Article

South Dakota Magazine picked up the earlier article on us and added a bit from our blog.





May 21, 2009
Old Mens Bike Ride 2009
South Dakota Magazine | Filed by Katie at 2:46 pm



Three men in their early 60s are following the Lewis and Clark Trail by bicycle and blogging each leg of the trip. They are currently traveling through South Dakota - and according to their blog they might accept a ride if you offer - so keep your eyes on the road.

The men, from New York, Virginia and Switzerland, met in 2002 on an Adventure Cycle Association Tour. Visit their blog oldmensbikeride2009.blogspot.com to read some of their South Dakota adventures, which often go beyond the daily biking. Here's an excerpt form yesterday's post - after finishing a great ride to Platte and before a grueling ride to Pierre.

Before getting into the nitty-gritty detail of today, we just want to say WOW! It was a great day cycling. We had a tail wind most of the time as we headed northwest to where we are camping on the Missouri River bank. Yes Lewis and Clark purists, we are at a location they may have also camped.

Now, to the detail of our day: We had breakfast at Shorty’s Café in downtown Platte. It was a good breakfast and an interesting time. A couple of days ago, some women tried to entice Joe to go to a casino and this morning Joe tried out for the bartenders job at Shortys. Joe failed, not because of his bartending skills, but rather because he ate all the pies.

Thanks to Paul Lloyd-Davies for telling us of the biking adventure.

Prairie Knights Casino, North Dakota

This morning we woke to the sound of silence. It was wonderful having no wind whipping around. Heading out of Mobridge we again experienced what has become a morning ritual. Pheasants roost in the grass along the road and are startled by the sounds of our bikes. Within the first hour we estimate that we flushed out about 50 of them. We believe that we are more successful flushing out pheasants than a good bird dog.

Just out of Mobridge we met a rancher who was unloading his horse from a big trailer. He was going to retrieve some of his herd that had wondered off his range land. We were impressed when he also told us that yesterday they branded 400 head. If he branded 400, we wondered how many more he had.

Today we experience lots of rough road surfaces and 2 dogs that seemed to chase us for miles. Rather than getting upset with these conditions and the headwinds and hills we decided that they all just make us better cyclists. However, we were thankful that we had a nice tail wind all day.

Today’s highlight occurred at the town of Kenel, about half way into our journey. This was the only food stop along today’s entire 61 mile route. We pulled in just as the owner, Ernest Martinez, was arriving to open the store. He apologized for the lack of provisions and said that he expected a big order this week for the upcoming Pow Wow. We selected a healthy lunch of oatmeal-raisin cookies and orange soda. While we munched, the real richness of our lunch emerged as Ernest started telling us about his grandfather. Ernest was proud to represent his family at the 2007 dedication of Code Talker Hall at Quantico Marine Base in Virginia. His grandfather, John Bear King, a Standing Rock Sioux, was a code talker. Despite the popular belief that all code talkers were Navajo, many Native Tribes provided them. He showed us plaques awarded his grandfather and a metal that lists all the Tribes that provided code talkers.

The Prairie Knights Casino is on the Standing Rock Reservation and just west of the Missouri River.

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Mobridge, South Dakota

This morning we woke up to the sound of wind whipping through our cabin. When we looked out we saw the trees bending in half; ugly! The South Dakota cycling creed must be “yesterday’s tail wind is today’s head wind.” However, our spirits quickly brightened as we joined the 3 Twin Cities’ cyclists for an early breakfast. Our breakfast was also special because the Resort staff opened early just for us and prepared excellent food: including plate size pancakes.

Today, we cycled east into a head wind for the first 9 miles. The next 30 miles we headed north with a strong side wind. HOWEVER, the last 20 miles we had a tail wind. The day was great, but we are tired. While we struggled with loaded bikes, the Twin City cyclists seemed to fly with the breezes. During the day we often thought about yesterday’s Trail Angel and his wonderful caramel sticky buns. So much so, that when we stopped for lunch in Shelby we ordered caramel sticky buns. Don’t worry Craig, yours were much better!

Speaking of food, the hotel restaurant’s special for tonight is a cyclist’s dream. For $9.95 we get spaghetti, meatballs, salad, and soup. Now that is living!
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2 Miles East of Routes 1804 and 212

We are not sure where we are, but it does not matter. We had a fantastic day cycling, but more importantly we had a fantastic people day. We had a wonderful encounter with a trail angel and met 3 friendly cyclists from Minnesota.

We are staying at the South Whitlock Resort. The resort’s address is Gettysburg, South Dakota but that town is 13 miles east. We believe that it is a fishermen’s hangout on the Missouri.

Leaving Pierre was a lot easier than getting there; and that is one big understatement. We left Pierre via bike trails (Pierre has 50 miles of them) before crossing the Missouri to get on route 1806. From there we again crossed the Missouri over the Oahe Dam (a large earthen structure) to route 1804 where we headed north. If those route numbers sound familiar they are the years Lewis and Clark headed west (1804) and returned (1806). South Dakota is the only state that made such a designation to its roads.

We were about 30 miles into our route when we met 3 other cyclists. These guys are cycling the Lewis and Clark route in sections and this was their last one. Dave, Terry, and Lauren are from the Twin Cities area of Minnesota and are taking turns driving a support van. At that point we had planned to head 12 miles east to Onida where we were to spend the night. However, these cyclists were staying on route 1804 heading north. While their route was twice as long as our planned route it had a strong tail wind. We chose their route and flew at 20-25 mph for the next 25 miles. In fact, this destination puts us further along our route than we expected.

