Sweet Prairie

Giving Thanks

2008-12-05T01:16:33Z

As you can tell by the photos, Rocky and I didn't starve this Thanksgiving. We were invited to share the joy of eating with our friend Tanner's rommate's parents. We were also joined by a few other Asheville orphans. It was fantastic. The food was amazing and Matt's mom (Tanner's rommate's mom), made sweet potato pie that tasted just like mine.

So, Rocky and I came to Charlotte. We got to spend one whole day together and then it was over and I had to take her to the airport to meet up with her pal that drove her up to New York. It was very sad. Even the radio chimed in and started playing a farewell song. It was a fast goodbye and I still think it hasn't settled into my brain that our corps has disbanded.

Julia is safely back in California.

We are going to have a welcome back party to celebrate the trip. Jules and I have been coming up with themes all across America. There will be dancing and costumes of some kind. I'll keep you posted.

When it's cold outside,

2008-11-25T21:11:56Z

people need to entertain themselves. We have the internet in this day and age and it has changed the world forever.

So, I will share with you my favorite find this trip. I still can't stop laughing, no matter how many times I watch it. If you are interweb savvy you will have seen it already. But I still can't stop laughing.

hope that works....

Asheville. wow.

2008-11-25T18:31:12Z

Saved by the Bell seasons one and two are just as brilliant as I remember.

We found a pretty incredible place to stay. We are actually in West Asheville which is infinitely cooler than the downtown. There are 6 people that live in this house and they are all amazing people. Funny thing though, none of them are from Asheville. I don't think I've actually met anyone who is born and raised here that's under 30.

It snowed the first morning we were here. It was beautiful but rather nippy. The following day the girls went climbing at the gym where one of our hosts works. I went for a hike down to the Green River with some kayakers to scope out the rapids. The Green is unique in that there is a powerplant that filters water for energy and then releases it back into the river. So roughly 300 days a year there is a surge of water that makes for great rapids all year long.

The highlight of our stay, so far, has been the Hoots and Hellmouth show at Bobo's. Those four boys from PA rocked our effing socks off. Oh, there was dancing and mayhem, and there was a group sing-a-long. Those crazy kids ended up spending the night at the same house as we were. Once there was a modest crowd assembled, the fun really began. We placed a tissue on the ground and then took turns trying to pick it up with only one foot on the ground and no hands. People had been drinking, so balance turned out to be the greatest challenge for most. Technique ranged from one foot on top of another to a kind of splits in the air kind of thing. I don't think anyone ended up getting it, but the tissue certainly got a work out. The next morning the whole house entourage went to an amazing breakfast. The Sunny Point blackberry jam stuff will change your life a little bit for the better.

Julia ended up heading north without us. She had a journey to make solo. Rocky and I are suffering in her absence, but we have been calling and texting everyday to avoid withdraw.

The weather let up long enough for us to go on a bouldering adventure to the Rumbling Bald. There were many boulders to climb, but I refrained after a couple climbs and stood around as a one woman peanut gallery. I both encouraged and harassed all the real climbers. That is one intense sport and I think it was for the best that I made lame jokes and got everyone to at least smile under their breath.

We are now waiting for the joyous day of thanks to descend upon us. There are multi-plans out there for Rocky and I, so I know that we will be fed and surrounded by wonderful people.

Memphis, without Elvis

2008-11-20T04:34:39Z

We never did visit Graceland, but I feel as though my Memphis experience has been complete. I arrived in Memphis and was immediately struck by how excellent the people were. I went to a very cool bike shop and was enveloped by kindness and hospitality.

There are two things you must eat in Memphis: BBQ and Fried Chicken. I consumed them both. The bbq I ate at "The BBQ Shop." It was aptly named and did fulfill my wildest dreams. The fried chicken I ate at Gus's which happened to be featured in GQ Magazine as the place to eat. You can order a forty. The sides were admirable at Gus's, but they were veering towards perfection as a compliment to the que.

So the great people we met also enjoyed riding bikes and the whole time in Memphis we got to see the city and explore on our bikes, and borrowed ones. We got to join in on one of the weekly Thursday night rides and we went from midtown to downtown. The mighty Mississippi runs through the city and we snuck devilishly down to its banks and lit a bonfire under the old bridge and made s'mores. We met the Memphis mob as well as two other lady touring cyclists that left from Canada and were heading to New Orleans. It was so nice to swap stories and feel connected through our similarities. We had breakfast with them the next day before they had to head out and I think it goes down as my favorite meal of the trip that wasn't just Rocky, Julia and I. Then again, Dennis and Isaiah did take us to an amazing sushi dinner...

