June 30, 2005
Day 44: Big Sandy River to Hoback River
It was a very chilly night - so I didn't get moving until the sun was fairly high.
Traffic was still fairly bad - trucks galore - carrying pipe, equipment, and liquid natural gas. Plus all the workers in their new Ford F-250, 4WD, extended cabs. I saw very few antelope, but hundreds of drilling pads - plopped across the wide-open landscape like pimples on the high desert.
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Fortunately, the wind was gone and the view of the Wind Rivers - with their late-spring snows - was spectacular. Stopped at the Boulder Store for some snacks and water. Just past Boulder I met two young guys biking the Continental Divide Trail north to south. We traded stories - mud, mishaps, and breakdowns - then I headed on to Pinedale for a nice break.
I stopped for a huge lunch by the creek at the town park. I talked to Colleen back at the house in Buffalo for maybe a half-hour. Again, I put off leaving because of the wind - although it wasn't as bad as yesterday's. Finally I headed west and made it ten miles to Daniels Junction where I had a giant ice cream cone. The wind picked up - so I stopped again at Warren Bridge.
I picked a whole bunch of sagebrush and made a smudge for Abby. As usual, I found myself riding in the evening. The winds had died down as had the traffic. A soft glow highlighted the Gros Ventre Mountains. Once over the Hoback Rim, I had planned on zooming down towards Bondurant, but heavy highway construction made for tough going. The road surface had been ripped up and the dirt and gravel were loose. I decided to push on until dark to get through this section and found a quiet section of the old road where I pitched my tent next to the rushing Hoback River.
Today's ride: 95 miles (153 km)
Total: 2,309 miles (3,716 km)
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