Life Spoke

Well, well. I finally made it to Wyoming as my uncle noted in the post below. I also surpassed the 1000 mile mark yesterday!!! Cracked a huge smile as I watched the odometer creep past 999.9 miles to 1000.0, everyone loves zeros when they're in your favor.

I didn't expect to write an update for some time but alas, another rest day fell in my lap.

I'm in Kemmerer, WY at about 7000 feet. The gradual climbing over the past few days has tired me noticably. I fell asleep last night with the expectation of an early start to venture further into Wyoming and up to higher elevations. When I awoke I was tired and feeling sluggish.

I'm staying in the basement of the Maranatha Christian Fellowship Church here and the Pastor, Lester Fatheree has graciously let me stay on another day and night. Kemmerer is a nice mountain town with a great museum and an actaul downtown, which is appealing.

The area is the 'Fish Fossil Capital of the World' and I perused the rock shops this morning. Always a rock hound and geology buff, I bought a fossilized fish found in the surrounding hills. At the Post Office, I picked up a lovely note from Tracey along with maps for WY and CO. My mom sent a heart-felt card of appreciation as well. Believe me, pieces of paper can have soul.

Chronologically:
Thursday, 9/21
I wrote to you from Shoshone, ID this day. After I left town I rode east across a desert similar to that of Central Oregon. The wind was at my back gusting up to 25 or 30 mph and I flew east at 20 mph past huge piles of sugar beets.

I turned south after pedalling 70 miles and struggled against the gusty breeze that had been my friend earlier in the day. Most of the time I was actaully leaning the bike to the right fighting to keep the front wheel straight. Before I left, a veteran cross country rider warned me to embrace the wind no matter if it was helping or hurting me...that preparation kept me from going mad as I toiled.

Arrived in Ruper, ID and the Police Department gave me permission to camp in the fairgrounds. What a great spot! Running water, an electrical outlet and a light under the livestock pavilion were a treat. I rode 89.25 miles this day averaging 14.5 mph. Slept soundly.

Friday 9/22:
No rain overnight! It had gotten pretty chilly though. Without my leg warmer my knees got cold and started to hurt quite a bit. After a while I put my pants on and rolled up the legs to block some wind. That alone was a comfort and my knees felt better almost immediately.

I took 'Old US 30' again. I recommend this road to anyone travelling through the area. It is a straight line east out of Rupert and is perfect for cycling. Open range out there, had to give my cowboy 'haa!' to the cattle blocking my path. Great pleasure in seeing them scurry out of my way as if expecting to see a rope swinging in the air above my head as I rode my steel bronco (years of reading Louis Lamour made me a cowboy at heart).

I crossed over the interstate again, I-86. Followed access roads parallel to the freeway for miles and miles until they ran out. Unwillingly, I had to ride about 8 miles of freeway in two separate segments. Deafening noise and exhaust. The big trucks did break up the headwind a bit.

My route continues to follow the Oregon/California Trail. This is a picture taken at Register Rocks State Park, east of American Falls. Check out the dates!

The afternoon was spent struggling into a light headwind. I stopped many times wondering if my body would disintegrate. My knees were concerning me and my thighs were toast. I pressed on. Two hotdogs and a big cup of sweet coffee in American Falls warmed me up (the air temp was about 55 and the windchill dropped it down to about 40).

I made Pocatello at 6:30 and called Charlotte Dadabay, my contact there. She's a senior at Idaho State University and her roomates are all young outdoor people; climbers, bikers, GPS nuts, etc. Brian, Kathleen and Wayne. We had pizza (actually I ate a whole pizza and they had most of a small pie) and they let me shower and do a load of laundry. Wayne even tuned my shifters for me because he's a bike mechanic and mt. bike racer. I had a great time hanging with everyone. Thanks guys! They showed me a little of the town on a Friday night and I got to bed at about 1am.

If you've never been, Pocatello is a pretty cool mountain town with local climbing, cycling and mountain biking. There are yurts in the surrounding hills you can use as basecamp for backcountry skiing. Jackson, WY is only two hours away and it's not far to other climbing destinations. The elevation is near 6000 feet and all the surrounding hills and mountains had snow on them.

This snow, which had my attention all day, was disconcerting to say the least. The low elevation made me very nervous because I knew I was headed up higher and expected to see lots more snow in Wyoming. Psychologically this was tough to consider but there was nothing to do but pedal.

Daily miles = 77.35 at 12.1 mph.

Saturday, 9/23:
I woke at 7:00 and went with Wayne to Scott's Ski and Sports, downtown where he works. I bought a new water bottle, leg warmers and arm warmers. I finally left Pocatello at 11:00 and headed south on US 30.

Lots of rolling hills at first and then I started up a long lazy climb. For some reason I was really tired. I stopped at the Log End Pottery Gallery in McCammon. I saw the gallery from the highway and was intrigued. The place is actually made from rounds of firewood by the artist's husband. I met this great guy, Ted Pulling and he told me all about the building and the pottery. Check it out online.

I rode another 8 miles to Lava Hot Springs and stopped. I asked if I could use the hot tubs. They were glad to have me. I felt a bit out of place though; all I had were my boxer shorts to bathe in and I was a solo male who had come wearing tights. A questionable character.

It isn't easy to strike up conversations with total strangers at first, it usaully takes me an hour to become social after the numbing effects of riding all day. I didn't bother trying to make friends but some people had overheard me speaking to the clerk and I gave out some fundraising cards. I soaked until I couldn't knead my knotted thighs anymore and showered off.

