LOL, at Sadie! I guess, I am not in any danger... as I don't ride on dirt trails. I am a "roadie". So far, only time I had worries, when I rode through the Wichita Wildlife Refuge, near Lawton Oklahoma. There, the buffalo roam. But, I never had any real worries even with them. :) Moni

Well, Moni....I just traveled down the coast highway from Mid Washington to Brookings Oregon. (Sorry in a Winnebago) And I held my breath while riding along the "Oregon Bicycle Path" in far too many places....just thinking of you! I hope, I hope, I hope your group is big enough to tell those BIG motorhomes to make way for bicycles!. Too, too scary. I will be checking your journal to see how you do. (The southern part is really beautiful!)

I started reading this thread with great interest because we have had similar battles with my husbands ex.. We have complicating matters though... Here's my situation: My SD has Down Syndrome so there are special financial situations for medical expenses. Her father has the medical insurance and her mother pays the first $200 of whatever isn't paid by insurance. Everything over and above insurance and the $200 they split 55% (Mom) - 45% (Dad). Since their divorce, in about March of each year, her mother provided a list of all of the medical expenses that needed to be split 55-45. The first year we were married and I saw the list I completely came unglued!!! You should see the stuff she tried to claim were medical expenses... Here is the short list (along with her reasoning for claiming it as a medical expense): horseback riding lessons (it helps her heart), computer keyboarding lessons (for hand eye coordination), swimming lessons (for cardiovascular health), karate lessons (hand-eye coordination), summer camp fees (disable children's camp), gymnastic classes (cardiovascular health benefit), fee for Special Olympic registrations, a $600 3-wheeled bicycle (because the doctor said she should get more exercise and she isn't able to ride a two-wheeler)... I could go on and on. Needless to say we pared down what we felt were actual medical expenses and paid that, took what was left and hired an attorney! (Our share was over $2,000, we paid $350) She took it to court and the judged ripped into her for "wasting the courts time and for trying to steal money from her daughter's father" (judge's words, not mine). The judge pointed out that she was spending someone elseÂs money without consulting him on what he could afford. He told her that under no circumstances is a BICYCLE a medical expense, nor are horses, swimming, gymnastics or karate! He explained that these activities are extra curricular and that is what the child support is for! Just because there is a healthy benefit to the activity, it doesnÂt make it a medical expense. The judge then took it upon himself to adjust the child support (it was WAY too high), change who claimed her on taxes each year. (My husband got her once every 3 years, the judge changed it to every other) and he told the dingbat that her father was to be consulted on ALL medical expenses that he would be sharing and that if there was a dispute that it would have to be settled in his court room. He then told her not to have any disputes because he didn't want to see her in his court room! My husband says that she never tried to claim those stupid expenses before I came around. We believe that it was a jealousy thing. We got married and moved into a nice house together, and had that perfect family. She was left with a rundown house in a shoddy neighborhood (she told my husband when he gave her our address, "Couldn't you live somewhere more MODEST?!?!"), no significant other... Once she remarried she left us alone. Until her husband came along all she had to focus on was her daughter and it killed her when her daughter came to our house and had fun. She wasn't jealous of our relationship, but of our life together. She wanted to be the one who was happy and moving on. I am telling you, once she got remarried and the focus was put back onto her life, she quit bothering us. She forgot about our perfect life and started to focus on her own. We haven't heard from her attorney is about 5 years. Used to be we got a threatening letter from him once a month. I believe that there is a certain amount of jealousy with JenniferÂs SSÂs biomom  she is jealous of JenniferÂs lifestyle! IÂve been there! Eventually the biomom will move on and find something else to focus on.

Moni is in Colorado and that is Lake City, Colorado. They are suposed to be heading back to Gunnison next, maybe they haven't found a place for internet. The first time I met Moni personally was when she did her "Try Try Again" ride accross the USA from Oregon to New Jersey. She stayed overnight at our house and it was lots of fun following her ride. So, in comparrison, this is a short ride.