Wednesday September 24, 2008: Catching Up on Things

85 miles . old forge new york. i am in the adirondack mountains. hilliest ever ridden. really brutal. kicked my butt an i am only in the foothills! pics: niagara falls on u.s. side. little old man had keys to his daughter's bakery opened it up and kept giving me all kinds of sweets really neat guy the next one is lady mcGiver she helped me fix my bike (mcdonald's manager).
other pic is the eerie canal and a bike path that goes along it for 40 miles pretty cool. pics of my buddy mark wallace and his wife patty stayed at their house in michigan. house overlooks river that is between canada and u.s. mark wallace is also a schwinn nut. other pic:
the imlay city sparks my number one fans. girls asking if i was famous :)
team hoyt. unbelievable what this guy has done for his son. go to youtube and watch their video.
i am tired and going to bed. i have 550 MILES TO GO. waiting to smell saltwater!! LOVE YOU ALL! BYE!

Wednesday September 17, 2008: Leaving Mackinac

100 miles today mostly along lake huron after leaving mackinac island. i am in alpena michigan on the warmest day i've had. put sunblock on, really really nice. pictures from mackinac island: island house where i stayed, some lighthouses etc

heading to port huron

Sunday September 14, 2008: Up and Down and Up and Down....

2nd hardest day on bike yet. rode 125 miles and for 100 of it it was 1/2 mile uphill, 1/2 mile downhill and 1/2 mile flat ALL DAY LONG. finally after 100 miles i turned south and hopefully got outta the hills made it to iron mtn michigan 125 miles
it was brutal.

hoping to be close to mackinac island tomorrow.
going totry try to get computer fixed.

cant believe there is town called spread eagle (wisc)

Tuesday September 10, 2008: Major Meltdown

Well everyone a I have talked to that has ridden across the US said I would have one or two of these on this trip!! So here is how my 1st one goes and I hope it's the Only one !!! I had ridden last night with this on my mind I love love love to ride at n night I have a light that Ashley Rigged that goes on my helmet and I can see a mile, I am eating dinner at a little local café having a hot bowl of soup. Always nice people around and they ask a lot of questions. One of the guys said you camping here tonight and I replied no I have at least 50 or 60 more miles to go and he replies (insert your best Fargo North Dakota dialect here) GEEEEEZZZZ I hope no one runs over ya and kills ya!!!! Now I am a MOJO kind of guy and that’s bad MOJO. He didn’t stop there now he is in his 60's or 70's and I didn’t think trying to be mean until he made his next statement !!! Yah I will call the weather man tonight and make sure you have the wind in your face all day tomorrow!! How much ya give me to drive ya to Fargo!!! I walked over to his table and said my classic Terry Ozborn line Yo buddy are you having a bad day or are you always this much of an asshole!!! Asked for my check and left!!

Now I haven't thought about it on the whole trip but last night every car (and there are a lot fewer at night than day time ) I could see this old guy Geese I hope no one runs over ya and kills ya!!! Ok back on track to camp last night look for a place to set upchurch and set up all is well I blow up mattress that I had repaired the hole in a few days earlier and it appears to be holding the air, It's in the low 30's and it seems a lot colder on a bike because of the wind, Well at 4 am my mattress is flat on the ground you lose 30% of your body heat to the ground if not elevated. Start breaking camp at around 7 am and head to the local café for bfast 1 hour later I get my food. I am looking at my map and I had miss read it earlier and it's not 30ish its 50ish miles to Fargo I start to ride and I forgot to put in my ear phones. Long story short they get wrapped up in my spokes and it takes me 30 minutes to get them out!!! If I would have had a blow torch I would have burned the bike up!! Get on the road and that butt did call the weather man The wind is not only in my face its 20+_ mph wind I am trucking at a whopping 6 miles per hour at this rate I will make Fargo in 10 hours so I start to have my own little pity party and no one to have it with me !! My cell phone is dead so I can't even call anyone to have one with me. My limit on pity parties is 10 minutes Then move on!! so I get that behind me and I decide that’s not enough I proceed to have 5 more 10 minute pity parties one after the other. Everything hurts wind in my face Screw it I am pulling me and my pity party over and I am taking a power nap in the ditch I can't even do that 3 people stop to see if I am dead!! I am surprised it's not the guy from last night saying Geeez I told ya this would happen LOL. So afar my power knap and pity parties were over I felt great and got back on the bike !! Although Windy I am back on top of the World and all is well!!!
I am in Fargo bike is getting the royal treatment and I am across the street eating and typing Have UI mentioned I am burning and avg of 7000 calories a day. I rode 400 miles in the 3 days prior to today and 50 + today I would rather ride the 400 miles again as to have to ride the same ride I had today Everyone goes through it if they ride enough they call if suffering on the bike!!!!
Live live!!!
Don’t just hang out and torch it LOL

