View from the top of the arch.the team officially crosses the arch, built to symbolize the gateway to the west.Claustrophobic in the arch's 50 year old elevator.

Peter and Eric admire the skyline.

September 30, 2008

Originally founded by the french in the early 1600's. The team has arrived into the historic and thriving metropolis of St. Louis. At 12:30 CST they officially crossed under the arch to symbolize the gateway into the next half of this broad spanning continent. After a brief visit down route 66 and a stop to pay hommage to the pioneers Lewis and Clark, the team was seen in a borrowed red Nissan Xterra tearing up the city on that fine autumn afternoon.

 gateway to the West.

 Atomic Patterson retraces the great river road

September 29, 2008

Retracing the steps of Mark Twain the team made haste up the Mississippi River today. After sitting down for lunch, they met a guy who spent 2 months canoeing down the Mississippi from its original source in Minnesota all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.

 

September 29, 2008

Tracing one of the most volatile faults in the US, the team followed the New Madrid Fault road 100 miles today through untouched little towns, abondoned mines, and ancient Native American settlements which were burrowed into the rocks thousands of years ago when thriving Choctaw Indians lived along the Mississippi flood plains. Most of the land appeared to be abondoned and not one car was seen in over 10 hours as they made their way north up the flood plains.

shaken but not deterred.

September 29, 2008

Just as the team thought they were safe from the infamous political tyrrany of middle american canine brutality, a bloodlusting dog sunk carniverous fangs into the poor foot of the noble Peter Eich. Though he was screaming with a tone of shear hatred as the dog needlessly locked its jaw, it was not enough to spare himself against the losing battle. In the end, his shoe became mangled in the unfair battle, but he suffered only minor injuries. The team's canine war correspondent Eric Broberg is worried about the growing tensions in the middle west, claiming that the canine's momentums are now targeting federal and public lands where innocent cyclists like the transcontinental team once thought as being safe passage across the US.

September 29, 2008

Paying their respects to an American classic, the team stopped in the river front town of Chester in Illinois to have lunch along the docks where old Pop Eye the sailor man used to frequent. Though Popeye is no longer with us, the team did stop by to have lunch and interview Olive Oyl about the glory days. Ms. Oyl was much obliged to have them for the afternoon.

 that famous phone booth.

September 28, 2008

A quick pit stop to visit the American classic Superman, the team was spotted in Metropolis, Illinois this morning. Each took a visit to the infamous phonebooth and spent about an hour in deep meditations and studious repose in an effort to try and understand the physical laws of the universe in correlation to human flight.

Scott celebrates his birthday southern style. Scott  and Eric bare hand hunt for cat fish in the Cumberland River.

 

September 28, 2008

In a celebratory gesture, the team held a three day festival in honor of the life and times of Beatruz Hunthausen. It started with a bare hand hunt for cat fish in the Cumberland river and ended in the diocese of Kendrick and Glennon in St. Louis, Missouri. Thinking it was his best birthday ever, Scott Beatruz got a tatoo of an ox supporting a pig and two rats that protrudes up his neck onto the side of his face. He chose these animals to symbolize the vernacular chinese new year's respectfully of each of the team's birth dates and because of a fortune cookie he had received while eating at the dragon buffet.

 crossing the Ohio on a steel grate bridge.

September 28, 2008

Entering into the land of Lincoln the team felt alive and free as they found their way into the forth state on their itinerary. They had to pass a steel grate bridge that spanned the Ohio river with three inch grates in the ground beneath. If they stopped riding, their feet would slipped through the ground beneath them and if they rode their tires would drift with no way to turn. Needless to say, it was an interesting and scary experience for the team, but illinois meant freedom for them as they kissed the ground upon arrival.

 the third largest bbq festival in the country.

