Four full days!

It has been some four days since we were able to get to a computer to blog about the tour. They were certainly very full days. We had some strong headwinds Wednesday across central Washington State. A way to combat that is by "drafting," or having one rider block most of the wind for everyone else. As we were doing just that, the lead rider dropped a water bottle, causing a chain reaction swerving maneuver. I (Tim) was in the back and caught the back tire of the rider in front of me (Zach) and went down pretty hard on my right forearm. It looked pretty bad at the time, but I didn't miss any riding and my arm looks much better now.
Yesterday (Thursday) we crossed into the Idaho panhandle, and today (Friday) we crossed over a 4,800-foot mountain pass into the state of Montana. We shall be in Montana for a good 9 or 10 days, I believe. Today's ride was 94 miles, not quite our longest so far, but close. The first 30 miles or so were quite level on the Coeur D'Alene Lakes trail in Idaho. It was nice to not have the automobile traffic, but also to see the beauty and the wildlife. At one point I got off my bike to go back and see a moose that was in the trees. That moose eventually wandered on to the trail between me and my bike! It was not very aggressive, however, and soon I was back on the trail. The calf was hiding in the swampy water across the trail. I got to thinking about how free these moose were, and how protected the babies were by the mom. We are riding for some people who lack both the freedom and the love that this "little" moose had.
We have done church presentations the last two nights. In Harrison, Idaho, the team outnumbered the audience, but they had good questions and left knowing more about the issue. Tonight's crowd in Thompson Falls, Montana, was larger.
Tonight we are staying in host homes, and actually get to sleep in a real bed!
From here we ride to Missoula tomorrow...another 90+ miles. Then, we will get to have a day off from riding on Sunday. That will be good, as many of the team members are getting injuries or just plain tuckered out. This first week of the tour will probably be the toughest physically, but also perhaps the most beautiful in terms of the geography. Also in Missoula the 14th member of the team will join us, as he has been dalayed due to a family wedding in Texas.
All in all, we are well...eating TONS and getting to know our teammates very well. Thanks for following, and feel free to comment or ask us questions...justy realize that we may not get the opportunity to answer very quickly.
Tim ans Zach