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Monday, July 8, 2013

Phase 2, Day 7. Torrington, WY - Scottsbluff, NE

Cycling does it all --- you have the complete satisfaction of arriving because your mind has chosen the path and steered you over it; your eyes have seen it; your muscles have felt it; your breathing, circulatory and digestive systems have all done their natural functions better than ever, and every part of your being knows you have traveled and arrived.
--- John Forester


A relaxing 32 miles to finish up Phase 2. It was a glorious 32 miles.

I slept in a bit today knowing I would be riding only 2 hours. The route was again dead straight with a gentle decline. About every 7 or 8 miles I rolled through a different small farm town. Tractor dealerships replace car dealerships in this country.

Lots of rattlesnakes on the side of the road here. Always dead but they still make me jump when I nearly run them over.

That reminds me...Random Roadside Observation during this journey: Bungee Cords! Lots and lots of bungees. The roads have been remarkably clean with very little trash during my week but bungee cords are everywhere. 23 was the most I counted in a day. Not sure why the bungee fails so much in Wyoming. Double-up those bungees people!


Crossed the Nebraska state line and it felt good. Took me 6 days to pedal across Wyoming on my round-about route. Wyoming is a bigger state than I had imagined.

The problem with traveling alone is taking your own picture.  I don't even have a camera.  This messy pic is a screen shot from the iPad video...best I could do.
Arriving in Scottsbluff felt nice but I had a lot to accomplish before heading to the airport in a few hours. Famous Mid-West small town hospitality made my tasks pretty easy. First order of business...pack the bike for UPS shipping. JR at "Sonny's Bike Shop" had been waiting for me with a bike box. Got it packed and JR even drove me, in his enormous pick up truck, to the Staples for shipping of the box.

Another funny thing happened in Scottsbluff.  During this long journey I had no flats on the front wheel...until about 1 mile from Sonny's.  While repairing the flat "Mark" stopped (in his gigantic diesel pick up, of course) to check on me.  Did I need a ride?  Did I need to call anyone?  Did I know about Sonny's bike shop?  We had a nice chat and I was soon on my way that last mile.  30 minutes later Mark gave me a toot of his big-truck horn as he drove past the front of Sonny's while I was packing the bike up.  I'm sure he was worried about me.  I like Scottsbluff, Nebraska.



This trip has been another great experience for me. Many great memories of the things I've seen and challenges I've faced. It wasn't easy but it was manageable even though a few of the days lasted a bit longer than I would like. All the planning is important but there are so many things that are left to chance, which nearly always had a happy ending, and those are the things I will remember most fondly.

Many nice people helped me along my way in one way or another.  Mostly the countless careful drivers who passed me. Remarkable how much respect I got out there on the roads...there aren't many dudes in tight shorts riding a bicycle in these parts.  Perhaps it was my flag.

Only once in my life have I driven the car past Reno, NV....and that was a trip to Idaho. I really haven't seen much of this country from ground level until now. What a wonderful way to get to know my country, its people, and myself.

Week's totals: 668 miles, 42 hours in the saddle, 4 flat tires and a couple of busted spokes. Guessing about 20,000 feet of climbing but didn't track that.

Thanks for following my Phase 2 journey blog. Next Spring is the final Phase of this adventure. I love the journey but glad it's a one-week-at-a-time thing.  Can I go home now?


Sunday, July 7, 2013

Phase 2, Day 6. Douglas - Torrington, WY

The difference between me and Lance Armstrong is that I still have a chance to win the Tour de France. ~ Anyone

104 miles. Spent the first 70 miles fighting a strong headwind....and it was hot!

Everyday I check the weather before rolling out and everyday it's the same forecast..."severe thunderstorms possible after noon". I haven't been hit by any storms, thankfully, because my riding day is usually finished by early afternoon.

Got hit hard with wind in the face for the first 5 hours today. I wasn't in a rush so relaxed and took it on but frustrating to pace 12 mph endlessly. Most of the day was spent descending, very gently, through valleys between some really beautiful sandstone rocky mesas.
Today had plenty of this....
.....but some of this.


The trip planning was pretty careful and I generally know what sort of road conditions to expect. My Pony Express route is not an established cycling journey..I had to blaze the trail using Google map. Planning is critical because I don't use GPS or any fancy stuff while I ride...just a AAA map. Today I ran into a gravel road, bummer, but there really was no other clear option, and it looked right. Anyhow, 4 miles on gravel is an un-rideable situation with skinny/high pressure tires. I walked much of it but at least the navigation was good and eventually ended up at the expected junction.

