One of the best parts about traveling is the people that you meet along the way. The complete strangers that you chat with in the small or large towns that you come across. Experiencing, through conversation, a life so very far from your own. To these people you are just an extra in their movie plot, passing through, never to be seen again. They have their own lives, their own friends and their own troubles. It’s very interesting to be able to be a part of all that, a part of a whole new storyline, even if it’s just for a moment or two.
It’s day 45 into my journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific and I am a little over 2900 miles in. The scenery has made many changes, big and small. It’s amazing going at such a slow pace to be able to notice the subtle changes in terrain, in the trees, plants, and wildlife. It is a gradual one that can go unnoticed if you aren’t careful.
Back in the Great Plains of Kansas, Jenny and I crushed our PR and biked a little over a century. We did about 103 miles on a day that heated up to 103 around the time we were finishing. We awoke early to attempt to beat the heat on a 60 miles stretch where there would be no water. We were successful in doing so but the heat inevitably caught up. The following day on the month anniversary of being out on the road, we celebrated by knocking out another 100 miles. That 100 miles put us past the 2000 mile marker for the trip, even more reason to celebrate! When we rolled up to the city park where we were going to rest for the night we were greeted by a pool that was free to cyclists! It was quite the pleasant surprise and it sure felt great after a long hot day of biking.
Kansas came and went and for the most part the wind wasn’t quite as terrible as was expected. We lucked out in the first half with some tailwinds but the last day or so we got to experience the brutal headwinds along with some poorly designed construction. Single lane roads where you have to juggle dodging the construction trucks along with the asphalt debris that the wind conveniently blows directly into your face. The Kansas heat didn’t abandon us when we left it’s time zone and state behind. The first part of Colorado was just as brutal, if not worse. The scenery changed from prairie land to desert and many new plants and trees began to appear. There also began to be more elevation change as we were headed into the Rockies, slowly but surly, onward and upward.
Another brutally hot day in Colorado that hit the low 100s passed. We did around 90 miles to a very small town that had a post office, a VFW, and a town park that had about three trees for shade, prickly grass, and large patches of dirt. We hung out in the VFW during the remainder of the hottest hours, watching the murder stories on their television. The amazing lady Edna who worked there gave us some dudes leftover pizza, some bean burritos, Doritos and popcorn! She was a wonderful lady and I sure enjoyed talking to her and of course the very delicious free food that she provided.
The following day we made it to Pueblo, Colorado, which is the official half way point of the Trans American Trail. Two of my dear trail friends Sweet Spot and Leaf/Commander made the drive down from Boulder to visit and help celebrate! We all went in on a cheap motel room, our first time paying to sleep anywhere on the road, but well deserved. We also celebrated with some very delicious Mexican food that evening.
After Pueblo is when the scenery really started to change, mountains began to appear in the distance!! It was so surreal to slowly move towards them and watch them grow on the horizon. Especially after being in the plains for so long, it was a welcoming reward. The following day I got to meet up with another trail friend who lived a bit further up the road in Colorado, Tumbleweed. We again enjoyed a very delicious meal from another Mexican restaurant and as always it was awesome to rehash life on the trail with fellow hiker trash. That night we set up camp in the city park but we’re awakened by a flashlight around 11 pm being told we had to leave or we would get tickets for trespassing. We grudgingly packed up our things and moved twenty yards back behind some trees and out of sight, reset up and went back to bed. I was awoken in the morning by a pattering on my tent that sounded like rain, but only came every ten seconds, turns out I had set up right next to a sprinkler.
Early in the day, we climbed a pretty gnarly hill for a mile that was off route to get to a town where we could get some water. There wasn’t much in the town but a small cafe where we ran into a couple other cyclists, Brian and Dave. They offered to buy us a cup of coffee and a danish and we gratefully excepted and chatted with them for a bit. We also ran into some cyclists mountain biking the continental divide trail later on and I got to ask them many questions as I will certainly be getting around to that one in my future. Eventually our day came to a close as we arrived at a very picturesque campsite in Fairgrove, Colorado, right on a gorgeous river with these incredible mountains in the horizon. Jenny had her stuff set up the edge and left for a moment to go the the bathroom. All of a sudden a huge gust of wind came and took her tarp, sleeping bag, clothes, and sleeping pad into the river. With no one else around, I assumed responsibility and fled to the freezing cold mountain river to get all of my companions sleeping gear. The wind took her tarp to a place that will probably never be found. Her sleeping bag and clothes were a bit closer and I was able to grab that quite easily. The sleeping pad, however, was blown out into the middle of the river and was being taken down stream at a rapid pace. Luckily I was able to get to it where the water was only waist deep. She was very skeptical when she came back as it was not a windy day. I think she secretly thought I was out to get her.
We climbed to 11,539 feet via Hoosiers pass the following day. Achieving the highest elevation that will be encountered. The climb was pretty gradual and not too long, but the views from the top were quite insane. Not to mention how beautiful that downhill was, it was like a scene out of a movie. We took a detour up another mountain from Breckinridge to Keystone where we stayed the night at my friend Lauren’s. The mountains surrounding Breckinridge and Keystone are quite beautiful and enormous, it is easy to see the reason many people flock out there.
