June 16, 2017

It sure was a great sight when Jeremy pulled into the hotel before 6:00p.m. last evening.  From the Jackson airport to Dubois, he had over a 14-mile average.  With the 26-mile climb to an elevation of over 9600 feet, that is amazing!  Eric Yoder, I would like to see you do that. 

After a pretty good night of sleep, we were up early, and headed out for breakfast.  We walked about three blocks to a small café where locals seemed to congregate.  The breakfast was good, but the conversation was great.  Dubois is a restocking town for hikers on the Continental Divide Trail. 
The locals talk about the fact the Togwotee Pass area is the most rugged of the entire trail.  The trail goes from Bannf, Alberta, to the Mexico boarder.  I ran into a few hikers the other day, and they seemed to be from a different planet.  Riding bike for over 3000 miles is one thing, hiking that rugged trail is another. 

We left at 7:00 a.m. and immediately headed down hill.  For nearly 30 miles the down hill continued with the wind at our back.  It looked like it might be an easy 75 miles.  However, just about the time you start to think you could have a short day, the wind changes.   The wind at times can be confusing.  Sometimes it is in your face, sometimes it is coming from the side.  I don't think we ever figured out which way the wind was blowing.  We do know that it was not helping us much the last 45 miles.

The topography changed drastically today.  Every now and then you can see snow-covered mountains in the distance, but for the most part, we are seeing more desert conditions with some painted rocks.  The towns are few and far between on this part of the journey.  Over the 75 miles we had two places where we could refill our water bottles. 

Tomorrow we ride the 60 miles to Jeffrey City, and there is no place from here to there for any refills.  With the temperature rising we will need to carry plenty of water.  We will also have several significant climbs.  Over the next two days we will climb to over 7000 feet, and we will ride at that elevation to Laramie and Fort Collins. 


It is great to see the sun again.  Today's temperature is around 80 degrees.  The heat affected me today.  Having ridden in the upper 30’s only two days ago, where you worked at staying warm, and then riding in 80 degrees today, is a stark contrast. I will take it!!


It is good to be alive! 





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