About mid-way arrived in Gurnsey looking for food. Food! Turns out the local FedEx guy has a taco truck parked near the river park on Sunday in Gurnsey so sat down with my burrito under a shady tree on the N. Platte river bank. Gotta say I wasn't up for another 3 or 4 hours riding after that relaxing few minutes.

More gentle downhill and the wind eased up a bit so the pace improved. The only bad thing was the 100F temp. It doesn't feel hot, until I stop, but it definitely wears me down. Dragged into Torrington and was really glad to have that long ride in the books.

Torrington is in Wyoming, just barely, but it sure doesn't feel like Wyoming to me. It's much like any mid-west farm town with the freight train rolling through every 30 minutes, corn fields everywhere and the grain silo is the tallest thing on the horizon. I guess I finally made it through the Mountain West. Wow.

Tomorrow is a short and sweet ride to Scottsbluff, Nebraska and the last day of this year's journey. Scottsbluff is a random place to end but I fly home tomorrow and it's the nearest place with commercial air service.

The Nebraska state line is only 7 miles from Torrington and I think it's 30 more miles to Scottsbluff? Doesn't matter really. 650 miles on the bike so far this week and I'm tired. I miss my family too.



Saturday, July 6, 2013

Phase 2, Day 5. Alcova - Douglas, WY

94 miles. A quick ride with 5 hours in the saddle and it felt good to finally not be bothered by the troubled rear wheel.

After yesterday's long and late day I wasn't excited about jumping out of bed at 5am to again ride all day. Turned on the TV to check local weather while having a coffee and wouldn't you know, the Tour de France channel came on! Watching the TDF always gets me excited to ride. Watched the race for an hour then had to ride. Never did see the weather forecast. Going anyway I suppose.

I finally left the high country and mountains today and rolled into the plains. Today was my favorite day this week.

A beautiful morning start and at mile 30 arrived in Casper, the biggest town since Salt Lake. I had to get back into the "town-riding" mode with the traffic, red lights and all the rest which always takes me longer than I would like. Casper is nice.

I hang a small US flag from the saddle bag, thought it would be fun for July 4th, but a funny thing happened: many happy horn toots with waving and the good 'ol boys now give me a very wide berth as they pass. That's my perception at least so the flag will continue to fly.
Mammoth wind turbines for many miles.
Most of the day was spent descending and riding up and down gentle rolling hills with a nice push from that Wyoming wind. I chose to add 10 miles from the most direct route to enjoy a very quiet and beautiful country highway for 2 hours. The extra miles were definitely worth it.
Self portrait on a wonderful day.


Arrived in Douglas, "One of the Top 100 Best Small Towns in America" they say. I love anything about trains and before I even found my motel, usually the first order of business when arriving, I saw a wonderful railroad museum. Had to stop to check out the rolling stock. When my family emigrated from England to California in the '60's we arrived by train from Chicago on The California Zephyr. One exhibit today was an original 'Zephyr dining car from the 1960's. That was fun for me to see..again. Then stopped at the old train depot/restaurant for a cold drink and ordered the Rocky Mountain Oysters. Exactly.
Dining car from California Zephyr, 1960s.  Perhaps I ate here?


Today was a very mellow day and I liked it. I even stopped here and there just to take it all in for a few minutes, something I wish I would do more.

Tomorrow's my last longish day at 105 miles to Torrington, just a few miles shy of the Nebraska border.











Phase 2, Day 4. Lander - Alcova, WY

You never have the wind with you - either it is against you or you're having a good day. ~Daniel Behrman, The Man Who Loved Bicycles

128 miles and 7 1/2 hours in the saddle. A nice ride but the late start had my focus on a fast pace and not scenery.

Wyoming's Wind.  Friend or Foe?
I had to wait for Lander's bike shop to open to get the wheel repair project started. Normally I would be 4 hours down the road by 10am.  The forecast for a hot day with thunderstorms didn't help me feel any better about my delayed start and very long day ahead.  The guys at the bike shop were sympathetic and got me going as quickly as possible.

While I was waiting one of my buds from last night, Sam, showed up at the bike shop so we had a nice chat. They all camped in the city park and Sam said the July 4th celebration was out of control. Seems the whole town brings their fireworks to the park competing for the biggest and loudest. Sam said they enjoyed shooting the rockets, not up, but at each other. Much more fun! Glad I missed that one.

