Cycling 5000 km, from Banff in Canada to the US-Mexican border, raising money for MS research.
Pinedale > 15 KM past Little Sandy Creek
I woke up early so I could pack all my things properly and put them on my bike (food for 4 days!) and to use the free breakfast service the motel offers. Well that was fine, nothing wrong with that. So I went on my way with a full bike and a full stomach, the next place I will be able to buy grocery’s again is Rawlings, 4 days travel from here. In between is a great void.
But when you leave Pinedale, after about 15 of 20 KM you’ll pass a little hamlet called Boulder.
A few houses and a motel, a gas station and a bar annex grocer. I checked if I didn’t miss anything for the next 4 days. No I didn’t. I bought a 1-litre can of red bull, drank it and asked if they had Wi-Fi. No they didn’t but if went to the other side, in the bar area and sat near the wall close to the window, I could pick up the open Wi-Fi from the neighbours (the motel). Indeed, that worked.
Quickly on my way again, because the next 4 days I have to cover a lot of distance. I quickly finished my red bull end jumped on my bike again. I have to say I went like crazy! The kilometres flew by very fast, despite all the extra weight (water, food) I carry. While cycling I realise I left one of my bicycle shirts at the motel. I hung it over the fence so it could dry, good move… I’ll have to send them an email over 4 days and ask them to send it to an address further along the route. Rapidly the landscape becomes balder, emptier and I run in to a lot less people. Somewhere along the way I stop at a “rare” farm to fill my water bottles (you drink a lot on a day like this) unfortunately there’s nobody home. The front door is still open… next to the house there is a water tap with a garden hose, then I'll just have to fill my bottles myself. At first the water from the hose was really hot, from the sun. But eventually the water becomes cool and fresh and I can fill my water bottles. When I’m back on the road a farmer in a pick up truck blocks my way! Welcome to Wyoming he shouts and he wants to know everything about where I’m from and where I’m heading. Thursday is going to be “shitty weather” he shouts as a goodbye. So I’ll have to be out of the great basin by then… Must be precisely on time to make that according to my planning. Along the way I frequently see the grazing Pronghorns. The funny thing is that as soon as they see me they’ll run away but when a car passes they won’t even look up.
Some heavy roadwork equipment has taken in the campground I planned to stay. It seems that now the holyday is over they have started to repair the roads. I go on for an other few kilometres. I put up my tent in the middle of no-where. It will save me some time tomorrow I say to myself. All together it was an other long day…
