Sunday, August 23, 2009

Jeffrey City to Rawlins, WY

Via Hwy 287. 69 miles.

It was a remarkable day, in that we somehow managed to complete the ride to Rawlins despite high cross winds and our being tired from 2 previous long days. It took us 9 hours to make the trip from Jeffrey City, an even longer day than those.

Our day began with a visit to Faye's cafe where, unfortunately, there were no other customers. Faye was watching TV and smoking a cigarette when we entered. Her response to my cheerful "good morning" greeting - without taking her eyes off the screen - was a grunt. She then handed us menus and walked away without a word. But the atmosphere eventually thawed enough so that we were able to order, eat and depart without another confrontation. And her cooking was pretty good too.

Soon after we got on the road it became apparent that our luck with the infamous Wyoming wind had run out. The wind was gusting out of the west as we rode southeast, resulting in a cross wind (and slight tail wind) that made it difficult to steer the tandem. At about mile 25 the highway bisected a rock formation known as Muddy Gap. The winds were blowing so strong through the gap that we were forced to stop riding and push the tandem up the hill between the gap. As we approached Lamont (at mile 33), we had made up our minds that we could not ride another 36 miles to Rawlins today. We had decided to stay there for the night and go on to Rawlins tomorrow. The "town" of Lamont consists of a cafe and a house (presumably, that of the cafe's owner), and the available accommodations consist of camping behind the cafe. We knew that before we arrived, but didn't know that the cafe was closed on Sundays. So we could camp, but would have no additional food, water or access to a bathroom. We then decided to flag down a pickup truck and catch a ride into Rawlins - something we have never before done. We spent a fruitless 1/2 hour trying to find a suitable truck and to get the driver to stop. So we decided we had no choice but to plod on and see how far we could get. We ate a quick lunch and resumed riding.

After going about 14 more miles, the wide shoulder we had been enjoying disappeared and the cross winds were blowing stronger than ever, making it tough to stay out of the traffic lane and tiring us even further. We again attempted to flag down a pickup truck for a lift and this time we were successful - twice. The first vehicle was a fire department SUV. The driver said he wished he could help us, but it was against the department's rules. The second driver was a private individual and his truck was perfect, except that he was carrying a large dresser mirror in the truck bed. He too said he would love to help but could not risk breaking the mirror, which he had just purchased at a rummage sale. At this news we concluded that we were just going to have to suck it up and ride on.

We knew we had a significant climb up over the Continental Divide before reaching Rawlins, and thought if we could get over that we'd be able to glide down into town. The climb proved to be manageable, although it went on and on far longer than we had expected. But when we reached the top, with only 9 miles to go, the weather gods played a cruel trick on us. The crosswind turned into a fierce head wind and it began to rain on us. I kept thinking that we would probably have a flat tire too, as it was about the only bad thing that had not happened to us today. The rain didn't last too long but the head wind continued unabated into town, actually making the descent from the top of the divide more difficult than the ascent. We crawled into Rawlins after 5 pm, but strangely we were not as tired as we had felt when we reached Lamont. Nevertheless, we were both very surprised we were able to ride the whole route, completing in 3 days a 220 mile stretch that began in Dubois. Tomorrow we are going to take a well-deserved rest day.
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Lamont, WY

Almost as bleak as Jeffrey City.
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Split Rock

A local landmark southeast of Jeffrey City.
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Lander to Jeffrey City, WY

(Ridden Saturday August 22nd)

Via Hwy 287. 61 miles.

It was another long ride today, on top of the ultra-long ride yesterday. Plus the weather was warm and we had a 1,000 foot climb mid-way through the route. By the time we reached the base of that climb it was just before noon and the sun was pretty intense. So, by the end of today's ride, we were both really tired.

Our ACA cycling map warned us that there were only "limited services" available along the 123-mile stretch from Lander to Rawlins, and to carry extra food and water. "Limited services" was pretty much an understatement. For today's route between Lander and Jeffrey City, the only thing other than sagebrush is a highway rest stop at Sweetwater junction (mile 41), which has bathrooms and water. We pulled in about 2 pm to eat some lunch and try to recover (which we did somewhat) for the last 20 miles to Jeffrey City.
Jim and Julia had forewarned us that Jeffrey City was a virtual ghost town and a dump. They were certainly correct. There used to be a uranium mine near the town and when it closed years ago, the place became nearly abandoned (only 50 residents). Most of the buildings are empty, the streets dusty and it looks like nothing has been even painted in many years. Oddly, about the only business in town still running (other than the cafe and motel) is a pottery studio* of an artist (Byron) who spends his summers here and the winters in Lander (don't ask me to explain that one). We heard from several people that Byron is very accommodating to cyclists passing through. For example, Mike (the Swiss guy we met today) told us he camped in the dirt parking lot of the studio last night. We were prepared to do the same thing if the motel looked really raunchy (it turned out to be just a shade better than raunchy).


