October 16th, 2015
Hwy#287 to Muddy Gap, then south on Hwy#287/789. Cross the Continental Divide and keep pn riding! Horrible shoulder and lots of truck traffic, a fatality waiting to happen.
Cycling Stats
Start Point: Split Rock, Wyoming, United States of America
Destination: Wild Camp MOFN, Wyoming, United States of America
53.88 km trip, 3:22 time, 40.1 km/h maximum speed, 15.9 km/h average speed
What happened…
Andrew writes: Back in the 1850s, from the back of a wagon, someone once wrote something about the alkali-sage, semiarid sahara of the Americas. That’s where we were riding today. After deciding to head south towards the free hot springs in Saratoga, we went south at Muddy Gap, which is a gas station, and that thrust us up and over the continental divide.
The shoulder was pretty awful, and we flirted with danger, by cycling on the highway until a car would come up behind and then we would dive for the shoulder. The alternative was a rock and glass strewn mess….or death I suppose. Well, give me the highway or give me death I say!
We could have made it all the way to Rawlins, but instead decided to cycle only about 30 miles to a wild camp out in the desert. We’ll go up over the Divide again tomorrow and then down into Rawlins where we can re-supply and make our way to Saratoga.
Amanda writes:
Wyoming is windy. The department of transportation has put wind shelters near the highway to reduce the cross-winds on the highway. For today, this made for our shelter of a home. We pulled off the highway and headed toward the wood shelters which were about 100 yards off the highway. It certainly isn’t a glorious campground, but at least it provided a bit of break from the wind. Living the dream folks … living the dream.