What I Learned, Looking Forward, Looking Back: July 2026

Happy Monday! I hope that everyone is enjoying their summer and is getting plenty of time outside in the sunshine! As you are reading this, Cristof and I have just completed Segment One in Montana and are celebrating with ice cream, beer and a well deserved swim! In case you have not been following along, this means we are done! 

The last leg was quite smoky unfortunately and I spent a lot of time dodging fires again. 

Captured on 07/25/26
Not shown: Canada fires

And as you often ask after a journey like this, what's next? I will be staying in the US for a couple of months, doing some hiking, road tripping and housesitting before setting off for another international destination. More on this later! 

I'd love to hear what you're up to! Please copy and paste the questions at the end and add your answers to the mix! 

Where was I? Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana

What country related books or documentaries did I watch? 

Read: finally finished On The Plain of Snakes by Paul Theroux (Mexico)

*Also read these, not related to this year's travel plans, but good all the same! 

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See (China)

First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung (Cambodia)

Watched: The Real Story of the Sunshine Mine Disaster which is about an incident in the 70s at the Sunshine mine near Kellogg, Idaho, when a mine fire filled the tunnels with deadly carbon monoxide. Ninety-one miners lost their lives, making it one of the worst mining disasters in U.S. history and leading to major improvements in mine safety and emergency equipment.

Did I complete any other items on this year's looking forward list? 

✅New food <-- Fry Sauce (apparently a UT special, made from mixing mayo, ketchup and a few other spices etc. I love mayo, so of course I was a fan!) 

✅ Book about country <-- On the Plain of Snakes (Mexico)

✅ New thing <-- Saw ospreys and a muskrat in the wild

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1. What is the name of last month's chapter? 

January: Devouring the Sweet Potato

February: Back in the Groove

March: Serenity Before the Storm

April: Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

May: The Ring of Fire and Ice

June: On The Road Again

July: A River Rides Through It

I rode along many creeks and rivers in July, thank goodness. It was a welcome relief from the dry, hot plains and deserts I had been near before! 

2. What did I learn last month? 

I learned about fry sauce, what the difference is between an osprey and an eagle, the difference between the screech of a hawk and a falcon, and that a muskrat is MUCH smaller than a beaver (PS beavers are huge). 

I also learned (noticed?) that people in ID and UT don't fly their state flag as much as people in AZ do (or it is not as obvious?) and that the ID state flag has the state seal on it, and this seal is notable for being the only U.S. state seal designed by a woman. The UT flag and highway signs all have a beehive on them, which is a symbol of hard work, cooperation, and perseverance, specifically due to the early settlers, who were part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

I also learned (just now, when I was going to use the acronym "LDS") that church leadership asks people to avoid using "LDS" or the nickname "Mormon" as a substitute for the name of the Church. Preferred terms if a shortened name is used, are "the Church" or "the Church of Jesus Christ."

3. What was the weather like? 

It was great! Sure, sometimes it was hot, in the 90s or even above 100 a few times, but for the most part, nights were in the 40s and 50s and daytime temperatures were in the 80s. The only issue really was the smoke, and it was heavy (and really smelly) at times! 

Red sky in the morning, firefighters take warning

4. What event last month was my favorite?

Again, it really is too hard to decide. I am going to do a post later with a wrap up of the bike trip, including some favorites, so for now I will say that the animals I saw were a highlight! Here are some interesting additions from July.  

🌟Water animals, including a muskrat, a river otter and one dead weasel/ferret. 

🌟A plethora of birds, including three baby ospreys in a nest (It was huge! I thought it was an eagle's nest at first), two juvenile (and curious) owls, pelicans, sand hill cranes, many waterfowl and various flitting and flapping and chirping other birds that I cannot name. Oh and many hawks, who screamed and screeched above my head as I was riding. 

🌟 Rodents galore and of various sizes, including marmots, squirrels, chipmunks, ground squirrels and probably prairie dogs (I honestly am not sure of the difference between the last two). 

🌟So many hooved animals, including deer and elk, tons of Bambis, many MANY cows, horses, goats, pigs, buffalo and llamas. 

🌟Randoms such as bunnies, snakes (mostly dead, only two rattlers), butterflies, and bees. 

Note: I did not see any bears; nor did I see any prints or scat. I am not sure why not!  

5. What was the best thing read, listened to or watched last month? 

Book: The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. Set in 1933, this is the story of a little girl in a Mississippi orphanage, the vice squad, who at the time was trying to get rid of all illegal activities, such as gambling, drinking and prostitution, a childless "old maid" named Birdie and her social climbing sister, and many other intriguing characters, who are all tangled together in some interesting ways. 

Movie/Show: I haven't really watched TV at all, but I do have a few Jim Gaffigan standup bits saved on my YT for nights when I need a pick me up. I especially like this one where he roasts Canada (while, of course, performing in Canada). If you like it, there is a full length version. 

Podcast: This episode of Lives Less Ordinary, which made me cry a little while riding my bike, about a family getting lost at sea while trying to escape from Vietnam by boat after the Vietnam War. 

6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

I finally finished the bike route, and took myself for a second breakfast to celebrate. [Quick backstory: I probably burn between 3,000 - 5,000 calories per day most days. I generally eat breakfast around 6:00 am and by 9:00 am I am already hungry again]. I walked into the local breakfast joint around 10:00 am and there was a large table of older gents (Montana rancher and cowboy types) all eating and chatting. 

Tuesday Breakfast Club

When I am hungry, I want it all, and can never decide between sweet and savory, so I ordered biscuits and gravy (with eggs and hash browns) and a side of pancake. When it came out it was a lot of food, but I knew I could do it. Not one, but several of the cowboys commented, saying things like, "are you expecting someone else?" and "there's no way you will finish all that!" and "don't worry; they have to go containers." Um, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED, gents! So I ate it. All of it. By the time I was finished they were gone, but I told the server to make sure she let them know the next time they were in that I DID IT. 

What? I am a Taurus, people. Plus, seriously, I really was hungry! 

Table for two one!

7. What am I looking forward to this month?

Spending time with friends! 

Your turn! To copy/paste, highlight the text below and click CTRL-C, then put the cursor in the comment box and click CTRL-V.

JULY:

1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that?

2. What did you learn last month?

3. What was the weather like where you are?

4. What event last month was your favorite?

5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month? 

6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

AUGUST: 

7. What are you looking forward to this month?

Bonus question! What is the weirdest animal you have seen in the wild? Have you every had Fry Sauce?