When we arrived Penny went in search of Faye, who works at the cafe and runs the run-down motel. She turned out to be a real piece of work.** When Penny said that we were interested in staying at the motel and asked if she could see one of the rooms, Faye said in a huff "I'll take you down there when I'm ready to leave here." (We quickly realized we were mistaken in thinking that we were the customers and that Jeffrey City could use a little more business.) We sat around for awhile in the cafe until another guy came out and - basically acting as an intermediary - got Faye agree to drive over to the motel to let us look it over. She roared out of the cafe lot with her Suburban tires spinning while we peddled the 1/2 mile or so to the motel to meet her. After Penny checked the room (which, surprisingly, was not too nasty) and noticed there was trash in the trash can and a used soap bar in the shower. Penny told Faye the room should be cleaned before we used it, to which Faye snapped "if you don't like the room the way it is, then pitch a tent." This comment angered me. I asked Faye if we had done something to offend her and told her if she had a problem, let's discuss it. (I wasn't foolish to threaten to go somewhere else because there was nowhere else to go other than the dirt parking lot of the pottery place.) She just glared at me as she stomped off to retrieve and empty the trash can. We later went over to the cafe for dinner and Faye was there, looking as sullen as ever. Fortunately another woman who was very nice took care of us and there were no further words with Faye. But tomorrow morning we'll be back in the cafe for breakfast, so stay tuned.

*The "studio", which is in an old gas station, contains mostly junk (old tires, air conditioners, etc.) as well as a few pieces of finished and unfinished pottery. Byron was not there when we stopped in (he was across the road organizing a bonfire for this evening). There were three other guys there, two of whom said they were artists. One of these two (who was still wearing sunglasses even though it was almost 8 pm) showed us a canvas he was working on, which had at least 8 coats of paint on it. He explained that it is a "living work", meaning that it continues to change as the mood hits him. The other artist's main work was the outside of the gas station (I regret I did not get a picture of it, but then there was a lot of junk in the way too). The third guy showed us around and some of Byron's pottery, then began a long, rambling diatribe about why our country has gone to hell since the time (1972) he hitchhiked from the East Coast to Denver, when I-70 in Ohio was then an empty road but is now packed with traffic. This was all because the Government had failed to limit legal immigration (he cited the example of Mike the Swiss native who camped at the studio last night). If this make sense to you, you are smarter than me.

**When Penny called Faye yesterday to ask if the motel was available to us, in a very gruff tone Faye said yes and, no, we did not need a reservation. Faye's response to Penny's phone question whether the cafe would be open was "that's where I work" (as if we should know that).

Dubois to Lander, WY

(Ridden Friday August 21st)

Via Hwy 287. 80 miles.

It was one of our longest days in terms of mileage, but actually quite pleasant. Most of the route was a gradual downhill, so we were able to maintain a much better pace than normal. The weather was near-perfect - sunny skies, light winds (unusual for Wyoming) and the temperature was too warm for only the last few miles.

Most of the day was spent crossing the very large Wind River reservation, where Shoshoni and Arapaho tribes were forced to settle despite the fact that historically they were enemies of one another. We stopped for lunch in Fort Washakie, in the Shoshoni section and were struck by how uniformly handsome the Shoshonies are - both men and women. It is easy to see why they were once a proud warrior nation.

We are staying in Lander tonight at a couple's home who we contacted via warmshowers.org. Warmshowers members are people (usually other cyclists) who are willing to host touring cyclists at their homes for a night. The host provides at least a place to sleep (which may be a bed, a couch, the floor or a campsite in the yard) and take a shower. Sometimes hosts agree to provide or assist with meals. Sometimes they simply give you the keys to the house and tell you to enjoy yourselves. (we signed up about a week ago). In this case, our hosts in Lander, Jim and Julia, invited us to stay in the guest room at their lovely home. We first went to a local brew pub and got to know each other over a few beers, then they led us to their house where we showered while they made a terrific dinner. We really enjoyed ourselves and were especially grateful for a break from the anonymity of the motel/campground scene.

As it turns out, since Jim and Julia have cats (Penny is very allergic to the dander) we instead set up our tent in the back yard and slept under the stars* on a beautiful, warm evening. It was a great way to end the day.

*Our tent is screened on all sides (i.e., there are unobstructed 180 degree views).
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Wyoming rocks pic #1

On Hwy 287 south of Dubois.
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Wyoming rocks pic #2

On Hwy 287 south of Dubois.
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Wind River reservation pic #1

Crowheart Butte.
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Wind River reservation pic #2

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Wind River reservation pic #3

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Wind River reservation pic #4

Lots of land on the reservation was included because no one else wanted it.
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Wind River reservation pic #5

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Tired cowgirl

Penny naps on the war memorial monument in Lander, WY.
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Our hosts in Lander

Jim and Julia.
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8/22 ride scenery pic #1

On Hwy 287 south of Lander.
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8/22 ride scenery pic #2

On Hwy 287 south of Lander.
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Cyclist we met today

Mike, a guy from Switzerland who has been living in New York City. He is riding from there to the West Coast.
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Sign in Jeffery City cafe

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Sign in Jeffrey City pottery studio

The little white sign at the top says "At the bar"
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The (our) Top Hat motel in Jeffrey City

It's a little rough.
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Indoor plumbing

Red rubber hose on the floor supplies water to shower/tub and toilet at the Top Hat.
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