I left Pinedale late in the day riding a fierce tailwind. There are few things more fun than being blown down the road at twice the usual speed. I made it to a great flat campsite 40 miles away and got to use my new sleeping pad for the first time. It was a great nights sleep, disturbed only a little by the horses that came by to check me out in the night.
The Great Basin is 130 miles of empty country that runs from Atlantic City to Wamsutter near the Wyoming state line. It is desolate and beautiful and I was lucky to spend the night right in the middle of it once I had filled up with water at the only source on the route. I picked up some cell coverage at my campsite and was able to chat with son in law Ryan and exchange texts with Karen in France.
Another days ride brought me to Wamsutter, a truck stop town on the highway. Following what would become a pattern, I got the last hotel room available in town and was able to do laundry in a machine for the first time on the trip.
At 4:00 am the next morning I was in a 24 hour gas station, filling up on coffee and calories for the days ride into Colorado. I developed a liking for these places- they have all kinds of calories available to you all the time. My decisions to get food were always based on how close they were to me and the route- it didn't matter what it was as long as it was nearby.
Sunrise on the Wyoming plains.
I loved greeting my shadow as the sun hit me in the morning.
On to Colorado and Brush Mountain Lodge
Brush Mountain Lodge is a haven for bikepackers right along the Tour Divide. The owner is very welcoming and there was a contingent of folks to hang out with and tell trail stories. It was a social night- a rare thing for me on this trip and it woudn't happen again for weeks. Most of the time I was alone, whether riding, camping or even trying to fall asleep at 8;00 in my hotel room so I could get up at 3:30am. I have to say I was alone but not lonely. I have never done a bike tour on my own so I didn't know what would happen with days and weeks with only my own company. It was liberating and somehow very focused at the same time. My goal was clear and every thing I did each day was toward the days goal of getiing farther south. We talk a lot about living day to day- I think the reason I finished this tour is that I was living moment to moment, with no other thought in my head than what the next mile might bring and when and how I could rest eat and recover enough to do it again.