Shortly after we headed north we saw a man sitting on the tailgate of his truck. He was holding a sign that read “OLD GUYS WELCOME.” Of course we stopped. The man knew us by our names and knew our eating habits. Craig McIntyre, South Dakota’s State Bicycle Coordinator had been following our blog and decided to give us a big boost. When he brought out the caramel sticky buns and 2 kinds of cookies, and several types of drinks we knew that he seriously followed our journey. Craig, our Trail Angel, made our travels in South Dakota extra special.

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Leadercourier Article

Following, is the web article written about us in Elk Point.We wish that we had the complete article, but don't plan to cycle back to get it.

Following the trail

Hans-Peter Tinguely, Jeff Heil and Joe Insalaco prepare to leave Elk Point Friday morning on the next leg of a trip from St. Louis to the Oregon coast, following the Lewis & Clark Trail.

Three cycling friends take Lewis & Clark route

Published:

Wednesday, May 20, 2009 12:11 PM CDT

Three friends, who were strangers seven years ago, passed through Elk Point last Friday as they traveled the Lewis & Clark Trail by bicycle.

Jeff Heil of Falls Church, VA, Joe Insalaco of Poughkeepsie, NY and Hans-Peter Tinguely of Fribourg, Switzerland, had breakfast at The Legion before resuming the day’s journey between South Sioux City and Vermillion.

In 2002, the three took their first cross country bike ride together, from Williamsburg, VA to Florence, OR with the Adventure Cycling group.

See full story in this week’s Leader-Courier.

Pierre, South Dakota

We cycled together until Fort Thompson where we decided to go our separate ways. HP, being the smarter one of the three, decided to stay at the Lode Star Motel and Casino. He said that he felt lucky and that we should not be surprised when we see him next. He anticipates meeting us with a brand new RV. Jeff and Joe decided to go on to Pierre. Their journey turned out longer, windier, and with more hills than they anticipated. In hind sight, Jeff and Joe admit that their decision to cycle on was “stupid.” Joe said that “today’s ride was Kansas on steroids.” Jeff said that “he felt totally isolated and abandoned in the midst of no where.”

Jeff decided to hitchhike but Joe decided to go on and asked Jeff to pick him up if he got a ride. Since there were no cars, trucks, or planes, Jeff decided that he needed to keep moving. As the day wore on and it got later they were both worried about reaching their goal. Nearly exhausted a truck passed Jeff but did not pick him up. When it got to Joe, the driver said that he felt bad about not picking up Jeff so he picked up Joe, Jeff cycled hours more before he got a ride. At the end of the day, both Jeff and Joe felt lucky to have run out of road before they ran out of water. The 63 miles to Pierre from Fort Thompson had only one early water stop, no shade or homes! In Pierre, Jeff's truck ride ended just across the street from the motel were Joe was relaxing.

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Chamberlain, South Dakota

Before getting into the nitty-gritty detail of today, we just want to say WOW! It was a great day cycling. We had a tail wind most of the time as we headed northwest to where we are camping on the Missouri River bank. Yes Lewis and Clark purists, we are at a location they may have also camped.

Now, to the detail of our day: We had breakfast at Shorty’s Café in downtown Platte. It was a good breakfast and an interesting time. A couple of days ago, some women tried to entice Joe to go to a casino and this morning Joe tried out for the bartenders job at Shortys. Joe failed, not because of his bartending skills, but rather because he ate all the pies.

Before we left town we knew that we need to provision ourselves for a 56 mile day with no café or gas station stops. We went to the grocery store and got extra bottles of sports drink and snacks. As we passed the bakery we could not ignore the smell of fresh sticky buns. Being judicious, HP packed his for later but Joe could not let a good pastry spoil so he ate his. Jeff mumbled something about having it both ways; eating it and carrying it in his stomach.

With no stops along the way and a great tail wind, we flew. Jeff’s bike computer registered a 14 mile average for the day. That is fast for him. Joe noted the absolute peace and quiet of the day. He heard the birds chirp and saw a pheasant and deer cross his path. He even accepted the loss of speed when he had to climb. Joe said “that slowing down to 15 mph on hills is ok, when the day is perfect.”

Jeff’s day was spent daydreaming. He imagined himself in the 1850s crossing the South Dakota prairies on horse back. He saw vast wide open spaces, just a scattering of homesteaders, and buffalo. The enormity of that 1850’s day will remain with him forever.

HP found several of the shady spots that Jeff and Joe missed. However, HP said that the day got too hot for him and he could not wait for a refreshing cool beer. Perhaps Joe will serve him a cold one.
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Platte, South Dakota

We are posting just a short note on today’s journey. We have had cold days, rainy days, windy days, and today we had a hot day. Temperatures reached 90 degrees but we were happy. We enjoyed the sun, gently rolling hills, and the chance to take lots of pictures. Both Joe and HP agreed that the light was perfect for photography. We all believe that today was just a nice cycling day and we did not miss the absent cafés or shady rest stops. HP was able to catch a special photograph of a mother raccoon carrying her baby. They crossed in front of HP and he had to come to a quick stop, get out his camera, and take the photo before they disappeared into the high grass. So, enjoy this and our other pictures.

