...and then there were four...

Just a brief note to keep our legions of adoring fans up to date. Jean & Muffin have headed back to oly. It was a sudden decision that took us all by suprise, but just after we crossed the rockies they both caught the amtrak back west to olympia.

we were all shocked, but are resolute to carry on. we all cut the day short staying in east glacier for the night and collectively working through our abandonment issues with beer, mexican food, and a night in a hostel. rare luxuries on this tour. 45 miles down the road in cut back, taking our mid-day break in Cut Bank, we'll be off again soon hoping to cover another 30 miles or so this afternoon / evening.

-jon

WANTED: 1 acrobalance team flyer and base; 1 juggler passing ability a plus
actually we're always looking for more talented folks to come along

Pictures taken while busking in missoula

thanks to Robin & Bear for all the photos

Pictures taken by random greener on a field/road trip in Grand Coulee, WA

more about missoula

most pizza places per capita i've ever seen...lots of ppl biking around...great bike co-op...busking at a small downtown event and the farmers market went well...some of us pitched in and helped a renegade public works project building a bike path connection where the city won't for the next 4 years...Kaite joined us friday night just as we were about to perform some of our stuff for the house we're staying at...unexpected change of plans means we're crossing into canada later on and going southeast through the twin cities after we get jon from grand forks...if any of those million and one photograhers around missoula ever email us the pictures they've taken of us we'll post them.

-jon

Missoula some more!

Hello beautiful folks! We'll be in Missoula for the next week or so, waiting for Kaite and for a new bike for Muffin... His beautiful, new, hard-worked for surly frame and fork have been totalled in a very confusing and sudden wreck about 90 miles out of missoula. So we're figuring that out. The other four of us proceeded to bike to get to Missoula by that evening, on a really ridiculous day of biking during which we biked nearly 100 miles. I was amazed that we could all do that with relatively little difficulty. So we've had our first major mishap. But we're in a great place for it, because we were going to be here a while anyway, and there's a fee community bike shop in Missoula!

As Jon exclaimed after a cop bought us all dinner, a bike club (that just happened to be meeting at the same time we got to this little restaurant) bought us pitchers of beer, and huckleberry ice cream fell from the sky into our laps, "The universe has blessed us so much that its stopped giving excuses!" Everyone we meet sends us along with great intentions, and time and time again we meet people who insist on taking us in, feeding us, giving us money, giving us showers, or helping us out in really amazing ways. It's really restoring my faith in people.

The land is so beautiful, too. The rockies have been breathtaking, but not nearly so treacherous yet. The two passes that we've gone over have been really easy. But I doubt that that will continue. We've gone from temperate rainforest to desert to mountains, and it's really amazing to see the changes. We had a second night when a cougar came close to our camp the other night in wallace, and I saw black bears running across the highway a few days ago. (That was a little unnerving actually. They were awfully close.)

Right now we're staying at an awesome house, full of vibrant people and gardens and a library and good food and bikes. So, really, life is pretty good for all of us. Well, that's all the news that I've got.
campfires and dumpstered avocados,
Jean

Such bad bloggers

We're such bad bloggers, from the last post you might assume we've fallen apart. much to the contrary we're having a blast, now in missoula montana. i don't have much time to write but we'll fill you all in later.

-jon

Spokane

We've offically crossed the Cascades about a week ago. Steven's Pass was intense. 4,061 feet, most of which is in the last 10 miles. No wonder everyone I talked to recommended taking anything but Highway 2. But Jon wanted to go to Leavenworth for the Bavarian Bike and Brew and the only way there was over Steven's Pass. Jon didn't come with us by the way. And the Bike and Brew was pretty shitty. Oh and after Leavenworth theres another mountain pass to cross, This one was only 2800 feet, but its in the desert of Eastern washington. We ran out of water going up, and almost out of daylight before we made it to the top. I don't think i've ever been more excited then when i saw the peak.

We intened on staying with our friend Benny in Spokane but then Jon lost his contact info. Luckily there was a Crimethinc event planned in Spokane on Tuesday that i was sure we would find him at. We had to bike across Washington in 2 days to get here in time but it wasn't so bad. Just a lot hillier then expected. Spokane has been great. We met a lot of awesome people. Its a shame to leave so soon but we need to get to some barter fair in Usk, Wa to meet with Jon (who claims to have finally finished his bike he was suppose to have done over a month ago).

thats about all i got. one of these days i'll load up the pictures, theres not many. mostly just us in front of elevation signs.
-muffin