I left with a banging headache but decided to try to climb the 'big pass' everyone told me was immediately out of town. I got to the edge of town and saw an RV park. Without a second thought I pulled in, bought a campsite and gave up arguing with myself about only doing 40 miles that day. I was tired, obviously dehydrated and facing a 5 mile climb.

I fried up some chicken breasts with quinioa and ate a whole package of instant pudding. I passed out at 8:30.

Daily mileage = 40 miles, average speed = I didn't care.

Sunday, 9/24:
Cold night. I was one notch away from shivering when I awoke at 4:30. I got up at 7:30 after 11 hours of sleep and found the handlebars, computer, seat and panniers coated in dense frost. My toes started to go numb and my hands were cold before I had oatmeal made.

I wouldn't say I was about to panic but the fear I had of going into Wyoming was building. Seeing snow for a few days straight and the frost that morning were alarming. I kept telling myself that I am tough, I can take this and I can take whatever happens in the future. But that fear was a virus that eroded my happiness and resolve. Mental tricks from rock climbing helped me sidestep it but it simmered all morning.

Arm warmers, leg warmers, fleece pants, long sleeve shirt, fleece shirt, winter hat, gloves, pants, jacket. I started up the hill with almost all my clothes on. By the time I got to the top I had stripped off the fleece but it was chilly. I made it to Soda Springs and had a double bacon cheeseburger then went outside to call Tracey.

She mistook my gasping sobs for laughter as the tears rolled down my cheeks. When the words, 'I miss you so much,' quaked out of me she understood. 'This is so hard. I'm so scared, so lonely, so tired and cold.' She let me blurt it all out for a minute then calmy began to put me back together. She has a positive outlook on everything I'm doing. She believes in me more than I believe in myself sometimes. With objectivity in a rational tone she reasured me I can face whatever comes. She dug away at my fear and by time we got off the phone I felt much differently.

I banged out 30 more miles to Montpelier, ID in the warm afternoon sun.

While I sat in the park after cleaning up dinner a guy rode up on his mountain bike. Steve Hill offered to let me sleep in his yard and make his house my own for the night. He and his wife Sharon were really nice people, down to earth and friendly. He's a volunteer fireman, ambulance medic and has ridden to Ohio from San Francisco and again from Montpelier a few years later. He gave me a pair of earplugs to sleep with and I was out like a light for the night, no awakenings.

Daily mileage = 53 miles, 13.1 mph.

Monday, 9/25:
The frost was much less than the morning before and I was warm all night thanks to the comforter Steve let me use to supplement my sleeping bag. I was about to hit the road when I found a leak in my big water bladder. Steve drove me over to the hardware store and we got some 5-minute epoxy. We patched it up and I was ready to go.

Steve was a bit nostalgic about seeing me leave. He said he wished he was riding with me. In his tone I could hear that he was thinking of the other rides he had done. I also heard that this sort of adventure is a bug that gets into a person and lures them back over time. I understand how, but doing it solo would never be part of my future plans.

Anyway, south again on US 30. I crossed into Wyoming after climbing Boarder Pass. From there I stopped in Cokeville, WY and got a huge BLT with beans. I should note that the food I expected to sustain me during the day (two ClifBars dipped in peanut butter, a big bag of granola and Gatorade) is nowhere near enough. I am trying not to spend money on food but there is a noticable difference in my performance when I eat a proper lunch and eat the other stuff in between.

From Cokeville there is a long gradual climb up to Kemmerer. It's pronounced 'Kimmer,' they say they only stutter when they write it down. About 3 miles outside of town I watched the odometer click 1000.0. I certainly noticed the altitude and the fact that I was sucking wind all afternoon as I slowly edged up the hill. My legs were close to locking up as I coasted into town and that should have been a sign.

I called Pastor Fatheree and he gave me directions. Of course he lives at the top of the steepest hill I've ridden on this trip, but the reward was generous. He had a huge pot of homemade chicken dumpling soup waiting for me and I gulped down three big bowls, striving to maintain etiquette. After eating, we watched Monday Night Football on ESPN. At half-time he showed me the basement of the church that has become my temporary home. I showered, iced my knees, spoke to Tracey and my uncle Roger then fell asleep instantly at 10pm.

As I said, I woke up and felt tired. Bone tired. I sat staring at the floor for a half hour and wrote in my journal about the feeling. Getting my thoughts on paper helped me decide to stay here for the day and recover. I stretched for an hour before heading to the library to update you all.

I should mention that a very generous couple have donated a huge sum, bringing the total up past 50%. Their note mentioned that I had inspired them by my efforts. Lots of other people have donated as well and the new total is $12,765. That's 51% of my $25,000 goal.

I may be inspiring many of you out there, but it is pale compared the inspiration you are all giving me. Comments on this website have been more than I expected. The quantity is not surprising but the effect is astonishing.

When I'm riding alone in the middle of a bleak nowhere, tired and unsure, getting breezed by trucks - I think of the comments. When I get low, low down there is someone, at least one of you thinking about me. When the sun is warm, the breeze is pushing me and I'm a happy cycle pilot I know you are there as well. My smile grows and easy becomes effortless. Keep your comments coming!

I want to finish this journey. I want to stand on the beach in New Jersey. I want to raise $25,000 through connections made along the way. I would never even dream of stopping, no matter how bad it gets. What I want more than anything is to survive this clear to the end.

Love to you all,
Andrew