Day 27: July 18 Jeffrey City to Rawlins, WY 68 miles

Dike at Muddy Gap--view north

Saturday, 7/18/81
Rawlins, WY

A rainstorm visited us last evening so I went to a Jeffrey City restaurant for a chicken dinner. It was sunny again when we got up. Rode past Split Rock in the morning, ancient landmark. Crossed into the Great Basin, the area that doesn't drain into any ocean. It was flat and dry with alkali flats.

Dike at Muddy Gap--view south (note trees in cracks)

A van pulled up in front of Bret and I and who should hop out, but Joe and Pauline and Rudy. I hadn't seen them since Baker, Oregon! They finished their trip at Lander and were on their way to Denver. There were only one day behind me at Yellowstone! Pretty good. We share greetings and talked and they took off.

Climbed out of the Basin and into Rawlins. Bike shop fixed my broken rack for free! 40 - 50 mph winds here. Craziness!

That windstorm blew at 50 to 60 mph for two solid hours! No rain, just dust. A girl told me that the only time people notice the wind in Rawlins is when it stops blowing. Maybe, but even the natives noticed this storm. 
 

That nice bike shop owner said, “Oh yeah, that model always breaks right about here.” (Remember, he is on the TransAmerica Trail.) He not only fixed it for me, he absolutely refused to charge me the service! People in Wyoming are nice!

The omnipresent cattle.

Day 26: July 17 Lander, WY to Jeffrey City, WY 58 miles

Wyoming geology.

Friday, 7/17/81
Jeffrey City Park, WY

Dull day--only rode 60 miles. Lunch at Sweetwater Station--so named because a mule carrying sugar fell in the river. Girl at historical marker told me ruts a foot deep from the Oregon Trail were near by. Jeffrey City, where we're camping in the park, is shrinking because the uranium mill closed due to low uranium prices. They say it'll open in a couple of years. Strong headwinds all afternoon. Then an hour thunderstorms here in town, which we sat out in the grocery store.

"Where the deer and the antelope play..."

We did see quite a few antelope playing amongst the sagebrush, though. And plenty of cattle to stare dully at you as pedal past. 
And donkeys--oil derrick donkeys all over the state.

Barn swallow chick in a rest area shelter.

More Wyoming geology.

Quintessential Wyoming.

 

Day 25, July 16 Dubois, WY to Lander, WY 74 miles

Pink hills near Dubois.

Thursday, 7/16/81
Lander City Park, WY

Good ride out of Dubois (pronounced DU-boys) in the morning as the Wind River lived up to its name. More of the red hills and cliffs. Stopped at Crowsheart for brunch. Six miles of construction with no paving went slow. Headwinds and 92° heat the rest of the day. Wyoming is dry and dull, Lunch at a rest area. Camping in Lander City Park--campsites and everything, Biggest city since Missoula.

My memories of the days we spent in Wyoming are very similar. Nothing but very wide dry valleys covered with sagebrush. We fought damned headwinds all the way across the state—it was miserable. Headwinds are worse than hills because you have to work just as hard or harder and you never get to reach the top and coast down the other side. Nor do you get a breathtaking view to reward your efforts.

Wind River Valley, WY.

Wind River Valley.

Wind River Valley.

Wind River Valley.

Crowheart Butte.

Day 24: July 15 Colter Bay Campground to Dubois, WY KOA Kampground 66 miles

Grand Teton reflected in the Snake River.

Wednesday, 7/15/81
KOA Kampground, Dubois, WY

It dipped below freezing in the Tetons last night. In know because in the morning, I had frost all over my sleeping bag. We got up and had breakfast at expensive John Colter Café. I had coffee, eggs, toast, hash browns, and hotcakes. Bought knot gloves, too. Took lots of pictures of the majestic Tetons.

Climb over Togwotee Pass, second highest of the trail, was 15 miles with some downhill. 25 miles downhill on the other side. Very different, drier mountains over here. Wind on Wind River was at our backs, luckily. Red hills around Dubois, our camp are very pretty. Shower and pool here.

The Grand Tetons from Jackson Hole.

Grand Teton in soft morning light.

The Grand Tetons from Togwatee Pass climb.

