Days 24 to 26

I added two missing days to my last post, so you may want to read those first.

Boulder to Atlantic City:

I don't have much to say about this day. 20 miles of pavement then 62 of dirt through some desert-like but scenic area.

Some friendly horses that came to the fence to be petted:

Back to the sagebrush:



Lunch break while filtering some water:

High on a windy ridge:


Atlantic City, where I spent the night at an RV campground:


Atlantic City to A&M Reservoir:

This day and the next were through one of the more remote areas of the route but water turned out not to be as much of an issue as I thought it might based on earlier research, possibly since the temperatures were quite reasonable when I went through. After the first 20 miles to Diagnus Well I had lunch there while filtering 6 liters to cover the next 60 miles. I ended up only drinking about 3.5. I had almost half a dozen vehicles, mostly ranchers, pass me throughout the day, so I wasn't totally alone out there.

Entering the Great Divide Basin:


It's always good to see others are on the route:


Diagnus Well visit:

Ugh, I have a really good video but it exceeds size limits for this site, so all you get is a picture of creative loading of some extra water.

Some thunderclouds that hovered 1-3 miles from me for about 3 hours:


Midpoint:

Foiled by size limits again. I took a celebratory video when I was exactly 63.5 miles from Atlantic City and the same distance from Rawlins.

Antelope:



I expected to be alone at my destination but instead was very happy to find a 15 or so person organized bike tour group from the Adventure Cycling Association.  They invited me to finish up some leftovers they had from dinner.


These tours are a great option for anyone who wants to do something like this but doesn't want to have to take care of everything themselves. Their group leaders take care of navigation for the day, all food/meal prep, arranging accommodations for each night, and providing help with any mechanical issues. They are pricey though, something like $7,500 for the 64 day Great Divide Route.

Evening view from my campsite:



A&M Reservoir to Rawlins:

The ACA group was up early and on the road about 30 minutes before me, except for one of their team leaders who was intentionally at the rear to support any stragglers in their group.

After only about 15 miles I hit pavement again but it was as far as I can tell un-used road. I spent 2.5 hours and 25 miles on it without seeing a single vehicle. The only folks I saw were two riders who were camped at A&M Reservoir with me the night before.


ACA group leader and Dave (dot on the right):


Rare full shot of myself:


Nearing the end of the deserted road and the much busier Wyoming hwy 287:


Along hwy 287:


Hitchhiker who rode with me the last 5 miles into Rawlins:


Color TV by RCA!!! Who can refuse a motel with amenities like that?  Besides, the ACA group had reserved all the tent sites at the KOA.


Artwork outside my motel:



Since I was done very early (by 2:30) I took the opportunity to hit a restaurant, shop for food, and get laundry done.  I have also been eating more or less constantly from then until now (8:45 pm) as I finish this post.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Days 18 to 23

Image
I am spending tonight at a motel in Boulder, Wy. After three days of evening thunderstorms I am taking a break to dry everything out, shower, and take care of some equipment issues. I spent several hours in Pinedale today doing laundry, replacing a failed air mattress and failed hydration pack, and doing some food shopping for the next stretch. Tomorrow I should reach Atlantic City, Wy. After that is probably the most challenging section of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route from a water management perspective. The route goes from there to Rawlins through the Wyoming Great Basin. It's 130 miles of dirt roads with zero towns or services.  There are two reliable water sources along the way (Diagnus Well and A&M Reservoir). It should be interesting. Pictures and comments for the last few days appear below. Lima to Upper Red Rock Lake, MT: Video leaving Lima (pronounced like the bean): Saddle issues (fixed with some zip ties and tightening some bolts): Although most of the day wa...
Read more

Days 41 to 44

Image
Day 41: Abiquiu to just past top of un-named pass about 30 miles south This day was the hardest of the entire route.  Indiana Pass was a close 2nd.  Because of a flat the day before, and finding out that the glue in both of my patch kits had turned to rubber, I left Abiquiu with pretty minimal options for fixing flats.   Leaving Abiquiu the route has an almost uninterrupted 5,200 ft climb to the top of an un-named pass.  The start is mild but miles 5 to about 10 were very steep and hot.  I rode that section with another rider named Graham, up until the point when I got another flat.  Not sure whether I failed to remove whatever caused the flat the afternoon before or if it was a new issue.  I tried to patch the tube with a generic auto/motorcycle/bike patch kit I had picked up in Abiquiu but it did not work.  The patch clearly was not sticking and just peeled right off.  So I went to a back-up option.  I used the only bottle of seal...
Read more

Days 27 to 30

Image
Rawlins, WY to Slater, CO Before leaving town I picked up a couple of days of food. The first ten miles or so out of Rawlins were paved. After that was a long stretch of dirt/ gravel roads, ending with 15 miles or so of pavement into Slater.  Slater was right on the WY/CO border. The cabin I rented for the night was in CO but the house 50 feet away was in WY. The terrain was insanely hilly all day long. I'd spend 15 minutes crawling up some hill, then spend the next two flying down the other side. The scenery was worth it though. Two days of junk food: Roller coaster: Finally some dirt: Random shots along the way: An area called "Aspen Alley": Descending into Slater: $40 cabin rental: Slater to Steamboat Springs  The scenery and the cool weather this day were wonderful but the day included a nasty little climb called Watershed Divide. Up until the last 2 miles I thought I'd be writing about the easiest almost 10k foot climb I ever did, then out of nowhere popped some ...
Read more