Greetings, family and friends! Today was the official start of the bicycle trip but it did not start exactly the way the 3 guys thought it would.... or when they thought it would. :) But we know that nothing that happened today surprised the Lord!
Lee, Sasha, and Zhenya spent some time this morning conferring with our friend, Steve Cross, who has done some bike trips in his time. Steve was concerned about the weight each of the guys had on their bikes. Lee had been contemplating this since before departing PA. The camping gear was quite burdensome. But, how to complete the trip w/out camping gear? Would it be possible to find a room in some of the tiny little towns where they would be stopping? Could they adjust the itinerary? Should they adjust the itinerary? In the end, Lee decided to forego the camping equipment in order to lighten their loads significantly in an effort to ensure success for the trip as a whole. This way they will have a bed in which to sleep each night, no time spent setting up and tearing down a campsite, and they each have far less equipment bogging them down as they make the incredible verticle climbs over the trip that add up to 29,000+ feet. WOW! By the way, Sasha was secretly rooting for no camping all along. :) They spent the night at the Cub's Den Motel. The boys enjoyed the heated indoor swimming pool before dinner. A serious game of Rummy 500 was followed by a good night's sleep. :)
DAILY STATS:
Lee, Sasha, and Zhenya spent some time this morning conferring with our friend, Steve Cross, who has done some bike trips in his time. Steve was concerned about the weight each of the guys had on their bikes. Lee had been contemplating this since before departing PA. The camping gear was quite burdensome. But, how to complete the trip w/out camping gear? Would it be possible to find a room in some of the tiny little towns where they would be stopping? Could they adjust the itinerary? Should they adjust the itinerary? In the end, Lee decided to forego the camping equipment in order to lighten their loads significantly in an effort to ensure success for the trip as a whole. This way they will have a bed in which to sleep each night, no time spent setting up and tearing down a campsite, and they each have far less equipment bogging them down as they make the incredible verticle climbs over the trip that add up to 29,000+ feet. WOW! By the way, Sasha was secretly rooting for no camping all along. :) They spent the night at the Cub's Den Motel. The boys enjoyed the heated indoor swimming pool before dinner. A serious game of Rummy 500 was followed by a good night's sleep. :)
DAILY STATS:
21 miles from Belt, MT to Monarch, MT
3:15 pm to 6:00 pm -- High temperature of 70 degrees
Total elevation gain of 1600 feet
Please continue to pray for their safety, favorable weather, and great fellowship.
