Day 56. July 25. Rest day in Missoula, Montana. I started my morning off by going to a coffee shop with a few of my teammates. It’s kind of sad that I can’t sleep in anymore. Oh well it’s good for me to not sleep in. This place that we went to was a café and was all wood. I felt like I was in a log cabin. I got a vanilla latte with a giant cinnamon roll. So good! We then walked down and visited a farmers market. It was a Saturday and they said that they do it every Saturday until September because that is when it gets cold. They had every kind of fruit, vegetables, and bread imaginable. It was a lot of fun to walk down and look at. We then went down a few more blocks and saw a people’s market. I bought two homemade wallets there. I told her what I was doing this summer and I got a discount on them. The team then traveled to our service project for the day. I was really looking forward to going to the Ronald McDonald house. I didn’t know much about the Ronald McDonald house, but now I have a little bit more knowledge about it. They house families and friends of those who are in the hospital. They also will house pregnant mothers who may not have a place to live or not be able to afford one. So unfortunately when we arrived to the house they didn’t have any service for us to do. We brought the house a whole bunch of breakfast food. We were hoping to see some families and hear their stories, but we didn’t. Although our service project ended quickly, we made the most of our time by going to downtown to a Celtic Festival. It was so fun to walk around and look at. They had Irish music constantly playing and dancers doing traditional dances. I got this Chinese type food at one of the booths there and sat under a tree and ate it. You couldn’t ask for a more relaxing rest day then that. We then continued to walk downtown to look at more of the shops. I found a few really cool Missoula stickers to add to my collection on my bike. After that long afternoon of walking around, I ended the late afternoon with a nap. The YMCA provided showers and for supper we had Quadoba. I had a long conversation with my mom before I went to bed. Made miss home a little bit more. However, the end is near and I will be able to see them all very soon.
Day 57. July 26th. We biked from Missoula to the Wilderness Gateway campground. It was a 93-mile day. We entered back into Idaho. We officially changed to Pacific Time zone. Our ride was along a river that followed us all the way down the mountain. I noticed that the water was so clear in Idaho. The view was full of very tall trees and beautiful scenery. The roads were incredibly winding. On one of the turns, one of my teammates looked back for cars and the next thing I knew he hit the back of my tire and we both crashed. No one was hurt, but just scared the both of us. My ride group consisted of Kellie, Brett, Julia, and Flora. Flora was our designated wedding planner for the group. She was planning each one of our weddings to the tinniest detail. It was very funny. That evening after we arrived to the campground we ate dinner and then went straight to bed because we had along ride the next day. I shared a tent with Matt and Jo. It was a cute little green tent we called the green machine. It was fun to do something different for once. It was a little disappointing to not be able to start a fire because of the wildfire scares, but we were lucky that it didn’t get too cold that evening.
Day 57 was dedicated to my wonderful mother and all of her support she always gives me. I don't know what I'd do without her! I also dedicated my ride to Robert Dyer. He is currently fighting a tough battle with cancer. My thoughts and prayers go out to you.
Day 58. July 27th. We biked from the campground to Lewiston, Idaho. Once again it was beautiful country to bike in. There is always something to look at. We biked a total of 125 miles that day. That is the most I have ever done on the 4K and probably will do ever in my life. Haha After 20 miles into the ride we approached a tiny café in a tiny town of a population of 23 people. We had to stop. We got a cup of coffee and the best cinnamon roll I think I’ve ever had. The highway we traveled on was Highway 12 and it was my worst nightmare. It was very busy full of big semi trucks carrying big long wooden logs. It was a little scary riding on it, however everyone made it safely. My group that day was Matt, Kendra, Jessie, and Kyle. It was a fun group. Matt stuck back with me for most of the day. My legs were getting pretty darn tired at that point. We ended the evening at a very welcoming First United Methodist Church. They had a buffet for us and we all sat around and talked with the congregation. It was so great talking to people about our trip. We hadn’t done that in a few days.
Day 59. July 28th. We traveled to Walla Walla, Washington. Our day consisted of 3 big climbs and rolling hills in between. The 1st climb was right at the beginning and it was by far the worst one. My ride group was Zach, Sarah, Vadim, and Julia. It was also a very fun group to be with. A ton of laughs were made that very hot and long day. To end the day, as we entered into Walla Walla, we had to have some tough hills to get to the school we were staying at. After the climbs, we finally made it to a Seventh Day Adventist Academy School. We had showers and our host van got some killer food for supper. My day was made.
Day 59 was dedicated to Joe. Jesi Roskop messaged me about a friend that just found out that his results showed that he is cancer free as of right now in his brain. Happy news to hear Joe. Hope you are celebrating!
Day 60. July 29th. We biked to Richland, Washington. It was a total of 57 miles. My ride group was all girls. It consisted of Kendra, Jessie, Flora, Amanda, and myself. We started the morning by getting some ice coffee to wake up. It was also great because we got to take the back roads for about the first 15 miles. It was nice because we were able to talk to one another and listen to some music. We even went by an onion farm. I had never seen one of those before. I have also gotten to see at least 7 vineyards. A few were very big. We unfortunately had to get back on to Highway 12 again. We were able to get off it around mile 37. The rest of the day was pretty smooth sailing. It was just the heat that got the most of us. It got up to the 90’s today. One time we stopped at a convenience store and Kendra and I got slushies. It was a great way to cool down and enjoy a few minutes. Another time later down the road we stopped for a bathroom break and we all got ice cream. We did arrive around 3:00 p.m. We jumped into the river that is along Richland. It felt great. It had a pretty rough bottom. It was all stone rocks. Now we are just enjoying our evening at a community center. It is very nice and air-conditioned. We were able to get showers at a pool and I did my laundry. I don’t have much more to do. Life is great. America seems to be more and more beautiful everyday I ride. Tomorrow I get a day to rest my legs because I am in the water van.
