Author: bikeral2000

Yee hah, made it to Nebraska today. Woke up to super wet roads and huge puddles in the parking lot so decided to wait til the road dried off. I didn’t want to subject my bike to what he went thru two days ago. At least not if I could help it. We left Lusk after 9 with still a 40% chance of rain but it seemed to be getting lighter, so we made a run for it. Lucked out. No rain, just a cold north wind.

I always dress for the cold in the mornings, expecting to take clothes off every hour but today, I needed more clothes to put on. Because I had my rain jacket on for wind protection, I actually sweated a lot and ended up getting chilled.

The town campground was a little skuzzy, in the full wind and the bathroom had no shower so I got a small motel room. I swear the temp in that room was in the 40’s. Took for ever to just take the chill off. I’m still not warm but we didn’t get wet. That was a plus.

Ended up getting a pretty good rain shower about 4:30 so if I had camped, we would have been soaked. I watched the rain blow sideways across the road. Unreal!

On the NE state sign it says, the Arbor Tree State. I think that means there should be lots of trees. The second picture shows one of the lone trees from the border to town. I tho’t that was kinda funny.

The road out of Lusk today had no shoulder. If you put one foot on the white line, the other would be off the road. But the lanes were wide, just no place to get off for the big semis. And today, they weren’t as nice as the days before. Really kinda scary. But as soon as I got to NE, big wide shoulders. I love NE so far.

31.7 miles today

Hope you can see how dirty my bike is. Spent an hr this morning really cleaning my chain etc. Such crud. He should run a lot better.

Yesterday I noticed my glasses felt funny while riding. I stopped and a screw had fallen out and my lens was about to fall out. Great. Out in the middle of nowhere. So I rode with one lens in and one lens out. Had to because my rear view mirror attaches to my glasses. It so happens there is a vision place here in town, only here on Wednesdays. Did I ever luck out! So got them fixed.

Did laundry about noon and as soon as I started walking back to the motel, the skies opened up. Took shelter in a gas station but that was one heavy rain. So glad I wasn’t on the bike.

Stopped at the library on the way home and got a free, non-returnable book so spent the afternoon reading and relaxing. Life is good.

Wow, this wasn’t what I counted on today.  Woke up to thick fog in Douglas.  Didn’t want to ride on the interstate in fog but didn’t want to hang around forever for it to burn off either, so I put all my yellow rain covers on my panniers, and my yellow helmet cover on and headed out at 7:30.  Wasn’t as bad as I tho’t it might be.

Only had 11 miles of interstate but about 30 miles out, I got hit with the 20% chance of rain that went on for 8 miles or more.  Yuk!  I tho’t I’d be fairly safe from rain today, but, not to happen.  And I’m really bummed because I can’t get the photo of my bike to upload.  I felt so sorry for him.  He was covered in layers of sand.  Don’t even know how he managed to shift gears.

I got a motel and asked for a hose to clean him.  The fellow even gave me some rags.  So nice.   I have never seen such sand and crud on my bike.  Even my pannier covers were covered with mud and sand, as well as my jacket and helmet cover.  Unreal!  So tomorrow calls for 70+% of rain.  We aren’t riding in that.  If you are following the Midwest weather, all they talk about is severe weather and hail and tornados.  Well, guess what, that is where I’m headed but I will hole up somewhere for however long, if necessary.  Tornados and lightning are my biggest fears.  I will avoid both at all costs.

57.95 miles .     275.40 total

Woke up still tired to threatening skies and a forecast of thunderstorms by noon.  I didn’t feel I could outrun any lightning so I chose to take a rest day after yesterday’s tough day.  Laid around, read a book, played sudoku and just rested up for tomorrow.  Just feel I need to listen to my body.

For those of you who know me, you know I am a plan ahead type person, with plan A, B, C etc. Well, today I had plan A and it turned into plan D. Not because I wanted it to.

Last night, I walked a total of 4 miles to and from dinner and ended up with blisters between two toes and on the sides of my heels. Unreal. Fortunately, they don’t bother me while cycling, but I won’t be walking that far tonight.

I met a fellow cyclist last nite in camp. He rides 100 mile days and I just shook my head.  He is like my friends Charlie and Bill. He grew up in Casper so took me on the bike path all across town this morn. Bless you, Greg. What a nice start to a weird day.

The wind was ferocious but mostly at my back with occasional side gusts. Kept me on my toes and really worked the arms. Plan A was to suffer the wind 30+ miles to Glenrock, get a campsite and mellow out. The town was a ghost town. Nothing open (Sunday) and not exactly enticing to spend a whole afternoon. Couldn’t even get more water. It was only 10:30 when I got there, so talked myself into riding another 25 miles to Douglas. (Plan B).  I pondered that a lot. Needed more water but thought I could ration it.

So I took off on my intended route, and a mile and a half down this back road I chose (really the only route other than the interstate), it turned to gravel. I asked a local and learned it was gravel for 20+ miles. No way on my skinny tires and the gravel was loose.

So plan C: I had to back track into the wind–brutal–to the interstate. I stood by the side of the road for half an hour, again pondering what to do. Back track into town another 4 miles against the wind and wait til tomorrow with less wind, or go for it. I was down to half a bottle of water and really torn. Finally, I decided to bite the bullet and go for it.