HP, Joe, and Jeff wish all our families, friends, and followers the best.

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Wagner, South Dakota

Leaving Yankton we took time to smell the roses. Well not the roses but rather the lilacs. They are every where and must be indigenous to this part of the country. In addition, we swung by to see the Missouri River and the Lewis and Clark Park. We even cycled a while on the trail through the park. Unlike yesterday we caught the wind most of the way to Springfield, about 35 miles away. However, the last 3 miles into town we had to turn south and had a strong head wind. Yes, the head winds keep changing direction. HP decided to plan our agenda optimizing the wind direction. Now we are just joining to cycle between 2 towns as the winds change form north to south.

We got to Springfield before noon and stopped at the Libby Stake House to plan what to do next. Everyone in the restaurant was dressed in their Sunday clothes, except for us in our spandex. Our choices included staying there, going to our next designation, or planning a new location. While we were trying to figure this out and eat lunch we were swamped by other patrons who either wanted to hear about our trip or provide input to where we should head next. Being 3 introverts we were overwhelmed. At one time we had the following ongoing conversations:

• Two middle aged women wanted Joe to go to the casinos with them. (Nancy, don’t worry he declined all offers.)

• A grain storage operator had a thousand questions about us, our bikes, the routes, etc.

• A business man cornered HP with some alternatives to our route. Lucky HP was able to process this information because it is what we followed.

• The 4 road cyclists that we saw the prior day spotted our bikes outside the Libby. They rushed in and told us that they were the ones that we saw yesterday. All 4 were talking at once. They told us that they were out planning a route for a large group ride. They also offered suggestions as to where we should head.

• Several other patrons, waitresses, and who knows who else also stopped by our table.

What every one seemed to agree was that we needed to cycle out of town past the State Prison. As we approached the prison, the road we were to follow was marked CLOSED. HP decided that the closed sign did not apply to him so he cycled through the prison. Jeff and Joe stopped. This is where the stories diverge. Joe and Jeff’s version was that they stopped because the armed guard in a car told them to. He directed Joe and Jeff around another way then sped after HP. With lights flashing and sirens screaming he went after HP. At that point Jeff and Joe took out their wallets to figure how much bail they could raise to free HP.

Now HP claims that what really happened was that the guard escorted him through the prison to the other side and showed him the road to follow. Before leaving, the guard told HP that he would not let the other 2 cyclists through because they looked untrustworthy. Perhaps the truth is somewhere between these stories but Jeff and Joe will no longer sleep well with an escaped prisoner in their midst.

Our day ended in Wagner because we followed the wind. Instead of taking the planned western route we headed mostly north and ended with another 72 mile day. We figure that this long day makes up for yesterday’s short ride. However, we all agree that today’s longer ride was actually easier.

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Yankton, South Dakota

Yesterday we were welcomed into South Dakota by the lovely ladies of the Elk Point Legion. Today’s welcome was much different. We had strong north winds and cold morning temperatures. So today is mostly about the “suffering cyclists” and not lovely ladies and cafés. Our morning stated out at 7:30 with a 42 degree temperature and 10 to 15 mile head winds. Our route was flat and we expected to get much farther. However, after 7 hours of cycling we only covered 33 miles. To add insult to our day, we cycled a circuitous route of country roads. The direct route on the highway is only 23 miles.

About halfway we met another cyclist that was out for a fun ride. He showed us a better (less traffic, though slightly longer) route into Yankton. Unlike us, he had no baggage and when we were finished talking he just disappeared into the headwinds. A little latter we saw 4 more cyclists going with the winds. The yelled encouragement as they flew by. We needed encouragement. The section of the Missouri near Yankton is reportedly one of the pretties and has been designated as “wild and scenic.” However, we put off making a side trip and hope that we can see it tomorrow on our route.

Just so our Tour de Café fans are not disappointed we did stop at the Ma & Pa Café at the mid-pint of our ride. While we did not eat any pie, HP did try the day’s breakfast special, an “Indian Taco.” It is an open-faced puffy shell covered with hamburger, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream. He says it was excellent.

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Vermillion, South Dakota

It is official! Our trip can no longer be called a Lewis and Clark journey. Rather, we must recognize its true nature and use “Tour de Café” in reference to our adventure. Two workmen near our campground recommended that we have breakfast at the Townhouse Café, just south of our campground. When we got there, the owner, Mrs. Curry greeted us with fresh coffee, good food, and genuine curiosity about our travels. She has owned and operated this café for 16 years; serving food from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. While she said that she likes her café and having family nearby she would also like to travel.

While Mrs. Curry stayed, we headed northwest out of Nebraska, through the corner of Iowa, and into South Dakota. A strong tail wind pushed us quickly to the town of Elk Point (population 1,714). One of the town’s claims to fame is that it held the first election west of the Mississippi. In 1804, Lewis and Clark’s troops elected Patrick Glass as sergeant to replace Sergeant Floyd who died.

Upon entering the town we were told that the best place to eat and meet was the Legion Hall. So we headed down Main Street for our second breakfast. As soon as we entered the Hall we knew that we were at the right place. A group of women were there for their weekly gathering. They quickly took charge and welcomed us to Elk Point. Sylvia, a spry woman wanted to trade her electric scooter for one of our bikes. While no trade occurred, she enjoyed posing for pictures. Another, woman asked if we would mind if the local newspaper interviewed us. Within 5 minutes Kelly Kruithoff, Editor of the Leader-Courier showed up with camera and note pad. Not only did he interview us he told us about the town’s history and economy.

