Author: Greg

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Start: Casper, Wyoming
End: Lusk, Wyoming
Mileage today/cumulative: 107 / 1,442
Elevation Ascended: 2,800′
Weather: Sunny, 70° at start; sunny, 92° at finish
3D Relive Video (approx. 1 minute)

We spent Day 19 yesterday trying to relax and stay cool in Casper, Wyoming. It was our second rest day and marked the end of another leg of this crazy adventure, leaving only three more to go. By my calculation, that puts us 40% of the way there. This rest day was much like the first one way back in Boise, Idaho except that Boise is a thriving city and Casper is definitely not. A trip to the laundromat, massages, a trip to a local bike shop, and a stop at Wells Fargo to get cash and share some kindness with a teller. The highlight was a real Wyoming steak dinner and a couple of bottles of red wine with five of our new friends. We will try to call upon the memory of that fine dining experience for the next week as we ride through a culinary wasteland.

Today’s ride (Day 20) was tough. We left Casper at 7am, headed toward Lusk, Wyoming, and it was already getting warm. We passed the “Kum and Go” convenience store on the way out of town, wondered if anyone market-tested the name, and then decided it’s just Casper, Wyoming. From there, we passed through the quaint town of Douglas, which was the last sign of civilization for another 60 miles, except for Lost Springs, population four.  Bev rode strong today but I only felt good for a very short stretch and really struggled for the last 50 miles. Bev “pulled” me for those hard miles,  getting me to Lusk with lots of hard pedaling and encouragement. There were big doings in Lusk with their Rawhide Days parade, which, at 15 minutes long, was the shortest parade anyone had reported seeing. We missed it because I was busy recovering from the ride by laying on the bed and rehydrating. I’m  hoping that we both feel strong tomorrow on the way to Hot Springs, South Dakota and into our fourth state.

 

 

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Start: Riverton, Wyoming
End: Casper, Wyoming
Mileage today/cumulative: 120 / 1,335
Elevation Ascended: 2,753
Weather: Sunny, 65° at start; sunny, 92° at finish
3D Relive Video (approx. 1 minute)

Today’s 120 mile ride was the longest of the entire tour and it was definitely a day to be riding with a group to share the load and take your mind off of the desolate landscape. There was one establishment between Riverton and Casper, about 60 miles into the ride. It was an odd store/bar/motel called the Bright Spot and it was located in the ‘town” of Hiland, population 10. Yes, ten. This business has no reason to exist, yet it is there in the middle of nowhere. I met the woman who owns it and learned that the lounge has been there since 1921. She bought it seven years ago when she moved from Casper, which she left because “it’s too crowded.” The lounge has four or five stools in about 300 sad square feet. It had one television, tuned to The Price is Right. No beers on tap and they discontinued Taco Tuesday at the end of 2016. Maybe because there are only ten people living in Hiland, Wyoming. Just guessing. We all bought sodas and probably doubled her revenue for an average Thursday.

Our friend Deb, while riding with another group today, encountered a local man who claimed to be a former Army sniper. He told Deb that the Army asked him to train soldiers to become snipers but he declined because if the current generation “steps in dog shit, they have to use the internet to find out what to do.” We are totally stealing that line.

We also saw antelope today, causing most of the riders in our pace line to sing Home On the Range more than once. It was that kind of day.

Tomorrow is rest day #2 – hooray! Saturday we head to Lusk, Wyoming where we’ll get to experience the Rawhide Days parade!

 

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Start: Dubois, Wyoming
End: Riverton, Wyoming
Mileage today/cumulative: 80 / 1,215
Elevation Ascended: 1,470
Weather: Sunny, 65° at start; sunny, 95° at finish
3D Relive Video (approx. 1 minute)

Fast and furious sums up today’s ride. Eighty miles with an average speed of just over twenty miles per hour. Neither of us could believe it when we saw our stats for the day. The elevation profile was kind, with a net descent and only a couple of steady inclines. Most of all, we kept a pretty good pace line with a core group of five riders, including ourselves. It was another fun day in the saddle!

We gladly left Dubois, a town everyone will remember for at least a few more days due to the GMO mosquitoes that bit everyone in places one wouldn’t think possible. Add anti-itch cream to the list of things applied to the butt. However, before departing that town with poor internet and well fed bugs, we met an older man who is also riding across the country. He carries all of his own gear and camps along the way or stays in friendly churches that accommodate self-supporting riders. His bike weighs 40 pounds and he hauls 50 pounds of gear. That’s doing it the hard way.