Bike riding was the sheesy. I was so overwhelmed by all the different bike possibilities. We got to ride with people who ride every kind of bike you can think of. I even attended my very first cyclocross race! I think I need to become a cyclocross racer. This was a state qualifier and there were only four girls in the B race and not a single one in the A race. Anyone wanna sponsor me so I can build a bike?

Memphis was amazing and y'all should visit with the you'uns we met, I reckon.

Bomers wins!

2008-11-06T03:44:19Z

Conway, Arkansas is home to three universities/colleges. It is no wonder that we made fun college friends that took us in off the streets and gave us a place to stay. After showers, we were invited to attend an election party on the Hendrix College campus. There was a big TV, blue and red balloons, free Bomers posters, and tons of free food. All the little young democrats were running around passing out stickers and acting frantic in their blue Oxfords and ties. Once Obama was in the 200's in the electoral count, I headed back to the house to watch the race in peace. I wanted to be sure and catch the speeches in a place where I could hear. I sat back and enjoyed the ride. One state after the next turned blue. I am encouraged by the outcome and found Obama's acceptence speech moving and inspriational. I wish I could have been standing there watching it, next to Oprah.

Today, I cleaned our hosts kitchen and watched the pundits battle back and forth about the what ifs and maybe who's. I also got distracted with one episode of "Project Runway." Which was the finale and therefore, awesome. In the evening, I got to hang out with the Apiculture Club at Hendrix and make lots of little honey bear labels. The beekeepers oversaw the bees and harvested the honey and now they are selling it as a fundraiser for the club. The girls set off on an adventure and ended up in a ceramics lab. They also got to garden and compost. This is a very chill town.

Eureka! (the Springs)

2008-10-28T22:50:24Z

After a beautiful few days with Julia's grammy, we set out on our first hills since Colorado. We biked 60 miles worth and were pretty beat as we rolled into Eureka Springs. It happens to be a secret sanctuary tucked away in the Ozark Mountains. It is full of creative and intelligent people who have welcomed us with open arms. Our first night in town was spent with other tourists. They were also bikers, but of the motorized variety. We all stayed in a motel and they took us all out for a motorcycle ride. Rocky and Julia were fearless and went safely quite fast and had a tour of the surrouding area. I was less inclined to go so I cruised around town on foot and met a lovely 13 year old girl who I employed as my tourguide. Paige ended up showing all three of us girls the town highlights. Once the tour ended we decided to hang out at a cafe where a band was playing country folk. They were called Cletus Got Shot and did an amazing cover of the theme to Fresh Prince. As we sat we met a kid named Mark who took us in off the streets and let us stay with him. He is wonderful and has the coolest loft I have ever seen. It used to be an office building but has been cleared out and now has space everywhere. There are a couple of rooms but the best thing about it is all the space.

He invited us to a party that first night and we got to go on a hay ride. There was a giant bonfire and lovely people. We even met a guy who travelled up Trail Ridge on bicycle in 1953. The hay wagon was pulled by a tractor instead of horses, but in the dead of night I was glad to have the headlights. There was a vat of chili like I have never seen; I could have bathed in the pot if I wanted to.

Last night we were invited to an interpretive dance performance based off of the Mayan Calendar. It was perfomed by three women and was beautiful. The lights and costumes were creative and the women themselves were so gifted that the meaning just dripped off their bodies. The show was improvisational but they don't tell you until the end and I would never have guessed.

So, we have decided to stay in Eureka through Halloween. Since we have a warm friendly place to stay and people to celebrate with, we wanna party like it's 1999. This way too, we can have time to make killer costumes.

For Aunt Teri...

2008-10-24T03:03:06Z

***This post is a little risque, read at your own discretion***

When Julia and I were first talking about this trip and what we wanted to do, we decided that we had to ride our bikes naked through Kansas. We figured that it would be desolate enough and warm enough and we just happened to be crazy enough to actually do it. Racquel was easy to convince. Kansas turned out to be cold and windy. Until we reached Elk Falls...

