Day 53 - June 25 - Jeffrey City, WY to Lander, WY - Two Old Guys Take On A Continent

June 25, 2023

Day 53 - June 25 - Jeffrey City, WY to Lander, WY

The Morning After

Ed’s Story

Had a great night's sleep on the air mattress. Didn’t have much to pack up this morning. Breakfast was oatmeal and a peanut butter tortilla with leftover coffee and an OJ. I opted to save my banana for later.

I meant to post this church welcome sign last night.

The ride today was much different than yesterday. It was warmer for one thing with only a slight breeze. Much better riding conditions.

Shortly after we headed out we had our first distant view of what we later determined were the Wind River Mountains. Snow capped they just got bigger as we got closer.

At Ice Slough, not far from the Sweetwater River on the Oregon, California and Mormon trails, covered-wagon emigrants were often surprised to find a thick layer of clear ice buried 8 or 10 inches under a layer of boggy turf. A historical marker on the north side of U.S. Highway 287/Wyoming 789, nine miles west of Jeffrey City and 10 miles east of Sweetwater Station, commemorates the spot. We actually found it. They say that the ice no longer exists.

We continued on our trek and stopped at Sweetwater Station. Our planning showed not much here so we were pleasantly surprised to find a fully equipped rest area including water. Banana 🍌 time.

It was a great rest area about halfway through the ride.

We continued climbing for about 5 more miles when suddenly (although I saw it coming on the GPS) a relatively steep 5 mile downhill arrived.

Even the trucks are being warned of the downhill. There were several signs along the way telling them to use lower gears.

It was an exhilarating ride. I tried to keep my speed under 30 mph. Don’t like fast downhills fully loaded.

More of the same, but on both sides of the road.

Naturally, as soon as we were at the bottom of the hill, we had to turn around and climb up another hill. Luckily, it was only 0.9 miles long and not very steep. I would not have liked to climb up the long hill we just came down.

A little later we’re coming down another hill and John pulls off into a parking area. Not sure what he was thinking; maybe a historical site or a rest area. Turns out it was a staging ground for mountain bike riders.

After we started riding again, John disappeared. I didn’t know where to look. Suddenly there was a road sign that told me where he was at.

We continued riding and eventually got to Lander, WY. We are staying at the Sleeping Bear RV Park and Campground.

After showering John washed the clothes and we cooked a late lunch at the site. We will pick something else up later at the grocery when we go to the brewery.

My derailleur job was going awry the last day and a half. The gears kept jumping. When we got to Lander I took it to Gannett Peak Sports, a local bike shop, where they adjusted the derailleur. Good to go.

Tomorrow we are heading 75 miles to Dubois. We should have a tailwind most of the way. There is really no place to stay between here and there. We plan on staying in Dubois for two days as an early rest period since otherwise we would be doing it at Yellowstone, probably a bit difficult.

We went to the Lander Brewery for some beverages and more food. Attached to the brewery is a restaurant called the Cowfish. The name is based on a real animal found 22 years ago or so.

Until tomorrow happy biking!

John’s Story

Our contribution to the wall of cyclists.

42 degrees this morning but very little wind. The layers peeled off quickly. We walked our bikes away from the church because of the soft sand. It was so much different riding this morning compared to yesterday. You’d think we were on a different planet. The relentless but gradual climb continued.

About 5 miles from Sweetwater Junction we encountered a couple cycling in the opposite direction. They are riding from Seattle to Denver. From there they will fly home to Brunswick, Maine.

Don’t think that Pam and Glen are slackers because they’re only riding halfway across the country. Before they flew to Seattle for this leg of their trip they spent three months biking across Mexico.

So, what did we find at the Sweetwater Junction? The Sweetwater River.

I like the contrast between the modern pickup truck and SUV on the right and the covered wagon on the left.

I’ve been wondering why there are so many mosquitos here. Since Walden, Colorado, we have been beleaguered by hordes of mosquitos at all times and places. Go slow enough up a hill and they find you and start feasting. Heaven help you if you actually stop. What can they possibly be eating besides bicyclists? There are very few cows here and fewer people. Are they carrying away small animals to have their way with them?

Miraculously, about 10 miles southeast of Lander, the mosquitos disappeared. I have not seen one since we arrived here. I hope this trend continues.

Riding northwest all day, we had a snow capped mountain range to our west all day long, which slowly came closer. At the Sweetwater Junction rest area I found a Wyoming highway map and determined that they are the Wind River range. We will be riding parallel to them all day tomorrow.

Wind River Mountains in the distance as we start down a 5 mile long decline. It was an exhilarating ride, which I interrupted several times to take some pictures.

There were small patches of snow remaining in some of the eastward facing gullies on the long ride down. I didn’t think we’d see any snow at this low elevation (6,500’-7,000’).

We have a long way to go to get to the bottom. Like Ed, I tried to keep my speed under 30 mph. At that speed it’s much safer to be in the traffic lane than on the shoulder. Whenever I saw a motor vehicle in my mirror coming up behind me I would veer onto the shoulder to let them by, then veer back into the traffic lane. Fortunately the rumble strips in Wyoming tend to be discontinuous with gaps every 50’-100’ that allow this lane switching without riding over the rumble strip.

Where I come from they call this scenery.

As you’ve probably figured out by now Wahoo GPS units inform us when a notable climb is coming up. A curious (and welcome) phenomenon has presented itself the last few days. The Wahoo shows a much steeper climb than we actually experience. It is using old topographic info and/or the data is coarse enough that it is averaging in the topography on either side of the road not affected by the road building. Road builders out here like to fill in the lows and shave off the highs, making for very smooth, consistent climbs. It’s a relief seeing predicted steepness that isn’t realized.

Mind the gap! The terrain on either side of the road is much steeper than the road itself and is being averaged into the climb elevation profiles.

Notice the two black dots on the shoulder of the hill in the distance. One is Ed and one is Dan from last night. For the first time on this trip we actually caught up with another biker! I saw him leaving the Sweetwater Junction rest area just before we got there and predicted this might happen. Dan and the other three left Jeffrey City about 30 minutes before we did.

Aiden, this one’s for you. I think it’s called a Mormon cricket. For about a mile they were on the road. Not many, but every 50 feet or so.

Editorial correction: Yesterday I referred to triangular shaped rock formations as andirons. Wrong. They are called flatirons. I was tired and my brain was not functioning. In this picture you see flatirons on the left and right sides of the image.

Bright red rock cropped out about 10 miles from Lander. A friend pointed out to me that they are part of an anticline exposed at the surface that can be seen on satellite imagery. An anticline is a fold of rocks about an axis.

Here’s what that red rock looks like from space.

Tomorrow’s a long day. 76 miles and maybe 4,000’ of hills to climb. Better get to bed.

Today's ride: 60 miles (97 km)
Total: 1,557 miles (2,506 km)

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