Day 7 Daunted Courage July 6, 2013

Progress to Date (in red):

Day 7 Route: Bismarck to Williston, North Dakota

Sites Visited: 
 - Double Ditch Indian Village (12 miles north of Bismarck)
 - Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center (Washburn, ND)
 - Fort Mandan reproduction (Washburn, ND)

Saya's (age 6) quote of the day: "I blowed the fly away, or else it would have aten our food."  Good thing she did...

The Double Ditch Indian Village was populated by Mandan Indians from the late 1400s to the late 1700s.  They had a thriving culture based on agriculture, buffalo hunting and trading with other tribes (and later Europeans and the U.S.).  At one point, there were around 10,000 people living in earth lodge villages like the one we visited.  But by the time Lewis & Clark floated by the Double Ditch site, no Mandans lived there anymore.  Clark described the abandoned site in his diary, noting, "About 25 years ago... small pox destroyed great numbers."  See pic below of Sho and Saya staring out.  This photo reminds me of a poem by the Japanese haiku poet Basho: 



    Summer grasses: 
    all that remains 
    of great soldiers' imperial dreams

I particularly enjoyed the replica of Fort Mandan, where the Lewis & Clark expedition spent the winter of 1804-5.  On Dec 17, 1804, Meriwether Lewis recorded the temperature as 42 degrees below zero.  In addition to being very cold, the 44 men in the expedition would have starved were it not for the Mandans who traded corn and other food.  This is where Lewis & Clark had the good fortune of meeting Sacagawea and her much less impressive husband, the fur trader Charbonneau.  Sacagawea stayed in Fort Mandan with the expedition members and gave birth there to Jean Baptiste Charbonneau (aka Pompy) in February 1805.  She carried and nursed her baby the entire expedition to the Pacific Ocean and back.  See, cycling the same route with my kids isn't that bad.

I'm sick of driving, not just because of the flat tire we got today (see pic below).  We're missing too much sitting inside an air conditioned capsule.  But the time for driving has come to an end.  We start cycling tomorrow!  1704 miles to go to reach the Pacific Ocean along Lewis & Clark's westbound route.  If all goes as planned, we should get there at the end of August.

Photos:

Notice the highway number 1804.  That's the year the Lewis & Clark expedition began.  There's also a Highway 1806 marking the year the expedition returned safely.

Sho and Saya enjoying the view of the mighty Missouri River from the bluff at the Double Ditch Indian Village

Bug's eye view of the North Dakota sky

Sho and Saya outside the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center in Washburn, ND

Saya with one of her heroes

Outside Fort Mandan

Replica of Fort Mandan, where the Lewis & Clark expedition spent the winter of 1804-5.  On Dec 17, 1804, Meriwether Lewis recorded the temperature as 42 degrees below zero.

View from the drive to Williston, ND.  The picture doesn't do justice to the broad horizon and big sky that enveloped us.  There's an oil boom under way, and we passed many wells beside the highway.

First, we felt the shimmy.  Then, we heard the boom as the rear left tire of our U-Haul burst!  What a pain.  I'm glad we're switching to bicycles tomorrow.  They get flats too, but are much easier to deal with.

Day 6 Daunted Courage, July 5, 2013

Progress to Date (in red):

Day 6 Route: Pierre, South Dakota to Bismarck, North Dakota

We all had tears in our eyes as we said goodbye to my wife today.  Eiko started the 3-day drive from Pierre, SD back to NYC this morning, while Sho, Saya and I drove a U-Haul truck up to Bismarck, North Dakota, not far from the Mandan Village where Lewis & Clark met Sacagawea.  More on that tomorrow when we visit the site...

Photos:

Saying goodbye to Mommy.  We miss you a lot.

In front of our 17-foot long U-Haul truck.  This was the smallest they had...

... giving us plenty of space for our bikes and gear!

Saya tucking in her Lamby's

Day 5 Daunted Courage, July 4, 2013

Progress to Date (in red):

Day 5 Route: Chamberlain to Pierre, South Dakota

Sites Visited: 
 - Lewis & Clark Info Center (Chamberlain, SD) - we returned for a brief second visit
 - Akta Lakota Museum (Chamberlain, SD)
 - Ft. Pierre 4th of July Wildcard Rodeo 

Eiko leaves us tomorrow to return to her job at the United Nations in NYC.  We'll all miss her and can't wait until we are reunited in Oregon at the end of August.  Sho, Saya and I will rent a U-Haul truck tomorrow and continue to Bismarck and Williston, ND over the next 2 days before finally switching to bicycles.  It will feel good to pedal instead of drive.

Photos:

Saya giving herself a tattoo

Sho and Saya at the L&C Info Center in Chamberlain

Outside the Akta Lakota Museum

Pool fun with Sho and Saya

Program for the rodeo.  Sho was smitten!

Cowboy at the rodeo.  My goodness, they are tough...