Elk Falls has a population of maybe seventeen people. There were two churches off the highway and a sign that pointed one way in the direction of the only cafe in town and the other way to the old iron bridge and waterfall. The waterfall was only two feet tall. We biked down the gravel road that led to the falls and found the bridge that was built in 1883. It was closed off to everything except pedestrian traffic. That suited us just fine so we parked our bikes and set off to take a nippy dip in the water. It was freezing but we still dunked in as much as we could. We all ended up taking our shirts off, I mean we were bathing after all. As we walked up to the bridge it was determined that today was the day to ride naked in Kansas. We grabbed our bikes, set up the camera, took off our clothes, posed, and shot. It took several tries to really get the effect we were going for. (By the way, I don't think you could laugh more than we three did as the photo shoot took place.) We had just put on pants and set down our bikes as a car pulled into the lot to scope out the bridge. Mind you, we still have no shirts on. All three of us dove into our tents with shrill screams emanating from our gasping throats between cackles. The poor couple waited a tick before they felt safe enough to venture onto the ole bridge. We came out scrambling into whatever clothing we had in our tents. They ended up being a lovely couple who were just out and about looking for the leaves that were beginning to change. We swapped crazy stories about our travels and they headed on their way. (They did give us a couple beers as they left...what champs!)

That night was incredible. We slept on the bridge and were able to look up and see the most amazing sky. We fell asleep to the sound of the waterfall flowing over the sandstone shelf and river rock. There were a few noises we heard in the middle of the night that seemed a little strange but we attributed them to the river. The next morning we awoke to find everything completely soaked. The condensation from sleeping above a river had taken its toll on our tents and sleeping bags, and we were forced to wait for it to dry. We decided to venture into town and eat at the only cafe. Up the gravel road we walked. The only commotion in town was coming from the Kingdom Hall. There were about eight people on the roof of the Hall tearing it apart. We asked where the cafe was and were told it was closed. Instead we were invited to eat breakfast with the Jehovah's Witnesses--in their Hall! They were tearing apart and rebuilding the roof in two days. They bombarded us so much propaganda and we put up with a lot of proselytising, but by golly, that congregation sure did make tasty treats. We ate the best pie, coffee cake, doughnuts, etc. They also told us that the funny noises we heard in the night were probably the cult that conducts rituals at the bridge. How comforting.

Naked biking on an old iron bridge home to a crazy cult and persistent Jehovah's Witnesses makes for an interesting two days.

(By the way Aunt Teri, we will send you the photo.)

Life among the cows

2008-10-19T13:18:58Z

Last night we slept on a dairy farm. An owl perched itself in the tree above our heads knowing that he would wake us up before our alarm went off at 4:30am. There were coyotes calling each other back and forth all night anticipating the birth of the three calfs that are coming any minute. Racquel and I got out of bed at 5 and rushed over to the milking area. It was bone chilling cold. Chance, the farmer, showed us how to hook up the milking device to the udders and make sure that there is no bacteria. The girls get led in by groups and are separated by metal dividers. Then they get cleaned up and the milker gets attached. It takes about 20-30 minutes to milk a cow, and the milk goes into an aluminum tank. A truck will come pick it up every two-three days. By the way, cows are huge. We got to see some of the baby cows, and all of us received some cow kisses. They drewl a lot and poo everywhere. Rocky and I got pooed on while we watched the milking. It smelled great-like you would expect cow pies, or should I say cow splatter to smell.

We drank raw milk at breakfast. It was delicious. Anyone wanna go in on a cow?

Eastern Kansas is beautiful.

Wichita, home of the Shockers

2008-10-15T02:09:40Z

The wind on our way to Wichita made me want to cry. In fact, I think I may have. I played a game with myself called "try and ride the next 8 miles without dropping below 10 mph." The winds were approximately 30 mph in our faces. We rode for twenty miles before we through our hands in the air, cursed Linka (of Planeteer fame, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planeteer), and stuck out our thumbs. Our first ride was brief, a mere 5 miles. Jerry brought us to the turn for Cheney Lake. Again we played the glorious thumb dance. Congressman Bill Light, from South West Kansas, came to our rescue with a big truck with an empty bed. Congressman Light told us all about Kansas politics and his work with the budget committee. He was a top notch guy and I would vote for him, breaking my party ties. He took us into Wichita and pointed out the sights. Now, we had prearranged to stay with some kids off couchsurfing, so we had an address of where we were set to stay that night. And Bill took us all the way to the front door.