Leaving Elk Point, the morning tailwinds started to turn against us so we decided to spend the night in Vermillion.

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South Sioux City

We survived our first night camping and are currently experiencing our second. True to the spirit of Lewis and Clark, we are camping right on the banks of the Missouri River. It seems strange to be sitting at a picnic table working on a computer. Even stranger, Joe was so excited when he learned that the campground had WiFi that he started working on the computer before he removed his bike helmet.

While the Tour de Café offered many options and we chose the Onawa Café, in Onawa Iowa. It provided a fantastic breakfast served by a small elderly waitress. Despite her age and size she moved faster than a track sprinter. She moved so fast that we could not get a picture. We did have another stop, but not at a café. This one was at a Dairy Queen in town of Sergeant Bluff.

Our ride was easy until we entered Sioux City, Iowa and had to cross town to get to our camp ground in S. Sioux City, Nebraska. You could say that we are having a one-night-stand in Nebraska because this is our first and last night in this state. Just before crossing the Missouri River to get to our campground we stopped at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and met the director and some of his staff. They asked if we had a blog and, of course, we obliged. Next we went to the Sergeant Floyd River Museum and Welcome Center. This facility is in the Sergeant Floyd Steam boat that operated on the Missouri River from 1932 until 1978. In case you don’t know, Sergeant Floyd was a highly respected member of the expedition and the only member to die on the trip. He was buried in what became Sioux City.

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Little Sioux

We thought that we would beat the weather today, but it outsmarted us. We waited at the hotel until the thunderstorms passed and then cycled about 25 miles when it started to rain. We took cove in the Ranch Pizza restaurant (I know that ranch pizza sounds strange but it got us out of the weather). After the rain stopped we headed out into one wicked head wind. Jeff describe it as a #@*&&%^ head wind but Joe and HP just grinned and pushed on. While tired we reach our nights lodging—a camp ground. Yes, we are sleeping in tents tonight.

As we were leaving Council Bluffs we passed several groups of children heading to school. One little boy got excited at seeing us and started to wave with both arms and yelled to Joe, “hasta la vista, amigo.” We were disappointed that we did not photograph the boy, but some memories are worth a thousand pictures.

We will let you know tomorrow if we survive our night in tents. Joe and HP are sure that they will but Jeff has always preferred to camp in a hotel.

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Council Bluff, Iowa

Council Bluff, Iowa

For those of you who think that we are whimps, we cycled 88 miles today. Yes, it was a lot of miles but we feel fine. No, we still have not camped, so maybe we are a little whimpy. We planned a layover day so we can rest, make repairs to our bikes, and enjoy the sites.

Our morning in Tarkio started out with breakfast at a framers’ café. We socialized and HP learned all about American farm size and farming methods. Joe and Jeff wondered if he planned to purchase a few acres and give up biking. When it was time to leave, the waitress told us that one of the farmers paid for our breakfast before he left. Wow, what a wonderful start to a great day.

Leaving Tarkio we experienced rollers and cool weather. Soon the terrain flattened out and the weather got warmer. When we got to Westboro we were ready for our second coffee of the day. Despite the guide book saying that the town had no café, Jeff asked a local and we were directed to KJ’s Café. The café is in a building that was built as a bank, later used as the town’s post office, and is now the town’s only café. The bank vault is still there and serves as a pantry. The owner and operator, Karla, told us that the door still locks and provides the most secure panty in the county. She served us good coffee and great pie. Yes, Joe and Jeff both had 2 slices but HP had only one. Joe was so enamored by the café that he took lots of pictures. One of the pictures is of the bicycling motif in the bath room.

For much of the day we cycled on the Wabash Trail. The rail line dates back to 1878 when it was part of the Council Bluffs and St. Louis Railroad. It later became the Wabash Railroad. The right-a-way was purchased for a rail trail in 1989. The trail surface varied. When the trail was soft we went slowly and when it was packed we went fast. On the trail we had 1 percent grades which were much gentler than the rollers on the roads. HP was the social one today and talked to a man picking mushrooms. He carried a golf club that he swung to chase the snakes away. HP also talked to a trail volunteer who was mowing a section that we passed through. He told HP that much of the trial maintenance is done by volunteers. There are 75 bridges along the trail and they are in constant need of repairs. Last year the trail had extensive flood damage which took lots of work to get it back into shape. We were surprised with the minimal usage of the trail. During our time on the trail we saw just a few cyclists and walkers.

Our layover day was full of relaxation. HP spent his day returning his 6th I pod at Wal-Mart. His problem was not the I-pod but rather its charger. Mid-west Wal-Mart stores now have his photo posted as a habitual returner. Joe and Jeff left early to go to the bike shop and were there when it opened at 10 a.m. Jeff's bike took only minutes to repair but Joe's took hours. Steve Batten, the owner of the True Wheel Bicycle Co, took charge of Joe's bike and as soon as one problem was fixed another was revealed. It was taking so long that they sent us to a nearby café for lunch. Joe was thrilled with Steve’s diagnostic and repair skills. By 2 p.m. Joe’s bike was running like new and he was looking to mortgage his home (sorry Nancy). When they finally got out of the bike shop it started to rain so they gave up seeing the tourists’ sites.



