Hamilton, MT to Rawlins, WY (Part 2)

On July 31st, Bill rode 44 miles to Grant Village Campground, where he had to finish his dinner in his tent due to the rain. He stayed there because the hotel at Old Faithful was booked. On this day, he went over the Continental divide twice and completed a lot of high-altitude climbing including an 8,261-foot pass and an 8,391-foot pass. As he was leaving Old Faithful, he got caught in a thunderstorm and prepared to ride in the rain and hail by putting on his raingear. About a mile later, the storm stopped, but it managed to short out his hearing aids temporarily.

The next day, Bill made it to the Lizard Creek Campground in the Grand Teton National Park. He enjoyed an afternoon soak in Jackson Lake after getting over the rocky surface and waddling out to the water. He finished his 35-mile day by listening to a ranger presentation on bison, which, by the way, are not buffalo.

Grand Teton Sign

It was 18 miles to Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park, where my dad took a 2-hour, free boat tour provided by the National Park Services and watched movies in the visitor center about the park. It was a casual day.

Grand Teton

Jackson Lake with the Grand Teton in the background.

There was a lot of climbing on the 3rd of August, to Togwotee Mountain Lodge. It rained, but he was happy because he was indoors. It was a good place to stop because it was just before a big climb.

Last of the Grand Teton

The top of the big climb was at 9,658 feet high. On the way down, there was 5 miles of road construction, so the road crew ferried people through the construction site by having a lead pick-up truck carry the cyclist while the cars followed closely behind in one direction. Once everyone was safely across, the pickup truck would lead others in the opposite direction. Bill road 38 miles, but covered 42 miles since 5 miles were in the truck. He ended his day in Dubois, Wyoming, in his tent while there was a storm outside. Also, Bill's observation for the day: if it is raining and the sun is shining, you must be under a rainbow.

Togwotee Pass, the second highest point on the Transamerica Trail.

Dubois Campground

Bill cruised 73 miles to Lander. He took advantage of a strong tailwind that he noticed when he got up. He packed quickly even though his clothes and tent were still wet from the storm and got on the road before 8 a.m. He had a pb&j sandwich and banana for lunch at a rest stop because there wasn't any places to eat. He met an interesting couple and their Chihuahua on recumbent tricycles that had two wheels in front, a seat in-between the two wheels, and one wheel in back. The purpose of their ride was to raise awareness for an organ donor program and they visited someone who received a heart along the way. They advised my dad to stay at a camp the following day in Sweetwater, which he did.
It was 42 miles to Mormon Handcart Historic Site - Sixth Crossing at Sweetwater Station. It was a neat place run by Mormons at the location where a group of Mormons got caught in a blizzard in the 1850s (most were rescued) when they were moving west and after Salt Lake City was established. Teens were dressed up in 1850s attire and were pushing hand carts (they are kind of like rickshaws or wheel barrels, but with the load in back) as part of a camp where they got to experience life like their ancestors did. My dad received dessert and Gatorade, which he greatly appreciated. It was a hot day, and he had used his 3rd water bottle during a 25-mile, 1,400-foot climb.

On the road.

On August 7th, my dad completed 90 miles to Rawlins, Wyoming, where he stayed in a motel.  He originally planned to go to Muddy Gap, but arrived there at lunch time, which was too early to stop.  The next camp was Lamont Camp, which was in someone's backyard.  When he got there, he found a poorly maintained restaurant and no one was there.  He got an orange juice out of the fridge, left a few bucks on the counter, and studied the map.  It was 33 miles to Rawlins, which he assumed would be an easy ride with tailwinds and a good road.  Unfortunately, he had neither.  It was the worst road conditions he had so far on the trip.  There were ferocious crosswinds, which continued to get stronger as the day passed, and it was cold.  It was hard to control the bike, so he just geared down, crunched low to the handlebar, and kept pedaling.  He was happy to finally make it to Rawlins and decided he deserved to stay in a motel.

This is the ceiling at Muddy Gap Service Station, where Bill had lunch. These writings were everywhere - on the ceiling, walls, cabinets, and posts.