Today I returned to where I left off yesterday. I was approximately 12 miles south of Saratoga WY when the super wind gusts ended my ride yesterday. What a difference a day makes. The winds were much calmer making the ride much safer. Not too long into my ride I ran into Blair and Richard who were traveling the TransAm bike route eastbound. We discussed our journeys and shared some difficulties for our perspective directions. I will be sharing my route to help them navigate their travels east. They had questions about traveling through the plains and eventually getting to the Erie Ohio Trail. I don’t expect them to follow my exact route but it’ll give them some idea of how I approached that portion of the ride. The ride back into Saratoga was quick because the wind was more at my back and I made quick work of it. Rolling out of town crossed over the river and saw rafters floating and enjoying the early morning sun.
The road out of town was pretty straight and it quickly emptied into a wide open basin of a whole lot of nothing. The temperatures again were very high ultimately reaching 107. Along another straight away as I stopped to fill up my water bottles and just talk to Lisa Marie, another eastbound rider came by. Paul was from California. Paul confirmed the next 4 to 5 days would be a challenge out in virtually the same terrain as we were looking at. He was looking forward to getting into town and getting some cold water and a bite to eat. We asked if you needed any water but said he was all set. Lisa Marie liked the fact that we look like twins in our high Viz vests. Our conversations were short because the heat was too much and we both had to keep moving. The road undulated and there was very little traffic, and very little scenery. After about 32 miles I came to interstate 80 where my route would take me due west to Rawlings. This was the only option available and I did not see it until a couple of days ago. I looked to see if there was another option that did not exist. If I was solo I most likely would have ventured out to cover the eleven miles to my destination. But let’s not let pride get in the way. I had options and I took it. Lisa Marie and I drove the remainder of the interstate to our final destination. That was clearly the most dangerous section of road that I’ve seen my whole trip. Believe it or not in Wyoming cyclists are allowed to ride the Interstate. That’s nice – I’m not doing it. So today was a shorter day but tomorrow should be anything but. We had a great time connecting with people back home in a small group, and later had a wonderful dinner at Michael’s restaurant. Based on the information from the different riders, I don’t expect to see much in the next few days regarding scenery. I expect it will be put your head down and try to knock out the miles as quickly as possible. Again because Lisa Marie is here the options are so much more. All and all the trip has been great and it sure is nice to have company.
Insights from Lisa Marie
Today was all about the many miles of cattle and brush. No trees and many miles of well pretty much nothing. Today I first am so glad I love to read and second my first 2 books have been great! I finished The Women in 2 days and now am well into The Fire Keepers Daughter by Angeline Boulley. Love that this book is set in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in Sault Ste Marie. But I digress….
It was great to see Interstate 80 as this meant the ride for Norm was almost done. Today was again hot at 107 and windy. We arrived to Rawlins, Wyoming around lunchtime and today we comfortably rested in a Marriott😁. Ate a fantastic dinner at Michael’s Steakhouse where we met the owner. Michael has kept his parents restaurant going which was established 26 years ago and rebuilt after a fire in 2009. He was a great guy to talk with and definitely a 5 star place to eat.