myths abougt North Dakota
It is not flat !!! Not from a bicycle its not a lot of mountains but a lot of nice rolling terrian!!
It is not boring I found it very very beautiful. Now if every state had only mountains it would get boring after a while wouldn’t it:?? and all cows would have 2 leggs 6 feet long on there right side and the other 2 leggs would be only 2 feet long.

Myth the wind only blows out of the West LOL only when your going West my time in ND it only blew in !!!
Facts..l The people are very friendly and most will sytop to see if you are dead even though you are taking a knapp!!! 7 out of 10 will wave if waved to 1st That’s better than the other states so far.
Fact Gordon and lorna are great folks that took in a stranger and made sure I felt like I was at home. Thanks Guys

Yo Mark Wallace I am knocking on your door in a few states!!!
Pics
Bike getting a little very deserved love Yo Ashley no tires just a chain and rear cog they said the bike was better built than the ones thast usualy come through her cross country I already knew that!!!No flats no loose bolts nothing no problems Nice Job Brother!!! (are you picking up what I am laying down LOL)
A Huge thank you to my Beautiful Wife Esther and my ridding partner and great Friend Mark Trigg for the goodie bag sent to Fargo
Pics>>>>
That’s the bike shop its an old train station and way cool on the inside!!!
Did I make a wrong turn somewhere I think I am in Japan!!!

Sunday September 7, 2008: Tired

more than 150 miles not sure where i am going to bed one pic for now that AM

Wednesday September 3, 2008: Windy

A Great 70 mile ride today. I was one step a head of the rain allday. It was in my rear view mirror for 40 miles and the wind was pushing me and the storm At 40 miles It started to sprinkle on by back pedal faster faster faster I came over a hill wind at my back and I got stood up by a 20 mile an hour wind in my face now remember 1 miniute earlier it was at my back I was heading east the hole time!! Craziest thing I have ever seen good news it got the storm off my butt bad news it sucks having a 20 mph wind in your face for 30 miles!!

Hey I didn’t get cold or wet today and that’s a great thing. I am spending the night in Glasgow Mt and hope to be close toWilliston North Dakota tomorrow or early Friday meeting Gordon and his wife (my Schwinn Friends) it will be my first restocking point and cant wait for the GUE and the pro bars I have been bonking for 3 days now. It is instent energy in a packet and a must have for any long bike ride.

Pics hey am I in Reed Springs MO , Dirt road = bad news and you are lost ony 6 mile total mistake !!!

Monday September 1, 2008: This is for DJ and Ella

The last thing I wanted to do was ride in the cold and rain and wind again at noon it was still raining so I said I am not getting any closer to home setting here so I bundled up and hit the road Not as windy so it wasn’t as bad as yesterday added a few more clothes See the pics everything on both beds was on my body.

I RODE A LITTLE OV ER 100 MILES today started in Shelby ended in Havre MT
another good day on the bike couldn’t get my left hand or right foot warm.