Already, I felt like something was missing. And it was. My trusty Camelback, my hydration and the home of things I need to carry, was in the back of Jerry's truck. It had my recently purchased postcards, my knife, leatherman, headlamp, and most importantly, my iphone inside that bag. Needless to say, I was distressed. Racquel saw that I was close to loosing it, so she sat me down and started making calls. She called 411 to get ahold of people at Cheney Lake, and the sailing club and anyone else that might know Jerry. She was on the phone for an hour, but it was all gravy. People called their people and they got ahold of Jerry and he dropped off the bag at Cheney Lake and we were told we could pick it up at the ranger's station. Wheew.

One of our wonderful hosts offered to take Rocky and I to pick up my bag. We set out listening to the new Hanson album and got to ride on a interstate for the first time in weeks. Shannon, our driver, had googled the directions a different way than we had come but it seemed reasonable. We drove and drove, and then made several turns going deeper into unpopulated farmland. We turned on a dirt road and then another. Finally, we make a right on an unmarked dirt road at the dead end we assume is Pretty Prairie Road. It has a few puddles but they didn't seem too deep. We were wrong. Once stuck, we jump out to access. The whole left side was submerged, the front right tire was underwater and perched higher than the left side and the back right tire was on dry land. Rocky and I are no wimps nor are we nervous about getting dirty. We dive right in and start digging and wedging whatever we can to give traction to the wheels. We are kneeling in the dark red mud and the water went up to our biceps. Shannon was the test driver and wheel managing technician and managed to get filth all over the now slippery clutch and entire front seat. We ended up following the rest of the directions that we had but after a half mile of walking we ended up on the banks of the lake. No ranger station. Shannon hadn't put in the ranger station, she had simply googled Cheney Lake, so it took us as directly as it knew how to the banks of the mighty water. As we walked back, she called AAA. Racquel and I played in the mud. Someone spotted a tractor and we ran to catch up with it. Farmer Curt said he would indeed rescue the damsels in distress and faster than AAA could get there. He was so helpful. He ran the tractor back to its home and came in a big farmer's truck. He spoke very little but efficiently rigged up a chain and rope to the little Honda and the big farmer truck. One quick pull and we were free. As we said our thank yous and goodbyes, we passed the unsuspecting AAA tow truck. Sorry pal, farmer Curt to the rescue.

We continued to get more lost as we still needed to get to that ranger station and nab the bag. The directions were fragmented that we received from Curt and the fishermen we happened upon. An hour later we found the place and the ranger and my bag. On the way back to Wichita, we calculated that it was only a 30 min drive to where we picked up my bag, but it had taken us 4 hours, including mud time.

Covered in mud, Racquel and I received hair cuts from Shannon's sister. Rocky looked and looks so hot, she's like Tiffany-Amber Thessin in "90210" circa 1997. Mine is short. It looks great,but I gave her "carte blanche" to do anything and to me it was a little tame. Then I remembered that I am in Derby, Kansas.

For the next several days we have established quite the social life in Wichita. BBQ's, bonfires, we attended the symphony, a jazz performance, and the house where we are staying has a party every Monday night called "Sink Beer" that is incredibly akin to the Wednesday night gatherings for Veggielution. Rain has been a blessing. The girls and I even caught up with Weeds season 3 and didn't miss Heros.

Thank you Wichita.

a day in the life

2008-10-14T16:37:26Z

The journey to Kingman begins with homemade blueberry pancakes. We got outta Dodge, and headed past feed lots and meat packaging plants. Through acres of corn and milo, and multicolored cows giving us the stink eye, we pedaled on towards a farm outside of Pratt. The couple we stayed with were lovely and Butch was an actual farmer. He gave me the run down on how to farm, the politics and frankly, the gamble. I had no idea the extent that chance plays in successful farming. The government's subsidy is practically nothing compared to the cost of renting land, machinery, seeds, fertilizer, and the regular cost of running a household and eating three times a day. If I were to start a farm without the family heirlooms of equipment and land, I couldn't do it. I doubt I could even obtain a loan for the amount needed to get a start. In my naiveté, I thought all farmer's owned the land they farmed. Wrong. Butch said he has at least ten different landlords and all with different contractual obligations. I felt pangs of guilt for the griping I have done having only one landlord.

The sunsets and rises in Kansas are truly amazing.