Breccia Cliffs at Togwotee Pass

Breccia Cliffs at Togwotee Pass

Day 23: July 14 Madison Campground, WY to Colter Bay Campground, WY 74 miles

Tuesday, 7/14/81
Colter Bay Campground, Grand Teton National Park

Hot water algae.

Good day today. Very cold in the morning. We stopped at lots of geysers along the way. Jack and I found a bike trail through trees for two miles to Old Faithful. Found a herd of elk all to ourselves. Saw Old Faithful again. The elk herd was strolling across six lanes of traffic at the Old Faithful interchange, creating a huge traffic jam. We decided to hurry since we had  50 miles to go. We crossed the Divide three times in as many hours. Made it to Colter Bay in Grand Tetons National Park, but I've never been so tired. A nice couple shared their site with us.

I experienced my second throwing incident on one of the long climbs up one of those passes. Someone in a passing RV threw a bucket of water at me, as I recall. Other than the shock, I really didn’t mind that much, since it was a hot climb.

Excelsior Geyser hits the Firehole River.

Lower Geyser Basin.

Elk herd on the bike trail.

Morning Glory Pool.

Old Faithful blows.

Steamy scene

Kepler Cascade

Isa Lake drains into both Pacific & Atlantic oceans

Grand Tetons & Jackson Lake

Lewis Falls

Grand Tetons & Jackson Lake

Day 22: July 13 Campground near Ennis, MT to Madison Campground, WYv74 miles

Earthquake Lake, the landslide that created it,
and the trees it drowned.

It's beautiful. We must be inside Yelowstone.

An elk poses for tourists.

Monday, 7/13/81
Madison Campground, Yellowstone, WY

Rain woke me up this morning. Just a sprinkle. I rode my butt off 55 miles before lunch to catch up with Bret and Jack just outside West Yellowstone. Stopped at Earthquake Center, though. Very interesting. Killed 28 people.

God, I was tired. We rode six miles into the park for lunch after running errands. Stopped at Madison Campground and found a biker willing to share his site. Bret and I wandered with unloaded bikes through the Firehole River Canyon and Lower Geyser Basin.

I still remember the revelation of venturing forth on the luxury of “light bikes” to see the awe-inspiring spectacles of Yellowstone. We used an entire roll of film each and returned to camp by dinner.

I had a little camp stove that burned Coleman fuel. I couldn’t carry a gallon of fuel around with me, so one of my great worries was how to refuel. In this large campground, I went begging camp to camp and quickly found people who appreciated my story and gave me a refill. Of course, they wouldn’t take my money and I was sograteful! Now that the roles are reversed, I know I would be completely charmed and delighted if a cyclist approached me for a bit of Coleman fuel.

Madison River canyon

An erupting geyser.

An erupting geyser.

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Fountain paint pots (bubbling hot sulphur mud).

Fountain paint pots (bubbling hot sulphur mud).

Great Fountain Geyser not quite living up to its name.

I contemplate Firehole Canyon.

I make a chipmunk friend.

Even Yellowstone ponds are spectacular

Firehole Canyon.

Large animals hanging about. We must be inside Yellowstone.

Firehole Canyon.

Day 21: July 12 Sheridan City Park, MT to campgound near Ennis, MT 52 miles

Jack returns from the two-story outhouse.

Sunday, 7/12/81

Campground near Ennis, MT

Disappointing day. Couldn't find my Off last night, so couldn't sleep, so slept in late. Bret had a flat, so we left without him. Stopped at Nevada City with Jack. It's a restored town with fully furnished shops and homes and two-story outhouse. (Norm Ormbrek and I stopped here in '75(?)) At Virginia City, two miles beyond, found Rick waiting for us. He'd finally figured out we were behind him, not in front. 3.5-mile, 7% grade out of town and 7-mile descent to Madison River valley with Madison River Range alongside.

We waited in Ennis for 2 1/2 hours for Bret. He didn't show, so Jack stayed while Rick and I rode down the valley. 20-mph headwind smacked us and we headed to the nearest camp. No trees, water and river though. 60 lousy miles today.

I used “thornproof” (double-thickness) inner tubes and did not have a flat all the way from Seattle to Denver.

Nevada City.

Old railroad engine, Nevada City, MT.

The old schoolhouse.

Madison Valley & mountains.