Fish, Farms and Flatlands Part 1: Livingston, MT to Minneapolis, MN

We couldn't have left the great mountain states without visiting one of our nation's great landscapes. Yellowstone was astounding!

We were picked up in Livingston, MT by friends Liv and Zach. They drove all the way from Victor, ID to spend a day with us. We arrived at the park gates amidst thunderstorms which added to the mystique of the nearly pre-historic landscapes of Yellowstone National Park. Our first stop took us to the mineral rich geysers that spot the rolling hills. During a brief circumnavigation of the park, we managed to come across two bears, 1 grizzly and 1 black bears. Matt took a great photo of all the tourists with their mouths agape along the side of the road.

Before leaving the park we were able to catch some fair weather and take a dip in the boiling river. This phenomenon provided for one of the finest memories made on the trip thus far. We waded out into 50 degree water of the Yellowstone River to find warm spots where the boiling river entered and mixed to create pools of tolerable heat. Unfortunately we didn't bring the camera.

From Livingston we continued east along the Yellowstone until reaching Big Timber, MT where several hail throwing storms clobbered us until we were a shivering pile hoveling under an awning. Some kind folks happened by about 4 hrs later and made us an offer that was too good to refuse: dinner followed by a warm bed... we acquiesced. Ken and Becky Rockeman were extraordinary hosts. They shared stories of their home town, their two children and, not to mention, two wonderful meals. The next morning, Ken rode with us on his amazing road bike (Litespeed Tuscany for those who care... full Dura Ace) and gave us the low down on MT State DOT.

Enter Long Flat Roads and Tiresome Heat

Eastern MT was... different. At first, the ease with which we cruised at 20+ miles was enchanting.

Exit tailwinds and enter east winds.

Pain and suffering ensued. Matt and Anna were stricken silent. Were it not the beer festival in Billings, MT and a cheerful Aussie, our heroes would have been lost.

Drew, a fellow traveler, offered us to share a camping site (and nearly everything else... this man is prepared all the way down to his Parmesan cheese). We made quick friends and Drew shared many stories of his long trip across the states. You can check out his blog at http://www.americanwalkabout.blogspot.com/

Leaving Billings we decided to try for a 110 mi. day and cruise up to Forsyth. After 85 miles we were pretty exhausted, so we were lucky to get a very needed ride from Eldon, a local banker and new biker (thanks to a Father's Day gift). Apparently he saw Matt laying down on a bench and thought we were completely spent (pretty close anyways) and offered up a lift to the campsite. Thanks Eldon!

By the time we reached Miles City, MT (after getting two flat tires in the 100 degree heat) we realized we needed to make up some time in order to finish the trip in just 2 months. The plan was to take a bus out of Miles City across ND to Fargo, ND. In true Matt and Anna style, we rolled into town without a bus ticket or a clue as to what to do with our bikes. Somehow we managed to make it work. It just took the help of the entire town. We called up the closed bike shop and met the owner who was peaches and cream to us. He hooked us up with boxes for our bikes, opened up his shop bench so we could disassemble the rides and even called the bus depot (also closed) to get us a ticket. It seems that in small towns everybody knows everybody and the owner of the bus line was no exception. We managed to get on the bus that would take us across North Dakota.


Minnesota was very, very green compared to Montana, and the roads were much, much flatter and straighter than we had expected. For much of the state we rode alongside large fields of soybeans and corn. We passed hundreds of small kitchen gardens and were able to stop at several farmers markets along the way. We also sampled some other local treats: lefse, which is a traditional Norwegian, potato-based bread that looks and tastes much like a tortilla. We also ate some Walleye, which is a prized fish that lives in the many lakes of Minnesota and Wisconsin (its a deep fried delight... but just tastes like most fried things). We kept our eyes out for Norwegian bachelor farmers and lake Wobegon the whole way.

Along the route in MN we stopped at the Mississippi R. headwaters in Itasca, MN. We learned about the multi-century hunt for the famed headwaters and found that after its discovery, which turned out to be a boggy lake region, it was built up with hundreds of loads of rock and sand to look like a quaint meandering brook.

South of the headwaters we received a string of hospitality. In Dalbo, MN we met Don Olsen and his wife Cheryl. In a region with very few camping areas, they were nice enough to open their farm to cyclists passing through. Don, Cheryl and family shared a meal with us and provided a bed after a long haul through the land-o-lakes. Thanks Olsens!

The ride into Minneapolis from the Olsens proved to be a real trek. What we anticipated as a 60 mile day stretched into the night and after 96 miles we reached our host house in NW Minneapolis. We found the Kosowskis on a really cool website called http://www.warmshowers.org/. They had signed up a year ago after sons John and Michael toured the NE on their bikes. They were more than happy to have their first tourers share their home and John gave us the grand tour of Minneapolis along all the great bike trails. Despite riding on our "day off" we had a blast and got to see a lot of a hip city (not to mention try some local brews). Thanks Kosowskis!