To those that have tried to donate...

The PayPal is now working so, if you would like to donate to our trip or designate your donation for a needed item, you may do so now.

Items Needed:

Air mattress
Water repellant gloves for cycling
Shoe insoles (inserts)
Verizon cell phone battery for a Droid Incredible 2
Repair of Northface Sleeping bag (zipper broken)
Sun Screen
Can of water repellant spray
Warm socks (wool)
Or donations for FOOD would be great!

Please continue to read and follow us as we become closer to our destination and share with anyone and everyone.

Godspeed
WOS and Vesper

MKT Trail with a detour

Today, Thursday October 27, 2011

Once we left Windsor on Tuesday the weather was very warm but very windy as well. We traveled about 45 miles to Pilot Grove where we were instructed to set up camp at the Town Park.  Normally the cyclists would be able to get a shower at the pool house, but since the pool was closed we were not able to do so. We were also instructed to call the local PD to inform them of our stay there in their town and with our history with the small town Police forces we were not going to ignore this request.
The weather was still very windy and also very muggy with the weather front that was being pushed over us. We were told that we wouldn't get rained on but we still placed out tent under an awning.
In the morning the temperature had dropped down to a frigid 45deg. which was a huge change from the 70deg. night we had. We bundled up headed to the local gas station to fill up our tires to the max and warm ourselves with a large coffee. At that point, it began to rain.
Pulling out our Gortex jackets, we continued east on the Katy Trail towards New Franklin.
We made it to Boonville, MO before we were too soaked and cold to pedal any further. We located the nearest coffee shop from the Boonville Chamber of Commerce and drank cup after cup until lunchtime where we then left to find somewhere to purchase Fuel for our pocket stove.
Wal-Mart was the only place in town to purchase what we needed. We were forced to rely on them again.
By the time we left Boonville and crossed over the Missouri River, it stopped raining.
We were now on a mission to find the next town to set up tent.
We peddled all the way to Rocheport thinking this would be a great little town to stay in. The buildings looked old and restored, the streets were clean, but there wasn't anyone outside. All of the stores were closed and it looked like a ghost town. We called the information # on the sign and heard in ringing in the building next to us. We then called the Dispatch# for some information and were referred to the State Park Ranger who then told us that Camping was not allowed anywhere in the town and that if we did it would be considered Trespassing! He then continued to tell us to call one of the B&Bs in town because that was the only lodging available to us. Even though we made it clear that we did not have the means to stay at a B&B we were still told to go there.
So, we left. We continued to pedal east even though the sun had set and we were pedaling in the dark. The up side is that we did not have to worry about cars on the Katy Trail.
We were at a stopping point at Huntsdale where there was a Campsite and we were met by two cyclists named John and Jim. John immediately said to us, "going to D.C.?"
We were amazed that he would know that and we all began talking.
John invited us to stay at his house in Columbia which was about 12 mi. away. We agreed and headed off the KT towards Columbia.
John and his wife Patti were very kind to us. They feed us and we finally were able to have a shower.
We had a great rest and were energized in the morning with oatmeal and Pet’s coffee.
Thank you John and Pattie! We had a great time meeting the two of you!

Thanks for reading,
WOS and Vesper

Continueing on the Katy Trail in MO

Today, Monday October 24, 2011

Well, we have spent a week now resting and relaxing in the cabin entrusted to us for a whole week on Wednesday. We will be leaving this getaway tomorrow and heading on down the Katy Trail through Missouri.
I know that this little VaCa has set us behind, but boy did we need it!!
We were able to take naps during the day, sleep in late and let Yoshi outside with without him needing a leash.
We are excited to get on the road again and we are looking forward to the small towns we will come to along the way. We will not finish the entire trail seeing as how we will need to leave the great state of Missouri and head on into Illinois.

I just had a visit from Officer Mike Bilbruck from the Windsor PD who came into the Library once he saw our bikes outside. My father has been unable to get in touch with me because we do not have Verizon service here in Windsor.
He called our names and said that my father was going crazy with worry looking for me. His mind was going crazy with all kinds of senarios of murder and being held captive. I was able to speak to him and let him know that I was fine and had no way of getting in touch with him. I looked for emails from him or family members, but it seemed to me that I was not the woman missing on the Katy Trail.
Thank you to everyone that took part in the search for me and Vesper. We are well and fine just needed to get off the beaten path and take a break for a while.

