I have lost track of the number of people who have told us that we are going the wrong way. I always laugh and give my reasons, some of which are posted here, and say that it hasn't been so bad. Truly, it hadn't. Throughout the flats of Kansas we had a south-southwest wind. I figured that if we did experience bad headwinds, they would be the west wind, the zephyr, in the unending flat plains of the middle country as we headed due east. Wrong.
Our first chance to put our teeth to the wind came in the Rockies, as a serious north headwind slowed us to a crawl of 5 mph on flat ground. Now, in the high desert of Wyoming, I finally feel like I'm going the wrong way. We are bearing NW throughout the entirety of the state, from corner to corner, and we have ceaselessly contended with strong, steady NW headwinds. It is too late now to turn around and go the other way, but it is worth noting that for all my brave talk, the wind is still going the wrong way.
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Rain
The forecast for scattered showers and thunderstorms for the whole day, so I made sure my panniers' rain covers were secure, and dried off during the dry periods. But the wind started to pick up- guess what direction- and I watched as a large flashing cloud made its swift approach. In the flatlands, you can tell which clouds in the distance are precipitating. You can see a hazy veil beneath the cloud that looks like a windblown curtain. This one had a wall.
I put on my rain coat and soon enough it hit, rain lancing my face and body. The wind was so strong every raindrop felt like a needle stab, through my clothing. In spaces between towns in Wyoming, there are no buildings or trees to offer even minor protection. So bowed was my head to protect my eyes, I could only see three feet ahead of my bike. After no more than two minutes of this I succumbed, pulling off to the side of the road and sitting with my back to the wind. Thunder boomed, and I felt truly helpless as the greatest extent of protection I could offer myself was to sit down and let my back bear the pain.
This is called Type II Fun. Look it up.
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I am writing this from the Lander Public Library and I have traveled 3956 miles.
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Recent Highlights:
- Staying with the Hettlemen's in Fort Collins for ten days, very fun people and a very fun town.
- Pulling in late one night to the O'Tooles in Laramie, WY, to a huge baked-potato supper after traveling a full day's ride starting at 12 pm
- Camping one night in a mysterious crop circle in 10-foot high grass one night, and the next night in the high desert, nothing taller than my knee for miles around.
- This last highlight requires some backstory. Since Virginia, we have been 2-3 days behind a fellow cyclist named Chelsea. We know this from log book entries and east-bound riders. We have been trying to catch up since Virginia. In the 3956 miles that I have been travelling, I have met just one other rider going the same way as me, and her trip ended after 300 miles. Despite our efforts she kept pace ahead of us, and we finally let our hopes die when we detoured to Fort Collins for 10 days so Alexander could see his sweetheart. Imagine our surprise when we get back on the road and a east-bound cyclist tells us that Chelsea is only two days ahead of us! She must have stopped in the Denver-Boulder-Fort Collins area, same as us, for the same length of time. Our hopes rekindled, we hope to meet her yet.
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The views are so majestic and grand in scope here that I haven't even tried to photograph it. I feel like I diminish it just by trying. That said, here are a two photos.
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| An antelope skull |
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| From our highest point before we dropped down to Fort Collins |
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