Day 24

After waking up in a hotel room with four boys...no comment, Mark ran to the grocery store and made us all eggs and toast, complete with some orange juice, all for the great price of $11 dollars. The kitchenette in the room was quite nice and we all enjoyed our last meal together. We packed up our bags and headed outside to get our bikes geared up for the ride that day and stumbled into swarms of mosquitoes. We ran back into the hotel, grabbed our trusty bug spray Deet, and then all smelled like gasoline. The mosquitoes were upset that they could not have a thanksgiving feast, suckers. Seriously, there were hundreds. We took some photos with the Tres Muscateros, said our goodbyes, participated in a group hug and then the water works began, at least for me, the only girl. It's crazy how after just knowing someone for a week, let alone not speaking the same language, you are able to become like family. It was like a family, all five of us, biking together, eating together, sweating together, laughing together. I almost felt like I have known them forever and it was truly a incredible week, definitely not an easy one though. Rodrigo checked our bikes for the last time and they rode off into the distance. We grabbed some H2O at the store and to Mark's surprise, his water bottle was moldy, isn't that crazy how if you leave gatorade in your water bottle it could grow mold? duh. I begged him to buy a new water bottle however he persisted to spray windex in the bottle, inserted a paper towel into the cup and used a pencil to direct the paper towel in a circular motion. It didn't work and I put it in my bag and hope to throw it out when he's not looking. Anyways, we finally got on the road and biked 62 miles to Dillon, Montana.

We climbed two passes that day, Big Hole and Badger Pass. Mark was flying, I have to admit my mind was not in the right state, and well when that happens, 5 hours of biking feels like a lifetime. I was pretty miserable. It's such a mind game, its so easy to complain and have negative thoughts while anticipating a climb that really wasn't too bad, however looked like Everest to me. In retrospect, I am lucky to have the ability to bike up a hill and so many people would die to have the opportunity to do something like this. Honestly, you have to focus on positive thoughts and its easier said then done. The kids in Uganda would probably love to ride a bike, and it's them who matter at the end of the day. So, I'm going to try really hard not to complain from now on, but girl problems and wind are exceptions. After we reached the top of the last pass, we enjoyed the downhill ride and made it into Dillon. We saw a teepee from the corner of our eyes and with the dark rain clouds moving in, we knew it would be home.

John, the owner of the RV park, gave us a deal on the teepee and because we were about 4 miles away from town, offered to call his friend, Mayo who could drive us into town. It wasn't too hard to resist and they even had free chocolate in the office. We took showers and waited for Mayo. He had lived in town for 3 years, originally from California, his sister oddly enough works in Thousand Oaks, and he knows everyone! We went to a few local hang outs, grubbed on some food, and got the tour of the town. It was a fun night and we definitely stayed out way past our normal 9 pm bedtime. It was nice to interact with people, in a "big" town, all of 4,000 people. In Dillon, dogs go everywhere with their owners, grocery stores, bars, shops, you name it- there are dogs everywhere!

When I am biking, I have plenty, probably too much time to think and you wouldn't believe what goes on in my head. Yesterday I caught myself listening to U2's hit, "Still haven't found what I am looking for" and counting all the possibilities of what they are looking for. I once, named all the people I could, as fast as I could, to pass the time. I think about my future a lot too, I am thinking about being a cycling teacher for a part time job, I even have songs picked out and pretend that I am in class..."C'mon ladies, you can do it! You go girls!"...ya It's really refreshing to let your mind wander wherever it wants to go, and not have to worry about a million things, except for when I will be able to eat another cheeseburger. I have the biggest appetite, its insane...after dinner I am ready for another meal. So, since I am trying to loose weight, I have to be a bit careful about the second meal choices...ha. Mark is the complete opposite, eating everything in sight. Irene, he misses your cooking and is looking forward to coming home and getting fed!

So my friends, until next time, may you all enjoy each day and take time to think about whatever you want to! Love to all! I miss everyone!!!!!!!
Kristen