Thanks for reading.
WOS and Vesper

Yoshi, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore!!

Tuesday, Oct. 18th 2011

We finally left Kansas and made our way into Missouri!
West Line, MO was the entry town from across the border and we sure did have a grand welcoming!
As the sun was setting, the air was getting cooler we decided to head towards West Line on the

State Route

#2. It was either there or 10 mi. the other way to Drexel.
When we rode into town, it had the appearance of a ghost town. We continued to follow the

Main St.

until we found a grouping of cars. We assumed there was a town meeting, but found out that it was a country music concert put on every other Tuesday and we just happened to be there at the right time and day.
West Line put on a great show and even fed us. We were going to camp right outside of the meeting building when Connie and Rob Briggs offered to put us up for the night.
Everyone at the show was interested in hearing our story as well as blessing our future trip.
We were even introduced to a woman who said that her daughter and husband owned a house on the Katy Trail where we would be welcomed to stay in for a break from all the touring.
We were blessed once again by John and Debbie Walker who are cyclists themselves for providing us with a place to rest after so many days on the road.
We peddled to Clinton from West Line the following morning 55mi. to Clinton, MO where John picked us up and took us to his cabin in Windsor, MO.
This cabin blew our minds with its unique beauty! I intend to take photos with John and Debbie's permission and post them here on the blog.
We are looking at continuing our trip through MO on the Katy Trail and hope that the rest of MO is as kind and giving as the beginning.

Photos to come...

Thanks for reading.
WOS

Still in Kansas...

Today is Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Once we arrived in Tribune, KS we were directed to a gazebo which is where the cyclists usually stay whenever they are in town. This shelter was O.K., there was a really bad fly problem, and the showers were cold without any water pressure, but we were able to wash off.
The storm came that night with lightning, rain and wind. The local kids would drive by shouting obscenities at us but we figured what else they have to do in this little town.
The next morning we woke to a damp and cold morning. Packed up and headed east towards Scott City about 43 miles away. With the sun on our faces without any rain or wind, we thought that we had it made. As the day continued, we finally arrived at Scott City and went directly to the market asking for shelter. A woman in the store heard that we were from Portland, OR and told us that her daughter lived there now and that we were more than welcome to stay at her house.
Lyn Palen and her family welcomed us with open arms and a plate full of Lasagna.
We were able to wash two loads of laundry and take showers. Yoshi was stuck outside in the Kennel with the other dogs and howled all night long.
In the morning, Lyn set us up with warm clothes for the winter, including Under Amour popular thermal underwear for outdoor athletes. Four PB&J's for our ride towards Ness City. Thank you Lyn for all of your generosity!
Ness City was our next location in Kansas. We arrived 55 miles from Scott City and were greeted by Jim or "Jimmy" at the local Church. He let us in and showed us around. We ended up staying in the basement where there was two couches with a projection machine for us to watch movies. We watched "Fireproof" and "Amazing Grace" before going to sleep.
The next morning, we were off east towards Great Bend, KS.

This was the most difficult section so far of all of Kansas. It was 63 miles away, and we had the "southerly winds" at our side. We finally made it to Great Bend where we immediately went to find food!
Wendy's was our choice because of the $1.00 menu. We entered Wendy's and meet a couple that we very interested in our travels. Tim and Claudia were also cyclists who had just recently did the Cycle across Kansas in July. They were sympathetic to our cause and were eager to help us find a place to stay for the evening. We were able to get a voucher for a free night at a motel from the city Sheriff's Department. Thank you Tim and Claudia for your help and encouragement to continue our trip.

The next morning we were off again East, but decided to head north on the 156 instead of the 56 East.
From the 156 we were able to junction to the Hwy 4 which was more traveled by cyclists with less traffic. We were however fighting the "southerly winds" again at our side. We made it about 43 miles to Geneseo, KS where we were able to pitch our tent in the backyard of the Mayor of this small town.


