MONTANA
May 31
Joe faced another day of
"incredible" headwinds and only rode 37 miles. Hmm, maybe
"only" is not quite the correct word. How about this: Joe rode a
heroic 37 miles against incredible headwinds to St. Mary, Montana. That's
better. He returned to the United States and is staying with a gentleman
he met on his trip 38 years ago. He has been riding through the Blackfoot
Indian Reservation.
 
June 1
It took heavy rains to finally convince Joe
to take a Rest Day. He has not taken one for a while and as we all know,
he has been doing some hard riding. I don't know about you, but just
reading about some of his days wears me out.
June 2
In a cool, often heavy, all-day rain Joe
rode 57 miles through East and West Glacier Park. It is fabulous country
but he said, "I'm soaked to the bone." He visited Columbia Falls
and made it to Kalispell for the night.
June 3
Another all-day rain. Joe said, "It's
incredible I can still do this." The road was under construction for
the last two miles into Polson. No asphalt. All mud. Joe had to push his
bicycle. He almost thinks a lot of the cars intentionally hit the puddles
to splash him. He was completely, totally, absolutely, covered with mud
when he pulled into a hotel. They graciously provided him with a garden
hose. Rained so hard that although he could see Flathead Lake as he rode
around it, he could not see the surrounding mountains. He rode 55 miles
today.
June 4
Finally, a beautiful rain-free day! Joe
pedaled 70 miles to Missoula. On the way, he stopped at a local Fireman's
Pancake Breakfast. One of the firemen said he had something he wanted to
show Joe and would it be OK if he bicycled with him a while? Twenty-five
miles later they pulled into the lovely St. Ignatius Catholic Mission
Church, built in 1841. The fireman, a well known local singer, treated Joe
to a solo performance of the great hymn, "Amazing Grace." Hey
Joe, here is the rest of us, thinking of you, joining in on the
third verse: "Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already
come; 'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me
home."
Fireman, family man, and singer- John Dresen
June 5
Joe is taking the day off to hang around
Missoula. He has an appointment with the "Adventure Cyclist"
organization, headquartered in Missoula, on Monday.
June 6
Joe had his interview with "Adventure
Cyclist" and had a great time. They are going to follow his journey and feature
him in some upcoming publications. He rode 50 miles to Drummond.
Sprinkles, but no real rain.
June 7
Today, Joe pedaled 73.75 miles from
Drummond to Butte. A nice day's ride.
June 8
Joe rode a leisurely 32 miles from Butte to
Whitehall, a "pretty little Western town with wheat fields below and
mountains above." He dodged several rainstorms and crossed the
Continental Divide for the third time.
June 9
Joe followed the Jefferson River out of
Whitehall. When Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery reached (and
named) the Jefferson, the water level was so low they had to drag their
boats rather than paddle. Joe pedaled 57 miles to Virginia City.
June 10
In 1967, Virginia City made Joe an honorary
member of the Virginia City Vigilantes. This time, they renewed his
membership. Joe spent the evening at the Virginia City Opera House. He
left town and pedaled up the Ennis Pass. He then enjoyed the eleven mile
coast down the hill. Cattle country. He rode 51 miles to Earthquake Lake.
IDAHO
June 11
Joe turned 62 today. Happy Birthday, Joe!
What you are doing is truly awesome! To celebrate, he rode 72 miles from
Earthquake Lake, Montana, to Ashton, Idaho.
June 12
Torrential rain. Joe decided to take the
day off and get some rest.
June 13
Joe rode 44 miles to Driggs. On the way, he
passed his 3,000th mile of the trip. He is on the west side of the Teton
Pass.
WYOMING
June 14
Joe pedaled from Driggs, ID, to Jackson
Hole, WY. In between is the Teton Pass. The Teton Pass is the steepest
continuous paved road in the United States. A 10% grade on both sides.
Folks, that's steep. In fact, illegal everywhere else. The locals told Joe
there was no way he could ride up it. He told them he rode it in 1967 when
it was unpaved and a 12% grade and he had every intention of riding it
again. They didn't think so. But he did. All the way to the top without
stopping. Joe said that going down the other side was kind of tricky. It
is so steep that if you don't carefully control your speed your bicycle
can go way, way too fast. This was Joe's thirteenth mountain pass, so far.
