We didn’t have any phone signal where we camped, but I could get a summary weather forecast for this area using my Garmin Inreach satellite device. It said the winds would be from the same direction, but not as strong. Not trusting Wyoming weather forecasters (do they even exist anymore?), I decided to get an early start out. Peter was still in his tent, so I told him my plan as I rolled by. My clicking freewheel on my bike probably woke him up.
The scenery was pretty boring with large plains of rolling hills, but no trees in sight. I need to get to Colorado! I only had two trucks pass me for the first three hours. They obviously must not have any of that clean coal or oil in this part of the Wyoming.
I passed the campsite we had originally planned for yesterday and all I could see was a herd of cattle. Glad we didn’t kill ourselves yesterday to get there! Finally I noticed some small aspen trees near the road. Colorado can’t be that much further away. Many of the larger trees have either been cut down or are standing without any foliage. This used to be Aspen Alley, but rot, decease, and old age have killed off many. That is what my GDMBR guide book was saying. A bit sad to see this. They said that new aspen trees would start to grow to replace the old ones. I hope they are right.
First sighting of trees in Wyoming in a while
Aspen alley. It had at one time been more grandiose.
There was a good section of pavement that was mainly downhill. Yippee! I would get into as aerodynamic tuck as I could, despite all the bags hanging on the sides and in front of the bike. I went across a cattle guard pretty hard and heard a thump behind me. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw my candy container lying on the road behind. Darn, I must have forgotten to secure it when I stopped last. I hit the brakes and rode back uphill to the “incident”. Luckily there were hardly any vehicles on this stretch of road. I picked up my container, and saw that most of the gummy bears that were inside were now scattered across the roadway. Well, I believe firmly in the 3 minute rule, so I picked them up and put them back in the container. I am also a firm conservationist. Bears deserve to be rescued. I did taste a couple and all was fine. 😋
The paved road turned back to a rough, and rocky trail leading to Brush Mountain Lodge, several miles further on. I finally saw a “You are leaving Wyoming” sign, and I didn’t shed any tears. I was getting pretty tired, and wanted to stop, sit down and have a bite to eat. I couldn’t find a good spot that either had a stump or rock that you could sit comfortably on, and shade. Darn! Where are all these picnic tables Trump promised?
The road did lead into a beautiful canyon which started to look more like Colorado, and finally I saw the lodge around a bend. A woman’s voiced shouted out: “Hi Walter! Do you want chocolate milk, a coke, and a beer?”. How could she read my mind, and how did she know my name? Mike, Jaime, and others were sitting in comfortable chairs around a big table with drinks and boxes of pizzas. Oh, that is why she knew my name. Peter then pulled up behind me a couple minutes later and he got the same welcome. What a magical place! It is run by Kiersten, who takes very good care of her guests. It isn’t free like Llama Ranch, but personally I am more comfortable paying for the goods and services you get. I can’t describe how great it felt to plop down in a comfortable chair with my three most favorite drinks (on this trip) in front of me with all you can eat pizza that she freshly bakes. I did have a large glass of ice water too.
Heaven!
There was a group of 9 riders, and we had a good time talking about the “good, bad, and ugly” of the trip so far. Jaime had his friend (Matt) from Omaha came to join him to ride a short section of the route with him. He had raced the course as part of the “Tour Divide” earlier this year, and finished in 22 days! I had already ridden 31 days and was only halfway! 😳 we quizzed him about all his secrets. It also helps being over 40 years younger. He had missed staying at Brush Mountain Lodge during the race and wanted to come back and experience it in a more relaxed setting. You can either camp on the property, or sleep in the lodge for $25 extra. I was ready for the comforts of a bed and shower! Kiersten then cooked up a large portion of pan fried rice and chicken, which was delicious. My stomach needed something else besides what I had been eating on the trip so far. Full and content, I retired to my bunk room and fell asleep, after a good shower of course. 😁
Where is my chipmunk spray?
No comments:
Post a Comment