I got rolling at 1045am and calculated I would arrive at Alcova by 7pm so not much time to stop and check stuff out along the way. The day was spent crossing more prairie with gently rolling hills. Some of the downhills were sweet at 30mph for many miles. I have learned to keep an eye out for antelope on the side of the road when I'm going fast. They spook easily and are fast and unpredictable.

Today's route again follows the Emigrant and Pony Express routes. Navigation in those days was aided by far away but unique mountains and rock structures that were easily identifiable to head toward. I've been reading about "Split Rock", "Independence Rock" and "Muddy Gap" and it was fun to finally see these places.
Rattlesnake Range

About 50 miles along I came across an interesting ghost town. Not an old gold mining ghost town but a modern day ghost town. Jeffrey City was, until the late 1980's, a bustling town that supported the nearby uranium mine. When the Cold War ended the mine was shutdown and now only 15 people remain. All the houses, shops and schools are still there but unused and in various states of decay. One guy has "For Sale" on his abandoned house. Funny. The one remaining business is a bar. Not sure how they stay in business with only 15 residents. Jeffrey City is a very odd place.
Jeffrey City and "Bachelor Apt. 2".  Good times!

While riding hard all day it's easy for me to forget I'm at 6000'- 8000' elevation because it doesn't "look" like it. The prairie is deceiving. Nevertheless super important to stay hydrated in this thin and very dry atmosphere. A the end of a long day I struggle to get up the hills because I forget about the altitude.

Wyoming is famous for its wind. Lots of wind. I've been pretty lucky with the wind during the trip until today. The late start left me caught out with some brutal wind to negotiate. I will leave early again tomorrow and hopefully avoid a repeat.

I was getting super tired and thankfully the last 8 miles was a nice descent to Alcova on the Platte River. It's not really a town, more a summer fishing "resort". It's the only place to stay overnight
anywhere near here and my little fishing cabin is quite nice. The guys next door offered me some trout they caught this morning....and a Greek salad too. It tasted wonderful.
Platte River, my companion for rest of this journey.
Traveling as much as I do I appreciate the in-room coffee maker. Everyone's doing it now, even the sketchy Farson Inn from a few nights ago...except they didn't quite grasp the concept, there was a maker but no coffee. Not to worry, I brought along a bunch of the little Starbucks instant coffee packets. Have you tried? Pretty good stuff. Now at least my morning coffee routine is halfway decent.

Tomorrow to Douglas. I think it's about 80-90 miles so a relatively mellow day. Casper is at mile 30 so I'm planning to stop there and have a really good cup of coffee for breakfast.







Thursday, July 4, 2013

Phase 2, Day 3. Farson - Lander, WY

A very slow 77 miles. I can't believe the wonky wheel made it! A real victory and a wonderful day.

Today was a great day. After a good night's sleep and a full belly I felt better about my chances for the ride to Lander. Worst case I break down and thumb a ride to Lander, right?

Super nervous running 77 miles on a wheel held together with Duct Tape, literally, but treated it with care for the 6 hour ride. Avoiding stress on the rear wheel was the order of the day so careful when shifting gears, avoiding bumps, climbing in a super low gear and keeping the speed at 20mph on the downhill was the rule. I'm not good at any of that so the 5000' of climbing and 8000' descending was challenging but we made it. Shouting a few encouraging words to the wheel helped..I think.

It was an awesome ride. At about mile 35 I felt committed and finally started to relax about the wobbly wheel. The slow climb through the prairie toward the Continental Divide was very nice with some more roadside Pony Express/Mormon Emigrant Trail markers to check out.

Did you know Wyoming was the first state in the union to allow women to vote? 1867. This unlikely place for a suffrage movement was started by a miner/bar-keep in Atlantic City, WY, a mining town along the Pony Express route. I wanted to visit Atlantic City today but it was 5 miles along a bumpy dirt road and the bad rear wheel was the focus of my day. Too bad.
A popular trail  once upon a time but no other cyclists for many days. 
The first half of the day was a very gentle uphill climbing between the Wind River Range and Antelope Hills. There were plenty of antelope racing me along the road all morning but at only 15 mph I was left in their dust...I wanted to race too but couldn't. Damn wheel.

For 3 hours I was climbing toward the Continental Divide along the Big Sandy River flowing west toward the Pacific Ocean. At mile 35 I crossed the Divide and 15 minutes later caught up with the Sweetwater River flowing east toward the Atlantic. A memorable experience for me.