June 15, 16
Some of Joe's family from Eastern Kentucky
have met him in Jackson Hole for a visit . He is truly delighted. They are
going to hang out for a few days and see the incredible sights this part
of the world has to offer. Joe will get back on the road on Saturday. His
son-in-law, Parnell, will ride with him for a couple of days.
June 17
Joe and Parnell, rode their
bicycles from Jackson Hole to Grand Teton National Park. The rest of the
family followed in the cars.
Kentucky Girls!
June 18
Joe and Parnell left the Grand Teton
National Park and pedaled to Yellowstone National Park. They, and the rest
of the family, stayed in a place called the "Grand Canyon of
Yellowstone." On their ride, they saw plenty of elk and moose. On a
couple of occasions, they put their bikes in the cars and took side trips
with the family. Joe measures his mileage by his bicycle odometer only.
Car and ferry miles don't count.
June 19
Joe and Parnell rode across the Buffalo
Bill Cody Scenic Byway along the Shoshone River. It was Parnell's final
day of keeping Joe company. Thanks, Parnell! They arrived that evening in
Cody.
June 20
Joe said a tearful farewell to Barbara and
family who headed back home to Kentucky. It was wonderful to see them and
hard to see them go. Joe tried to find our friend Bobby Bridger. Bobby, a
descendant of legendary mountain man, Jim Bridger, is an artist, musician,
historian and singer of mountain tales. The UK Appalachian Center and the
Appalachian Heritage Alliance brought Bobby to numerous schools in Eastern
Kentucky last winter. Alas, Joe couldn't find Bobby's summer tipi. Joe, on
his own again, rode almost 60 miles to Greybull. It was the hottest day of
riding so far- 97 degrees.
June 21
First day of summer. One of the hardest
days so far. Joe rode uphill for 30 miles, much of it a 5% grade. Eight
hours of riding uphill. He began the day at 3,700 feet above sea level and
ended on the top of Granite Pass at 9,034 feet. That's over a mile of vertical
elevation. The temperature was 95 degrees. He had to rest many times.
People stopped their cars to check on him three times. He drank 1/2 gallon
of Gatorade and 1/2 gallon of water.
Bighorn Mountains
June 22
Joe spent the night in the Bighorn
Mountains at 8500 feet above sea level. He had a long coast downhill in
the morning. He rode 54 miles to Sheridan where he looked up a friend he
made on the 1967 trip.
June 23
Joe spent the day with his friend. They
went to the site of the Battle of the Little Big Horn where Colonel George
Custer lost famously to the Sioux and Cheyenne in 1876.
June 24
Before leaving Sheridan, Joe went to the
doctor to get some help fighting a cold that has been bothering him. He
then rode 37 miles to Buffalo. Thankfully, it was not as hot as it had
been the last few days. He hopes to do some writing this evening to catch
us up on his "Stories from the Road."
June 25
Joe pedaled the rolling Wyoming prairie for
74 miles to Gillette. Due to plentiful rainfall, the prairie is greener
than it has been for fifteen years. Joe saw large herds of antelope. He
was granted special permission by the Wyoming State Police to ride on
Interstate 90 for part of the day. Classroom teachers have asked Joe to
gather information and take pictures on various subjects to share with
their students. Joe continues to do this. It is important to remember that
this trip is an educational adventure to show our students that they can
set and attain lofty goals for themselves through hard work and
dedication. It is also, of course, to share with them the beauty and
wonder of our magnificent country.
June 26
Joe left the prairie and headed up into the
Black Hills. Fortunately, the temperature dropped to a reasonable 78
degrees. He passed the Devils Tower National Monument. The Devils Tower is
the core of an ancient volcano. It entered the mainstream of public
awareness as the mountain in the science fiction movie "Close
Encounters of the Third Kind." Since it cost almost thirty dollars to
get into the park, he just took some pictures and pedaled on by. He
bicycled 71 miles today and stayed in Hulett.
Next Stage- South Dakota,
Nebraska
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