Day 31
July 1, 2005
Today was another all-round great day.
It started off with a nice breakfast with the Kiwis at the restaurant and lodge that had the “complimentary” hot tub. Paul had already eaten and taken off, and I dragged behind breaking down camp and making a few phone calls as the Kiwis headed up the road. We had a pretty big hill to tackle today, so I loaded up the MP3 player to take my time and enjoy the trip up.
Togwotee Pass is the second highest of the trip, topping out at 9,658 feet. The grade was a little rough at the bottom, but eased up the higher it got. About five miles into the 15-mile hike to the summit I came across a field of Dandelions.
The Dandelion has become somewhat of a reminder of how sweet life is. A year and a half ago we lost a good friend named Doug. It was a sudden and tragic loss that affected many. Boldly, his older brother delivered the message at his funeral and reminded everyone there of the beautiful flower Doug always loved. It’s no secret that while some see Dandelions as pesky weeds that contaminate their lawns, others see them as beautiful flowers that can brighten any kitchen. One little secret about Dandelions is that they don’t spread their seeds until they die. That February afternoon Nick urged everyone to take a seed or two from Doug and not let his passing be in vain.
While Stephen is the primary inspiration for this trip, I’ve also silently dedicated this journey to all those who were never able to experience all they had planned due to an unfortunate and abbreviated life here on earth. The Dandelion is a constant and beautiful reminder of that.
As I kept powering my way up the hill, the once distant snow grew closer and closer. Having never played in the snow in July before, I took the opportunity to create another first. It was definitely the first time I had to swat Mosquitoes while making a snowball. I hate Mosquitoes.
Shortly after my mid-summer-winter-wonderland experience, I crested the top of the pass. It was the first down off a hill that I enjoyed while in the Angel position for most of the ride. The self-titled Angel position is much like the pose on the home page of the website; no hands, arms slightly raised, fully enjoying the opportunity to experience an amazing ride such as that. Of course, the music coming from my player only heightened the experience and planted a huge grin of elation on my face for the trip down. I wondered what the passing cars thought of the guy on the tandem, flying off the hill with the goofy grin on his face… It was a great ride though.
And while we’re on the topic, I also motor along in the Oscar position. Hands firmly placed on Stephen’s handlebars behind me, back almost fully erect, while churning out an insane amount of power from my spandex-wrapped, muscular, Hemi-powered thighs. It’s an amazing sight to behold; sometimes I amaze myself…
At the bottom of the hill there was a little gas station with a lady and her loaded bike out in front. As we exchanged waves, I snapped out of my little world of euphoria and slowed to turn around and chat. Her name was Carolyn and she’s from England. We chatted for a while and made plans to meet, along with the others, in Dubois. I left as she was preparing to head out as well and headed for Dubois.
Carolyn caught up with me about three miles out of town and rode to the KOA with me. Heather & Jackson knew we were coming and made arrangements for a cheaper stay for us before we got there. When we went into the office they asked us our name and told us to go out and talk to Heather before we paid. To avoid both of us paying $20 for individual campsites, Heather told them we were married and would be staying at the same site.
She’s a bit older than the bride I had envisioned, but she is a sweetheart. And we’ve yet to decide whether to settle in the states or back in the UK, but we’re weighing the options.
Not only did we save $10 with the not-so-planned nuptials, we got a free reception as well. Amazingly, we were there the night they were celebrating their new KOA status. They were having a whole night of festivities to celebrate their hard work, the highlight being a campfire sing-a-long with a free picnic dinner.
After the fireside fiesta with our hotdog appetizers, we went down to the Cowboy Café for more food and fun. The highlights of the Cowboy were: Kaitlyn, the accommodating hostess, the history lesson she imparted upon us, and the great Blueberry Rhubarb pie a la mode.
We got back to the campground after the sun had set, for the first time in the trip, and quickly fell fast asleep.
Today: 49.62 Total: 1,377.18
Today was another all-round great day.