We got an early start into Pratt and stopped for groceries and second breakfast. We were intimidated at first to stop at the Serve-a-torium--Smorgasbord. It turned out to be a buffet/cafe with a smoking section, and thankfully a non. It's weird not to be in California, we forget about the indoor stink of stale cigarette smoke. The waitress also had red hair and looked to be our age. She asked if the bikes were ours and told us we were effing crazy. As I scoped out the buffet line, she told me that she would only charge me the kid's price, for a significant discount. When she came to the table with our drinks she said she would only charge us once for the buffet, but all three of us could eat. It was glorious. I personally ate four plates of food, literally. Towards the end of our meal, a group of American Legion Motorcycle riders joined us in the large dining hall. They were all burly and nearly every one of them was missing some teeth. They proudly wore their POW/MIA patches on their worn black vests. After they finished eating, a few of them meandered over to ask our story. This started a king of the mountain game of who had a better trip to California story. As they were finishing, one of the guys said that he paid our bill. Our waitress returned after they left and told us that they are the group that protects family and friends at the funerals that Fred Phelps terrorizes. This triggered a memory from "The Laramie Project," and I realized how incredible these men are and what a gift they are for the people they protect. In fact, they were on their way to guard a funeral that afternoon. Yeah American Legion Riders!!

After our nearly five hour meal at the Serve-a-torium, we got back on our bikes. We faced a headwind, but we made it to Kingman. The city was celebrating it's 150 year anniversary. I only wish we were there a day later. We could have seen a real cattle drive, chuck wagon and all. But instead we slept at the rodeo grounds and cooked our dinner in the hallway of the bathroom.

Roadkill

2008-10-08T12:18:25Z

On the road, you become adapt at deciphering the smell of death. Skunks become a welcome respite from some of the decay that we encounter. Deer smell terrible. We haven't encountered too many since leaving the mountains, but we saw one yesterday. It was crazy. At first, I wasn't sure what it was, then I saw the rest of the deer. It's heart was about ten feet from it's body. Just the heart. How does that happen.

We also saw two turtles. The first one was so cute. he must have just been run over. His cracked shell was his only imperfection. The second was completely demolished. But who would have thought that we'd find turtles in the middle of Kansas?

Sadly, we also saw a kitten with it's face run over. There were kids all around and more kittens. It was eerie.

Other noteworthy kills have included, foxes of every color, one decapitated bunny-with the head not too far away, snakes, a badger, porcupine, a beaver, two rigormortus racoons next to each other, a pheasant, hawk, and the most suicidal bugs I have ever seen. Grasshoppers, crickets, locust, and beetles want to die, specifically, in our wheels.

Sorry, this post is not as pleasant as some, but it really brings you closer to what we experience everyday.

The Plains

2008-10-06T16:29:10Z

I can safely say that Kansas is indeed as flat as they say. It would be great riding except that we have faced headwinds everyday that we have been here and now it's raining. The wind is gale force and frighteningly fierce. But the people are nice. Kansans are welcoming and hospitable.

We are a bit stir crazy today, seeing as we are cooped up inside a house surrounded by the extending plains amidst the rain. It is hard to remember what a forest looks and smells like. I am not meant to live so far from mountains.

I did go to a Baptist church this Sunday. The church paid to put us up in the town's one motel so I thought it only right that one of us should go. It turned out to be Western-Family Sunday. Everyone was in full Western regalia, spurs and all. There were 5 horses for the kids to ride and a huge BBQ. People were very nice, but I felt weird being a single 26-yr-old woman. All the girls my age had three kids-literally. The sermon was nothing new and I opted out of being born again. The high school boy's rock band was awesome. The whole experience was quite wholesome. I don't feel compelled to return, but I did have a nice time. I was also adopted by a 6-yr-old girl who clung to me and made sure I received the best tour possible and met everyone worth knowing at the church. It really did remind me of every small town church I have been to: hymnals, big hair, and in closing, "all god's people said..." "amen."

Here's to you Mrs. Robinson

2008-09-21T14:01:55Z

Crossing the Rockie Mountians has been quite the adventure.

It all started as we crossed the border into Dinosaur, CO. I was flagged down by a wonderful couple and found out that the husband, Dave, was also touring on his bike. We chatted a bit about the trip and route, but they were heading onto Maybel in the car together because the trip from Dino to Maybel isn't particularly fun. The girls and I consulted and we decided that having another chat with such an experienced touring cyclist was advantageous to our Rockie mission. So, we hitched a ride and met up with the Robinsons again.

It turns out that Dave was planning a different passage across the mountains and his route traveled on the hightest national highway in America, 12,183ft. This sounded like fun so we began planning together how many days and so forth. Then a miracle took place. Beth offered to take our gear. The next day to Steaboat Springs, 70 something miles, everyone was riding naked bikes with nothing on them. It was dreamy. From Steamboat, it was decided that we girls could rearrange our gear so that we only needed the stuff for the next three days, and Beth would carry the rest over the Rockies to our next destination.

