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?