October 14th, 2015
From Lander Cutoff head north on Hwy#28, up South Pass then down, down, down to the Hwy#287 junction. Consider fueling up in Lander (9mi) if heading east from here like we are; next store is in Muddy Gap!
Cycling Stats
Start Point: Wild Camp MOFN, Wyoming, United States of America
Destination: Johnny Behind the Rocks Trailhead, Wyoming, United States of America
77.12 km trip, 4:56 time, 63.2 km/h maximum speed, 15.6 km/h average speed
What happened…
Andrew writes: You know what the highlight of my day was today? Sitting in a truck with Jake, a mountain biker who was driving me in to Lander to buy food and beer. We spent the drive swapping stories about times in our life when we’ve decided to let it all hang out, and follow our passion. In my case, cycling, in his case, skiing. For both of us, the sudden death of our fathers served as impetus.
I had met Jake as he popped out of one of the trails at Johnny Behind the Rocks, we struck up a conversation about biking in the area, and before I knew it he was offering to drive one of us the 15 miles in to town and back so that we could re-stock our supplies. He didn’t care that he lived 25 miles on the other side of town, Jake was just a guy looking to help. That’s something we find in ample supply here in Wyoming.
The rest of the day was pretty good too. We hike a biked our way from our campsite to the Lander Cutoff Road, which flows up and over the Continental Divide, crossing it twice before it reaches the main highway. Then it was all highway riding from there. The first bit was long ups and downs as we passed by the turnoffs to old mining towns South Pass City and Atlantic City. Back in 1867, they were home to thousands, now dozens. We weren’t sure if there was a general store still open in either town, so we didn’t take the gravel roads that led off into the Antelope Hills.
Instead, we picked up some water from the Rock Shot Inn, which was closed, and enjoyed a 12 mile (21km) downhill. This part was pretty incredible, not just for the length, but the sheer beauty. We passed by Red Canyon, which cuts its way through the pale yellow landscape, and stands in such stark contrast. I am definitely glad to have been going down, rather than up though.
We reached Johnny Behind the Rocks Trailhead about an hour before sundown, and that’s where we met Jake. The rest….is history!