125 miles, 3750 feet of climbing. Packed 10 liters of water (2.6 gallons), which weighed 22 lbs. Total bike weight approximately 115 pounds. Changed out a tire which was fried. About 12 hours of riding/stops. Crossed continental divide twice. I will fill in the details later.
Got up well before dawn intending to complete this ride. My hazy calculations indicated that just might be able to cover the distance before sunset. I did pretty well, although I was slowed down by the disintegration of my rear tire. Conditions were just about perfect, low 70s and blue sky. Most importantly, there was little wind. That's rare for Wyoming, and I was glad to take advantage of it.
It's really much prettier than the white empty space on the map. There are mountains and buttes and weird rock spines. I saw plenty of little pronghorn, but only from a distance since they spotted me also. On the second half of the ride I got pretty tired, but then picked up my second wind for awhile. There was a decent climb into Rawlins at the end of the ride, which was tough.
I listened to more of the Arab-Israeli war book and also the FM country station I could pick up on my phone. Mainstream country music is terrible, terrible stuff. It's like that cheese that sprays out of a can.
On the road into Rawlins I ran into Brock and Kathleen (www.ourfavoriteadventure.com) going the other direction. They had come from Virginia. It was a terrible spot to chat, as the road had narrowed and there was lots of traffic. So we bid each other adieu before long.
Today I am going to go into Rawlins and maybe see the old prison, Then I am going to head down to Saratoga where there are supposed to be hot springs. Sounds pretty good.
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Got up well before dawn intending to complete this ride. My hazy calculations indicated that just might be able to cover the distance before sunset. I did pretty well, although I was slowed down by the disintegration of my rear tire. Conditions were just about perfect, low 70s and blue sky. Most importantly, there was little wind. That's rare for Wyoming, and I was glad to take advantage of it.
It's really much prettier than the white empty space on the map. There are mountains and buttes and weird rock spines. I saw plenty of little pronghorn, but only from a distance since they spotted me also. On the second half of the ride I got pretty tired, but then picked up my second wind for awhile. There was a decent climb into Rawlins at the end of the ride, which was tough.
I listened to more of the Arab-Israeli war book and also the FM country station I could pick up on my phone. Mainstream country music is terrible, terrible stuff. It's like that cheese that sprays out of a can.
On the road into Rawlins I ran into Brock and Kathleen (www.ourfavoriteadventure.com) going the other direction. They had come from Virginia. It was a terrible spot to chat, as the road had narrowed and there was lots of traffic. So we bid each other adieu before long.
Today I am going to go into Rawlins and maybe see the old prison, Then I am going to head down to Saratoga where there are supposed to be hot springs. Sounds pretty good.
Hard to tell, but this was the top of a big climb.
Huge open spaces
Downtown Jeffrey City, where the hills have eyes.
Could have stayed here. This is their brochure: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51sMhQejwNL._SX500_.jpg
For awhile, the smoke burnt my eyes terribly. I could only look out of one eye or the other.
Continental Divide and Wyoming's ubiquitous snow fences
There's uranium in them thar hills!
The Schwalbe Kojak finally surrendered. Switched to the Marathon Plus, which makes a whirring sound like a tractor-trailer.
Ran into Brock and Kathleen on this stretch of road with a deplorable shoulder.
Video: coming into Rawlins at sunset
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2 comments:
Hi there,
Wow Ray what a ride!! I am so proud of you great job!! It was a true "Wyoming Triple Bypass." I look forward to the details.
Yeah!!
Hi there,
Yes Jeffrey City looked like a definite place to avoid. Is that website for real "Motel Hell" or was that a joke? Duh! I am sure it was a joke, sometimes I am gullible.
Forest fires are still raging. If the smoke burns your eyes, I would imagine it hurts your lungs to breathe?
Onward to Saratoga! It is interesting cowboy type of town with good fishing. I am sure you will find it entertaining.
The weather looks beautiful over the next few days.
Great job Ray!
Enjoy!!!
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