June 28, 2005
Day 42: Sunbeam to Rock Springs
Big day ahead - 100 miles! I was up at dawn hoping to beat the wind, but there still was a slight westerly breeze. It really is nice to camp amid the sagebrush - especially the next morning when the air is sage-scented. The road was perfectly empty. I topped out on the draw and had a long, leisurely ride down to Vermillion Creek. I got some water at the county road shop just past the bridge. The guy who works for the county lives there with his mom. He wasn't there, but she said, "Sure!"
Then I started up Irish Canyon just as the weather started getting wild. Awfully early in the day for the weather to be getting bad. The canyon was stark and brutally dry, but the clouds made it cool. The wind was howling - mostly pushing me along - but coming around a bend I'd get slammed, too. I stopped for a break at the campground. Had brunch. Pilfered some water from the tanks beside the Fish & Game trailer.
The rest of the ride in Colorado was on dirt - and quite a roller coaster. Plus the wind was a side-sometimes-headwind. When I got to the border, the pavement of Wyoming was most welcome. I had a diagonal tailwind if headed north, but a killer headwind if headed west. The lower section of Salt Wells Creek is lined with high, white bluffs which took my mind off the wind, the occasional rain shower, and how tired I was getting.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
The last 15 miles were into the wind with two good-sized climbs, but I made it. I soon found out there were hardly any motel rooms available in Rock Springs - even though it was only 4:00 in the afternoon - all the oil and gas drilling. Ended up getting one for $70 - and the tiles were peeling off the bathroom walls! Oh, well. Stopped by the grocery store, called my sister and sister-in-law, and watched PBS until midnight.
Today's ride: 102 miles (164 km)
Total: 2,156 miles (3,470 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |