Up at 5am and on the road at 5:40. Nearly got run over by a deer on the way out of town…she was about to run across the road and saw me when she was about 10 feet from me and stopped. Entered the Wind River Indian Reservation just out of town and stayed in that for a long time….followed the wind river all the way to Dubois.
Got to Fort Washakie about 7:30 this morning and decide to go off route a few miles to visit the gravesite of Sacajawea. Everything I had read made me believe it was off some unmarked road and was difficult to find. In fact, there is a sign on the main road directing you to turn left. After that there are no more signs, but it’s in a large cemetery on a hill that you can see for a mile away….I thought that was way too obvious so I was looking for some secluded gravesite like a few posts I read indicated and got lost for a bit…once I figured out she was buried in the large cemetery named Sacajawea Cemetery (go figure) then it was easy to find 🙂 Of course, there is disagreement whether she is buried there or somewhere else, buy I’ll just go with the idea its here.
Was the perfect riding day for the first 50 Miles, and I was just thinking how nice it was and how much better it was then yesterday, then I topped a hill just before Crowhesrt and it was like someone flipped on the wind switch—here it came just like yesterday right in my face. I rode about a mile to a Sinclair gas station and had a Diet Coke, Fritos, and bean dip and was hoping it would die down, but no luck so I got back on my bike and started fighting it again….now I’m just annoyed and determined to not let it beat me. But it did beat on me every inch for the last 30 miles today.
Made it to Dubois about 4:30. Took me longer and much more effort to do the last 30 miles than it did to do the first 50. The wind was so strong at times I had to peddle down mountains after I climbed them…if I stopped peddling the wind would stop me in my tracks. On mountain slopes I would normally zoom down at 35-40 mph I had to peddle down. It was like the wind was trying to push me back to KY. But, on the up side the first 50 Miles were perfect and no traffic worries today since I had a wide shoulder the entire day….I just kept reminding myself of that.
I don’t want to keep harping on how hard things are because of the wind and sound negative….Wyoming is a beautiful state with amazing scenery. I was told by someone in town that this has been an unusually windy past few weeks…doesn’t help a lot but good to know. I’m just looking forward to “normal” winds again…the wind I’ve faced so far in WY is worse than anything I encountered in Kansas and it is always coming out of the West or Northwest….the direction a Westbounder like myself travels. Just an FYI for anyone else thinking of doing this.
Felt good and strong today…if not I would have been in big trouble the last 30 miles. I think a good, comfortable, long nights sleep is key. I’ve checked into the Stagecoach Inn and plan to get another good nights sleep tonight. About 5pm I had dinner at the Cowboy Cafe beside the hotel — hamburger steak, cowboy potatoes, mixed vegetables, iced tea and peach and rhubarb pie with ice cream for desert.
It’s 8pm now and I’m having a second dinner at the Noon Rock Pizza place across the street from the hotel—9” vegetable pizza, 6 piece chicken wings and a couple Coors on draft—well, at least a couple so far 🙂 You can do crazy things like that when you burn as many calories as I’ve been burning every day 🙂 Plan to be in bed by 9:30 and hit it early again tomorrow. Supposed to be thunderstorms tomorrow with a high of 68–good, bring it on….just leave out the wind 🙂
