A bath. And my first real bed in 3 weeks. Ahhhhh.

Hit Mt. Rushmore early & avoided the crowds. Before hearing that Chris was coming, I was planning on taking a tour or hitching to the monument. Having a car was a real advantage, and I'm still happy with my decision to skip the Black Hills, especially if I had BOB in tow.

We did get one big treat today – bighorn sheep lulling by the road in Custer stste park. Got a couple nice pics.

Going to enjoy the luxury of a bed again tonight, and conquer the Badlands tomorrow.

Day 21 Gillette to Devils Tower – 68 miles

Today, though hot, was a relatively easy day. The first half of the ride was mostly flat, past long, long trains carrying coal (Did you know that Wyoming coal supplies 6% of the world's power?)

The picnic lunch was held in Moorcroft Wyoming, where they had a Jubile Parade going on. Complete with Cowboys on horseback & Shriners and a very refreshing iced cherry-lemonade.

There were a few hills on the rest of the ride, and it was getting hotter. But a cold Pepsi at the one building town of Carlile gave me enough of a boost to haul BOB over the remaing hills. These hills almost magically started sprouting dark pine trees – a dramatic switch from the dry grass of the high plains – the end of the high plains and the start of the Black Hills.

The KOA at Devils Tower had a pool and after throwing in a load of laundry, I joined many of the other cyclists and jumped in. Now that felt good.

Since services are sparse at the Tower, some of the staff threw a party – and my friend Chris made it in time. We joined the party while waitng for the mechanics to finish tuning up Jake – his last professional servicing before my solo effort.

After loading Jake & BOB into the car, I bid everyone my bittersweet goodbyes. I got really attached to this group in the last 3 weeks and we had a lot of fun together. I resisted the many requests to stay on, and am really looking forward to doing South Dakota with Chris' help, and then striking out completly on my own. So, Chris & I left the tower and
my new friends behind and headed to Rapid City.

Buffalo to Gillette, WY 72 miles With BOB.

Today was a hot one. My bike thermometer read 113 in the direct sun. Lots of sunscreen & water made that tolerable. We were on Interstate 90 for 66 of the 72 miles. Easy riding on the big wide shoulders & really very clean – except for the tire debris that claimed my tire.

Yes, I had my first flat of the tour. With over 1500 miles done, I consider that really lucky. In fact, I was reluctant to mention my avoidance of any flats in fear of jinxing my good luck. Others have been getting quite a few. I actually got the flat just before an exit where there was a water stop, and a short distance from there was a tree for some shade. So, after a short walk, I had plenty of water, relief from the sun, & five fellow cyclists offerring pumps, tubes, cookies & moral support. I'm going to miss this group – the camaraderie can really help getting through tough days like yesterday. And there's always somebody behind you to help.

BIG NEWS (& a big surprise): My friend Chris Fahey is picking me up in Devils Tower tomorrow & is going to sag me through South Dakota. That is going to be so great to have help getting through there, especially with the dry heat that's taken over the region.

More on that later. Tomorrow is my last day with the tour & I still have 68 miles to the tower with BOB in tow, & temps are forecast for over 100. Gotta get some rest.

Riverton to Buffalo, WY – 91 Miles, 7600 feet of climbing (ouch)

That's almost double the amount of climbing I've done in one day. The experience was very similar to yesterday's, climbing through the geological layers of Tensleep Canyon. That took us to Powder River Pass after almost 15 miles of continous climbing up 4-7 percent grades. And the scenery again was amazing, and I hope I can get some pics uploaded soon, maybe this weekend.

We had a grand pizza dinner at the Occidental Hotel in Buffalo. Hadeyn, the tour's massage therapist) great-grandfather built the original hotel. This hotel as built in 1880 and has 26 bullet holes in the bar area. If you're ever coming to this area, make reservations. It's a treat not to be missed.

The other treat in Buffalo is the Deer Field Boutique and Expresso Cafe, from where I'm writing this entry. It's a really cool place with a playland for kids, great artwork, live music, and of course great coffee.

