BIG thanks!!

This trip would not have happened (or been nearly as successful) without the work and kindness of many others. Here is a hopefully comprehensive list:

Doug Kelly - For dropping us off at Antelope Wells and for giving us the best send off we could have possibly hoped for. We owe Doug big time for all his help.

Scott's Mom and family - My Mom was our biggest fan, keeping a log of where we called from and always offering encouragement. If we needed help or something looked up she was only a call away. She also provided our satellite phone, which was a mixed blessing (we did use it a couple times, but it wasn't exactly lightweight!). Thanks Mom, Dad, Bri, Al and Lisa!

Paula's Mom and family - Ok, maybe Paula's Mom was our biggest fan. It's impossible to tell. She drove out to meet us in Rawlins on very short notice and restocked our dried Mango supply! She also was not short on encouragement and energy. Thanks Sher!

Mike Curiak and all the Great Divide Racers - for inspiration and the knowledge that there were others out there suffering worse than us. Reading their reports motivated us to put in some long days throughout Montana.

Renate and Sietze - The awesome Dutch couple we met and rode with for a day and a half. Thanks for riding with us and for the great conversation.

Fred Hiltz - for the outstanding GPS data of the route. Fred volunteered his time to map out (by hand) the entire thing and did an amazing job. The data contained only a handful of errors. It was very nice to have his data as a confirmation that we were reading the maps and narratives correctly (which is more difficult to do when riding backwards as we did). Fred also followed our trip and offered encouragement.

Lee Blackwell - Lee met us 120 miles south of Salida, camped with us and rode 100 miles of the route. Our call from Del Norte was very short notice, but Lee made it happen. He took a bit of our gear from us and traded LED lights with us. He receives triple bonus points for coming up with a loop that allowed him to not shuttle or be dropped off and still ride over 100 miles of the route with us. It worked out beautifully.

Chris and Family at Hartsel Springs Ranch - bailed us out of our desperate night in Hartsel. Major windstorms and lightning all around and we found nowhere to camp in Hartsel. He gave us a free cabin to stay in and fed us buffalo burgers.

Debby at Slater Campground (River's Bend CG) - Besides warm hospitality and great conversation, she also gave us water and a can of bug spray. Until then we hadn't needed spray, but Paula was getting eaten alive at the campground.

Will at Mountain View RV and Motel / Sportsman Inn. Traded us books, gave Paula headphones and treats cyclists well. The owners drove 12 miles to return a GDMBR rider's sunglasses to him (left in room).

Outdoorsman bike shop in Butte - The only bike shop along the route who went out of their way to help us get what we needed quickly and get back out on the road. We never expected special service just because we're on the divide trail, but these guys gave it to us anyway. They replaced Paula's front der. cable/hosing and gave us new grips. It was the only bike labor I didn't do during the whole trip. These guys rock.

Owner/Operator of Blackfoot Inn in Ovando. (Can't remember his name!) - Stayed up late to check us in to our room and helped me fix my siezed bob wheel with his elaborate work shop. Awesome guy.

Al Leingang - picked up two scared to death cyclists on Montana 93, 25 miles from Whitefish. I still feel like he saved our lives. This is likely an exaggeration, of course, but we were fearing for our lives.

My sister, Lisa, for designing this site! I love the random pictures in the title bar!

Finally, thanks to all the awesome people we met out on the route. Thanks to everyone we shared a laugh with, gave us directions or even just a friendly wave.


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