Day 14: A Really Long Ride

Lava Mountain Lodge, Dubois, Wyoming to Jeffrey City, Wyoming – Community Center/Cyclist Hostel

A little rest and a whole lot of food over the past couple of days did me well! I’m ready to get back on the bike! It was extremely cold this morning, I’ll have to invest in some good gloves for pre-dawn riding. Early into my ride, I met 2 bikers, Erik and Jake, and soon after saw 5 other bike packers and a group of 9 people riding the TransAmerica Trail with a follow-car to carry all their gear. After that I didn’t see another biker all day.

The morning was an easy ride, a steep downhill for the first 45 miles and another down or flat up until the town of Lander at about 90 miles. About 40 miles in, I finally got the shuttle ride I’d been waiting for since climbing Lolo Pass. With my bike in the back of the escort truck, I got a ride for about 3 miles due to some roadwork in the Wind River Indian Reservation Area. I hopped back on my bike and it was 5 miles of grooved pavement- crazy, bumpy riding. I saw a skunk but thankfully didn’t get sprayed. I stopped at a Wyoming Rest Stop to refill water. It was a great stop with more friendly faces. Apparently everyone is very nice in this state!
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As I cruised to my next stop, without a cloud in site, I got rained on a bit. At around 1:00, I got to the city of Lander. This will be my lowest elevation, at about 5,000 feet, for the week. I’ll be riding up to 11,000 feet over the next few days! I needed a big lunch! I found a park (Antelope Park) and ate my lunch: a Big Mac, PBJ and banana tortilla. It was still early so I decided to keep racking up the miles. There’s nothing but 60 miles and a massive hill between Lander and the next tiny town of Jeffrey City (population 23), so I was in for a big day!

I conquered the mountain pass and started to see lightening in the distance. It was very cool, and at the moment, far away. When I got within 5 miles of Jeffrey City, I was blasted with the biggest headwind I’ve ever felt. I was going downhill at less than 7 miles an hour. Suddenly, the lightening sounded to be a little closer and I got hit with a tiny bit of rain. Trying to beat the storm, I finally I got to the sign for Jeffrey City, but all of a sudden, the light rain turned into pelting hail and the winds blasted me with gravel from the road. The slow ride quicky became miserable. Thankfully, not long after, I found the Community Center/Cyclist Hostel I’d be staying at for the night. As I rode down the dirt road my bike became covered in sand.

Opening the door to the back entrance, wet and dirty, I was immediately greeted by 2 other cyclists, Aaron and Janet. They offered dry towels and help in any way they could. They even shared their warm tea and miso soup! Incredibly, Aaron and Janet are doing the XC trek on a tandem bike! The church was so cool with writing from past cyclists all over the basement walls. I took a warm shower and cooked up some mac and cheese. Soon after Dave and Celine arrived. They completed a XC bike trip 30 years ago (coincidentally, also on a tandem bike!) and are reliving the journey in a camper. They came in to share stories and lots of food (fresh blueberries, raspberries, M&M’s, chips and salsa)! We spent hours talking before I finally had to turn in for bed. What a great day!

Thanks again to Scotty and Daniel for helping me rest, relax and fuel-up before this marathon day

Distance: 151.40(1080.42 total miles)
Time: 9:35:40
Ascent: 4629
Descent: 6073

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