June 26, 2023
When type two fun becomes serious
I’ll try not to sound melodramatic as I summarize todays adventure, but I can’t promise.
The day started out great. It rained and stormed overnight but I heard almost nothing snuggled in my sleeping bag, inside my leased sheep wagon, with my foam earplugs tightly wadded up and stuffed in my ears. By 0530 the sun was out and temps were promising to be perfect for conquering the highest pass I would yet see, Powder River Pass in the Big Horn Mountains …….9600 feet in elevation. On my way out of Ten Sleep I stopped to fuel up on biscuits and gravy and met Ron, a truly hard core cycle tourist. I did not ask his age but would place him in his 70s. He has crossed the country a couple times and been up and down the country top to bottom. He finished his breakfast first and was on his way. When I went to pay I was told Ron had taken care of it! Thank you Ron.
To get to the top of this pass one pedals continuously up an incline that varies from 1.5 to 7% in grade, for thirty miles. That doesn’t sound too bad but add the weight of a fully loaded touring bike and pain comes to mind. It took us 8 hours to reach the summit, but only after being fooled by at least 8 false summits. From there we would have another 30+ miles into Buffalo WY. The weather was great going up…..sunny, 69-70, light breeze, and the sounds of the rushing river we were following as it carved through yet another unbelievable canyon. We even stopped for a great burger at one of the mountain lodges.
Weather at 9600 feet of elevation changes, and sometimes quickly. It was evident by the time we crested the peak that we may be getting wet. We both donned rain gear for what we expected to be a long free ride down the east side if this monster. What we got was a fast downhill for ten miles followed by a series of ups and downs that were morale killers. Did it rain? Yep. A little at first, then a little more, then more….then sleet, then hail. That stuff hurts when you are on a bike.
I ducked into the woods for protection but Ron did not notice and continued on. I figured what the heck and pursued him. The hail got more intense and larger and then Ron ducked into the woods. But I had a good downhill momentum going and thought I should continue. Why not, I was already soaked and the temp had already dropped from 70 to 40 and I was afraid of hypothermia if I stopped. Then the road became encrusted with an inch thick layer of frozen together ice balls making it dangerous to proceed. Besides I was at another uphill grade of 6-7 percent so I jumped iff and started walking…. very fast. I knew I needed to move to stay warm. But the weather went from bad to worse and lighting started lighting up the sky. I decided I needed to get a ride or I may be in serious trouble.
No one would stop. Several empty pickups just slowed down and drove off. So I took maters into my own hands and blocked the road as the next truck approached. A group of five Mexicans jumped out (another Jesus?) and started rearranging their gear in the bed of the truck. They loaded my loaded bike and I got in with it. The bed had a soft cover I could lie under but it was still cold and I was shivering like crazy. They drove me the remaining 18-20 miles into Buffalo at speeds that made me nervous. I expected them to stop and ask where they could drop me but instead they pulled into a gas station and began unloading me and my bike. Only the driver spoke English. When I asked where the Rodeway Inn was, they pointed across the street!!!! The were staying at the quality inn next door and my motel just happened to be right there also. Miracles happen!! They refused payment and said I should just pay it forward and help out the next guy. That may be tough to do because I could easily have become hypothermic and been in trouble. Skinny me has been there twice before and it is not pleasant.
As an aside: what’s with people today. I was clearly in need of help and yet the only ones to stop were from a foreign country. No mater what problems exist along the southern boarder, most Mexicans must be getting a proper upbringing. They saved my butt again.
What about Ron? I called the front desk later this evening and discovered he had sheltered till the storm passed and had just arrived safely……at 2030 hours. That’s a twelve hour bike ride with a real possibility of serious injury.
Tomorrow? I gotta find a bike shop to fix a broken spoke on my rear wheel. It’s on the side with the gears and I did not bring a tool to remove them and make room for a new spoke. I knew I should have but those things are like $40 bucks and one more thing to carry. So a zero day for me while I get the wheel fixed and try to clean my filthy clothes.
Pray for better weather….or at least less life threatening. I’m getting tired of this kinda type two fun.
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Today's ride: 62 miles (100 km)
Total: 1,171 miles (1,885 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 4 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 2 |
I almost starting to laugh thinking about you/your bike standing in the middle of the road w/sleet, ice and rain on a mountain, heck i would have second thoughts about stopping and I KNOW you !! Good to hear that so far you haven't met MS-13 "representatives" ... just how much fun are you having focused on this adventure and not dealing w/all the BS news etc ???? ::-)
10 months ago
10 months ago