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Ali's blog

The End

Today was the last day. I woke up before everyone else. Kady, Logan, Peter, and Hannah, were out under the sky, in true style, fast asleep even while the sun nudged at the darkness in their eyes. I cycled to Whitefish for some coffee. The sky was overcast; the air filled with moisture, and it felt good to fly free in the early morning. While at the coffee shop I saw the flyer that Nicky had posted the previous night. It advertised our presentation that night at the library--the culmination of our academic work and all our cycling, to be given in a brief forty minutes.

Lucid dreams of pedaling

Snow fell in the morning. The cold was drier than the wet sleet that kept us in Helena the previous day. The cold was dry and the group was ready to be on the road once more. The Ashley's' home had become a haven of sunshine warmth; Dave and Sandi have an uncommon gift in welcoming strangers and enveloping them in kindness. Still, the weather window had opened, and we loaded our bike and rode off through the streets. Our bodies had become accustomed to flying the pathways of Helena without panniers or trailers, and the initial journey felt heavy, physically and mentally.

An unlikely patriot

Today I woke up away from the group, in a real bed, soft and sheltered in the arms of someone I love. Despite the comfort and ease that I felt there lying, when the cathedral bells of Helena tolled I felt no resistance in leaving. It is the first time in a long time that education has been so inspiring and stimulating that I felt empowered to rush off to the library to discuss the six degrees of hell in climate change, international climate policy, and a speech by John Holdren, the science advisor to President Obama.

Beyond Oil Colored Eyes

Light penetrated the blue gray nylon of the tent well before the 7 am wake up call. The world awakes earlier and earlier; inevitably, so will I. This day brought blue sky, birdsong, and Allan Olsen, a former Chairman of the Energy Committee in the Montana House of Representatives and an avid worker within the oil and coal industry for the last 30 years.

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