This morning we woke up in Matt and Elizabeth Erickson's backyard in Helena, Montana. They prepared a hearty breakfast for us, with eggs, toast, biscuits & honey - and a huge pot of coffee. Their backyard was by far the softest ground we've slept on to date. After the long ride we had the day before it was a pleasant treat.
We continued our day by cycling to a hiking trail at the edge of town, where we met a Forest Service forest ecologist to discuss a hot issue: western forests are dying off at an extraordinary rate. In Montana, forest die-off is occurring primarily from one particular pest: the mountain pine beetle.