Simple

Today was a simple, easy day. I slept in a little, was provided a generous breakfast, then headed back into Saint Anthony to get my replacement tent poles from the post office, and then biked the 40 miles to Idaho Falls (where I was able to find and buy a replacement for my belt bag). There were no incidents, no crazy weather, no hard terrain, nothing really to see, just a relatively short, simple jaunt. It was nice, really.

Easy days, waking up in a bed, biking boring terrain, it's easy to forget that I'm a thousand miles from home. And when you can forget how far you are from home, you may start to wonder at why you are. But I really don't have to wonder long. I remember something my host, John, told me way back in Grand Island. He told me dressing in drag was hot, uncomfortable, and tedious. So I asked if it was worth it, and he responded of course, because you felt like a rock star. That's cross country biking. It's often hot, uncomfortable, and tedious, many people wonder why you're doing it, even think you're crazy, but it's who you are, it's worth all the effort, and sometimes you really do feel like a rock star. Everywhere I go, people ask questions, congratulate me, sometimes tell me I'm an inspiration, take pictures, and act like I'm nuts. For the first time in my life, I'm interesting, and that's a crazy feeling. I've posed with a traveling teddy bear, and had a world traveling duck posed on the seat of my bike. All the time I meet interesting people, who think I'm interesting too.

My host tonight is one such fellow. He's a communication student, avid traveler, a constructor of "profiles", which are really compilations of all sorts of aspects of his life (from receipts to artwork), a producer of curious ideas, a philosopher, a biker and long boarder, an incredibly honest and open fellow, an eccentric, a man concerned with fashion, and someone with some interesting tastes. I'm wearing his clothes out at the bar right now, because he preferred that to me wearing my own unstylish clothes to the scene. And he's invited me to go with him and a German couchsurfer back to Yellowstone (by car) for the day tomorrow. I haven't decided yet.