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Tarkio, Missouri

Once again we had big ambitions but weak resolve. The day long headwinds, overcast skies, cool weather, and hills at the end kept us to a 40 mile day.

Leaving Big Lake we were again immersed in rural America. Farm lands stretched as far as we could see. HP noted that the size of the farm equipment did not seem large enough for all the land that needed work. HP also noted that few habitable homes could be seen, but many abandoned ones doted the landscape.

We continue to be surprised by how nice folks are. As we entered Rock Port we were struggling with the fact that the town’s only restaurant was closed on Sundays (today). However, we did find a grocery store which we thought would provide us fruit, snacks, and drinks for the next 10 miles to Tarkio. Rather than locking up our bikes we left Joe go in first thinking it would just take him a few minutes. We waited and waited but no Joe. We soon found out the he, and then we, were the center of attraction and the crowd was growing by the minute. The 2 store employees (perhaps owners) could not do enough for us. Between helping us get food they had hundreds of questions and comments. They were not alone and other patrons were just as curious. The town doctor walked in and he was introduced as being an avid cyclist…so our story began again. Dr. Mike is a family doctor and a 3rd generation doctor in a family full of doctors. He enjoys the rural life and freedom it provides him to roam on his cycle. He and his wife have cycled in many states and in Europe. He examined our bikes like he would new patients; commenting on their differences and similarities. Our simple grocery stop took an hour, but it was an hour well spent.

Near the end of our ride, Joe announced “that he was not surprised to see wind farms just north of Rock Port. With the winds that we have been experiencing, this is the perfect place to build such facilities.”

After trying all day to telephone his mother, HP was finally successful in Tarkio. We take are calls for granted but when a difficulty arises, especially on Mothers Day, it is a real concern. HP’s mother is happy, and so is he.

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Big Lake State Park

HP was so excited to begin our 70 mile journey to Rock Port that he was seen cycling down the hotel hallway. He should have been happy cycling there. When we got outside the hotel we were faced with strong winds out of the north and 50 degree temperatures. Since we were heading north this was a problem. Perhaps, if we had gotten to sleep earlier it may have been ok. We were glued to the TV watching our 15 seconds of fame that was broadcast every hour between 5 and 11 p.m. Also, we were entertained by our Chicago friends, Leo and Sue and her sister Dorothy.

Our trip should have been fast. Once we got out of St. Joseph we were on flat river bottom roads, which with 1 small exception, was to take us all the way to Rock Port. However, we could not make any speed and after 5 hours of cycling we had gone only 30 miles. At a café in Forest City (population 282) Joe proposed that we stop our ride at Big Lake. While this was totally reasonable and very sensible, HP and Jeff were in shock by this proposal. In our 8 years of cycling with Joe he never cut a ride short. Joe said that the “new him is out to enjoy the journey and be dammed with the plans.” While that was enough to stop us in our tracks, Joe did another first that was just as shocking. We had a 4 mile stretch of gravel road with 8 steep, but short hills. Joe walked up those 8 hills with HP and Jeff.

In the Café Jeff also created a surprise of his own when he ordered 2 deserts—strawberry and banana pies. While we are focused on Jeff it should also be noted that on all of our prior journeys, he maintained a strict no-meat diet. At lunch, Jeff ate a hamburger, one made with real meat! He claims that it is just too difficult to maintain a healthy diet but we think that he has just seen the light.

Finally, we want to note the kindness of Missouri drivers. In particular, we counted at least 4 separate events when drives pulled their cars between us and chasing dogs. The drives would then corral the dogs to the side of the road so we could pass safely. A special thanks to those drivers and all the drives that passed us on the road and gave us the extra room we needed to feel safe.

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St. Joseph

We waited out the morning thunderstorms before starting our ride in what quickly turned out to be another fantastic day. About 10 miles out of Platte City we passed the McCormick Distillery. As part of our Tour de Café we stopped in the nearby town of Weston for our first coffee break. The walls of the café were covered with vintage motorcycle photos and our waitress told us that the café hosts a biker breakfast every Thursday. While this seemed out of character for Weston’s quaint historic district, she said it is a wonderful event. We also met more nice folks in the café and a young couple told us that they drove to Weston just to tour the distillery. Unfortunately, the distillery stopped giving public tours.

Leaving Weston we dropped to the flat river bottom roads that were wonderfully flat all the way to St. Joseph. Jeff and Joe decided to cross the Missouri River to Atchison, Kansas to visit the birthplace of Amelia Earhart. In support of the Tour de Café they stopped at another café before leaving town. HP stayed in Missouri and also supported the Tour by stopping at the Broken Spoke Café where he met Lorene Goodpasture, a local writer who was interested in his journey. She is 88 years old and has a sister that is 90. Even though she is vision impaired, she still writes for the local newspaper and has published several books. She gave 2 of her books to HP: (1) The Historical Legends of Iatan and (2) A Patchwork of Country Roads.

Joe claims that St. Joseph is named after him for his saintly behavior. We will let his family decide if this is true. St. Joseph is “where the Pony Express started and Jesse James ended.” On July 6, 1804, Lewis and Clark camped in what is now the downtown. On May 8th, Joe, HP, and Jeff cycled into the city looking for Lewis and Clark’s campground but ended up staying in the Riverfront Holiday Inn. Lewis and Clark never had it so good. We have carried our tents but they still are unused. Soon we will be beyond the comforts of city living and campgrounds will be the norm.

