MADE IT THROUGH THREE STATES

Hello everyone,

Hope all is well. I have met my three goals for the first part of the trip, which were to:

1. Get to the top of the Cascade Mountains.

2. Get to Missoula, Montana, which was through the Bitterroot Mountains.

3. Get through Yellowstone. I am now at the west gate of Yellowstone.

I have left my third state and am now through Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.

I have been riding constantly in the mountains. After leaving Missoula, I have been through the following mountain ranges: Beaverhead, Pioneer, and Blacktail Mountains. I have crossed the Continental Divide twice. All the mountains are national forests.

I saw another black bear by the Madison River. I have seen proghorn antelope, big horn sheep, buffalo, fox, and more elk.

I experienced a true mountain storm starting on Monday afternoon. The wind was from the west and by 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. it was gusting about 50 miles per hour. I leaned into the wind, but it was so strong that it blew my bike and me from the shoulder of the road to the other side of the road into a ditch. I have never experienced this while riding. I was still four or five miles from Ennis, so I had to keep one foot on the pedal and one foot on the ground and slowly walk my bike into town. I hated to have to do this, but I felt it was too dangerous to ride.

On Tuesday, it snowed all day from Ennis to West Yellowstone. It stuck on the ground, on my outerwear, and on my bike, but since it was in the low 30's, it did not stick to the road. There was no wind, just snow. It got to the point where I was going stir crazy and not concentrating on my riding and had to force myself to focus.

I have traveled between 1400 - 1500 miles.

All is well, I am tired, but in good spirits.

Talk again next week.

Larry