Negotiations abound when planning a tour.

Here is a prime example of a winter email exchange with Oren regarding travel to Missoula. Having toured together a number of times, Oren is very aware that Jacinto does not do mornings.

Oren writes:

Peace & Brotherhood, compadrito! May all the gods smile upon yer frozen ass!

It looks like Kelly has most of the arrangements finalized for our Canada trip, and I've got most of my reservations made too. She suggested I negotiate with you about how to wrap together the first few days of our drive up to Missoula.

Here is what I am suggesting: -- I will arrive in Rifle on the evening of Friday, June17. I'll come to your place that same evening and load up all the bikes and gear. -- Google shows it to be 13 hours from Rifle to Missoula, but Google always figures on the maximum speed limit and I don't exceed 70mph. Google also does NOT figure additional time for fuel/food/RestRoom stops. So it'll be at least 14 hours. If we leave Rifle at 8:00am, we won't get into Missoula until 10:00pm that night. -- So I will come back up to your house on Saturday morning, June18, pick you and Kelly up, and depart promptly at 8:00am, Con Prontitud!! YOU CAN CRAWL INTO THE BACK SEAT WITH YOUR TEDDY BEAR, AND GO TO SLEEP, FOR AS LONG AS YOU WANT!! What a deal, huh? -- We'll arrive in Missoula late June18, spend the night there, and then spend all day Sunday, June19, recuperating and sightseeing in Republican, Right-wing Missoula, Montana. Then we spend Sunday night at same hotel. -- We climb onto the bikes for the first day of the bike tour, on Monday, June20, First Day of Summer! It's 51 miles to Ronan, nearly 2000' elevation gain....Kelly and I will be half-way there before you get up! And you'll beat us to Ronan!

So how does that sound to you? The only day where we would be imposing on your Beauty Sleep would be Saturday morning, June18, and I am offering to even set you up with a blanket, pillow, and teddy bear, in the truck's back seat, so you can transition seamlessly with a minimum of sleep interruption! Hell, I'll even buy you breakfast at our first stop! But we gotta leave at 8:00am sharp, inmediatamente (I'm relying on Google's translation...).

End of email.

Ah, yes. It's been a long winter and we need entertainment!

Oren and Jacinto - it's a laugh a minute with those two!

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