Messages received

Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000

Bill, I'm the guy who talked with you as you repaired your tire on the bridge over the York River. I hope that both of you had an uneventful completion of your ride today and found a inexpensive motel. If there is any way that I can be of assistance to you while you are in the Williamsburg/Yorktown area just send me an e-mail or call. Hope that you are having a great trip.

Tom Adams Yorktown, VA.

Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 11:25:27

Good Morning!~

I met Monte while riding my bike on route 1 South and Joplin road in Triangle Virgina this morning. Monte told me that the webmaster will be forwarding information pertaining to the trip. Looks really cool. My only observation is that if these guys are traveling from DC to Seattle shouldn't they be heading west instead of route 1 soute. At this point they will be in Richmond before tomorrow if they keep riding.

Hope to hear back from you guys soon. Safe travels!!!

Brian

Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 09:34:03

Subject: DC Update

Hi Ann, This is Edgar. I just wanted to let you know that Bill and Monty are in DC now. They spent the night downtown with us and they are currently searching for a hardware store in hopes that he will be able to repair the hitch on his trailer... Edgar

Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000

HAPPY FRIENDSHIP WEEK!!!!

To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.

To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

To realize the value of ONE MINUTE ask a person who missed the train.

To realize the value of ONE-SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.

To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics.

Treasure every moment that you have! Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present!!

It's National Friendship Week. Show your friends how much you care... HAPPY FRIENDSHIP WEEK!!!!

Hi Ann -- Bill and Monty stopped in Stevens Point Wednesday, July 19 and I wrote a story on them for The Portage County Gazette. You are welcome to post it on the website if you wish. I am attaching the story in a Microsoft Word file and will just copy and paste it to the end of this message too. I can send a .pdf file of the actual page in the newspaper (with photo) if you want. Let me know.

Thanks,

Mike Kemmeter Sports Editor The Portage County Gazette

read the article

Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2000 15:58:29

Subject: De vas here - Bill and Monty

Der vas a 'ping' from da rear end of de mountain bike, and Monty claimed it vasn't him. It wasn't that kind of breakfast. About a mile and a half later, some guy on another recumbent from the house where the 'ping' happened caught the both of 'em. (That would be me riding Sarah Dipitee.) Convinced that the could refill their water bottles, they returned to the 'ping' place, but on the last hill, Monty's rear tube sighed and let him down a bit. He dismounted, and pushed the bike to the top. By then, that surplus air had abandoned the tube, totally ignoring the goo inside that was assigned to prevent such escapes. Monty picked up his loaded bike and carried it the remaining 400 feet up the drive. The tire inspection revealed no debris or other damage, but the tube had a hole on the wrong side, debunking the theory that the tire is OK if it is only flat on the bottom. Actually, the hole was on the inside near the rim. The 'ping' was the sound of a spoke breaking and, of course, it was on the drive side of the rear wheel, the hardest to repair. A call to Riverfront Cycle in Lansing told us there was less than an hour before closing, so the three of us and the rear wheel hurried of for repairs. In a jiffy, the spoke was repaired. Bill and Monty stayed the night and part of the morning while the roads were thoroughly moisturized, leaving about 11:30, several hours before the job was completed. However, their spirits were raised when it was discovered that there might be several minutes of non-percipitation in the afternoon to dry their soaked clothing and equipment. Well wishes from Dick Janson and Sarah Dipitee (the Tour Easy).

Dick Janson

Laingsburg, Michigan

Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000

Subject: come home safe...

Hello Bill ..... This is Bill H. ... have been following your travels on the internet. Wanted to let you know we are all thinking about you here in Northern Colorado. Good luck with the rest of your trip. Please bring some pictures and stories home for us. Small prayers and positive affirmations are with you. Singa Minga ... Bil

Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2000 22:00:44

Subject: Bill called Mom

Bill called his mom (me) last night (6/27), missed me but left a message on my answering machine -- almost as good as a letter! He also called my dad. Here's the message: "Hi, Mom. This is your son. I thought I'd give you a call and see how you're doing. It's about 11:30 my time, so I don't know what you're doing still at work! Just wanted to call & let you know I'm OK. I'm in Culbertson, MT (sp?), just about 23 mi from the ND border & soon we'll be in ND -- sometime tomorrow I'll be in Wilkinston, Williston -- something like that -- and after that, I'll be rockin' into St. Cloud, MN and then Minneapolis. I'll probably spend a few days just kind of saying "Howdy" to people. And then after that, we'll be off to DC. "We've covered almost 1300 miles now, & I only did 55 miles today, so I've been kind of lazy. But my muscles are tired, and Monty's tired. We're just kind of tired, so we took a day off. We went through the big atlas that my friend Carl gave me and marked every campsite we've had since the trip began. So that was kind of fun, remembering all that stuff. My journal helped with that, and you know it's really cool! Life is good!" -- Catharine T.

Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 15:58:35

I just got a call from Wild Bill, who is in good health and good spirits, maintaining a solid pace, and sleeping in some of the finest animal graveyards in the country. Bicycles and behinds are holding up well - check elsewhere on website for photos. Of the bikes. --Bill B.

Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 13:44:20

Subject: picture explanations

Hi Ann! This is Bill. We had a 109mile ride yesterday from Harlem, MT to near Glasgow, MT. There's still lots of MT left! Wow! The picture of the bolt threading is to show that Bill forgot to put the trailer together tightly and a bolt fell off on the first day out in Seattle. We when to Schuck's (auto part store) on a sunday and after 3 tries found a nut that would work. Woohoo! Disaster narrowly averted again! Expect to be in St. Cloud, MN maybe July 3rd or 4th. MPLS on the next day. The mosquitos are thick in this part of montana. Monty was carried off with his bike last night. (just kidding!) Also some pictures are in the mail of the animal graveyard campsite. Some are movies; hopefully you can post them. At leat one is funny. OUr time at the library is over... talk to you again soon. -Bill :|

[Editor's note: I'll update the captions on the photos one of these days...}

Date: Sat, 17 Jun 2000 13:31:07 EDT

Subject: Union Station, Denver

I am very glad I was able to see Bill one last time before the adventure. We hung out for a while in the line, talking about the constitution, looking at women and discussing the self-awareness (or lack thereof) of birds. He looked a tad anxious, but otherwise fine, and I can definitely see how his confidence has grown, over the months and over the years. He had this enormous duffle bag filled with all his equipment; wow, it was so interesting. How challenging and . . . freeing this must be. Good learning, Bill. --Cowboy :)

Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2000 17:56:45

Hey Bill, Don't forget your good friends in Rochester NY!!! Call us collect as you approach the Ohio/PA area. We will drive down to bring you some soap and clean socks. Love Ya, Tree

Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 11:24:52

Subject: I saw Bill at Union Station

Good luck, man! It was good talkin to ya on the Flaming Cliff Hanger Express to Seattle. If you need triage in Connecticut, I should be there by June 24. Bill K.

We are at the Yellowpine Mobile Home & RV Park in Kettle Falls. I'm glad we missed the rain & hail on Boulder Pass. I did not enjoy the ride up to the top of the pass. After that experience, I am thinking about a lower gear range on my bicycle. Some business caught up with me today so I may have to spend a half day on the phone tomorrow. Hope to see you down the road. Allen

This is Monty and Bill! Tell us why Matt is trapped in the bowels of the under city (city center)? It didn't rain today. This is not a first but maybe a third? :( mail stops: Havre, Montana We should be there in 7 days. (fingers crossed) We're in Colville, WA right now. and we should be going briefly into canada next week. Matt, several librarians here put the oxymoron in 'civil servant'. We thought about STARTING TONIGHT! but we're better after mocha and cookies and continue to wait for the HIGH SIGN. (winkwink) Aeneas McFarland we've decided would be a great roleplaying name (GREEK-SCOT! it would be amazing!) Only one 19yr old so far, but our optimism continues... -Bill and Monty

Hello Bill....how is your bike ride going? I figure you must be out of Washington by now. How far have you gone? I hope you are getting better weather than we are here in Seattle....riding in the rain is no fun! I gave the other Bill your e-mail address so you should be hearing from him soon. I hope you are having fun and haven't lost too much weight! Cheers, Laura (from the train)

Enjoyed riding and camping with you and Monty! Allen S

Amigos, I just got a phone call from Wild Bill. He dipped his rear wheel into the Pacific Ocean on Mon-Jun-5, and he is now in the town of Okanogen, WA, where the dogs are barking and the menfolk are now keeping a close eye on the women and children. Bill's accomplice has had some minor mechanical issues to go with a couple of flat tires, but nothing catastrophic, and no unpleasant encounters yet with any officers of the peace. They are fortifying their bodies with vitamins and fine scotch, and hope to greatly improve on their 50 miles per day pace as they settle into a rhythm and hit Idaho. film at 11, :-) Bill B.

A friend called last night and said, "Well, Jack, guess who's coming?" I had no idea. "He's on his way already, I got this news from my grapevine. Bill bought a bike and is coming out to join you." Suddenly I had a vision of Bill, a burning shuddering frightful Angel, palpitating toward me across the road, approaching like a cloud, with enormous speed, pursuing me like the Shrouded Traveler on the plain, bearing down on me. I saw his huge face over the plains with the mad, bony purpose and gleaming eyes; I saw his wings; I saw his recumbent bike with thousands of sparking flames shooting out from it; I saw the path it burned over the road; it even made its own road and went over the corn, through cities, destroying bridges, drying rivers. It came like wrath to the West. I knew Bill had gone mad again. There was no chance to send money to either of his wives if he took all his savings out of the bank and bought a bike. Everything was up, the jig and all. Behind him charred ruins smoked. He rushed eastward over the groaning and awful continent, and soon he would arrive. We made hasty preparations for Bill. We didn't know what to expect. "Where will he sleep? What's he going to eat? Are there any girls for him?" It was like the imminent arrival of Gargantua; preparations had to be made to widen the gutters and foreshorten certain laws to fit his suffering bulk and bursting ecstasies. Jack Kerouac (webmaster note: I just post'em)

I saw a this loaded recumbent bike with a trailer going down the highway at 20mph or more but no sign of Bill. Was that shaggy being Bill? I thought that was his dog! Just kidding. Where are you Bill? EdG

Bill called his mom (me) at work at 5:15 Monday 6/5 after the switchboard closed. Then, he called his grandfather. He reported that he was 100 mi south of Seattle & getting ready to turn east. He was fine. -- Catharine T.

I would have liked to have seen Bill. Next time. --- Bill V.