We are very appreciative of the flood of concern for our wellbeing. Our inbox was pleasantly innundated with lots of worried emails. Overall, we are in good shape and are pushing South, with a brief detour through Yellowstone to see the geysers, etc. We have been working on updates for the website but have been quite overwhelmed with the intense conditions we’ve encountered.

The weather was so cold that the digital camera would not take pictures. The Alphasmart word processor we use to type up our entries was also too cold to operate. None of us are prepared for Sub-Zero temperatures and have encountered them with increasing frequency lately. Hit a blizzard outside of Butte, MT, camped out, and woke up with an unrelenting cold spell for the next week. Temperatures would drop to 0 degrees before sunset, and on a bike going down a hill against the wind, 0 degrees becomes MUCH colder.

Goat has pretty bad frostbite on his feet, covering his big toe and the pads of his feet. I got a bit on my big toe because of the hole in my shoe, but nothing compared to his situation. Every day has been outrageous and exciting. One day Goat and Sean almost got hit by some lady who slipped on black ice and flipped her car and hurt her neck. We all crashed on that stretch of ice as well (among many others). Another day we’re battling sub-zero temperatures and impossibly snowy downhill sections resulting in multiple crashes. One night we had to help Goat fight off hypothermia, racing to boil water and get it into a container to warm up his sleeping bag. Not ideal bike touring conditions.

As you can see, the weather has already taken it’s toll and we are now in the coldest part of the United States, hurrying South. We will be working on updating the site as we head through Wyoming. There is a bit of catching up to do. Lots of exciting stories we hope you will enjoy. So please check back often, we appreciate your support and interest in the trip.