The Rockie Mountians themselves are so incredibly beautiful. It was a considerable climb to the Continental Divide at 10,759ft. with swichbacks and cars zooming perilously close, but all three of us girls did it without a problem. The weather was warm in the sun and cool in the shade. We started our morning in parkas and were dressed down to tee shirts at the Divide. The Visitor's Center was only a two mile climb after the Divide, so after the regroup I ventured on. At this point once you crested the next pass you were able to see the ominous storm clouds. The temperature also began dropping rapidly, but it was all so beautiful and the elevation rise forced you to go slow, due to your oxygen intake so it was just steady and amazing. You get to one point were you see a switchback that must be a mile long that led to the Visiotr's Center. It was really neat. You could look down a ravine and see the elk mingling around and see all the peaks of the moutains. I figured the girls wouldn't be too far behind, which was good because the weather was deteriorating. After an hour of waiting and chatting with everyone in the Center I began to worry. I began asking everyone if they had seen the girls on their way up. No luck. At this point, there is an actual blizzard coming down on top of the mountains. I ask in despiration the last car as I am heading out to find the girls and reach the summit, another mile and half, and they had seen them on the other side. The snow is falling like a blanket all over me. It was torture. The road was so narrow, and cars were freaked out by the storm, that it made it difficult to stay in the shoulder. I couldn't even see ten feet in front of me. I just kept going. The climb kept going. On and on and on. I was drenched on the outside and sweating on the inside. The snow was caking on my jaket hood arms and legs and piling up. Then the snow turned to ice and sleet. It blew so hard that I thought it would cut my face. My lips were numb. Here's the kicker, there is no sign to signify the summit. And the terrain goes up and down, so you aren't really sure if the ascent will ever end. I was halfway down the mountain when some wonderful people insited that I got a ride with them. (Even a tour bus offered me a ride.) I couldn't accept unless I had reached the top. I had looked hard into the storm to see the summit sign, and only after looking at the map did I realize there was no sign and that I was halfway down the mountain. It was only another mile or so before the storm disappeared. It was blocked out by another ridge. It literally disappeared. Blue sky, fluffy clouds, no death sleet, etc.

So, I fully enjoyed the rest of the way down in the comfort of the sedan. I ate cookies and crackers until my speech returned. My cognition took a little more chocolate, but I soon returned to my pre storm human self. Once they dropped me at the bottom, it was only 30 or so miles to our next destination. All of us girls didn't wind up meeting up until the very end of the day. But we all crossed safely and live to tell the tale.

Dairy. Act 2.

2008-09-09T22:30:14Z

3. In an RV park in Arco, ID, after spending the night in the cemetary, we had breakfast. I drink my coffee black. Racquel likes hers with cream and sugar. They were out of cream, so they brought her a glass of milk. I drank half of her "cream." When the waitress returned with more coffee, she filled mine up to the brim, knowing I drank it black. But I asked her if I could possibly get some more of that fabulous creamer. She ended up giving us several glasses of milk all in the name of creamer. Thanks RV diner lady proprietor!

4. We are all now firm believers that powdered milk is a gift from god. It's white powdery goodness has made our lives better. We were all nervous at first, but that feeling has been replaced with sheer delight.

Dairy.

2008-09-09T22:18:21Z

There are four stories that illustrate our life on the road, and how dairy has become the most meaningful food group--ever.

1. When I first set out on this journey, I made the claim that I am biking for beer and bacon. This has been ammended to include bice cream. Yes, "bice" cream. It has also come to include boys as well. Bice cream is still the most important of the four items, I crave it every single day. Even when it's 28 degrees.

2. In Blackfoot, ID, we happened upon the fire station. We were greeted by beautiful men in uniform and told to go to the State Fair for a tiger's ear and a brown cow. This souded like gibberish, but they were hunky and I was definately going to do what I was told. It turned out that our host escorted us to the fair and even purchased the combo for us. The ear was a deep fried yummy thing covered in sugar and honey butter. The piece de resistence was certainly the brown cow. Vanilla bice cream covered in chocolate milk. It sounds simple, but it is extraordinary. It crystalizes and turns milkshakey and delicious. The girls and I just ate a half gallon of bice cream and half gallon of chocolate milk worth of brown cows. Oh, goodness.