Along this whole journey, and particularly today, I've learned a real appreciation for the hardy pioneers emigrating across the endless prairie and up and over countless mountain passes. What takes me day on a bicycle could have taken those brave soles a week, or more, to cover.
Unmarked pioneer graves.



You would think crossing the Divide would mean it's downhill from there? I did. Turns out the road keeps climbing another 1000' to 8400' flanking the south end of the still snow-capped Wind River Range as it climbs out of the arid prairie and into the mountains. Once again I was surrounded by green grass meadows and beautiful flower-lined streams. The last long climb, despite the bad wheel and slow pace, was worth it.

Rolled into Lander and was elated that the bad wheel didn't fail me today. Lander was celebrating July 4th in old west style: BBQ and rodeo. I met some other bikers today at the BBQ who are heading west to Seattle. Certainly not on my "Pony Express" route which, as it turns out, isn't very popular. Seems I'm blazing a trail. They are all sleeping in the dirt and couldn't agree when they last showered so I offered them my motel shower. 6 guys showed up. We had fun sharing stories in my very small motel room while they each had a turn taking a shower. I don't think of myself as fancy but today I felt a bit like a diva with my motel shower and clean towels and what not.

Tomorrow is another long 130 mile day to Alcova. I would prefer to leave again at sunrise but can't press-on until the bike shop opens at 10am. Bicycle Repairman Thomas promised to meet me and fix up the wheel so I can be on on my way by 11. It will be hot again but generally downhill from here...I hope.







Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Phase 2, Day 2. Evanston - Farson, WY

131 miles but met with some frustration.

Riding the bike on the freeway shoulder isn't fun but there is no alternative leaving Evanston. I was pleased to find the I-80 shoulder wide and clean and 6am has little traffic. At mile 6 I had the option to bail and ride 10 miles on a dirt road but it seemed to be going so well I elected to stay on the freeway until mile 15 to save a ton of time. Ideal? No, but not as bad as it sounds.

The day was spent riding across vast prairie with the occasional drop into small river valleys. A nice tailwind kept the average pace at about 20mph for the first 3 hours. Then I busted a spoke. Not good. I'm prepared for roadside maintenance to a point but replacing a broken spoke is not on the list. I need a bike shop for that and bike shops in this part of the world are scarce. What to do? Not much really except come up with a plan for repairs down the road.

I soon got to Kemmerer and looked for wifi at the local coffee shop so I could research bike shops down the road. No wifi. The library has wifi they said but I would have to wait an hour for it to open. I went on a hunt for "free wifi" in the neighborhood and it didn't take long to find an unlocked signal in front of "Mr. Linksys'" house so set up shop on his curbside garbage bin. Soon found a bike shop in Lander and made all the arrangements for service first thing Friday. Now, can I make it 150 miles to Lander?

At mile 104 the 2nd spoke busted. Now the rear wheel rolls like a soft tortilla but I had no choice than to carefully press on but with an average speed down to about 10mph. It's getting hot and I'm getting frustrated.

I did come across another historic marker of the Pony Express and Mormon Emigrant trail so stopped to check it out to lift my spirits. It was really cool. Because it's so arid here with minimal erosion the actual wagon wheel ruts in the trail can still clearly be seen.


By this time it was getting much later than I had planned and the afternoon thunderstorms cranked up. Rained a bit on me and with thunder but thankfully no lightning as I was totally exposed.

After nearly 8 hours on the bike arriving in Farson felt good. I was likely the happiest guy to arrive in Farson all week, if ever, and was glad today's ordeal was behind me so I celebrated with an ice cream from the olde time general store. The motel is pretty rough but it will do and there's food next door which is all I need.

What to do tomorrow for the 70 mile trip to Lander? Not sure yet. I'm thinking I will sleep on it and see how I feel in the morning. I can either hitchhike with the bike to Lander or try riding the bike, I made it 30 miles on the bad wheel today after all, and when catastrophe strikes I can still try to hitchhike the rest of the way. I will expect a total catastrophe somewhere...just not sure where. What an adventure. The good thing about these situations is there are always some good stories to share at the end of it.

Not to worry. Tomorrow's ride might be a bust but it's July 4 and I will enjoy it in Lander however I can get there.







Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Phase 2, Day 1. Salt Lake City- Evanston, WY

99 miles. Lots of climbing but I beat the heat.