September 28, 2008

After hearing a tip from a gentlemen down in southern Kentucky, the team spent all day getting to the third largest BBQ festival in the country in Peducah. They spent the night on the town dancing to live music and fanging pork like tommorrow was Lent. They were met by incredible hospitality and spent the night at a Colonel's house that was built in 1900. They awoke to a huge southern breakfast the next day of grits, biscuits and gravy, fried eggs, pancakes, and bacon. Their hearts were content.

 heading north through Kentucky.

September 27, 2008

It is reported that the group made the Kentucky border by the morning of the 27th. Peter was seen doing a little dance he calls the greek windmill,  and Eric did a double footed tap yelling 'cool beans.'

 the blood bath starts today.

September 26, 2008

Heading through the forests of Kentucky the team was ironically unaware that it was opening day for buck hunting. As they traversed the long and narrow road, they could not help but feel a bit unnerved as hunters flooded the surrounding woodlands in hopes of killing something. If not a buck, does a biker count?

odometer reading 1000.0 miles.

September 26, 2008

At 2:35 CST, September 26, 2008 at Land Between the Lakes National Park in Southern Kentucky, the team reached their first thousand mile mark.

Official 1000 Mile Recap:

-11 Flat Tires. (Scott Hunthausen with the highest(5), Peter with the lowest(1))

-77,647.05 revolutions from a 26 inch tire (the size of Scott and Olin's tires)

-17 Days.

-14 Days of riding.

-1 night of hotel, 4 nights of sleeping in homes, 3 nights of sleeping at University Accomidations, 9 nights of urban and rural camping.

-1 broken spoke (Olin's bike)

-3,298 bugs swallowed while riding (that is not a joke)

-197 bugs into the eyeballs (happens at dusk or dawn when its too dark to where sun glasses)

-12 spills on the bicycle (Eric with the highest, Olin with the lowest(shoot, i just jinksed myself))

-1 near death experience (classified as a person's head is within 6 inches of a moving vehicles wheel)

-3 states traversed (Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky)

-2 guest riders (Eric Coehn and Zack from AP State University)

-and 4 team members still going strong!

 peter and eric throw nets on the tennessee river for live bait.touring the lake.our grand campsite on the cumberland.

September 25, 2008

While following a tip from a Forestry Officer on a proper place to camp along the river, the team took off a couple miles down a narrow gravel road in the nighttime hours in hopes of finding refuge. Upon awaking the next morning, they were dumbfounded to find that they had stranded themselves deep in the Tennessee woods due to excessive flats from stickers on the road the previous night. With no one around for miles, a feeling of despair was quickly encroaching on the groups morale. Just as they were about to split up to hitch hike back to town, a family of campers came tearing down that deserted road to set up camp for the opening fishing season. The team, using their capitalist minds, offered to assist with the physical labors of setting up a campsite in return for a ride to the bicycle shop 40 miles back. After a couple hours of labor and numerous cold refreshments, the teams lethargy had got the best of them as they decided why emabark in the heat of the day, when we can embrace southern hospitality at its finest? Needless to say, the team stayed an extra day to enjoy the amenities of food, drink, boating, and southern fun, before claiming that ride back to the bike shop.

Eric's voice is the of Siren descent. One note and you cry.They got imperial to prove their point.

September 24, 2008

At an Emergency State Senate meeting this morning to discuss the reprocussions of the recent 1 trillion dollar bail out concerning the Leihmann Brothers, the transcontinental biycle team was asked to give a special guest presentation to the House. After an unprecedented emotional speech from Olin Patterson and Scott Hunthausen, the House asked for advise from Eric Broberg. Eric, not being much of a public speaker but a brilliant lyricist and muse, asked if he could freestyle his opinion on acoustic guitar in haiku fashion. The whole House was moved to tears that day, as Mr. Berke Speaker-of-the House offered to resign so that Eric might assume his postion. Eric was obliged but the rules of democracy prohibited such transactions, and the boys had a hinkering to move on to conquer new lands. 

September 21, 2008

The team spent time along the historic Trail of Tears today. They were overheard having heating debates later that evening about the irony of its significance, the tragedy it entails, and many other underlying themes of the American condition.