Bikeasaurus

Posted from Wray, Colorado, United States.

After the pain of yesterday I decided to take it easy today. The wind was significantly stronger today. However, it shifted slightly to the south creating a challenging crosswind. After only 50 miles fighting to stay upright on the exposed eastern Colorado plains I called it a day. Since then I have been going over routes for the rest of the ride. There were 2 bike paths I was particularly interested in, the Flint Hills Nature Trail in eastern KS and the Katy Trail in MO. It seems like the Flint Hills trail is incomplete and not appropriate for a road bike, but the Katy Trail might be worth a try. That means that I am going to start heading toward Clinton, MO over the next week or so.

Sorry for no photos, I’ll try to be better.

Posted from Akron, Colorado, United States.

Today was trying. I thought I had a perfect route out of Loveland on the 20 mile Poudre River Trail. After a few glorious miles on the wide, paved trail I realized that the Poudre River recently flooded. In some places there were a few inches of water on the path and in others there were a few feet. I tried to go around the flooded areas as much as possible, but a few times I had to get off my bike and wade. It took 3 hours to complete the 20 mile trail, and shortly after getting off the trail in Greeley I got a flat rear tire from a thorn in the sidewall. Once I left Greeley I rode into  a headwind for the rest of the day. I can’t seem to shake this wind out of the SE. Folks say the wind is supposed to be worse tomorrow. If so, it should be a short day.

Photo 1 – The Poudre River Trail.
Photo 2 – No more Rockies!

Posted from Akron, Colorado, United States.

My stay with Carol in Loveland was ideal. I took a guided tour of the Loveland sculpture garden in the morning and attended Jessica’s father’s birthday dinner. It was perfect.

Posted from Loveland, Colorado, United States.

I hit the road early this morning, knowing that in a few short hours I would be relaxing with my friends Carol, Jessica and Chris in Colorado. The ride was uneventful. The southeast Wyoming wind was strong early in the day, but it eased up significantly at the border. In Colorado I made excellent time and arrived at Carol’s home before 3pm.

The rest of the day was magnificent. I sat around and drank 3 different types of root beer while Chris replaced my busted shifter and Carol cooked a delicious meal with her homemade pesto. After a dessert of homemade sorbets and homemade cookies we played a bunch of games. I know a good thing when I find it, so I’ve decided to take a rest day tomorrow. I’m looking forward to sleeping in!

Photo 1 – Wyoming got a little rockier as I got closer to the border.
Photo 2 – Just into Colorado.
Photo 3 – Carol’s beautiful house in Loveland.

Posted from Laramie, Wyoming, United States.

The highlight of the day was meeting a very nice couple in Medicine Bow. Jeff and Rita Manley from Sturgis, SD bought me lunch at the Virginian Hotel. I enjoyed chatting with them about motorcycle rallies and sailboats, and not bicycles. The rain, lightning and hail today were expected. The surprise was the unbelievable headwind out of the SE. It hurt and now I’m going to bed.

Photo 1 – The Union Pacific in the morning.

Posted from Rawlins, Wyoming, United States.

June 23 – Today was disappointing. I had weather and mechanical issues limiting my mileage, despite feeling strong. I woke up in a trailer in Jeffrey City at 5am hoping to crank out more than one hundred miles. The morning was gorgeous with gigantic pink clouds off to the west. Every few seconds a bolt of lightning would shoot out of the pink clouds and light up the sky. I sat with my fellow bike travelers for 3 hours waiting for the storm to pass. I hit the road at 9am and made excellent time to Rawlins, WY where I had a significant bike problem. The bar-end shifter for my rear derrailleur fell apart. I gathered up the pieces and found a mountain biking shop. The mechanic there didn’t have a replacement but he was able to put the pieces back together. In order to keep it together he encased the shifter with super glue. It currently works in friction mode, but I think that will last only as long as the glue. I’m planning on replacing it in Fort Collins. Hopefully no more problems tomorrow. I will be getting off of the transamerica route tomorrow and heading toward Laramie by way of Medicine Bow.

Photo 1 – Jeffrey City with a crazy storm in the distance.
Photo 2 – The trailer I stayed in last night. It is owned by the local artist.

Posted from Jeffrey City, Wyoming, United States.

June 22 – Not much choice of stopping points today. I rode Route 287 out of Lander on a perfectly clear 75 degree day. The road was a constant, gentle uphill to Jeffrey City. The town is a restaurant and gas station and lots of abandoned buildings. It’s a recent ghost town following a uranium mining boom from 1953 to 1988. I’ve met up with 3 guys heading east and tonight we are all going to stay in a very nice woman’s trailer. Tomorrow will be a simple day riding 287 to Rawlins, around 65 miles.

Photo 1 & Photo 2 – Today’s ride.
Photo 3 – Downtown Jeffrey City.

Posted from Lander, Wyoming, United States.

June 21 – I woke up early and hit the road out of Grand Teton before 7:30am. The morning was devoted to climbing the Togwotee Pass, the highest pass so far at 9658 feet. The climb was comfortable for the most part. I rode the last 3 miles with a cyclist named Nate who was training on the pass. He slowed down to chat and helped take my mind off of the pain. In fact both of us failed to notice the summit and headed downhill without stopping. I intended to stop at Dubois for the night, however I rolled in at 1:30pm and felt ready for more. The next town was Lander, over 70 miles away, but the road was mostly downhill with a strong tailwind. I’m glad I went for it. The last 75 miles took only 4 hours. That’s warp speed for me. Most of the ride was through the high plains of Wyoming. I can’t show you any photos though, since I drained my phone’s battery in Yellowstone yesterday. I was only able to steal one last photo of the Grand Tetons.

Posted from Lander, Wyoming, United States.

June 20 – More Photos of Yellowstone except for the last 2 which show Jackson Lake and the Tetons near where I camped.

Posted from Lander, Wyoming, United States.

June 20 – I felt very good today after my rest day. I started in SW Montana and almost immediately entered Wyoming through Yellowstone N.P. I rode the length of Yellowstone and then entered Grand Teton for a few miles, stopping at a little resort community on Jackson Lake. Along the way I crossed the Continental Divide 3 more times. I think that puts me back on the Pacific side.
The scenery all day was breathtaking. There were towering mountains, lakes, waterfalls, mud pits, geysers, turquoise pools, bacteria mats and lots of wildlife. I saw more animals today than I have in the rest of the trip combined. Riding in Yellowstone it was common tor traffic jams to build up as a result of everyone trying to take a photo of some crazy animal. The bison were the main traffic producers. One bison just decided that it was going to stand perfectly still in the middle of the road. He was gigantic and stopped traffic in both directions. At first I was scared to get too close, but over time I grew more comfortable with them. They are obstinate but well-mannered. I also saw a moose and a grizzly bear. The encounters were very similar. In both cases, a line of cars and RVs had come to a complete stop but no one was getting out of the cars the way they did for bison. On the opposite side of the road from me was the vicious beast. I used the vehicles as a protective barrier and calmly glided past. I’m bummed I didn’t get photos, but I was more focused on getting away.
The weather was mostly clear today with a few midday showers. In other words, some of the best weather I’ve had.

Photos are all from Yellowstone.