Last year I spent 2 days crossing Western Utah to SLC. It's remote and not much for scenery. Today I was expecting more of the same for the last day of the Utah crossing. Happily I was wrong.

Brigham Young is everywhere in Salt Lake City. I left the hotel at 5am and soon was passing "This is the Place" park. Then as I climbed up Emigration Canyon Rd., the sky began to lighten up and I noticed signs marking every overnight spot Brigham Young stayed during his journey to the park. . I stopped to read them all. One marked a spot where he sat down to rest when he was feeling ill. The marker noted his people prayed and he soon felt better. Seems they did a lot of praying and climbing nearby hills to pray some more.

The Pony Express route shared the same trail through the passes. The trails where narrow and I imagine the Pony Express rider was going full tilt as he passed the Mormon emigrants. They probably prayed for him too.

Big Mountain Pass.  The original Pony Express and Mormon Emigrant trail 
Crossing the mountains east of SLC was like a postcard scene. The grass is still green, the wildflowers are still in bloom, and the Quaking Aspen are everywhere.

50 miles on Chalk Creek Rd.  Very nice.
I spent most of the day between 6500' and 7500' riding on a high plateau so the temperature only got into the hi 80's. Leaving early was wise...104F in SLC today was the forecast. I saw 59F on the thermometer at one summit.

The plateau is used for sheep grazing. Lots of sheep grazing. I came over a small rise and the road was covered in sheep as the ranchers were moving the flock along the road. I quickly stopped but the sheep must have thought I was a dude on a horse because they freaked out and ran in all random directions hopping low fences and running the wrong way. Sheep everywhere! Whoops. The real dudes on horses sent the dogs after the wayward sheep. I want to think they realized I was trying to do the right thing but failed...they tipped their cowboy hats as I rode past them.

The next town is Lander, 200 miles. I can't ride 200 miles in a day. Turns out there's a highway junction in the middle of nowhere called "Farson" at mile 125. Farson is a gas station and motel with "cafe". We shall see. Tomorrow to Farson!

Monday, July 1, 2013

Phase 2 starts tomorrow. Almost didn't make it.

Phase 2 hasn't even started yet and already a major problem that nearly de-railed the whole trip.

While packing up the bike for transport to Salt Lake City I noticed a crack in the bike frame. This is a serious problem. The guys at Livermore Cyclery, a pretty good bike shop, weren't too encouraging and without time to repair it or get another opinion I had to quickly come up with a solution or the trip would be postponed.

While at the shop struggling for options and generally desperate for any ideas, bike mechanic Chris took pity on my sad story and, if you can believe this, steps up with: "I've got an extra bike in the back of the shop you can borrow for your ride". Seriously?  The really remarkable thing is Chris and I had never met before last Thursday and he only works at the bike shop on Thursdays.

I can't ride just "any" bike 700 miles in 7 days. It has to be a big bike frame (60 cm) to fit my big body frame (much more than 60 cm) and more important it must be solid and dependable. Chris is tall like I am and his bike is a very nice Trek road bike and although slightly older than mine it has higher quality components.  Despite the unknown and older bike issues Chris is a bike mechanic by trade so my trust level goes up a few clicks.

The bike fits me nicely. Perfect? Not sure yet. I'm using my own saddle because my butt is used to it (very important) and my own peddles, heavy duty tires, bike computer and front and rear lights. Took it for a spin to town on Friday and it runs well.

Of course I was distressed about the bike breakdown. My trusty friend now lies in a parted-out heap in the garage and I was sad to leave it behind...the bike looked sad too. For the past 2 years we've spent nearly 12,000 miles together on some amazing adventures.. Maybe I wore it out. Much better to discover the potential disaster now than to be stranded 50 miles from nowhere I suppose.

I now put my trust in Chris' bike. WAY out of my comfort level today but I shall press on hoping I feel better about things tomorrow after the long 90 mile ride over the Wasatch mountains and on to Evanston, WY.
A visit to Mormon Temple before we set out can't be a bad idea.
I'm in Salt Lake City now and all set to go.  Tomorrow's forecast: Super Hot. Tomorrow also happens to be the biggest climbing day of the week with over 6000' of climbing. Not outrageous as these things go but substantial on a hot day.  My strategy is to roll out at 5am to clear the big passes before things begin to heat up at about 9am. I don't mind riding on flat or downhill in 100F but climbing in extreme heat is very difficult for me.  Despite the obstacles I'm anxious to hit the road.  Should be a great day.