June 19, 2017

Today was a great day!  We left the motel a little after 6:00 a.m.  The sun was out and it was 45 degrees.  Today we rode on the interstate all day.  Riding on the interstate is not what you want to do, although we did not feel as exposed on the interstate as on some of the other roads we rode on. 

14 minutes into the ride, Jeremy had a flat.  This is the very thing you worry about riding on the interstate.  We soon discovered one of those little wires in his tire.  We were able to change the tube and be on our way on 10 minutes or so.


The shoulder that we rode on today was as nice as any road that I have ridden so far.  Kudos to Wyoming for their great roads.  There was an 8-mile stretch were we rode on the east-bound lane of the interstate all by ourselves.  That stretch of highway was closed due to construction.  Today we saw two groups of bikers heading west.  They were carrying both front and rear panniers.  I am so glad I only have rear panniers. 

We had a long climb up to Elk Mountain Pass, where we rode at nearly 8000 feet for a while.  The climb was well over 12 miles long.  From Elk Mountain, we had a lot of riding up the hill and then down the hill.  Overall we climbed a little over 6000 feet. 


The scenery was not as stunning today, since most of the land is wide open and used for cattle grazing.  You could see snow-covered mountains in the distance.  We are pretty sure they were in Colorado.  Jeremy thought he could see a ski slope from where we were riding. 

Nearly 40 miles out, you could see the mountains that are the backdrop for Laramie.  Just like Rawlins, you could not see any sign of the city.  10 miles from the city we crested a small knoll and right in front of us was this sprawling city of 32,000 people.  Laramie is the home of the University of Wyoming. 


We rode 97 miles today.  We pulled into our hotel around 2:30 in the afternoon.  Laundry and food are the priority tonight.  Tomorrow we will have a little over 100 miles to Boulder.  We do drop in elevation by over 2000 feet, however we will have wind from the south for the first part of the day.  It appears we will need to climb first thing in the morning to get out of Laramie. 

Tomorrow will be the last day that I ride with Jeremy.  He has unbelievable stamina.  All three riders that I have ridden with are so much stronger than I am.  They have all been very generous in staying with me, verses keeping their own pace and leaving me in the dust.

It will be nice to have a few days of downtime.  My hope is that we can be finished riding by 3:00 tomorrow afternoon, and then spend the evening with Sheryl, mom and Herm's family.  The thought of that might get us there by 2:00.


It is good to be alive! 





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