DAY 17
Dubois to Riverton WY
July 2
Distance:  79 Miles Climbing:  1220 Feet Winds:  Nice 10 MPH tailwind for the first half then a pesky 5-10 headwind for the final 30 miles
Weather:  Sunny and warm/83 high Terrain:  Dropping overall, rolling

Today's Report: 

For all those who are following our progress and thinking about riding with us someday, eat your heart out...you're missing a great ride now!  Just when we think we've had the perfect day, along comes a day like this.  Everyone really enjoyed today as the terrain dropped overall from Dubois to Riverton, we had helping winds for a while, and moderate temperatures...not to mention the scenery.  The departure out of Dubois was beautiful...I was sweep and I spent all morning bouncing around the group to take photos.  The early morning shadows on the weathered landscape made for some beautiful photo memories of our trip.  At one point we dropped into a red rock canyon that was eye popping.  Sometimes it's hard to ride through an area like this without running off the road.

Our route today was highway 26 all the way to the motel in Riverton...a navigational dream even for the most navigationally challenged.  Ninety percent of the time we had a nice shoulder and the traffic was almost non-existent.  Most of the day we followed the Wind River Valley that provided greenery for pastureland...that and large ranches were the scenery of the day for the early portion.  As we got closer to Riverton, we found ourselves in high desert with sage and sparse population.  The only town, if you could call it that, between Dubois and Riverton was Kinnear and it only had a population of 44.  When I stopped at their small convenient store, I think half the people who live there were in it.  You've got to love solitude if you live out here.  I really love riding through this area, but I don't think it would be too much fun to have a steady diet of this type of riding...only 1 paved road through here.

Everyone was in good spirits during the day...the riding has just been too good.  They needed a relatively easy day before tomorrow's tough 120...tonight they need to rest because no matter how good the winds might be, 120 miles will make them ready for the day off in Casper...but that's tomorrow...tonight we feast and rest.  As I sign off, we are under a severe thunderstorm watch but by tomorrow morning it should be clear in a million...don't mind at all if it's over by morning.  See you tomorrow.

PHOTOS AND SUCH

HEARD TODAY:

"Today was a lot better...the oxygen molecules are so much closer together than they were at the divide yesterday."

"This is bicycle Mecca!" 

"Downhill, downwind, and sunny skies...what could be better?"

"I thought yesterday was the most beautiful day I'd ever been on a bike, but today was right up there."

"Mike, I thought this was a self cleaning bike...it's such a nice bike, I thought they built that into it."

"I made fun of Ed when he had his flat...the cycling Gods have no sense of humor; I got one a short time later."

"I managed to stay upright all day!"
"Yeah, but you have 120 miles tomorrow to make up for it."

As Mark was helping the wait staff by filling coffee mugs, he realized he's not as high as he's accustomed to being on the food chain in this neck of the woods.

Tom pointed out that there was room for himself and 89 of his friends in the bathroom.

Does this count as a Moose sighting?

Most of the best scenery was behind the riders in the early morning.  The ones who stopped and looked back were rewarded with postcard views.

 

Another example of rearward vistas.

 

%$%$#@$#$#%!!!!

Decisions, decisions...120 miles tomorrow, bring it on.

 

It took Larry and I to hold the door open against the wind so we could shuttle to dinner.  Hey, isn't Casper in the direction that wind's coming from?

 

Tom was as perplexed as we were.  But after we had Dave's inner ear cleaned out, the list to the left was cured. 

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