Learning the contours of the country

As you might imagine, Western Montana swept me away in its beauty and endless lakes, rivers, and coffee & ice cream shops. Thus I have not blogged for a while. But I will now.

Ernest Hemmingway once said, "it is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best,since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are,while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you,and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle."

I am now just beginning to understand what he meant. Never more have I felt the mountains, the plains, and the hills so acutely than this summer. I will always remember Going to the Sun Road after more than a week of Big Sky Montana (read: flat).

Our crew had many conversations preceding this week, attempting to predict how challenging (or not) the Rockies and Cascades would be. What is the difference between a hill, like the ones we ascended in Wisconsin, and a mountain? After two major climbs in Montana (Logan Pass, 6,600ish ft) and Washington (Flowery Trail Pass, 4,046 ft), we all know the difference is significant. Our knees and backs ache this evening and our smiles are prevelent from the 8 mile decent.

I have been having too much fun, as evident from my lack of posts and photo uploads. More to come!