Joe and I have been in the woods camping, starting fires to fend off mosquitoes, and have joined a group of cyclists. The geek part is still with us, as any outlet we see is an oppotunity to charge our electronics.

We have been biking for the past few days with 7 people that we met in Yellowstone. Joe and I had been getting along great and this just bumped our spirits to the next level.

Touring Tip: Biking on the Trans-Am route designated by the Adventure Cycling Association has forced us to see cyclists everyday. Stay on the Trans-Am route! Meeting cyclists and biking together takes fun to a new level.

The Wreck

This is being written from the Hot Springs Lodge in Jackson, MT. How I got here is quite interesting; I was biking with Aaron, one of the other cyclists part of the 7 person mob of bikers. He had picked up a giant ball on the side of the road and attached it to the side of his bike. It was no one’s fault, but rather a combination of misfortunes.

We came down the hill, I knicked the ball, and went over the handlebars. The bike is OK and I have gashes on a few parts of my body. My helmet pretty much saved my life. I hit the ground hard with my head and the helmet worked perfectly. The handlebars were jammed in the frame but came out with a forceful pull. Aaron felt a little bad, but I made it clear it was neither of our faults.

When I went down, I was scarily composed. I laid on the ground and didn’t move. I just thought about what I had hit, and assessed the situation. About 7 cars stopped to ask, “Are you OK?” I even made a joke which fended off a few of them… “Sure he’s OK.”

Joe’s pictures will tell the story of our past week. They will be up ASAP.