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Day 49 - 56 Coast To Coast 1999 by Eric K. Andersen (click on images to see larger pictures)
Day 49 Silverthorne, CO I followed the flow of the Blue River down to the Green Mountain reservoir and had lunch overlooking the water in Heeney. It was mostly downhill with a little bit of wind. After lunch the wind picked up and rain clouds hovered over the mountain sides. I could see the rain falling but it never reached me. In Kremmling I reunited with the Tandem Teachers, Larry, Jason and met Chris whom the TT's had met back in Kentucky. He had gone off route to visit friends and was now back on heading west. We all ate dinner together and stayed at the Hostel in town except Chris who braved the mosquitoes in the town park. Chris made the right decision. The hostel was overpriced and the mattress was horrible. It turned out that the mosquitoes weren't that bad either. Total Miles: 45
to the top of Muddy Pass with the TT's where we stopped for lunch.
As we were finishing, some riders from Oklahoma stopped. They were
doing 100 mile days which is a concept I don't understand. There is
no point in rushing this journey. Especially in this part of the country.
It's a pleasure riding through the valleys surrounded by snow capped peaks
and the weather couldn't be better. We all spent the night camped in the
city park in Walden and went out to dinner together. The waitress
at the Teapot Cafe entertained us with stories and jokes about other riders
who passed through town. Later I went to the Stockman Bar to watch the Knicks.
The bartender turned on a big screen TV in the back of the bar for me before
she drove a patron home who had a few to many. It was only 8 o'clock.
Total Miles: 62
Day
51 Walden, CO The Oklahoman's got up early to
make their miles and the TT's and I stopped in town for some pastries
and conversation with the locals before heading out. At a store on the
way we caught up to Chris who ironically knew someone who worked in the
little store we stopped at. One of the Oklahomans who slept late came
into the store in a sweat. He was anxious to catch up to his friends.
They never told him where they were going to stop for the day. We told
him he should take it easy and ride with us. He bought a Gatorade and
hit the road. (I never saw the Oklahomans again.)
Once
again the weather and scenery were spectacular. Ranchers could be seen
in the distance herding cattle. The road climbed between thunderclouds
before dropping into Wyoming. We got into Encampment
in time to catch the rodeo. Finally I was in the right place at the right
time to catch a local event. It 
was
a real rodeo complete with corny announcer jokes, Bar B Q, children wearing
cowboy garb and sequined rodeo queens. As we were leaving the fairgrounds
we were approached by two people who asked us if we needed a place to
camp. Chris and Mary were also bikers and they were staying at Mary's
grandmother's house nearby. The had seen me on the road back in Dillon,
CO. They invited us to camp on the lawn and use the shower. We gratefully
accepted, pitched our tents, cleaned up and went out for pizza and ice
cream. Total Miles: 51
Day
52 Encampment, WY This morning we bought Chris
and Mary breakfast at the IOOF club's pancake breakfast before heading off.
In Saratoga Springs we found the hotspring and went for a quick early soak.
As we were leaving town via Six Mile Hill the mosquitoes attacked. There
was no wind and I could see dozens of them on Hob and Deb as we pedaled
and swatted our way to the top.
Once we reached Walcott the route took I-80 for about 13 miles. This is
the only stretch of the Trans-America Trail that uses the Interstate. As
we were looking for a cheap motel in Rawlins
we bumped into Larry. He escorted us to the old penitentiary
where he had arranged for us to "stay". After being whisked
into paying for a quick tour, I found out that the accommodations were camping
on the lawn and having access to the bathroom (no showers). After seeing
the mosquitoes this afternoon I opted for a motel on the highway and a meal
at a decent restaurant. Total Miles:
63Day 53 Rawlins, WY "I'm
a thousand miles from 
nowhere,
time don't matter to me. I'm a thousand miles from nowhere and there's
no place I gotta be". Dwight
Yoakam's song went through 
my
head as I passed through the wide open spaces of the Great Divide Basin.
The Continental Divide splits and forms a basin where water can not flow
out. It creates a dry arid bowl and a home for wildlife. You must
cross the divide to enter it and again to leave it. Antelope could be
seen running through the basin. The TT's caught up to me early in the
day and we picked up sandwiches in Lamont that we ate later at a service
station in Muddy Gap. After Split Rock, a landmark on the Oregon
and Mormon Wagon trails, the wind picked up. Lightning clouds started
sweeping across the valley, their dramatic strikes streaked towards the
earth. I fought the strongest wind I'd experienced so far and made
it to Jeffrey City beaten. I got a cheap motel room at a motel that
didn't even look like it was open. I ate dinner in one of the two places
to eat in this once booming uranium mining town that was home to 50,000
miners and again caught a Knick's playoff game at the local bar. I had
the whole place to myself. The wind howled all night long.
Total Miles: 69
Day
54 Jeffrey City, WY "You
can sit here all day and wait but the wind won't change" said a guy
hanging out at 
the
gas station this morning. The wind howled through the night and
continued strong into the morning. It blew from the west as the
road headed north west and continued for the next 18 miles to Sweetwater.
At least the mosquitoes weren't biting. The wind got even stronger
until reaching the top of Beaver Rim and a nice long beautiful downhill.
As I came into the pretty town of Lander,
I saw Larry and joined him for some excellent BBQ. Later we all camped
in the city park under rows of tall trees. Total
Miles: 47
Day
55 Lander, WY Traveled
through th
e
Wind River Indian Reservation this morning with the TT's and Chris. The
wind was light as we passed by Crowheart Butte,
but after lunch it picked up again. The scenery was outstanding with red
rocks and raging rivers filled with snowmelt. I made it to Dubois in time
for the usual drill: a motel room, pizza and the Knicks (yes again!).
Total Miles: 76
Day
56 Dubois, WY Back in
Jeffrey City four guys heading east had told me about four college girls
that were behind them. We joked that we'd see Dugirls in Dubois. We were
close. As Chris, the TT's and I climbed Togwotee pass we passed them coming
down. After 20 miles of climbing we stopped at a lodge for a break
and Chris and I snoozed on the porch
as the TT's chatted with another eastbounder. At the top of the pass we
met more riders going the distance including two girls from New Yo
rk
who also quit their jobs to make the trip. That night I had my last dinner
with the TT's since they planned to go off route to visit a friend on the
western side of the Teton Range. We camped at a Forest Service campground
and were eaten alive by swarms of mosquitoes as we hurriedly set up our
tents. Total Miles: 48|
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