Day 60 was dedicated to a friend from college's mom Sonia. She did her last round of chemo not to long ago. Horray for Sonia. That is such great news. Stay strong and keep fighting.
10 days remain on my 70 day crazy bike ride. Stay tuned for more to come.
Peace from Richland, Washington!
Yes I know, I can’t believe I’m in Washington either.
~Halle Stephens
Day 57. July 26th. We biked from Missoula to the Wilderness Gateway campground. It was a 93-mile day. We entered back into Idaho. We officially changed to Pacific Time zone. Our ride was along a river that followed us all the way down the mountain. I noticed that the water was so clear in Idaho. The view was full of very tall trees and beautiful scenery. The roads were incredibly winding. On one of the turns, one of my teammates looked back for cars and the next thing I knew he hit the back of my tire and we both crashed. No one was hurt, but just scared the both of us. My ride group consisted of Kellie, Brett, Julia, and Flora. Flora was our designated wedding planner for the group. She was planning each one of our weddings to the tinniest detail. It was very funny. That evening after we arrived to the campground we ate dinner and then went straight to bed because we had along ride the next day. I shared a tent with Matt and Jo. It was a cute little green tent we called the green machine. It was fun to do something different for once. It was a little disappointing to not be able to start a fire because of the wildfire scares, but we were lucky that it didn’t get too cold that evening.
Day 57 was dedicated to my wonderful mother and all of her support she always gives me. I don't know what I'd do without her! I also dedicated my ride to Robert Dyer. He is currently fighting a tough battle with cancer. My thoughts and prayers go out to you.
Day 58. July 27th. We biked from the campground to Lewiston, Idaho. Once again it was beautiful country to bike in. There is always something to look at. We biked a total of 125 miles that day. That is the most I have ever done on the 4K and probably will do ever in my life. Haha After 20 miles into the ride we approached a tiny café in a tiny town of a population of 23 people. We had to stop. We got a cup of coffee and the best cinnamon roll I think I’ve ever had. The highway we traveled on was Highway 12 and it was my worst nightmare. It was very busy full of big semi trucks carrying big long wooden logs. It was a little scary riding on it, however everyone made it safely. My group that day was Matt, Kendra, Jessie, and Kyle. It was a fun group. Matt stuck back with me for most of the day. My legs were getting pretty darn tired at that point. We ended the evening at a very welcoming First United Methodist Church. They had a buffet for us and we all sat around and talked with the congregation. It was so great talking to people about our trip. We hadn’t done that in a few days.
Day 59. July 28th. We traveled to Walla Walla, Washington. Our day consisted of 3 big climbs and rolling hills in between. The 1st climb was right at the beginning and it was by far the worst one. My ride group was Zach, Sarah, Vadim, and Julia. It was also a very fun group to be with. A ton of laughs were made that very hot and long day. To end the day, as we entered into Walla Walla, we had to have some tough hills to get to the school we were staying at. After the climbs, we finally made it to a Seventh Day Adventist Academy School. We had showers and our host van got some killer food for supper. My day was made.
Day 59 was dedicated to Joe. Jesi Roskop messaged me about a friend that just found out that his results showed that he is cancer free as of right now in his brain. Happy news to hear Joe. Hope you are celebrating!
Day 60. July 29th. We biked to Richland, Washington. It was a total of 57 miles. My ride group was all girls. It consisted of Kendra, Jessie, Flora, Amanda, and myself. We started the morning by getting some ice coffee to wake up. It was also great because we got to take the back roads for about the first 15 miles. It was nice because we were able to talk to one another and listen to some music. We even went by an onion farm. I had never seen one of those before. I have also gotten to see at least 7 vineyards. A few were very big. We unfortunately had to get back on to Highway 12 again. We were able to get off it around mile 37. The rest of the day was pretty smooth sailing. It was just the heat that got the most of us. It got up to the 90’s today. One time we stopped at a convenience store and Kendra and I got slushies. It was a great way to cool down and enjoy a few minutes. Another time later down the road we stopped for a bathroom break and we all got ice cream. We did arrive around 3:00 p.m. We jumped into the river that is along Richland. It felt great. It had a pretty rough bottom. It was all stone rocks. Now we are just enjoying our evening at a community center. It is very nice and air-conditioned. We were able to get showers at a pool and I did my laundry. I don’t have much more to do. Life is great. America seems to be more and more beautiful everyday I ride. Tomorrow I get a day to rest my legs because I am in the water van.
Day 60 was dedicated to a friend from college's mom Sonia. She did her last round of chemo not to long ago. Horray for Sonia. That is such great news. Stay strong and keep fighting.
10 days remain on my 70 day crazy bike ride. Stay tuned for more to come.
Peace from Richland, Washington!
Yes I know, I can’t believe I’m in Washington either.
~Halle Stephens