Our first night in Bozeman, Montana was spent with eight Mainers sitting in a circle on a living room floor. We shared curry and beers in the warmly-lit room bubbling with stories of skiing Sugarloaf and the Maine coast. Despite being 2,500 miles away from the state where we all once lived, it felt like home.

Jackson and I both agree, that meeting new people is one of the best parts of our trip so far. We’ve heard great stories, learned a lot about new places, and received a great amount of hospitality. We’re thankful for the privilege of meeting so many welcoming people, but despite all the new faces we’ve met, there’s nothing like seeing friends so far from home.

Each day the familiarity of our lives stops at the wheels of our bicycles. From the roads we travel, to the places we sleep, everything we experience is entirely new. Always having a new horizon is exciting. Processing that changing horizon takes much more effort, constantly: observing, internalizing, processing, cataloging — it’s why we travel, but it’s also why we fall asleep before our heads hit our pillows.

This past week, we lucked out and got to keep those familiar Maine faces. We spent time off our bikes, hiking, eating, and exploring with some amazing tour guides and friends. We hiked almost every day we were here, giving our butts a break from the bike seat and using some new muscles. We connected with old friends and new. We even got to see our favorite object fall from the sky…snow! Our skiing senses were on overboard hearing about the skiing out here. Each morning we see the tops of the mountains here covered in snow and it’s safe to say we’re excited for ski season.

We will hold off our excitement and hopefully the snow a little bit longer though, so we can enjoy the rest of our trip in warmer temperatures.

We’re currently halfway through this crazy bikeventure. We’re headed westward towards the coast tomorrow with a little help from Will (thanks Will!), and thanks to Ryan, Blaise and Katrina for making our time here so fun.

Here are some pictures and here’s to a whole other month of pedaling.

Biking into the sunset, experiencing the “big sky” of Montana.

The sunset from our campsite along the Missouri River.

Leaving our campsite in the canyon along the Missouri River.

The sunrise from Mount Helena. Our Warm Showers host graciously showed me the way.

The sunrise casting a pink light over the Continental Divide from Mount Helena.

Hiking in the Gallatin National Forest.

Hiking in the Gallatin National Forest.

Hiking in the Gallatin National Forest.

Exploring in the Gallatin National Forest. Photo: Marit

Nothing but blue skies, made for awesome hiking.

Friends! In the Gallatin National Forest. Photo: Marit

Our attempt at summiting Ross Peak before the rain rolled in.

Watching the clouds roll in and eating snacks. Photo: Ryan

Bonus Rainbow after turning around on our Ross Peak hike.

Getting that elevation and getting stoked because it’s snowing. Definitely excited for winter, but happy to head to some lower elevation for biking soon.

Snow!

Stoke levels high in the Gallatin National Forest. Photo: Marit