It started off with a nice breakfast with the Kiwis at the restaurant and lodge that had the “complimentary” hot tub. Paul had already eaten and taken off, and I dragged behind breaking down camp and making a few phone calls as the Kiwis headed up the road. We had a pretty big hill to tackle today, so I loaded up the MP3 player to take my time and enjoy the trip up.
Togwotee Pass is the second highest of the trip, topping out at 9,658 feet. The grade was a little rough at the bottom, but eased up the higher it got. About five miles into the 15-mile hike to the summit I came across a field of Dandelions.
The Dandelion has become somewhat of a reminder of how sweet life is. A year and a half ago we lost a good friend named Doug. It was a sudden and tragic loss that affected many. Boldly, his older brother delivered the message at his funeral and reminded everyone there of the beautiful flower Doug always loved. It’s no secret that while some see Dandelions as pesky weeds that contaminate their lawns, others see them as beautiful flowers that can brighten any kitchen. One little secret about Dandelions is that they don’t spread their seeds until they die. That February afternoon Nick urged everyone to take a seed or two from Doug and not let his passing be in vain.
While Stephen is the primary inspiration for this trip, I’ve also silently dedicated this journey to all those who were never able to experience all they had planned due to an unfortunate and abbreviated life here on earth. The Dandelion is a constant and beautiful reminder of that.
As I kept powering my way up the hill, the once distant snow grew closer and closer. Having never played in the snow in July before, I took the opportunity to create another first. It was definitely the first time I had to swat Mosquitoes while making a snowball. I hate Mosquitoes.
Shortly after my mid-summer-winter-wonderland experience, I crested the top of the pass. It was the first down off a hill that I enjoyed while in the Angel position for most of the ride. The self-titled Angel position is much like the pose on the home page of the website; no hands, arms slightly raised, fully enjoying the opportunity to experience an amazing ride such as that. Of course, the music coming from my player only heightened the experience and planted a huge grin of elation on my face for the trip down. I wondered what the passing cars thought of the guy on the tandem, flying off the hill with the goofy grin on his face… It was a great ride though.
And while we’re on the topic, I also motor along in the Oscar position. Hands firmly placed on Stephen’s handlebars behind me, back almost fully erect, while churning out an insane amount of power from my spandex-wrapped, muscular, Hemi-powered thighs. It’s an amazing sight to behold; sometimes I amaze myself…
At the bottom of the hill there was a little gas station with a lady and her loaded bike out in front. As we exchanged waves, I snapped out of my little world of euphoria and slowed to turn around and chat. Her name was Carolyn and she’s from England. We chatted for a while and made plans to meet, along with the others, in Dubois. I left as she was preparing to head out as well and headed for Dubois.
Carolyn caught up with me about three miles out of town and rode to the KOA with me. Heather & Jackson knew we were coming and made arrangements for a cheaper stay for us before we got there. When we went into the office they asked us our name and told us to go out and talk to Heather before we paid. To avoid both of us paying $20 for individual campsites, Heather told them we were married and would be staying at the same site.
She’s a bit older than the bride I had envisioned, but she is a sweetheart. And we’ve yet to decide whether to settle in the states or back in the UK, but we’re weighing the options.
Not only did we save $10 with the not-so-planned nuptials, we got a free reception as well. Amazingly, we were there the night they were celebrating their new KOA status. They were having a whole night of festivities to celebrate their hard work, the highlight being a campfire sing-a-long with a free picnic dinner.
After the fireside fiesta with our hotdog appetizers, we went down to the Cowboy Café for more food and fun. The highlights of the Cowboy were: Kaitlyn, the accommodating hostess, the history lesson she imparted upon us, and the great Blueberry Rhubarb pie a la mode.
We got back to the campground after the sun had set, for the first time in the trip, and quickly fell fast asleep.
Today: 49.62 Total: 1,377.18
posted by SuperByron3000 at 7/06/2005
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