Our arrival into St. Joseph had 2 surprises. First we were met by a local television reporter that filmed our arrival and interview HP about his journeys in the United States. The second was that Leo and Sue, who saw us off from Chicago, also met us at our hotel.

Most importantly, this trip has aged Jeff. Today he celebrates his birthday!

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Platte City

We have several stories for today but before we pick on Jeff, let us tell you the other ones—Carl’s departure, the weather, and our long day.

Carl originally intended to cycle the whole trip with us but as our journey drew near he decided that he could not be away from home this summer. We had the pleasure of Carl’s company from Boonville until today. Before heading to his home in Carrollton, Missouri, he cycled with us for about 10 miles until we reached the town of Henrietta. It was sad to see him go.

Mother Nature wanted us to appreciate the fine weather we had mid morning and later in the afternoon. Our earlier weather and the weather during the afternoon made our day more challenging. We left Lexington under gray skies and misting rain. After Carl left us, Mother Nature decided that she would let us know who is in charge. We cycled into gale force winds and rain for about an hour before the sun came out to give us a beautiful morning. By mid-day the temperatures rose into the 90 degree range and we baked. However, by 3 p.m. the temperatures again moderated back into the 80s.

This was our longest cycling day so far. When we set up our Blog we really did not want to focus on miles, time on the road, and elevation changes. However, like all good goals, we are breaking this one. It was a long day. We started our 72 mile day at 7:30 a.m. and did not get to our day’s lodging until 5 p.m. Up until the last 20 miles it was easy cycling. First we ran into road construction. Actually, the road was closed and the detour would have added far too many miles for us to consider. Joe talked the job foreman into letting us walk our bikes across the construction and between the earth moving equipment. Finally, as we were wearing out, the hills came back. Those Missouri rollers chased us all the way into Platte City.

Now for the Jeff story, that really isn’t funny but which kept Joe laughing all day. As we approached the town of Liberty, Joe asked Jeff to program his GPS to find the nearest restaurant. Jeff’s GPS is a different model than Joe's or HP’s and we have used this feature successfully several times. Jeff’s GPS found a family restaurant about 1.2 miles away, so we all headed off route towards a good meal. However, the route was very hilly and took us into a residential area. Finally, the GPS guided us up a dead end street with no restaurant in sight. Of course, Jeff got blamed, Joe was in stitches with laughter, and HP felt vindicated because this proved that GPSs cannot be trusted.

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Lexington, Missouri

Our ride continued through farm lands but today we were not on the rural roads we have come to enjoy. The most exciting part of today’s journey was the climb over Grand Pass. While not quite like the Swiss Alps, Rocky Mountains, or like the Appalachian Mountains we still had to climb to get to the top. Grand Pass is 676 feet and when we left Marshall we were at 764 feet. So we managed to climb a grand pass but lose elevation. Some things will remain a mystery.

About today’s ride, Joe said that there were too many trucks and they went to fast. However, that did not deter him from breaking out of the pack and getting to our mid-point break hours before the rest of the group. Perhaps Joe hitched a ride on one of those fast trucks.

Jeff said that today’s ride was just a matter of getting to our next lodging. There were neither interesting stops nor fun side trips. He said that he really enjoyed the grand vistas from Grand Pass and fantasizing about lunch. However, he did not like the rolling hills that followed Grand Pass for a good 10 miles.

HP said his journey was marked by 3 great stops. At first he had tea and fresh baked cinnamon buns, the second provided good coffee. Finally, he had a pickle loaf sandwich to hold him over until he got to Lexington. Overall, he said that he liked the rolling hills and small towns he visited.

Carl said today was “hellish.” It was only his third day of cycling this year and it started after only 3 hours of sleep. However, none of this slowed him down; at every opportunity he entertained us with his extensive knowledge of local lore. At the end of our ride Carl repeated his earlier conversation with a farmer we passed. According to Carl, the farmer told him that Joe’s bike carried more stuff than would fit in his 5 ton flat bed truck.

In Lexington we searched the town looking for its primary claim to fame. During the Civil War a cannon ball struck the court house and remains in one of its columns. The GPS way point said that it was blocks away from where we stood in the center of town. However, while Jeff was searching for a lunch spot, Joe looked up and saw that he was standing under the very column he sought.

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Marshall, Missouri

Despite the weather forecasts we had great weather for our ride to Marshall. Today’s highlight was our stop in Arrow Rock, Missouri. According to the town’s web page, Native Americans gathered flint from the bluffs for arrowheads, hence the name. Lewis and Clark noted the bluff and nearby salt licks as they labored up the Missouri River in 1804. Westbound explorers and traders paused at Arrow Rock Spring, and in 1829 some settled and founded a town. We spent hours there just relaxing, eating, and enjoying the day. Our lunch included sandwiches, drinks, and desert. Carl did not want his strawberry short cake. Joe, in true team spirit, sacrificed and ate both his own and Carl’s.