We are currently in Lindsborg, KS known as "Little Sweden" to the locals. I must say that this is the cutest town in all of Kansas. So far, we have only seen small barely there towns that are neglected and run down.
The "southerly winds" of Kansas has thus far felt like pedaling through MUD!!

We met another cyclist on our way towards Geneseo. He was from Macedonia a small country close to Greece. Dejan Zafirov was his name and he was traveling from New York to San Francisco. He was handicapped with a leg that seemed to be a birth defect, but this didn't stop him from riding his bike across our country. Just like my handicaps are not stopping me!

We are looking to make it to Topeka, KS by Friday where we will skirt around Kansas City and begin our trip through Missouri on the KD Trail. This is a trail dedicated to Cyclists where we will not be bothered by vehicular traffic. We will see... we may choose another path through.

Thanks for reading!!

Woman of Scars and Vesper

Kansas!!

Today is Friday, 10/7/2011

From Kiowa, CO we traveled to Limon, CO, 45 miles. Up and down, up and down all the way to Limon.
Once we were in Limon, the sun had already set and we were very tired.
We had to decide to either continue through town to the KOA, which would cost us $26 to pitch a tent or to travel across the street to the T&A truck stop and camp with the truckers for free.
We chose the FREE choice.
After sleeping with the hum of the diesel engines, we woke to the sun shinning and a rumble in our tummies.
MC D's was across the street and the dollar menu was on the platter. 5 Sausage McMuffins, 1 Hash brown and 2 Small coffees later we set out west towards Hugo, CO.

We were in for a surprise!!
The wind started blowing from the south, wind that was not a soft breeze, but a hurricane force wind up to 70 mph. I have posted a video of our experience.
It was 13 miles until we reached the next town. The wind was so strong that at times it would push us into to road.
It was a life threatening day. We finally arrived in Hugo, recharged with some granola, and were looking for a ride. There was no way we were going to be able to make it to the next town in that weather.
There was construction on the 287 south and we needed a ride.
Tammy, from the Road Crew picked us up and drove us 8 miles to the nearest rest stop.
Vesper and I were alone at the rest stop thinking that a Tornado or rain was on its way. We began to walk our bikes down the road when we passed the Concrete distribution center when Vesper was stopped by one of the workers.
Luis Barraza with Castle Rock Construction Co. rescued Vesper and I from the 75mph winds.
He offered to give us a ride to Kit Carson but drove us all the way to Eads, CO where we were to pick up the

Transamerica Hwy

 that is famous for Cyclists touring across the USA.

Thank you Luis for the ride, your time, and the $20 you gave us to help us on our way to D.C.!!

Once the sun went down, the wind died down and changed direction. We were able to watch a lighting storm from an old barn that was rescued and used as a common area.

The sleep was welcome as we woke to today with a clear sky and no wind we pushed forth to Tribune, Kansas.
Tomorrow is a new day, In Kansas!!

Rest of Utah and the ROCKIES!!!

It has been quite a while since we had posted. A lot has happened.
Since Heber, UT we traveled along the 40 East towards CO. The rest of Utah was a blur.

Entering into Dinosaur, CO we met a fellow tourist with the same bike as mine a black on black a 2011 Surly LHT. He told us of a location in town that offered free camping including showers. We later found out that he did not stay there but stayed in the yard of the local store clerks Mother's House.
We followed the 40 towards Elk Springs....this is where the Woman of Scars had a seizure while riding her Bike!!!
I was feeling as if I was in a dream state just before I was laid down on the left side of the road. Vesper was ahead of me so he was not witness to the occurrence. He did however hear a voice which he pushed away telling him of what was going to occur.
He noticed a van that had passed earlier headed west had turned around and was slowing down. Another angel asked if we were O.K. because she noticed that I was lying on the side of the road as Vesper had stopped to wait for me to appear around the corner.
Vesper said, "where is she?!?!" and immediately turned and peddled back towards where I was lying.
With blood on the handlebars and in the corner of my mouth, Vesper brought me too and told me that I had just had a seizure.
I replied, "No I didn't" as he was helping me from the ground.
The woman in the Van said that she was on her way to Craig and offered us a ride. We agreed that we could use a ride after the seizure.
After loading our bikes and gear, she dropped us off at the Wal-Mart in Craig. Yoshi was full of Doritos from the daughters feeding him for tricks on the way.
Once at Wal-Mart, we washed our bikes at a carwash and looked for a Hotel to rest.
We found a great deal at the Lone Pine Motel for $35/night. We stayed there two nights so that I could visit the Hospital for a check up. All was fine. I was given a refill of my prescriptions.
We also found a bike shop for spare tubes and Mr. Tuffy's to help prevent flats which I am so prone to getting.

