Hope And Courage Across America Journal

Hi again. Well, I just finished writing the last blog so I’m going to make an attempt to get this one pumped out before my writing inspiration leaves me. So let’s see, I left you with us at the police station. We packed up that morning and ate breakfast at a local diner with Carol and Jean. While chatting, we discovered that the waitress was an Assemblies of God minister. Later in the conversation, she mentioned she home schools her children. Mom said we did, too. To that the waitress replied that she could tell. That there was just something different about Grant, Chanel, and I. I’m not entirely sure if that was a good thing, but I like to go with the belief that there is nothing worse than normalcy so we took it as a compliment.

We rode as long and as hard as the heat and bugs would allow us that day. Along the way, we encountered a zoo-full of animals. Some of the interesting ones include a live turtle (that I was extremely tempted to pick up), a dead owl, frolicking ponies, three dogs that started to chase Mom and I but luckily turned back after a bit, two dead and one live rattlesnake (they were big – at least a yard in length and an inch and half in diameter), and another hundred or so dead prairie dogs/gophers (we aren’t exactly sure what they are, but apparently they are shipped to Japan as pets). Seeing those huge rattlesnakes was a real wake-up call for all of us (especially Grant who accidentally pedaled over both dead ones) so we are using more caution on the rode and I read up on how to use our rattlesnake venom-extractor kit. But I’m praying I never have to use it because, frankly, slicing open and suctioning a family member’s skin is not high on my list of fun things to do.

Yesterday was a really good day of riding. We were able to get 60 miles in before it got too hot. And we had more fun encounters with people along those than any other 60 mile stretch. First, during a short water break, a Native American man (we were on an Indian reservation) stopped his truck to see if we were OK and if we needed any water. As he drove away, the three beautiful little Native American girls in the back of the pickup waved like princesses and shouted “good luck.” Dad described it as resembling a shot out of Life magazine. I agree.

The second encounter was one that even the most skilled writer could not fully describe, but I will make a feeble attempt and try my best. We had stopped for a water break along highway 2 when a minivan pulled up beside us. The driver leaned over a bundled up passenger and asked if we were okay. We said we were and that we were cycling across America. This excited her as she began to ask us more questions and revealed an accent (she was from Germany). After a few minutes, she parked her van and came out to talk to us. Her name was Helga and she was on a road trip from New York (where she serves as a nanny/surrogate grandmother to two children) to Washington and back. We asked about her travels and she pulled out a large scarf with a state-outlined America on it. On it she had stitched the routes of all her many road trips. This woman got around! We joked that she should join us on our ride. She replied, “Oh no! I’m 76! I don’t know how much more time I have left and I have so much to do and see. I do not have time to ride a bike. I must hurry!” What’s more is that she makes all of these trips while living out of her minivan. If that’s not an example of courage, I don’t know what is! Oh, and the passenger? It was a bust of Mark Twain attached to the headrest and covered with blankets. She said they have shared many engaging conversations along the way. She told us life is what you make it. And I’d say she makes hers fun, something we should all do a little more frequently.

We took our last stop at a gas station in Wolf Point. And somehow the whole town (where we had never been before nor did we have any contacts in) seemed to be expecting us and know of our journey. If you have seen the movie “Big Fish,” the encounter was similar to when Ewan McGregor’s character arrived at the town of Spectre. If you have not seen “Big Fish,” I suggest you do. But back to Wolf Point… People came out of the gas station and nearby shops to ask us how we were doing and to confirm that we had left that morning from Glasgow (which we had). Someone asked us how much longer until we reached New York. A woman from the gas station brought us out a handful of pens with the town’s name on them, because she wanted us to remember our stop in Wolf Point. A little girl rode into the gas station on a bike with her mother and pointed to us, yelling “Look, Mama! The cyclists have made it! The riders are here!” Soon another half a dozen or so Native American children approached us on bikes to meet us and ask questions. One even convinced Dad to flex his bicep, which produced a great round of “oohs” and “ahhs.” We rode out of Wolf Point shaking our heads with perplexity, but filled with encouragement.

Today was relatively uneventful. We ran into Jean and Carol again and chatted for a few minutes. We also made it into North Dakota, which we all felt was a long time coming. I will be leaving tomorrow to Wisconsin for a wedding of a dear friend of mine. Even better is that my fiancé (Justin) will meet me there to begin his two-week leave from Iraq. To say I am happy and anxious would be the understatement of the year. If anything major (whether good or bad) happens while I’m gone, Dad will blog about it. Otherwise, I will write up their reports on Wednesday when Justin and I meet up with my family to spend a few days on the road. Oh, and please pray we don’t have any medical emergencies while I’m gone!

Cheers,

Nicole