On the way out of town we were stopped by a local residence who told us that he is the fifth generation to live in his nearby home. The home built in 1835 by his great grandfathers is still in great condition. He insisted in telling us that his grandfather who built the home used to take trade goods to California; a 2 year journey. When his grandfather returned home his wife was pregnant and eventually moved out to live with his best friend who owned the Arrow Rock tavern. Our experience with Missourians has been fantastic. Everyone we have met has been more than kind and the drivers have been very patient with us on the roads. This is much different than the experience we had in 2002 when we were in Missouri as we crossed the United States. We hope that this hospitality continues on the rest of our journey.

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Leaving Katy

Like all true loves, it was time to move on. It was a traumatic experience for us but she was ok with our leaving. Because of flooding we had to leave Katy at Jefferson City for the road. The trail was flat but Jefferson City had many steep hills that punished us as we headed for our hotel. Our next day’s adventure took us to Boonville. To get there, we climbed steep hills for the first 25 miles out of Jefferson City. However, the final 25 miles were fantastically fast with easy grades and lots of flats...we flew.

One of HP’s joys is finding Mom and Pop stores along the way. We had already stopped at several but today’s was extra special. When we walked in we saw a simple menu that read “Monday: salmon patties, tater tots, coleslaw, strawberry cake and sweet tea.” If we wanted a hamburger we would have had to wait until Thursday. So it was salmon patties for all. We were hungry and the food was good. It was served with a smile and lots of conversation. We sat at a long table with the farmers, and other locals. One man told us that he was a retired Missouri River pilot and now farms. He was called “Preacher” and was a grizzled man with lots of tattoos. He also told us that he rode a 3-wheeled motorcycle and just returned from a rally in Arkansas. Furthermore, he told us that at the rally, he saw naked women riding motor cycles. Upon hearing this, Joe wanted to reprogram our GPSs but we convinced him that Nancy (his wife) would object. A little boy sitting next to Jeff was his sole mate. Jeff eats tater tots as excuse to eat ketchup but the little boy (2-3 years old) just sucked the ketchup off his tater tots. If Jeff follows this example he can still get his ketchup but reduce his caloric intake.

All along our journey we have seen abandoned commercial buildings and homes. While sad, these buildings do have charm. The Katy trail has more than its share. Perhaps these communities started too declined with the loss of the railroad. Hopefully, the recreational users of the trail will help rejuvenate these areas.

In Boonville we met another cycling companion of many trips. Carl lives nearby in Carrollton, Missouri and wanted to join us for a few days. Carl always brings a unique prospective to our trips. He is very right brained and cultured. While he is with us he will enlighten us to art, culture, literature, and history. In addition, his slant on some of our past adventures makes us wonder if we really were there. In any event, he is always entertaining.

Photos - 5/3/2009
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Living high in Hermann, Missouri

We woke up with the sun. It was our first sunny day of the trip and we were ecstatic. HP promised sun and he delivered. In addition to the sun we were blessed with minimal traffic as we cycled the highway back to the Katy trail. This was definitely the start of a great day.

However great our start, we did not have a clear objective for our destination. The prior night we spent hours trying to optimize mileage and places to stay; none of which provided a clear objective. But, did we mention that we had sunshine and not much else mattered. Besides we are retired and looking to smell some roses.

Since today was Saturday, many more people were using the trail. A man named John offered to cycle with us to the next village so he could show us where to get coffee. John a Vietnam Veteran told us of his service and joked that he could go to war and perhaps get killed but when he came home he was not old enough to purchase a beer. John seemed to know all the farmers gathered outside the store where we were to get coffee. Once inside he introduced us to Britney, the teenaged store manger, coffee maker, and breakfast server. She sat with us and joined in our conversation. She did not have a menu but offered to make us several styles of egg. One offer was for “daddy eggs,” a term that none of us knew. When asked, both John and Britney gave us the “look” that everybody knows what they are but their explanation left us just as unknowing. So we each ordered a daddy egg and as best as we can determine it is an egg fried in a ring with the yoke broken.

Along our way we met many cyclists telling us of flood problems along the trail about 2 days ahead. One couple told us that they cycled several miles in near knee deep water and climbed over another section where the cliff collapsed and blocked the trail. Needless to say, we are looking into ways to ride around these sections. Joe is in his element planning new routes and alternative routes to the ones he finds. Joe would be lost without his computer. Despite being a retired programmer, it is in his blood.

Our day came to a conclusion when we decided to smell the roses and spend the night in Hermann. It is an old German town with lots of character. Before leaving the trail we tried to get hotel reservations, but with no success. Not to be deterred, we cycled across the river and Joe spotted a likely place to seek nights lodging. We ended up with a Bed and Breakfast Inn where we have our own house with 3 separate bedrooms, 2 whirlpool baths, a shower with multiple shower heads, and a great view of the river. We could go on describing this place forever. However, it is so nice we may not go on but stay here forever.

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Maps

Ride to Washington (Missouri)

Once again we were faced with overcast skies, warm temperatures, and a threat of rain showers. However, westward we must go, so we started our ride. The Katy trail is surfaced with crushed-packed gravel and is easy to cycle. The beginning of the trail is in dense woods with a tight canopy overhanging the path. During our ride HP commented that with the chirping noises and thick forest he felt like he was cycling through a jungle. Joe and Jeff just nodded agreement until HP went on to say that he heard monkeys calling to each other. That is when Joe and Jeff started to peddle a little faster.

