Day 13

We had a great day relaxing in the morning at the coffee shop (Sean rode another mountain). In the afternoon we kayaked down the Weber River outside of Ogden. The water was FAST and fun. Sean and I had made a bet earlier in the week, in which I owed him the National deficit. I was happy to bet him double or nothing on the first person to fall out of the kayak. Lucky for me he was dumped 2x and I was off the hook! With the mortgage crisis recovery package I could really owe him a lot! The Weddell's go big when we bet! Thanks to Jack and Lisa for a great time! We start heading West on Tuesday.

Day 11 and 12

We are staying in Ogden until Tuesday. Unfortunately, I have come down with a nasty head cold. I was unable to play the last two days and have suffered through cold sweats, headaches, and a sore throat. Sean was able to ride on Saturday in the mountains. He was told the group ride left at 6am, if you can believe that. People rolled in around 7am and he was able to do some climbing. Saturday evening we visited Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake. Jack and Sean refused to walk the half mile to the lake, which may have been a good idea. As you can see there were swarms of gnat like flies all around the lake. Lisa and I walked down in the heat and sand to at least say we did it. On Sunday Lisa an Jack challenged us to a double tennis game, in which Sean and I lost horribly. It's been at least 10 years for both of us. Needless to say the morning drained me and I spent most of the day on Sunday in bed trying to recover. Monday we plan to kayak and get outside!

Mile 4365 Day 10

We left the Kiel's on Friday to drive to Odgen, Utah. We spent all this time in the National Parks looking for wildlife and right before we left Idaho there was a large black moose in the front yard. We all watched as he trotted along out of sight and made sure the woofs were up. It was really cool! Thanks to the Kiel's for a great time! We arrived at Lisa and Jack's in the evening, after a short 4 hour drive, and had time for a quick hike and mountain bike ride.

Day 9

On Thursday we mountain biked on some of the sweetest single track in the country. Friends Eric and Jeannie, although busy with work, were able to sneak out for the ride. Afterward Sean and I hung around Sun Valley. Later in the evening we went to an outdoor concert featuring the Almond Brothers guitarist, Derek Trucks and wife, Susan Tedeschi of Soul Stew Revival . We had a great time meeting their friends and having a picnic on the lawn. Friday we drive to Odgen, Utah to visit a friend from Clemson.

Day 8

Today, I don't even know what day it is (maybe Wednesday), we played in the Sawtooth National Forest on Redfish lake, fed by the famous Salmon River. Sean got up with Eric and Jeannie to swim a few laps at Master's swim practice. I heard he was making the intervals hard, one reason I chose to stay in bed. Sean then rode three hours above the mountain pass to meet us by lake (about 50 miles and an 8,900 feet mountain away). After we put the boat on the lake, Eric secured a campsite with boat only access for the weekend. We were lucky and got there just in time as a few other boats were lurking behind. We learned how to surf behind the boat using a long board. Look at the beautiful mountains behind us. We finished the day with an awesome steak dinner, that even a food snob like Danna would approve of. What a great day!

Mile 4003 Day 7

On Monday night we found a great mountain bike and camp site per recommendation of the local bike shop in Missoula, Montana. We spent the afternoon at a coffee shop and hanging out in the college town. On the way into Montana we drove near Flathead lake and decided when we hit the lottery, that is where we will live. We stopped and took a quick dip in the freezing 50 degree water. Outside of town we stayed at Lake Como, a man made lake with a great mountain bike trail surrounding it. The camping was primitive, but we were able to take a "cold" swim in the lake to clean up. Unfortunately, there was a group of young kids camping next to us who kept us up during the night. We were happy to return the favor at 7am the next morning with loud music, slamming car doors, and a lot of talking. It started to rain when we left the site, so the evil side of me hopes they got wet! We made it to our friends in Hailey, ID early in the afternoon. We are happy to have some down time and a bed to sleep in.

Mile 3033 Day 6

Today we had the entire day in the park. Sean left in the morning to ride up to Many Glacier, which is in the very North of the park. There is only one access road to that area. Sean realized that is where all the “hardcore” backpackers stayed and no trendy tourists. He saw a grizzly and two cubs high in the mountains and said the views were spectacular. I choose to go to Logan pass and do an easy 3 mile hike so we could return to our base at the same time. I took the park shuttle to Logan pass and was disappointed to see the entire area covered in snow. In fact, this has been one of snowiest springs they have ever had. Logan pass is the only road that goes through the park and it opened last week for the first time this year. I saw numerous people attempting to do the hike, but I choose not to. First, I didn’t have my hiking boots or walking sticks, and second the line of people walking straight up hill without any tree line reminded me of the crowded peaks of Mt. Everest as people slowly make their way to the peak. I was not interested in being around so many people! So I waited, for what seemed to take forever, for the shuttle bus. I returned three hours later frustrated and irritable. I hiked along a trail by our car and enjoyed one of the many fast, cold flowing streams to find my center. After we joined up we both took showers, for the bargain price of $1.25 for 8 minutes, and ate at the park inn. A young girl about 6 or 7 and her mother were in the shower area (there was only 1 shower) and as I waited she told me she hadn’t taken a shower since Friday. I mentioned it may have been 3 or 4 days for me and she said Mommy, “can you believe she hasn’t taken a shower in that long!” It was a good laugh and I certainly agreed with her. Luckily, we have been taking what Rosie kindly refers to as a “whores bath” everyday. Showers are a luxury here. I have happy to have regular toilets, running faucets, and drinking water most days. We decided lunch would be our main meal today. We try to only pay for one meal a day and eat the rest out of the cooler, and yes, sometimes we eat more than one PB&J a day. Then we got back in the car to visit the other side of the park, almost 43 miles. The drive was spectacular and rugged. When we stopped at the Logan pass visitor center it was 5x as crowded as when I had visited in the morning. We got our picture taken at the continental divide sign and were off. The congestion and crowding intensified as we drove on. We realized that most people must enter from the West (since it is close to the interstate) and drive to Logan pass then turn around. We felt fortunate for staying on the East side with less people and more solitude. We ended the day with a 4 mile hike to Avalanche Lake. Before our hike we were able to secure a campsite at the Avalanche campgrounds and it was nice to not have to drive to the trailhead. The hike was enjoyable walking along a fast flowing water fall until the lake; however, the trails were extremely crowded. When we returned to the campsite and ate our delicious turkey sandwiches (I am very envious of camp fire meals) we had enough time to make another interpretive talk in which the ranger discussed the culture of the local Indians. The mountains in this area are called by the Indians as the backbone of the land. They come to the mountains for visions. I can certainly understand how these mountains could talk to you and reveal your destinations in life. Tomorrow we are doing a long 8 mile hike early in the morning and then driving to South Montana. I am looking forward to seeing friends and driving less; however, feel a sense of loss as we leave. I hope to return one day and spend more time in the backcountry.