Long day and I'm very tired and heading to bed. Tomorrow, we travel 63 miles on I-90 heading to Gillette.

Riverton to Worland, WY 94 miles.

A beautiful, but tough day. We are definitely out of cold country. It only went down to 55, and the tents were dry. Some people slept under the stars, and I'm going to try that tonight, mosquitos permitting. It will save 15 minutes in the morning, and after riding in the heat of the day today, an earlier start is proscribed.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. The cool morning was pefect for riding and the highway out of Riverton was flat & I finished the first 20 miles in little over an hour. The route went down Wind River Canyon, a journey in geologic time. The road signs call out the various eras & how many millions of years ago. The canyon walls were just beautiful; the colors of the rocks changing as the path moved along in time.

The picnic stop was at the end of the canyon, where I arrived at 10:30. I was anxious to get back on the road before it got hotter, but the mechanics wanted to put my new wheel on Jake to get a good break-in period before I go out on my own. So, Jake got a shiny & strong new 'shoe' at lunch, and I was delayed about 45 mins. That didn't matter much because the sun was just so unrelenting, & the terrain so shadeless, that the rest of the ride to Worland was a series of stops to fill up the water bottles and reapply the sunscreen. I had a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup milkshake at Arby's as soon as I made it into town.Mmmmmm, that hit the spot.

Tomorrow, we're told, is the toughest day of the tour, with 8000 feet of climbing (double any previous efforts), and temps again in the high 90s.I plan to be on the road at first light to get a jump on that heat.

Dubois to Riverton 86 miles

1200 miles so far & almost 50,000 feet of climbing.

This part of Wyoming is so different than the Jackson/Yellowstone area we left just yesterday. We're in the high plains, and vegitation and rain are sparse (hasn't rained in a month here in Riverton).

Riverton is quite a bit larger than Dubois & has all the major box stores, so many of us went to Walmart & made photo CDs & restocked our Naproxen & Ibuprofen supplies.

It was a relatively easy day today, but hot – in the high 80s. Tomorrow is to be in the 90s & we're going 100 miles. Need to get an early start to beat the.heat.

Oh, but first another 'small world' story. 0n Sunday, when the new people joined the group, someone said, 'there are more Pennsylvanians here.' They were from Roaring Spring and when I noticed a volleyball shirt on one of them I said if you play v-ball in that area then you know my brother, Dave. He (Gary Smith) did. & I had played with him, too. Hmmm.

Jackson to Dubois — 105 miles.

Brrrrrr. There was ice on our tents this morning, but as we needed to pedal 19 miles to breakfast, we had to get on the bike & get moving. My hands were freezing before I got on the bike. I had almost everything warm on that I brought with me & I was still cold.

The 7 miles into Jackson were torturous, with scowling at every hill that blocked the still rising sun, & rejoicing when the sun rays hit my freezing fingers. I was not quite prepared for this, but I did make it into town & stopped at a coffee shop & got a hot mug to warm my frozen fingers. The coffee, combined with being past the sun-blocking hills made the rest of the trip to breakfast much nicer.

This might be a good point to talk about organized (supported) tours vs. the self-supported tour I'm starting next week. This Cycle America tour has been great. The staff is first-rate, friendly & extremely helpful. Our every need is attended to, be it meals, sleeping arrangements, water stops enroute, sag wagons, routing & mechanical help.

BUT, everything is on a schedule, & there is little room for deviation. So, for example this morning, if I were on a self-supported tour, I would have rolled over in my bag & gone back to sleep until it warmed up a bit. If it never warmed up, I might have stayed in all day. As it was, tent zippers were zipping at 5 AM, waking most everyone up. These are the early birds, or people who know they need extra time to get those 19 miles, and once they're up, only the soundest sleepers can stay asleep.

And while there is a picnic stop and dinner every day, they are at set times for set durations. Of course, you don't have to eat with the tour, but it's part of the package & there's no extra expense on your part, so most people stick to the plan & schedule.

