Date: 2007-05-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

5-17-07Lander, Wy126 miles today2699 miles totalToday started out very nice in the 40's, but ended up being a warm, windy day.We went next door to the motel and had breakfast at a diner, then headed west out of Rawlins.The plan today was for an easy 65 miles, which would end the day at Jeffrey City, Wy.We had an easy climb out of Rawlins for about 7 miles before we leveled off and had some nice, gradual downhills. Another nice part was we had tailwinds for about 35 miles. (That changed later though)We crossed the Continental Divide twice this morning.I had an eagle take off in flight right in front of me. He was off to my right and must have been on the ground. I didn't spot him until he took off. He was only about 30 yards in front of me.We also saw lots of antelope, but not nearly as many as yesterday.We stopped at Grandma's Cafe after about 30 miles...the only thing in in Lamont. The two ladies in there were very friendly and was telling us about what was ahead. I had an egg sandwich before we headed on.They warned us to watch out for rattlesnakes because there have been more than usual out this year.We stopped one more time in about 10 miles. The girl in that store warned us not to count on anything being open in Jeffrey City, so we bought donuts just in case we had to tent tonight. :-))The winds changed and were in our faces again. :-((We came to a historic site called Split Rocks. I pulled in to find out what it was all about. Turns out this was the area where the Pony Express rode through. There were some informational site markers talking about the Pony Express. One said that Buffalo Bill Cody had rode through here one time and traveled 322 miles in less than 21 hours. He rode 21 different horses to do that...he was flying!!We rode by an area and saw a bunch of wild horses to our left. The lady back at Grandma's Cafe told us to keep an eye open for them.It was warm and I was looking forward to getting to Jeffrey City and getting a room. I was ready for an easier day, especially after pedaling 109 miles yesterday.When we pulled into Jeffrey City, we realized we weren't going to have many choices...it looked like a ghost town. Everything was boarded up, closed down, for sale, or falling apart.The motel was open, but it was an old, and I mean OLD mobile home. Mrs Gorp went to check on that while I rolled through town looking for something open, I was hungry and a hamburger or two would have hit the spot. :-))Mrs Gorp found me and said the lady wanted $65.00 to stay in that rat hole.We were on the west side of town. There was a town green that had nice grass and sprinklers on...and that was in the middle of nothing but dilapidated, boarded up buildings. It was like nothing I've ever seen.We stopped and sat on the edge of the grass. I needed some water and a little something to eat. I was just getting ready to open my donuts when a guy in a brand new pickup truck pulled up, rolled down his window, flashed a badge and said we were trespassing on private property....and I thought he was going to offer info on where to find a hamburger...or two. :-))I moved two feet to the curb, so I wasn't sitting on the grass and the...um, helpful guy drove off.We decided that we would take off heading west and either camp along the way, or go all the way to Lander. It was already 2pm and I was tired, but we rode on.We had another 60+ miles to Lander with no services.We rode to Sweetwater Station which had a gas station, but we had been informed earlier today that they had closed a few months ago. It was closed. :-))We came to a rest area and pulled in. There were two other bike riders there. That was a surprise!!We talked to Ted and Dan and filled our water bottles. They had started 5 days ago from Ft Collins and were heading to Jackson, drink in a bar for two days, then ride back to Ft Collins....Oh to be young again. :-))Dan knew a guy who hiked the AT twice by the name of Don Devoe, but didn't know his trail name. Anyone know what Don Devoe's trail name is??Mrs Gorp and I headed on. There was a 1000 foot downhill coming up and I was looking forward to a break from the headwinds.When we got to the 6% downhill grade, I had to pedal for the first 5 minutes or so to keep going at just 10mph...downhill. The danged wind was blowing so hard that we had to pedal to go downhill.We finally got to an area where the mountain was blocking the wind. I picked up my speed to 44mph which was fun, but then we got to an area where the winds came back, but were hitting us from the side. I was going downhill at 44mph, then got hit with high sidewinds...I thought it was going to push me right off the mountain. :-)) It was still fun though, but I really had to pay attention to stay on the road.When I got to the bottom, I