Mid-morning the temperatures dropped, the sky got black, and the winds increased significantly. These changes required us to put on our jackets and reassess our plans for the day. Tonight was to be our first night of camping but we decided that discretion was better than valor. Joe reprogrammed his GPS and headed us toward Washington, Missouri, a town with several motels. We made it into the motel just before the deluge started. If we were still outside we would have needed to trade our bikes in for boats.

We had 2 interesting stops along the way. The first was in Defiance, Missouri were we stopped to get coffee and decide if we would cycle to Daniel Boone’s Missouri home. As we pulled into town (3 stores, a bar, and several homes) we were met by the owner of the general store/bike shop/gift boutique (3 stores in 1). While very friendly she was also very cruel. She let us smell her special coffee beans that just came out of the roaster but then told us that her coffee service was not yet in operation. She sent us across the street to the bar for coffee. We were crushed. Adding to our disappointment was the fact that Daniel Boone’s home no longer existed and the nearby home really belonged to Nathanial Boone (Daniel’s son). That fact, the inclement weather, and the additional 5 miles off the trail (all up hill) led us to forego this historic experience.

A digression: Another historical experience occurred about 15 miles out of St. Charles. We saw a historical marker reporting that Lewis and Clark reached this point after 2 days or arduous effort on the Missouri river. Joe commented that Lewis and Clark should have used the bike trail since it took us less than 2 hours for the same distance.

Back to the interesting stops we had today: We stopped for lunch in Augusta, Missouri at a trail side restaurant. Joe, not wanting Jeff to feel bad about not getting the great blueberry pie (see our report on getting to St. Charles) sacrificed and ate the last 2 pieces of “just ok” strawberry-key lime pie. HP and Jeff were satisfied with just eating healthy sandwiches

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St. Charles, Missouri

Travel to St. Charles was under cloudy skies that have persisted since the start of our journey. Thunderstorms are predicted for the next five days. Until we reached the outskirts of St. Charles we had a delightful time cycling. We crossed the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers on ferries and traveled bike trails and rural roads most of the day. Before we boarded the Mississippi River ferry we stopped at the ferry café on the Illinois side of the river for pie. Joe and HP had the last 2 slices of fantastic blue berry pie ala mode leaving Jeff with an ok slice of apple pie.

As we got closer to St. Charles the traffic increased almost to the point of being uncomfortable. Each of us had a GPS that took us to within a block of our hotel…but we could not find it. Actually, Jeff’s GPS was turned off and HPs and Joe’s GPSs pointed us toward two pubs—one with 100 beers and the other with 6 that were brewed on site. HP chose the brew pub where we wet our whistles and had a great dinner. To finally get to our hotel Joe wanted a technology solution, HP just wanted our hotel, and Jeff asked several folks (not a manly thing to do but he did it anyway) and got us to our hotel. Before Jeff gets a swelled head, you should know that he got us lost today. He was in the zone and cycled beyond the GPS’s warning of an approaching turn. Joe followed blindly and HP stopped us and got a paper map to save the day. Since today was a low mileage day a few extra miles were not a problem.

According to Wikipedia, St. Charles is the second oldest city west of the Mississippi and was founded in 1765 by Louis Blanchette, a French Canadian fur trader. It was the last "civilized" stop for the Lewis and Clark Expedition; BUT HOPEFULLY not our last taste of civilization. From 1821 to 1826, the city served as the first Missouri capital.

St. Charles is also the trailhead for the Katy Trail State Park. The trail is 225 miles long and follows the Missouri River westward. We plan to cycle most of the trail over the next several days. It is the longest developed rail-trail in the country and it was built on the former corridor of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad.


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Ride to Grafton, Illinois

Our day started out making new friends: the café owner who served us breakfast, the city guide who gets paid to ride his bike and answer questions from tourists, and the park rangers who snapped group photos for us under the Arch. Also, during the ride we met other cyclists and café owners, and visitor center employees. While most of our readers know us, those we met along the way have some questions as to who we are. We are all in our early 60s but young at heart. We met in 2002 when we cycled across the United States as part of an Adventure Cycle Association tour and have since taken many tours together. Joe is from New York State, HP is from Switzerland, and Jeff is from Virginia. Joe is the group’s technical adviser and is carrying the lap top that develops this Blog and allows us email access. He also programmed the GPSs we each carry and is our bike mechanic (he carries enough tools to open a bike shop). HP is the high adventure guy. He leads mountaineering expeditions and ski trips. He knows more about camping and survival than a troop of Boy Scouts. Just prior to joining us he cycled from central France back to his home in Switzerland. Jeff always finds nice and positive things about each day's events and has an interesting way of expressing the day's events in writing.

Our earlier journeys were characterized by high daily mileage and a drive to get to camp early. If our first day is an indication of what is to come, we have matured. Our journey took all day to cover 45 miles. Rather than measuring miles per hour today was measured in photos per mile. Despite the gray weather, Joe and HP honed their photographic prowess by snapping lots of pictures during the day. They are the photographers, Jeff just takes snap shots. Be sure to check out their work at Our Photos.

In St. Louis we stayed in a modern high rise hotel but in Grafton we are staying in a hotel that was built in 1884. It provides a nice contrast to our first nights lodging. Our loved ones should not be worried however; this 1884 hotel was last renovated in 2008 and has wonderful rooms, good food, and excellent beer.

If you are tracking our journey, you can see our progress on this Goggle Map.