Is this my final blog?

So the next few days will involve camping and so little internet, so this may be the last you hear from me on the interweb.

The rides have began to decrease in mileage and we have even got in the van a couple of times due to having to ride on the interstate. We are now staying in Spokane and we had a scavenger hunt due top the 38 mile distance. Today, as part of Team Celtic Cafe, I have collected pennies from 1971 to 2010, sat in a Dodge Viper, ridden a moose statue, danced with a stranger, got to perform the Bike and Build Peanut/Chamois butter chant with a basketball team and some other stuff.

To enlighten you on the Chant, which was devised by me and so everyone puts on a really bad British accent...

Caller: Bike and Build, Bike and Build!
All: Peanut Butter ( accompanied by spreading action )
Caller: Bike and Build, Bike and Build!
All: Chamois Butter ( accompanied by spreading action )
Caller: Bike and Build, Bike and Build!
All: Peanut Butter ( accompanied by spreading action )
Caller: Bike and Build, Bike and Build!
All: Chamois Butter ( accompanied by spreading action )
Caller: 1,2,3
All: (insert appropriate place name etc...)

This is a bit infamous among our group.

We began our scavenger hunt in Coeur d'Alene which is a great lakeside town, lots of art galleries, bars, interesting shops... and we got to stay there for two days due to our final build day. On which we didn't build. As the local Habitat had failed to get a build permit, we were sent to Spokane by van to work in the Re-store, a huge series of warehouses that re-uses building materials and sells on donated items for the affordable housing cause.

Thanks to Mum and Dad for the letters. My phone has not revealed itself so I will sort that out when I return to the UK.

Of course I will update as soon as I get the internet again.

Ok, so the blog continues...

We are now back on the road, cycling to Seattle covered in various ribbons that have been sent to us in support of Paige and her family. We took several days off to travel to St. Louis for Paige's memorial service, spending about 5 days in total on a bus, watching several films including 'Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus'...

I don't want to blog too much about these days but it was really helpful to talk with Paige's family (her Mum had ridden with us previously for a day and said she will join us for the final leg into Seattle).

Back on the bike.

We resumed our trip from Dubois, having entered the wild west territory. The last few days riding has been stunning, including the Teton Pass, which was 6 miles of a 10% climb followed by a hair raising descent with lots of switchback turns. I was clinging to the brakes a lot and still hit 40mph.

We have also had a day off yesterday which was spent touring in a big yellow school bus/car vehicle around Yellowstone. Saw lots of buffalo and elks but the bear is still evading me.

Todays ride into Bozeman was a 90 mile ride which was almost all downhill - we arrived before 1pm having stopped a lot; climbing rocks in the river. I fell in a little bit.

So we have a few more mountains to climb with the Rockies looming but Seattle is drawing closer.

Yesterday, on the route from Winner to Marten, Paige Hicks was hit by a truck. She was killed instantly.

Everyone on the trip is devestated by this and it is unclear as to how we are to proceed.

I would like to thank you for following my blog.

Myself demonstrating my man strength on the state border of Illinois. Since then we have gone through Iowa and we are now in South Dakota.

So today We rode 83 miles but the first 20 miles were on a cheese grater type road surface. Hence the jubilation of my riding friends. From left Ben, Spencer, Anthony D. and Sam.

Also had two flats today, sad times.

So I have managed to upload 1 photo, and now I have to go to dinner. But here is the stateline on the ride today. 65 miles of very fast riding, averaging 23/24mph when not talking. We had to get up at 4 in the morning because of the heat.

Iowa countryside = Americanised Leicestershire

Lots of rolling hills, some trees and a lot less corn fields than Indiana and Illinois. They were incredibly flat with endless cornfields. The only time that is fun to ride is with a tailwind, and that happened for about 20 miles over the two states.

We are staying in Mt.Vernon tonight, and I have just given my bike a good seeing to. Swapped tyres from back to front and vice versa but things are beginning to wear down, brake blocks, tyres etc...

My legs are feeling pretty good, although we had a dodgeball game against a local YMCA team last night which left me with a few bruises from all the dodging.

Got to go to Chicago last day off. There were 4 of us and we had the strangest conversation with a guy on the train. Along the lines of this...

"So we're going to Chicago for the day, where should we go?"
"Well I'll tell you where not to go. Don't go to the ghetto"
"Ok, we weren't planning on it"
"You won't stumble upon it, you'll notice it getting gradually worse"
"Ok, we won't go to the ghetto then"

Very strange guy. But we did meet someone else on the train, DJ Hiko, who navigated us around the station and then gave us 60 dollars in donation.

In other news, good luck Paulo Sousa.