I started this blog the morning of May 17th, but we did not have service that evening at the campsite, so I apologize for the delay.
Charlie and I have both become morning people, there was no way I was writing this blog on our rest day after eating pancakes for dinner and helping Steve make bread around 11pm. It was a really fun yet motivated day for us.
We helped Steve prepare breakfast, the Biker’s Delight, an egg scramble with vegan black bean patties, mixed cheeses, and sautéed vegetables. The smell of sautéed onions and garlic, the energy of Steve, Cheryl, Charlie, and I in the kitchen, and gathering around the table to share the finished product made me miss home. I always love cooking with my parents and eating around our kitchen table, and this experience has me longing to pass the roasted potatoes to Tyler while protecting my meal from Toffee’s sudden attacks.
Oddly enough, of the two Nebraskans in Princeton’s Class of 2025, one of them is from Chadron. Cheryl introduced us to Alexis, a future astrophysics major, singer, and actress. We met in Just Love, a coffee and waffle shop in the center of town with a bangin’ Nutella stuffed waffle. The schools in this area are so small and tight-knit that Cheryl never had Alexis as a student but was extraordinarily eager to help her (also speaking to Cheryl’s character as a caring mother, teacher, and fellow biker).
As we planned our travels going forward, our route is copacetic yet extremely flexible. Steve and Cheryl may have biked through many countries, but they were not particularly confident in directing us from Spearfish, SD to Missoula, MT, an area without many resources. They called up some of their biker friends who were eager to help us whether on the phone or stopping by the Welch’s house.
We had the ultimate dinner of pancakes and vegan sausage. After our time with the Welch’s, Charlie said it was some of the best vegetarian food he’s ever had.
When Charlie and I departed the Welch’s house yesterday morning for the Black Hills, we could not stop talking about how awe-inspiring Steve and Cheryl were. They told us jaw dropping stories that made me want to fly to Italy and bike through Europe for a year. Their relationship was so strong, and there was no wondering why their kids were brilliant and successful (and we did not even meet them).
The ride into the Black Hills was easy: mostly flat, 60 miles in no time. We wanted to make it 10 miles further into the Wind Caves, but my tire had another plan. As I was riding, I heard a striking pop, like a gun shot. I looked at my bike tire to see a shredded tube hanging out. Matters only got worse when no matter how hard we pushed the multi tool, we could not get my wheel off. It took Chad, an incisive and generous man that we met as we pulled off the road right by his house. After more than an hour and a trip to Chad’s tool shed, we finally changed my tube to one that we had patched previously. We have learned that my patches stink because within 3 miles of our campsite, my tire went flat again. We tried to pump it enough to survive, but we were slowed down by buffalo strolling across the road. I am let down that the tire was a source of stress yesterday because there was so much beauty around us with prairie dogs, elks, buffalo, and breathtaking tree lines. Rather than cross paths with the buffalo or attempt to pump my tube again (oh and did I mention it was raining?), we hitched a ride. I waved my arms at the biggest car that drove towards us and a group of friends stopped, tossed our bikes in the back, and dropped us at Elk Mountain campsite.
The hilarity and unfortunate events do not end there. The campsite was out of space, so after weighing our options of stealth camping in a closed area, occupying the wheelchair accessible campsite, or tenting on someone’s RV site, we leaned towards the latter. We asked a random man in an RV if we could pitch our tents on his lot and he kindly said yes; he and his wife quickly headed off in their pickup. This campsite is super remote and there are tons of scary animals wandering close by. We don’t have a bear bag, so we asked Sean, another camper, what he would recommend and he said “you guys are screwed.” But he came around and offered to put our bags in his van; we eagerly accepted. We are really latching on to Steve’s “people are good” mantra.
Charlie and I differ drastically in our mindsets about receiving certain types of help along this journey. Charlie gets down on himself when we rely on others for things like rides. I am willing to accept as much help as possible. I think the feat that we are attempting to accomplish is not just cycling across the nation but learning to be resourceful and create hilarious memories.
Sorry again for the delayed post!
-Maddie
Total miles: 1948
Flat tires: 4