Day 4 Daunted Courage, July 3, 2013

Progress to Date (in red):

Day 4 Route: Sioux City, Iowa to Chamberlain, South Dakota

Sites Visited: 
 - Sergeant Charles Floyd's monument (Sioux City)
 - Lewis & Clark Interpetive Center (Sioux City)
 - Lewis & Clark Info Center (Chamberlain, SD): beautiful view of the Missouri River from the bluff 

Photos:

Sergeant Charles Floyd's monument (Sioux City)

Sho and Saya at Floyd's monument

Eiko, Sho and a grumpy Saya at the Lewis & Clark Interpetive Center (Sioux City)

Seaman the dog is probably thinking, "Watch it kid, I'll slobber on you."

Sho beside an exhibit with life-sized statues of Lewis & Clark

The bike rack on our Honda CRV.  Saya's trailer cycle is inside the car.

Lewis & Clark Info Center (Chamberlain, SD)

Sho and Saya hiking toward the Missouri River in Chamberlain, SD

Day 3 Daunted Courage, July 2, 2013

Progress to Date (in red):

Day 3 Route: Kansas City, MO - Nebraska City, NE

On the way from Kansas City, Missouri to Sioux City, Iowa today, we visited two excellent Lewis & Clark interpretive centers.  We also saw a billboard with a deal that was almost too good to pass up: $199.99 for a full service oil change and steak dinner.  Now that's a creative combination...

Here are photos from the Missouri River Basin Lewis and Clark Interpretive Trail and Visitors Center in Nebraska City, and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters in Omaha. 

Putting the kids to work

Eiko and Sho learning about medicines used in the early 1800's.  Nothing like a little mercury in your laxative...

Saya, Sho, Eiko and a photogenic bison

That prairie dog is twice Saya's size.

Showing Saya how many mountain passes we'll cycle over.  She wasn't the least bit intimidated.  I was, because I know the difference between a floor map and the real thing...

Doug Friedli at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center in Nebraska City.  He shared some of his deep knowledge of the expedition with us and didn't get angry when Sho and Saya turned his sprinkler into a sibling-soaker.

With Mynesha Spencer at the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters.  She gave us tips on the route and let us stay past closing time to finish watching a movie about the expedition.  Another cool person! 

Day 2 Daunted Courage, July 1, 2013

Progress to Date (in red):

Day 2 Route:  St. Charles - Kansas City, MO

Check out two recent interviews:

  - Outside Magazine published "Ten Tips for Bike Touring with Kids," based on an interview with me about our family cycling trips across Japan, Iceland and Europe.

 - The makers of "CAPITAL C," the first documentary about the crowd funding revolution interviewed me about the "Daunted Courage" kickstarter campaign.

Cool!

Eiko, Sho, Saya and I spent the morning in St. Charles, MO, where we ate lunch at the "Bike Stop Cafe" and visited the Lewis & Clark Boat House and Nature Center.  Sho searched the exhibits for answers to the museum's trivia test, which included questions like, "What Native nation was Sacagawea from?" and "Meriwether Lewis needed to buy horses from the Shoshones for the trek across the mountains.  Lewis and the Shoshone chief Cameahwait did not speak each other's language.  How did they communicate?" (answers at the bottom of this blog post).

We strolled along the Missouri River, imagining what it would have been like to travel these waters by boat over 200 years ago.  We also mixed in some handstands and cartwheels at Saya's request.  

We're now in Kansas City, where we had dinner with two of my old college friends, Emily Watts and Sara Engber.  Emily's husband Joe and their two sons joined, as did Sara's fiance Mark Cordes.  Best part of a trip like this is seeing old friends and meeting cool new people...

Saya is ready to ditch the car and switch to bikes, but that won't happen for another week.  She'll get in plenty of cycling soon enough...  Here are some pics.

Seaman the dog is Saya's favorite member of the L&C expedition

Sign at "Bike Stop Cafe" in St. Charles.  This is the entire reason I ride a bicycle.

Eiko, Sho and Saya in front of a replica (behind bars) of the boats L&C used on their expedition

The dinner crew in Kansas City

Trivia test answers: 

1. Shoshone

2. Lewis spoke, LaBiche translated into French to Charbonneau who translated it (probably poorly) into the Native American language Hidatsa to Sacagawea, who translated it into her native Shoshone.  Sounds to me like a recipe for a misunderstanding...

Day 1 Daunted Courage, June 30, 2013

We have officially begun retracing the Lewis & Clark expedition route at its start - the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers about 15 miles northeast of St. Louis.  Here's the route we will follow over the next two months:

Thanks to the many backers so far of our Kickstarter campaign! http://kck.st/14EqSIn.  The most popular award chosen has been the "Book Lover Extreme" -- an early manuscript of Daunted Courage: Cycling the Lewis & Clark Trail with Kids.  

