High Point (July 9, 2015)

As other cycling tourist  will tell you, seeing the sign in the adjacent photo is definitely a high point in a day's ride.  For me it was THE high point of the past week of riding.

After my visit with Ilene and Larry in Castle Rock, I rode north along the eastern face of the Rockies, passing through Denver and on up to Ft. Collins.  These were easy days.

From Ft. Collins I headed to Laramie, Wyoming ... a 77 mile day.  The high point of the day (actually the low point) started with about 27 miles remaining.  There had been a few light rains interspersed with warm/drying periods, so I had not been putting on my rain jacket and pants.  It began to sprinkle again ... but instead of enjoying a following warm spell, it began to pour.  Thinking it would let-up, I rode on.   Bad decision!  As it continued to pour heavily, I finally stopped to put on my jacket; however, the pants were at the bottom of one of the front panniers.  I did not want to get the contents of that pannier soaked, so I rode on in my (thoroughly soaked) shorts.

The wind picked up and it continued to pour.  Cars were stopping along the road or driving at about 20 mph with their flashers flashing due to the extreme down pour ... I had no where to find shelter, so I continued on to Laramie.  Three hours of this left me shivering and somewhat dazed, but I found a hotel and survived to ride another day.

The following "another day" was a 100 miler to Rawlins, followed by  two 65 mile days to Landers, WY.  Each of these days included periods of heavy rain (for which I was prepared with my rain gear readily accessible).  Wyoming is vast ... but other than earth and things that grow (other than trees), there just isn't anything here ... just mountains and grasslands.

Upon waking this morning in Landers, I intended to load it all up again for a 75 mile day to Dubois (pronounced "Da Boys") ... but just could not get it going, so I am taking an unplanned rest day.

From here, I will be heading to Yellowstone, then to Seattle by way of Missoula.  I am planning to reach Seattle somewhere around August 2nd.  I will be meeting up with Sarah, whom I met last year on the Sierra Cascades ride.  We will probably do a short multi-day ride somewhere in the Seattle/Victoria Island/Vancouver, B.C. area.  I also hope to see Linda and Ned Scarey (ex-sister- and brother-in-law) while in Seattle.

After leaving the Seattle area around August 12th, I plan on riding west and south around the Olympic Peninsula, make a couple of stops in Eugene and Bend, then fly home from Portland around the 1st of September.

But for today, I will be resting ... and for today, that is certainly the high point.