The terrain again changed the following day as the mountains subsided ever so slightly and the road cut right through these amazing cliffs that took us to our destination of Hot Sulphur Springs. It is named after their natural hot springs and we were able to soak in them for the afternoon which felt absolutely fabulous. There was a free campground right across from the resort, right on the river that we were able to crash at for the night.
The terrain again changed as we climbed up another pass and through a national forest. The pine trees began to thin out and the land really began to open up as the trees up and diminished. We were treated to more natural hot springs upon entering Wyoming and we also stayed with our first warm showers host of the trip in Saratoga. The Kansas winds I was prepared for, but the Wyoming winds are the ones I should have been weary of. Since entering into this great state it has been nothing but headwinds. Winds so vicious and relentless that the top speed upon even going downhill usually ends up around 4-8 mph if you catch them at full gust. Wyoming is another state that I believe is overlooked. With a reputation of being a brown wasteland if you ask some, I have found that to be furthest from the truth. Yes, it has the lowest population of any state and yes, the entire state only has two escalators, but man is it beautiful. Most of the land has remained untouched and it extends for just about eternity. The ranches here are thousands of acres and if you want to see an antelope or any wild life all you need to do is stare off into the abyss for a moment or two. The terrain has been friendly for the most part and the rock formations change by the mile it seems. There are always mountains on the horizon and breezes that will be sure to pull you back to reality if you’re caught day dreaming too much.
After a tough 90 miles of mostly headwind, I arrived at the convenience store that was to be home for the night. It was the only thing for 30-40 miles and a storm was quickly approaching. There was a $10 fee to camp there, which was a bit ridiculous since it was basically just a dirt parking lot. I bargained with the clerk for about twenty minutes but without any luck. I hurried to set up my tent before the storm, which in hindsight I should have just waited out. I set it up just in time and retreated back to the gas station to cook up some dinner. A few minutes into the storm I looked out and my tent was no longer there. I ran out into one of the wildest storms I have been a part of, with winds comparable to being on top of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. Like a dingus, I didn’t nail my tent stakes all the way in so a few of them came up, exposing all of my things to the harsh reality of the storm. I got the stakes in again and ran back to the cover of the store. Two more times I had to run out there to re-stake my tent before I finally just bundled up all my wet items and brought them into the store. The rain passed but the wind persisted throughout the night. I re-set-up my tent in between an abandoned trailer on the lot and the trailer that the clerk lived in to at least attempt to block some of the wind. Our pal Mason, who is touring the country via car and being a dirtbag in various places, met us at this store and we all hung out in his car, away from the wind. My tent blew down two more times before I gathered up all the boulders in the area and pinned down each stake with about 20 lbs, assuring my shelter for the night. Eventually though my things dried and I was able to have a peaceful night of sleep.
Wyoming opened up into the Wind River Mountain Range which is an insane mountain range with about 53 enormous granite peaks extending over 13,000 feet. There have been many beautiful canyons and layers of slanted sedimentary rocks tinted red. We made it to Lander which allows people to camp in their city park for free. There were many people set up there as Lander (on the down low) has some world class, year round climbing. Many people just live out of their vans there for the summer. I met and hung out with some local dirtbags after seeing them set up their slack line in the park. Lander is a super lovely town and all the people that I met seemed very down to earth and all about all things outdoors. Definitely a place I will need to revisit in the future and do some climbing. We met another cyclist who is doing the continental divide bike trail named Christie and were able to have an awesome conversation with her over the dinner she bought us and brought back from the restaurant she went to.
Yesterday was another rough day of headwinds and it was mostly uphill as we climbed higher ever so slightly in elevation for the entirety of the day. Upon arriving in Debois, the church that usually lets cyclists stay there turned us away because there was a group of 36 that was passing through. Luckily Kay, a very lovey member of the church, offered for us to stay the night at her house where we treated to a shower and laundry! We were also invited/allowed to crash the baked potato bar that they were serving to the group of cyclists (36 fraternity guys). I ate quite possibly the best meal of the trip and for the first time in awhile my stomach was satisfied after my meal. Kay whipped us up some scrambled eggs and toast the next morning and sent us on our way to the the Tetons!
Today, June 26th, we climbed 25 miles to the second highest pass on the trip, Togwotee Pass at 9,584 feet. It was a long, gradual climb going up from the East but we were robbed of a good downhill with the prevailing headwinds pushing us backwards. It was also one of those passes that there was a little too much uphill on what was suppose to be a downhill. Alas, there was still a small stretch where no pedaling was necessary and those are always fun! We were soon cruising through the Grand Teton National forest with the Grand Tetons appearing to grow bigger on the horizon. We soon entered the actual national park after a disappointing discovery that in fact cyclists do not enter for free. My brother, Ryan, made up for the fact that he is not visiting me by putting me in touch with a college buddy of his who lives in the park here and is letting us crash with him. It is incredibly beautiful and I am looking forward to exploring the park.
Jenny made a comment about the vastness of the ranches in Wyoming, she asked if I could imagine being a cow and having all that to roam. I thought about it for a second and replied that we are cows and we do have all that to roam. Silly analogy but a true one, this world is as vast as it is beautiful.
Until next time friends, be kind to our earth, one another, and yourself.
Much love,
Lynne Wummel