Eiko, Sho, Saya and I left NYC by car two days ago and made it this morning to St. Louis, the official starting point of Lewis & Clark's expedition.  Our first stop was the Lewis & Clark State Historic Site, a well maintained facility about 30 minutes outside of St. Louis that is designated, appropriately, as Trail Site #1 for those re-tracing the expedition route.  Near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, it includes a replica of the fort that Lewis & Clark's crew lived in during the winter of 1803 - 4 as they prepared for the start of their expedition in May 1804.  Brad Winn, the Site Manager, was generous with his time, giving us a personal tour and sharing his encyclopedic knowledge of the L&C expedition.

Here are some pics from the day:   

Cleverhood sponsored our trip with these stylin' rain capes

Brad Winn, Site Manager of the Lewis & Clark State Historic Site, giving me tips on the route

Brad Winn re-traced the L&C Trail by car last year, documented here

Eiko, Sho and Saya at the L&C State Historic Site

Saya strolling by a reproduction of the keelboat used by L&C

Sho with "lamb's ear," a plant that can be used as a bandaid

The arch in St. Louis

June 26, 2013:

To get ready for our trip, I took a fully loaded training ride up steep, winding Perkins Memorial Drive in Bear Mountain State Park.  I packed my panniers with all 7 hardcover books in the Harry Potter series and a bunch of other heavy stuff, maybe 75 pounds in total.  I wanted to test my fitness and make sure the bike and attachments are in good working order.  The equipment is fine.  I'm in marginally acceptable shape, but need to get stronger by the time we hit the Rockies.

My good friends Bobby and Alison Berna joined the outing.  I thought they would give me moral support, but turns out they just wanted me to give them a romantic couples ride up the mountain.

Okay, that's a joke.  They actually rode their own bikes, pacing me, taking pics & video, and chuckling politely when I made nerdy jokes.  They are good people.

Two other tidbits from the week:
  - Bike Snob NYC featured my family adventures on his blog.  He's sarcastic, definitely out of line and inappropriate around polite company.  I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard at his post -- we're mentioned in the bottom half.  Check it out here.  Don't click if you're offended by profanity or cynicism.

 - I received the following not so polite note from a concerned individual who saw my Kickstarter campaign

Here's my response:

There will always be naysayers who discourage you from following an unconventional path.  Respond politely, but do not let them change your course.  An old saying goes, "The person who says it cannot be done should get out of the way of the person doing it."  Yep.

June 21, 2013:

We start the Lewis & Clark ride exactly one week from today!  As I go over my list of remaining To Do's for this trip, I'm getting a "ready or not" feeling.  I don't know if my kids and I are ready to take on this challenge, especially cycling over the Rocky Mountains.  We'll find out when we try and, ready or not, we'll give it our best shot.

I've been training hard and, two days from now, will do a fully loaded training ride up one of my favorite steep climbs: Perkins Memorial Drive in Bear Mountain.  I'll load about 100 pounds of gear on my bike and pull the trailer cycle and bike trailer behind me.  Starting from Route 9W by the Hudson River, I'll cycle about 1,250 vertical feet over 4 1/2 miles, with sections as steep at 10%, until reaching the summit.  There, a 40-feet-tall tower offers a view of 4 states and the Manhattan skyline 40 miles away.  After enjoying the view, I plan to ride back down to the starting point and do it all over again.  Should be a good workout, but nothing nearly as hard as what we'll face in the Rockies.  I'm hoping my 45-year-old back and knees will hold up when the time comes, not to mention my 12- and 6-year-old kids...

We have received a lot of support so far:
 - Katie Arnold at Outside Magazine interviewed me today for a piece she'll write about our trip in the magazine's "Raising Rippers" blog.  Cool!  I'll post the article here when it goes live.

 - I launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the costs of writing a book about this trip (Daunted Courage: Cycling the Lewis & Clark Trail with Kids), putting together a short documentary and giving post-trip talks at schools and science museums.  So far, 22 people have contributed $2,530 (thank you!) and chosen awards, like having their name listed in the acknowledgments of the book.  Here's the link, if you want to check out the rewards and/or watch my son at age 8 dominate a 300-pound sumo wrestler: http://kck.st/14EqSIn.  

Kickstarter is not a charity fund raising site.  It's about projects you want to support with worthy awards offered to contributors, and it's all or nothing.  If we don't raise the target $15,000, we don't get any of the money.  Kinda like this trip, there's pressure to perform and not a lot of room for error.

 - National Geographic published an essay I wrote about the trip, in which I answered the question, "Are you crazy?":
http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2013/06/20/biking-in-lewis-clarks-footsteps/

 - And Huffington Post just published a piece I wrote about the emerging disruptive phenomenon of crowd funding, using this trip as an example:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-scott/follow-the-crowd_b_3450936.html

My kids are excited.  My wife is supportive.  I'm intimidated.  Time is running out.  Sounds about right for one week out from this ambitious? foolhardy? attempt to re-trace the Lewis & Clark Trail with my kids.  Thank you for supporting us!