Onward from Craig towards our first encounter with the Rockies, Steamboat Springs. After waking up with frost covering the tent, we continued east over Rabbit Ears Pass: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_Ears_Pass
On our way to Kremmling, CO we stared at an RV Park.
Continuing on the 40 east towards Granby where WOS was pushed into the guard rail for her 3rd wreck.
Getting back on the bike, we headed all the way to Winter Park, "the Icebox of the USA" where we stayed at a campground on a bike path to take us back to the 40 and on our way to Berthoud Pass:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berthoud_Pass
From there we peddled into Empire where we headed east through Idaho Springs and turned north on the 119 towards Central City/ Black Hawk where we graciously picked up and given a ride through a devilish road by Galen and Kim from Lakewood, CO. They saw us hiking our bikes up this crazy grade of road with Yoshi running ahead. They stopped and said that we must not be from around here. Gave us a ride past Black Hawk and dropped us off about 12 miles out of Nederland.
Back on the saddle again trying to reach a good location for our first Warmshowers.org host to pick us up at.
Riding in the dark, Ed Phelps picked us up and took us back to his house in Boulder, CO.
His house was amazing!! It is one of the oldest houses in Boulder being in the Historic District of Boulder and central to everything there in. We were taken out to dinner, Mexican, with himself and daughter.
We stayed a total of two nights and then made our way south towards Centennial, CO where we would find our 2nd Warmshowers.org host Joe. After mistakenly following the Google maps directions all the way through downtown Denver, Joe met us on the bike path 9 miles from his house and lead us all the way there.
He feed us and we talked for hours on the experiences we had. Gathered great information and went on to bed.
Waking up the next morning, I found that my upper lip was swollen from what looked like a spider bite.
The morning before in Boulder, I remember my lips feeling extremely dry as if they were chapped. All day I was slathering on the lip balm not noticing the sore that was forming on my lip. A spider had bitten me as we slept in the garage in Boulder.
We then were escorted by Joe once more by bike path down the Cherry Creek Trail South.
From there we followed the 83 to the 86 East towards Elizabeth.
While in Elizabeth, we discovered that we may camp at the Wal-Mart’s for free!!
My Father had taken a trip into CO for his birthday with Sherri as well as to pick up furniture from her family home in Centennial where she grew up. We were so close that Dad had to visit us in Elizabeth!
After driving about 30 min. to Elizabeth, the WOS saw her father once again after 3years in the parking lot of Wal-Mart.
We all went to breakfast at a familiar name of Guadalajara. A Mexican restaurant that exists in hometown of Boerne, TX which is a family favorite in two states now.
The visit with my Father and Sherri was a good one, a new beginning. They rejuvenated our mission to make it across the USA! Thank you Sherri for the natural medicine it has been working like a charm.

We are so very glad to be finished with the Rockies!! I was very nervous about them, but I have found that I tackle Mountains better than I tackle the rolling hills that come after. From Elizabeth we continued south towards Kiowa.

In the town of Kiowa, we were told that there was free camping at the Fair Grounds. On our way there, I saw a group of BULLDOG PUPPIES!!! I cannot resist puppies and had to play with them.
Bobbie and Dean are the couple that lives in the house that we posted with 3 of their 4 kids.
They took us in and have allowed us to become a part of there family for 3 nights now. This came at a good time because I was sick with a cold or the effects from the spider bite. It is now the 5th of October and we are about 50 miles away from our next destination of Limon.
Hope we can update this blog better and make it more current to our experiences.

Thanks for reading,
Woman of Scars and Vesper