Pics !!! now that’s an over sized load !!!! Sunset in the pouring down rain I never saw the sun all-day until sunset a few hundred miles away. All the clothes to stay warm and dry
Good morning and good night !! Sorry pics are getting harder to come by I have been working on a huge anti smoking photo opp if it works out I could hit a lick and be rich it's in the production room right now should have the finished product in a few days keep an eye out for it you will see it first

Peace
drex

Saturday August 30, 2008: GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

Started a little further away From Glacier than I thought You are not allowed on the road with a bike between 11-4 so Did I make it???? U bet got to the base of the 16 mile climb at exactly 11 a m LOL do I care hell no I am going to climb that mountain come hell or high water and I am not setting around until 4pm places to go people to see 1 mile into the climb I see the first ranger he looked me in the eyes AND SAID I DON’T SEE YOU and you didn’t see me be careful watch for cars it's a busy time.

So I get 1 mile from the top and I get the siren YOP yop Sir no bikes on the road between 11-4 u must get a ride to the top someone with a truck will take you to the top OK 1 mile to the top what's a guy to do. So I waited 10 minutes and head to the top I see the ranger at the top and he said did you get a ride and I said yes sir. he looked at me and said, Yeah I bet my ass you did I do have binoculars and laughed and said enjoy the ride down the other side!!!

Now as for Glacier I have never ever seen anything like it in my life and you know I have seen a lot hell I just got out of Washington And Idaho LOL This was like you were in the mountains and they were wrapped around you. You are part of it the others were like you were just going over a mountain!!! This is a must I repeat a must for you to experience in your life time It can't be explained and the pictures although beautiful times them by 50 and it's that breath taking!!!

6600 foot you must do it in a car or better be in great shape it kicked my butt for a while but I overcame and kicked its butt at the end of the day !! 16 miles up a 6% grade not as bad as the Cascades but still a lot of climbing !! I made it over Logan's pass Continental Divide and down the other side to Saint Mary take a right heading toward Browning for a good night's rest Oh yeah thanks for the warning 8 miles up a hill back up to 6500 foot and it's the steepest climb I have ever been on at least a 10% grade my legs were fired by the time I reached Browning Montana at 11pm 14 hours on the bike and by far hands down the most enjoyable day on a bike in my life!!

Peace
Drex

Wednesday August 27, 2008: "Had a Little Church This A.M."

Wed , Aug.27th
God always has a master plan this morning he wanted to have a little one man revival and man was it great. I started this morning off in the rain at the local gas station a lady said ,man I wish it was going to be sunny for you today the ride to Libby Montana is so so beautiful!!! well 10 minutes later I am off the bike taking my 1st of 75 pics today it was so beautiful I started to cry. Our God made this millions of years ago knowing at the exact time that A guy named Drexel Swanson would be standing right here looking at this beautiful scenery On weds Aug 27th 2008 over a million years later!!!! Our God is an awesome God!!!!
Some people are loving every second of every day in this beautiful world others are just watching it go by. I choose to live every second and make a small difference along the way. If everyone just makes a little change for the good in this world what a great place and time we live in Remember it is Millions of years old we are just a blink of an eye in it.
I have lost two friends in the last year one a child hood friend and the other a friend that I made in the last few years They chose to check out way to early and only if they could have seen the scenery I have seen in the last week it would have changed there minds!! Lots of people are hurting right now reach out and hug the people around you everyone needs hugs and to feel they are needed!!! Aright I Will come down off the pulpit now.
I had an unbelievable ride today some in the rain some in heavier rain. I went 70 miles from Clark Fork, Idaho to Libby , Montana I am sharing a few of the pics I took over 75 pics today I could have ridden over 100 miles but the picture opportunities were so great.. I took a 2 mile hike to see one of the most beautiful sites of my life The water was rushing so fast you couldn’t hear anyone around you I set and had a pro bar and some water for 30 minutes I set there and took in the view and sounds the greatest whitewater falls I have ever seen!!! Went across a swinging bridge .
As for the other pics meet a guy named Tim pitcher going east to west he has been on the road for 3 months and is getting close to the end Real Nice guy!!!!Hey daddy are we there yet hey honey keep ridding we will be there soon and pick you up a few more tires LOL couldn’t resist the photo opp..
Leaving Libby MT in the AM toward White Fish MT and Glacier National Park….