We decide we need real food and coffee this morning, so we stop into McDonald's. Bill realized he had forgotten his Garmin at the cabin, so he had to pedal all the way back up the hill we had just ridden down. Turns out he had his Garmin the entire time! It was just hidden down behind a pocket on his handlebar bag. After that little ordeal, we order our food and take our time enjoying breakfast. A hot mocha and a McGriddle later, we take our leave and roll through the streets of Lander. Bob ends up sending us a text later letting us know he saw us leave. I guess he might have actually been up around 7:30AM for once!
Today, the sun is high and bright in the sky and I don't need my long sleeves. The road flows with the rolling hills as we power on. Expansive grasslands broken by rocky out croppings blanket each side of the cracked asphalt road. Several miles into our trip, the sun fades behind the clouds once again. We are enjoying the morning and frequently stopping for pictures along the way. It's not too long before we enter The Wind River Indian Reservation. Unlike other reservations I have gone through, the land is filled with decent looking homes and plenty of good looking farms and ranch lands. Of course there are a few sections of government housing and mobile homes, but that was to be expected. We stop in at their local grocery store to pick up a Gatorade for later and a quick bathroom break. I got some weird looks from the locals while I was waiting for Bill out front. It was pretty entertaining to see a couple of their reactions.
Once we leave, we decide to opt out of seeing Sacagawea's grave in order to beat the growing storm front chasing us. A massive hill led out of Fort Washakie and it took a bit of work to reach the summit. Hufffing and puffing, we admire the view from above and take the plunge down the other side. Herds of cattle and horse lie nestled within the dips of the hills as we fly past. Bill and I take a moment to photograph the the herds grazing among the valley nooks. Bill has to pee but two cyclists are tailing us a quarter mile behind. We start pedaling like madmen and fly up and down the waves of the plains. At one point we catch a tailwind and fly uphill at 13+mph. After a few miles of racing through the reservation, we are positive we lost them and Bill finally stops for a moment.
The hills roll on until we reach the top of a plateau and the valleys open up around us. The Wind River courses through the bottom of the canyon as we watch from our rocky cliff top high above. Along the roadways, we find several panels that share the history of the lands around us. It is a nice touch as we pedal our way toward Dubois. By early afternoon, Bill and I were cruising through canyon valleys reminiscent of the canyons throughout Utah and Arizona. Murals of red, orange, and yellow are splashed through the rock formations lining the winding road.
The rain catches up to us, so we stop momentarily to throw on our rain gear. A few miles in the rain and we end up at a gas station/general store in the middle of nowhere. Bill and I take a break and grab some food before deciding to push on into the rain. The Wind River lies along side the road as we speed through the valley floor. Signs for Big Horn Sheep appear on the roads and we joke about the wildlife as we roll along. It would have been a shame to see one and not have a picture in the pouring rain! We would never hear the end of it, "suuuuuure you saw one". About 8 miles out of Dubois, we get a text from Carol letting us know she had found a place for us to stay in town. We roll on into the humid afternoon, racing for the finish. Bob kept on sending the two of us texts, asking us where we were. Bill and I keep pedaling and pedaling and pedaling. The last few miles seem to take forever.
We reach the city limits sign and Dubois ends up being another mile or so in. We arrive at the local Episcopal church, where we meet Carol, along with two other women cycling west, and a group of boy scouts heading east. Turns out Bob had hitchhiked all the way to Dubois to avoid the rain! No wonder he was texting us! Bob is coolly waiting for us inside when we arrive. After settling in, we all set out to The Cowboy Cafe. It had been recommended several times by a few cyclist and it was worth it. I had a massive plate of country fried steak and garlic mashed potatoes. For desert I had a slice of Apple Rhubarb Pie, which odd as it may sound, was extremely good! All the pies are made fresh daily by a local couple in town.
After dinner, Bill, Bob, and I head out to explore the odd ball little town. Our first stop is a store that was completely themed with jackalopes! Bill took my picture on the back of a giant jackalope and I bought a little keychain for the heck of it. I even have a picture of a jackalope on my door back home! Next stop was a giant bear in the middle of town. It was a ridiculous looking bear, but Bill took my picture with that as well. (As soon as Bill sends me these photos, I will upload them). We stopped by a native American art store and I met the owner. After talking for a little while, the owner decided to show me around his workshop. It was pretty cool to see the workshop and learn a few new sculpting techniques. While on our way back to the church, we find another Daylight Donuts, the same doughnut shop that was in Newton! The donuts were just as good as I remembered them.
When we get back to the church, the girls are playing with Ella and having a good time. All of us settle down and work on little side projects or some writing. Just as we are getting comfortable, the three obnoxious hitchhikers arrive and we make it apparent there is no room in the part of the church we are in. Obviously the other cyclists we met had run into them before as well. The three get pushed into the hall with all of the scouts. Around 10:30PM we are all finished with whatever we were working on and settle down for the night. After a long day on the road, we had an eventful and enjoyable evening. Ella and I appreciate all of your support along our trip and we hope you continue to follow us as we head back into the mountains!
I remember seeing that big buffalo! Great that you found another "free" lodging for the night...and didn't have to share close quarters with the obnoxious ones.
ReplyDelete