Four U.S. States Down, Four to Go

By Katie

I know. I know. We are long overdue for a post. So, to start this one off, here are a few statistics from the trip so far:

States Covered: 4 (Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana)
Next State: Idaho
Miles Ridden: 2,704
Friends & Family we've Seen or Stayed with: 17
Nights in a Tent: 16
Nights in a house: 24
Money Spent on Gas: $270
Tip-Overs on the Bikes: Mark- 2, Katie- 1
Best advice received from a random stranger: Ride fast and dangerously!

Since our last post we have covered a lot of ground. We finally made our way north, not to return south again until the end of the summer. We drove through Boulder, Colorado and stayed wtih Mark's old climbing buddy Brandon Walton on our way to Estes Park. We arrived in Estes on a Friday. I pushed for climbing the Petit Grepon in Rocky Mountain National Park even though it meant braving a crowded classic on a Sunday. We decided to do the climb in a day rather than camp at the base. This freed us up to spend Mark's birthday relaxing in Estes where a bit of Facebook magic happened. We took advantage of the free public library to check Facebook. I noticed that my friend Tracy had posted that she and her husband BJ were on their way to Estes. We met up with them for Mark's birthday dinner and Tracy treated Mark to birthday cake and ice cream.


Happy Birthday Mark!

The next day we woke up at 3:00 am to start the 30 minute (COLD) moto ride to the trailhead for our climb. We started hiking at 4:30 am and were at the base of the climb by 6:30. We made it one pitch shy of the summit and bailed. We were off route and the weather was rolling in. A summit photo is just not worth the risk.
P.S. For being a crowded classic, we only saw three other parties the whole time.


Hiking up to the base of the climb.


Mark showing how much he loves rappelling.


The bull elk that we saw on the hike out.

The Regier Family Reunion started in Estes the day after our climb. We spent the whole week enjoying time with family, hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, roasting marshmallows, and making zip-lock bag ice cream. Mark played guide and we took Jacob, Ashley, and Tyler (niece and nephews) climbing for their first time!


Mark and his mama.


My favorite little monkey.


Mark using his muscles.


The whole family.

After the reunion we made our last stop in Colorado- Jeff and Kelly Cook and their brilliant boys Augie and Becket. They all took good care of us with good food, good conversation, and good times playing the Arthur game. I got to experience Greeley (Mark's college town) in all its glory thanks to the Cooks and Curtis (who was determined to have an Old School Will Ferrell experience..uh..Frasier Hall).


Augie and Becket on the way home from the water park.


Mark's college crew.


Curtis leading the way.


Do I look unsure about this? It's because I am.


Somewhere in the basement of Frasier Hall.

Our experience in Wyoming was quite the opposite from our leisurely stroll through Colorado. We blasted through the state in three days, staying just one night in Jackson with Jessica Baker. We were both pleasantly surprised by Wyoming though and thoroughly enjoyed the scenery, the wild horses, and the antelope (who outnumber the people in Wyoming by the way).


Sacajawea's grave outside of Lander, Wyoming.


Highway 130 in southern Wyoming. I highly recommend it.


PJ, Lydia, and Candace got up at 6:45 to come have breakfast with us in Jackson!


This is our newest traveling companion- Bernard. He was a gift from Mikey Schneiter, who we got to see on the roadside in Wyoming.

And now here we are in Helena staying with bro and my cousin Levi. We are getting ready to go to a pig roast at the fire house. Mark is enjoying the garage installing a fuel filter, changing the oil, and putting a new tire on my bike. Life on the road has been good to us. Much love until next time.