No Daisies in Wyoming

Yesterday's bike ride from Dubois WY to Lander was a bit warm and harder than expected. I got a later start (about 10:30am) to spend some time updating my blog  and completing other tasks I need to do every few days (I'll blog about that at some point!). I shouldn't have left so late. Sometimes the cycle maps for the ACA Trans Am route are deceptive. The maps are accurate, don't get me wrong... but of course they are a birds eye view and so all the little steep uphills aren't on there. Even though it appears as though the entire day will be a slight downhill, it wasn't. And, take into consideration the headwind. 74 miles of hard biking in heat. Exposed roads. I loved it, don't get me wrong... but my body was just out of it and exhausted by 8pm last night.

Luckily, most of the route for the first half of the day was along the Wind River. I stopped at a beautiful lunch spot yesterday and I may or may not have jumped into the water and I may or may not have worn clothes. Your guess...

Refresh-time!

Refresh-time!

When I got into Lander, I knew there was free camping for cyclists in the city park, and I heard from other cyclists on the road going the opposite direction that there were a great group there... but I couldn't do it. I was exhausted and needed my own space. Good thing because I got in, showered, walked across the street to some diner-like place and ate a huge salad. Came back into room and could hardly take my clothes off to get into bed. Wow- that ride exhausted me! More than any other days so far. The heat. I think I need to keep my mileage at this elevation and in this heat to 50-70 miles/day versus 70-80. So- I'm up early today and I'll get on the road with less wind (not much wind early mornings) to get cooler weather this morning and hopefully take a long break during the day (something I didn't do yesterday). 

Of course in my last blog post I wrote about hitting 41 mph, which I KNEW my parents would read even though I wrote, "Don't tell my mom and dad." Here's my mom's response. Love it:  

 "Downhill at 41 MPH- WOW…glad you told me after…like Dave [my brother] swimming with sharks and bungee jumping in South Africa.

XXMOM"

Leaving Dubois

Leaving Dubois

I haven't seen daisies (my favorite flower for those of you tuning in for the first time) in Wyoming yet. They led the way through Oregon, Idaho and Montana. And, daisies showed up in the most choice locations when I needed a push or inspiration. It's amazing how within a day, the scenery changes drastically. Yesterday I left the Tetons and today I'm in an area that looks very similar to eastern Oregon's high desert. Yesterday I left the smell of pine and here it smells of sagebrush.

Here are some photos from the ride yesterday.

IMG_4763.JPG
IMG_4764.JPG
IMG_4767.JPG
Lunch spot along the Wind River. Very isolated. 

Lunch spot along the Wind River. Very isolated.