Picture Pages, Picture Pages, It's Time...

A series of photos:

1st: Bikers meeting bikers. You can see how strong the wind was that day--it was a headwind for over 60 miles. Ouch. But it kept the mosquitos and heat away. Notice also how colorful bikers are--drivers appreciate our visibility and we appreciate their willingness to slow down and give us room.

2nd: A majestic piece of rock. This was a view from the southeastern side of Togwotee Pass--along my long descent from that pass.

3rd: The Grand Tetons. A beautiful mountain range.

4th: Top of Togwotee Pass in Wyoming. It was a loooooooong climb. But it was an even loooooonger ride down. I rode my breaks for the first 9 mile down, but then the grade lessened and I enjoyed 25 miles of a downward slope (always a few straights and uphills, but in general, it was all downhill). I stayed in Dubois, WY after this day's climb and had a wonderful burger at the Cowboy Cafe and a good stay at Trails End Motel. My neighbor that night was a woman from Bozeman, MT and her two kids...it's a small world.

One of the best aspects of this trip so far has been pulling into a small town and meeting people--cyclists, tourists, and locals. The tourists will thin out as I start to cross the plains--as will the cyclists because I am mapping my own route from Colorado on. It will be sad to no longer see other Trans Am cyclists--I've liked most I've met. As I said earlier, they are a mature and relaxed bunch. They are always smiling and each one I've met (with the expection of the three twenty year old guys) are patching together their own rides--deviating from the "guide". I've gotten some great pointers are routes and sites to see. In addition, they don't try to mooch gear, cash or dope (not that I have any) like a good number of PCT hikers did this year.

Retch...

Two women cyclists I met the other day helped me plan my route across Colorado and Kansas--their tour is similar to mine and I hope to meet them again on the Katy Trail in MO.