I am now in Wyoming, the Cowboy (or Equality) State. This place is massive, with a population of only half a million. It is common here to have ranches of over 100 000 acres! As we were taking photos of the state sign, two cowboys came over to talk with us as they were herding cattle.
The landscape has changed again to a high desert. We are about 2000m high on the valley floor, but it is dry with no agriculture. It is amazing how quickly the scenery changes in the USA. You look down at your handlebars, next thing is, you are in a new environment. It is amazing. It is still hot, but the nights are very cold, and I have found out that my ancient sleeping bag has lost a lot of insulation! Slept the other night in long johns and a down jacket.
Colorado was great and the views spectacular. It was lovely riding through pine forest valleys winding next to rivers. We spent one night in a place called Hot Sulphur Springs and relaxed in the hot baths (all in the name). I also washed in the Colorado River, which I believe forged the Grand Canyon.
We have seen a number of cyclists and have spent a couple of days bumping into a group of about 10 who are supported. But most impressive of all was a young lad called John who I met the day before yesterday. He is from Kodiak, Alaska (Google if you do not know where that is), and had never left the island before! He has just left high school and is cycling to his new college in Orlando, Florida. Between Anchorage and Vancouver there is nothing and he went for 5 days sometimes without seeing a soul (except for a few Grizzlies). All this on a racing bike and a homemade trailer. Puts my trip into perspective and what an inspiration. I wish him all the best.
Today we have made it to Rawlins. We had to cycle along an interstate for a bit, which was interesting, particularly when Laura got a puncture! Last night we camped by a lake at Saratoga, which except for the mozzies was great. It was a refreshing end to the day. There was also a short, but very strong, wind gust which nearly took out tents. In Wyoming, the winds are described as 'variable' - in other words, they are constantly changing direction and strength - not fun for the cyclist. This usually happens in the afternoon, so we are thinking about going back to early starts to avoid them.
I saw a bald eagle the other day, the symbol of America, so that was pretty cool. We hope to by in the Tetons and Yellowstone in 4/5 days, so really looking forward to that. May get to see some bison and bears finally!
So, all in all everything is going great. As I have said before, everything here is just massive!
Thursday, 12 July 2012
Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Sunday, 8 July 2012
Meeting with the Mayor
Last night was cold - a mixture of altitude and storms - and I had to put on my beanie hat for the first time!
We stayed under a shelter in the town of Hartsel and were surrounded by mountains. If you have seen a documentary called Ride the Divide (about the great divide mountain bike race) the town features in it, so that was quite cool. I was tucked in my sleeping bag by 8pm, but kept awake by coyotes.
This morning we found a bar for breakfast that had the Wimbledon final. I really feel sorry for Murray.
So, if you have seen my latest photos you will know that I have crossed the Continental Divide, i.e. the watershed now flows into the Pacific. We also reached our highest point on the route. The climb was not too steep, but the air was noticably thin, and that made it tough. The scenery was spectacular and there were still patches of snow on some of the summits.
At the top, we ran into a man called John, who had climbed up from the other side on his racing bike. While talking, we asked if he knew about camping at Breckenridge (world famous ski resort). Next thing is we are invited to stay at his house, plus he's the Mayor of Breck! What an amazing show of hospitality - three smelly bikers invited to stay in a beautiful mountain house. It is encounters like this that make this trip awesome!
Breckenridge is a cool town - very outdoorie. There are hikers, cyclists, climbers, etc, and we ran into a stunt bike event (see photos). I like this place a lot and I bet it is awesome in the winter.
So as I write this, I am lying in a luxurious double bed with breakfast ordered for tomorrow. Who said cycling across the USA would be tough?!
We stayed under a shelter in the town of Hartsel and were surrounded by mountains. If you have seen a documentary called Ride the Divide (about the great divide mountain bike race) the town features in it, so that was quite cool. I was tucked in my sleeping bag by 8pm, but kept awake by coyotes.
This morning we found a bar for breakfast that had the Wimbledon final. I really feel sorry for Murray.
So, if you have seen my latest photos you will know that I have crossed the Continental Divide, i.e. the watershed now flows into the Pacific. We also reached our highest point on the route. The climb was not too steep, but the air was noticably thin, and that made it tough. The scenery was spectacular and there were still patches of snow on some of the summits.
At the top, we ran into a man called John, who had climbed up from the other side on his racing bike. While talking, we asked if he knew about camping at Breckenridge (world famous ski resort). Next thing is we are invited to stay at his house, plus he's the Mayor of Breck! What an amazing show of hospitality - three smelly bikers invited to stay in a beautiful mountain house. It is encounters like this that make this trip awesome!
Breckenridge is a cool town - very outdoorie. There are hikers, cyclists, climbers, etc, and we ran into a stunt bike event (see photos). I like this place a lot and I bet it is awesome in the winter.
So as I write this, I am lying in a luxurious double bed with breakfast ordered for tomorrow. Who said cycling across the USA would be tough?!
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