I’ve ridden the interstates before but with an occasional 40 mph side wind and the 80 mph truck draft, it can be scary, not to mention very taxing on the arms.

That actually turned out to be an almost pleasant ride, super wide shoulders and the traffic got over. Plus there was a seven mile stretch of road construction where I could ride all alone on the closed section. I loved that part.

So when I got to Douglas, I was tired, hot, sunburned because I forgot to put on sun screen this morn, except for my face, thirsty and sore all over. Just the thought of having to put up my tent in this wind made me go for plan D. Yep, a motel.

I can rest out of that wind, pamper myself and get recharged for tomorrow. I had planned on it taking a week to get my act together, but today was a test. Not complaining, just telling it like it is.

59.75 miles.     207.45 total

Wow. What a day! I am beat. A very gradual uphill ALL THE WAY to Hiland. I could never stop pedaling, or I’d go backwards. Fortunately, the weather was perfect again. But I got hot and kept taking off clothes every 20 minutes or so. It is always very cool in the morning since I leave soon after the sun comes up, so I start out with full-finger gloves, leggings, arm warmers, a head band, and several layers of tops. By mid-morning I was down to just my shorts and a sleeveless top and was still hot.

The scenery today was boring. Nothing ever changed, and all I could see was the road forever going up. It wasn’t quite what I expected. Saw a few cows and antelope but, otherwise there was nothing. No buildings, just lots of pickups on the road. After a while. I started counting the pick ups that passed me and in a 14 mile stretch, I counted 28,  black being the most common, followed by white and a few red. And most were really new. I was jealous.

So I made it to Hiland before noon and ate at the ‘Bright Spot’. I think that was a joke, nothing bright about it. It was a little run down cafe/bar. The toilets didn’t work. The food was ok, but I didn’t get good vibes about staying in one of their 4 motel rooms. Just wasn’t very inviting. So since it was another 57 miles to Casper with absolutely nothing in between, I decided to get a ride in one of those fancy pickups to Casper.

Tomorrow’s forecast is for 40 mph winds, and I didn’t think I had it in me to battle that.  So I wimped out and got to ride in a fancy pickup driven by a lady to the outskirts of Casper. Camping in Fort Casper campground.

My butt is complaining, so I walked 2 miles to dinner. Am a happy camper right now.

43.7 mi.  147.3 miles total

Riverton to Shoshoni

This was a really nice, sunny, warm, short day in preparation for a long, uphill day tomorrow.

This is one picture of Kcymaerxthaere artwork located just east of Shoshoni, WY, right on the edge of town. There were several pieces of different shapes and colors, all with writing on them pertaining to the moon and stars. Apparently, it was installed just prior to the eclipse last summer. This is the only interesting thing in this town. They don’t even have a real restaurant and there are more dilapidated, empty buildings than otherwise. A very poor and sad town. Luckily, one of the motels still operates. The ‘city park’ is half under water. Where it comes from is a mystery because this is high, dry desert. There are even signs warning of rattlesnakes.

However, the people are great. The library staffperson was a fountain of information.

I forgot to mention yesterday about something that made me laugh. There were three deer in a field along side the road and apparently I spooked them. They took off in a frenzy and when they tho’t it safe, jumped the fence to cross the road. You could tell the one in the lead was frantic and when he hit the road, he landed on his butt and slid for three feet before regaining upright composure. It was hysterical and he had to have scraped off some fur.

23.5 miles. Total 104 miles

Crowheart to Riverton

Boy, I’m having a heck of a time with photos today. Can’t seem to get them where I want them.  Surely, I’ll figure this out in a few days.

The top one is Crowheart Butte. Passed it just a few miles out of town.  Lots of long hills but the legs felt great.  Can’t say the same for my butt.  However, tomorrow will be another short day.  Weather was perfect; cool, sunny, and very little wind.

I am staying tonight with Joe Cassinat,  a retired teacher here in Riverton with whom I worked my first year of teaching.  He has been here his whole life.  So good to catch up.

The second photo was taken yesterday in Dubois.   50.2 miles today. 30.3 yesterday.

Dubois, WY to Crowheart

A very nice, short ride to start my trip. I hitched a ride to Dubois with Regina Beard so didn’t get on the road til 10am.  It was perfect.

I camped at the fire station across the road from the trading post (food and bathroom).  I had a canopy over my head and picnic table.  What more could one ask for?

But, no cell service or internet cause Crowheart is out in the boonies.  So my first post is late. Sorry.  Because I avoid high population areas, this could happen a lot until I get in the Midwest.  Not to worry.  I’ll post as soon as I can.

I got a shot in my thumb today, so hopefully, there will be less pain when trying to shift gears.  That has been brutal.

And I got my workout walking five miles into a ferocious wind today. If I had been riding, I’d have gone backwards a few times.  It is blowing in another cold front so I guess that means snow, but it is supposed to warm up the next day and actually be sunny.  There’s hope.

I’ve been packing my panniers, as well as, laying out soaker hoses for my rasp and asparagus.  I could leave as early as the 25th.  Keeping my fingers crossed.