As I said, self-supported, you can make your own, and different decision on when to eat & when to ride, but you are out there on your own otherwise.

Back to the actual riding.

After breakfast, a few people took the off-the-official-route detour around Jenny Lake. It added 10 miles to the trip, but it was definitely worth it. All the locals said it was a "must do" if you'd never been here before. The views of the Tetons were great, and as soon as I can, I'll try to get some pics uploaded.

We crossed Togwotee Pass at 9138 ft. & another crossing of the Continental Divide. We were above the snow line and I hopped in a snow bank and made a snow angel on the 4th of July! Once over this pass, the landscape soon changed. The vegetation thinned and the desert-like features appeared. Also much warmer temps — everything except the basic jersey & shorts were shed. There are some very interesting rock formations that would remind you of the painted desert in Arizona. Horizontal striations (sp?) of different colored rocks — very cool.

Dubois is a cool little western town. We all watched the fireworks and went right to bed after a hard day of riding.

Hi, just taking a minute to post this. No riding today, but I wanted to catch up on a few things I've been noticing but forgot to put in my blog.

1) It's spring in July in Montana & Wyoming. Lilacs, which bloom in PA in May, are just blooming here. Attests to the cold winters that people go through in the high mountains.

2) I crossed the Missouri River for the first time as I was going from Townsend to Ennis. I'll cross it again in South Dakota, many, many miles and a few mountain ranges from here (about 700 miles, I believe).

Remember earlier I mentioned losing track of time? Well I just noticed I misnamed a few entries and it's now day 14, which must mean I'm in Jackson (actually Teton Village), WY.

Stats so far: 1092 miles, three states, 39490 ft of climbing.

I'm writing this at a KOA waiting for my laundry to be done. It's our rest day, and after yesterday, much needed and appreciated.

I left Ashton with the intention of attacking the ride and trying to keep my speed up. Well, rough roads, high winds, and another broken spoke quickly sapped my energy & spirit. The spoke broke about a mile before the lunch stop, and I used a quick but temporary fix to get to
the lunch stop & the mechanics. It took almost two hours to get fixed, and the long term prognosis for the wheel isn't good. It just isn't up to the stresses of carrying the BOB. So, Uri, a truly master bike mechanic, is going to build me a new wheel with a higher spoke count &
better quality spokes. Very reasonably, too. That will make me feel a lot better about heading out on my own next week. Don't want to spend two hours every couple days replacing spokes.

Anyway, while waiting for the repair, there was a fiddlin' contest at the park where our lunch stop was located; part of the 4th weekend festivities. I even got in a few waltzes with some of the locals & other cyclists. That was a welcome little bonus – and the fiddlers were really good, even though I was there only for the 13-17 year olds.

Back to the ride. By the time I got started again, the winds were gusting to 30mph from the SW, & I still had 7 miles going south to just get to the big climb. When I finally got turned to the east & started up the mountain, the wind was mostly at my back. Still, it was a hard climb to 8200 ft, & the air was thin & I was feeling a little nauseous, & noticed my heart rate was really up. But I made it, held my bike up high while getting my photo snapped, survived the hair-raising descent, and had a good night's sleep. Today, a bunch of us are catching the bus into Jackson for some R & R, & tomorrow we take on the rest of Wyoming.

W. Yellowstone to Ashton, ID 57 miles.

It's funny to hear people (& myself) asking what day or date it is. Our
days are so full of riding & not much else.

It was another blissfully pretty day today, & shortly after we left we
reented Idaho at the continental divide (7100') & saw the Tetons rising
in the distance. We went thru Targhee on some of the flatest,
straightest roads I've been on, & passed one spectacular waterfall on
the way, too.

Ashton itself holds not much more than the distinction of claiming to be
the largest exporter of seed potatoes. It does have one of the nicer
school facilities that we've been in, and serves as the staging stop for
our attack on the Teton pass tomorrow – 70 miles, climbing to 8431'
It's going to be a tough day, but I felt really good w/o BOB today & am
looking forward to my first rarified air ride. G'nite!