Since cresting the Continental Divide yesterday, the terrain has changed dramatically. In the early miles today, we saw red rock formations and buttes that have been formed over the millennia and reminded me of old John Ford western films. From there, we rolled into more range land with open skies. Some riders reported seeing a few antelope but I think they were jackalopes that escaped from Dubois.

Tomorrow we ride 119 miles to Casper, where we’ll enjoy our second rest day on Friday. There is absolutely nothing but open range between here and there. It’s going to be a long, hot day but we’re feeling stronger than we did seventeen days ago when we left Astoria.

Before today’s photos, a few more from yesterday’s ride from Jackson to Dubois, courtesy of our friend and talented photographer, Martin Stabler.

And now, photos from today’s ride from Dubois WY to Riverton WY…

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Start: Jackson Hole, Wyoming
End: Dubois, Wyoming
Mileage today/cumulative: 54 / 1,135
Elevation Ascended: 3,031
Weather: Sunny, 60° at start; sunny, 85° at finish
3D Relive Video (approx. 1 minute)

We’ve arrived in Dubois, Wyoming and stepped back in time. Our hotel uses actual keys. There are no stop lights or stop signs on the Main Street. There is one bank (Wells Fargo, of course). At the local saloon, the non-smokers drink outside. And, finally, internet service here is one step below AOL dial-up and they could really use a cell tower. We’ll see if this post gets published sometime tonight.

Our planned 84 mile ride was reduced to 54 miles due to some permit issues that ABB was unable to resolve with the National Park Service. Long story that makes no sense (as in everything political), but new management at the Wyoming DOT changed rules on commercial operators seeking permits to ride through Grand Teton National Park even though we would have been riding bicycles on a bike path and state road for all of 30 miles. Nobody complained much – we still had beautiful views of the Tetons and we didn’t have to deal with Fourth of July traffic in the park.

The ABB staff shuttled us from our hotel in Jackson to a spot immediately beyond the park entrance. We saddled up and had a fantastic ride. Six mile warmup, a sixteen mile climb up to the Continental Divide, where we peaked at over 9,500′, the highest spot on our entire tour, followed by an exhilarating non-technical nine mile descent. Once we reached the bottom, strong tailwinds pushed us for the last 20+ miles into Dubois. We took a lot of photos throughout the day – it was that kind of ride.

Happy Fourth of July from Wyoming!

Monday, July 3, 2017

Start: Idaho Falls, Idaho
End: Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Mileage today/cumulative: 90 / 1,081
Elevation Ascended: 5,482
Weather: Sunny, 55° at start; sunny, 79° at finish
3D Relive Video (approx. 1 minute)

Today was one helluva ride. When we registered for this trip a year ago, we looked at the itinerary and immediately began looking forward to this day. This must be how the pros feel, anticipating a crucial stage in the Tour de France as soon as the stages are announced. We’re just like them except that we’re riding twice as far as they do, we don’t get roads closed for us, and they don’t have to eat breakfast at a Best Western. We knew that this would be an epic day and it sure lived up to it.

The first 25 miles were a bit of a slog on a slight grade and a stiff headwind. The terrain began to change from flat agricultural to rolling hills. It was pretty but everyone was heads down due to the wind. The serious climbing began at mile 45, slowly ascending into alpine mountains. Fifteen miles later, we reached Pine Creek Summit (6,764′) before descending nearly seven miles to the Town of Victor. This beautiful descent gave us our first unobstructed view of the Tetons and it was breathtaking. We quickly refueled in Victor before beginning the long eleven mile climb up Teton Pass. We stopped to take photos at the Wyoming state line mid-way up, then continued on to the top. The first nine miles averaged a 3-6% grade; the last two miles were a steady 10-12% incline. It was not the most difficult climb we’ve ever done but those last couple of miles were definitely mind over matter. The views at the Teton Pass Summit (8,431′) were spectacular but we were anxious to get down because we knew that the descent would be hairy – and it was. We had been cautioned to inspect our tires and brakes at the summit and control our speed on the 5.5 mile technical descent with a 10% grade. Holy cow that was steep – neither of us had ever experienced a descent like that and it was nerve wracking. We were thrilled to reach the bottom and cruise into Jackson Hole.

In one incredible day we added a new state to our States We’ve Biked In map and we surpassed 1,000 miles to date on this trip. The miles are rolling by so quickly.