UConn Coast to Coast Bike Trip 2018

Hello, Yesterday we reached Milwaukee! It's amazing to be this far across the country. On our way to Madison, we enjoyed a scenic hilly tour of Wisconsin, complete with farm views and lakes. Then, when we had almost reached Madison, we ran into a couple on the bike path who invited us to their neighborhood potluck. It was lovely, and we got to share stories of our cross cou try adventures. It is constantly amazing to be treated so kindly by complete strangers. Our hosts were amazing as well, they gave us food, showers, laundry, and beds, even when they had plans for the night. They even woke up early to see us off the next day. Today we explored Milwaukee, saw the domes, visited the beach at Lake Michigan, and had beer and brats. Off to Grand Rapids, Michigan tomorrow, marking our seventh state! Christine

Hello again, We have made it to Minneapolis! This is certainly the biggest city we have seen since Seattle. There is more here than we could ever ask for, and our warm showers hosts were able to point us toward the best food and ice cream in town. Earlier this week, we explored Fargo, and ended up taking an extra day because of pouring rain. There we had the pleasure of witnessing the weekly bike ride. There must have been at least 50 people there. It was nice to have to the comradery of fellow cyclists as well. Today, we explored the city and had a juciy Lucy burger, seen the cherry and spoon, and a relaxed a bit, gearing up for our ride tomorrow. I even had the shifter cable on my bike fixed totally for free from Erik's bike shop. The generosity we have received continues to astound me. To finish off the night, our warm showers hosts took us out for beer and food, and shared storied of their own trip through all 48 continental United States. Minneapolis has certainly been

Hello all, We have been busy riding through North Dakota. After taking a short ride through the badlands, we reached Bismarck and enjoyed some street art as well as the state museum. We also discovered the greatness that is Scheels sporting goods. While on our way to our camping the next day, we stopped in Hazelton, where we walked into a coffee shop to find a church group had rented it out, as it is their weekly meeting place. They quickly whisked us away to free coffee and breakfast foods. They even snapped a photo of us to put in their weekly paper, and sent us on our way with a few copies. Then, while entering Gackle, just before we reached our campsite, we found a sign which read "Cyclist Housing" and went to check it out. There, we found a small apartment with free laundry, showers, and beds in the basement of a fifth generation bee farming family. They were Catholic, so this was their way of helping those in need. They also offered very reasonably priced snacks a

Hello, Today is day twenty six and we are ready to rest here in Glendive, Montana. In just a day's time we will arrive in North Dakota, having finished the journey through our longest state. The past few days have been, hot, windy, and long. We have woken up early and stayed up late biking and planning our trip. However, we have seen a lot of kindness along the way. While in Nashua, we met a member of the Lion's Club who helped build the shelter we stayed in that night. Then, upon arriving to Glendive we met a fellow cyclist willing to give us a place to stay, showers, laundry, and amazing coffee. They were so nice and we snuggled with their puppy. Now, we are off to wash our sleeping bags, stop by the camping store, admire the dinosaur museum, and explore Makoshika State Park, Montana's largest. Hopefully, we can grab some ice cream too. Christine

Hello Family and Friends! We made it to Dickinson, North Dakota yesterday. Mileage wise we are approaching our halfway point and hope to be home the first week of August!  Montana was great, highlighted by Glacier National Park (most of the pics below). We have gotten used to high mileage back to back 100 mile days. Our greatest challenge now is rain and strong head winds. The terrain has changed drastically from the mountains of Glacier to the great plains of middle Montana and to the badlands of Eastern Montana. Montana is known as "Big Sky" country,  at points it seemed like you could see 100 miles in all directions without seeing a single tree or mountain. I will never say that Farmington, CT is boring ever again after traveling through Montana. To put some perspective the population of Montana is 1 million, the population of CT is 3.6 million yet by square miles 25 CTs could fit into the state of Montana. More people (3 million) visit Glacier National Park in Montana

Hello, Today is Day 21 and our journey has led us to Havre, Montana. We've just stayed with a lovely couple for the Fourth of July and were given the treat of clean laundry, hot showers, and a warm, dry place to sleep. Having had cold rainy weather for the past few days, this was truly a blessing. Glacier was absolutely beautiful. We conquered Going-to-the-Sun Road by exactly 11, when bike traffic is no longer allowed. It was amazing being 6,646 feet up. The next day we hiked to Bering, St. Mary's, and Victoria Falls. The view of St. Mary's lake along the way was breathtaking. After leaving Glacier we are now tackling the great plains. We will keep you all updated. Christine