Quest West - A Ride Across America

Just a quick note on some of the other riders we've met going East. On the fifth, we ran into three solo riders. One guy, Brett, was a mountain biker from BC who was riding across the country to give his "old legs a rest." We asked how he was able to fit all his stuff in just one panier, and he replied (in heavy Canadian), "Oooh, Mama's up ahead. That's my panier!" Like the Californian dudes, he's got it all worked out. The next guy was an Aussie with full front and back paniers - a lot of stuff for such an oldie (at least 70) with skinny legs. And the last kid we met was a college kid named Dane who was using the ride to train for a race and test gear for EMS - it all broke. The next day, we met another elderly Aussie solo-ist, named Ken. Austin may have broken his hand with a firm, knuckle-cracking shake as he left. We also chatted with a good-looking couple from the orange nation of Holland. She had been so disliked by the dogs in Illinois that she actually wrecked and had big bandages on her legs.