waited on Mrs Gorp. She showed up and the two other bike riders showed up about the same time.We had just gone over 100 miles for the day...back to back centuries!!There was some rain storms just to the southwest of us and they really got the wind kicking up. It seemed like those storms followed us for about 15 miles...just to keep the winds gusting in our faces. It never rained.We eventually pulled into Lander and got a room after riding 126.7 miles. It was after 7pm. We had been in the saddle since about 7am. It felt soooooo good to lay down on a soft bed. :-))I ordered pizza delivery because I didn't want to go anywhere. :-))All in all, it ended up being another great day on the Trans Am Bicycle Trail.5-18-07Lander, WyZero miles today2699 miles totalWe took our first zero day since way back in Illinois. It was my idea. Mrs Gorp thought I was just being a pain in the butt, but in reality...and I'm not familiar with these things, I woke up with a pain in the butt. Mrs Gorp said it was called a hemoroid. :-((All I know was I couldn't stand the thought of sitting in the bicycle saddle for 75 miles today, so we ended up staying in Lander.Mrs Gorp was good to me and walked across the street and bought some goop to put on it.I think I need some chicken noodle soup to get better. :-((I took advantage of the coffee maker in the room and made two pots of Starbuck's this morning. I also ate the rest of the donuts we bought yesterday.We decided to take advantage of the day in Lander and rented a car. We went to Riverton and I bought a new Pentax digital camera.Some of you that read my journal last year knew that I've been having trouble with my old Pentax for about a year now. Well, I couldn't get it to work after charging the battery and we are headed for Yellowstone in a couple days, so I wanted to make sure I had a camera that worked.When we got back to Lander, I got some things together to mail home. One of those things was my old Pentax. That was hard to do because I've carried that camera for years...and many, many miles and used it almost everyday. I liked that camera.We also stopped by a couple of bike shops and just looked. We don't need anything.When we returned the rental car, we walked next door to a steak house. It turned out to be a very good steak house. It's been a long time since I've had such a good, tender steak.The former vegetarian known as Mrs Gorp said the same thing about her 18 ounce prime rib. :-))The lady that rented us the car, dropped us off at the motel. There are some very nice people here in Lander. :-))This was a good town for a zero day.Another great day on the Trans Am Bicycle Trail. :-))5-19-07Dubois, Wy76 miles today2776 miles totalToday turned out to be a very good day. :-))I was worried about how well I'd handle being in the saddle for 76 miles, but it wasn't bad.We ate breakfast at a McDonald's before we left Lander. I had made a pot of Starbuck's in the room, then had another coffee at while we were at the McDonald's.It was about 50 degrees and sunny.I really enjoyed Lander, Wy. It's one of the few towns I could spend more time in.We crossed the North Fork of the Popo Agie River and were in Shoshone Reservation Land.It was a beautiful ride today with almost no wind until late in the day.We stopped at Fort Washakie and had a soda at the grocery store.We saw quite a few antelope again today. I also saw two groups of about 9 or 10 mule deer. I saw an osprey with a fish in his claws flying overhead and I saw another eagle too.We stopped at the next small store in Crowheart. The store was the only thing there, but they had pretty much anything you could use.We followed the Wind River for much of the day. The surrounding mountains looked like that river had been high enough at one time to make water grooves several hundred feet high.The clouds started getting dark in some of the mountains we were riding towards. There was even some lightening and thunder. The road curved through those mountains and we ended up getting into some heavy winds, but just a little rain. We got real lucky to have missed some of those very dark skies and heavy rains.We pulled into Dubois, Wy and stopped at Cowboy's Cafe and had a late lunch/early dinner. They have been in business since the 1930's. The food was good and they are open for breakfast tomorrow morning. :-))The waitress told us that she thought the library was still open, so we rode over there and checked.It was, so we checked email. It's been quite some time since I've been on a computer.One of my grandaughters sent me pictures of her in her prom dress...oh my, she sure is pretty!! :-))We got a room at The Stagecoach Inn and I got some old towels and cleaned my bike.Mrs Gorp was good today, so I have no reports on her at this time. Ha!! ;-))Another great day on the Trans Am Bicycle Trail. :-))