October 10th, 2015

What happened…

Andrew writes: It was a pleasant surprise to wake up this morning, and not only was there no fog outside of the tent, but it was so dry that none of our stuff was wet. Yay for small victories. It was pretty cold though, and the wind whistling up Hoback Canyon added to our misery. Amanda was extra miserable because I let the coffee cool down before giving it to her. She doesn’t like cold coffee; heck, I know people who pay $5 a cup for iced coffees in Vancouver!

With the sun creeping up over the rim of the surrounding mountains, we set out. I felt like we had some ground to make up, since we hadn’t gone as far yesterday as planned; tonight we had a warm shower waiting for us in Pinedale, about 50 miles away. Wrapped up in sweaters and down jackets, with just our eyes visible underneath our helmets, we made our way out of the canyon.

The sun did a great job warming us, especially once the wind died down. Here’s a funny thing (not really) that I hadn’t considered. Jackson Hole, is the name of the area, and it’s basically a hole in the ground. Well now, we had to dig ourselves out of the hole. That meant in addition to the 25 miles of climbing yesterday, we had another 25 miles of climbing today. We finally finished the 500m climb to Rim Station, where we sat outside of the gas station/general store and finished off the last of the bagels that Casey had bought us.

The rest of the ride was flat, downhill, uphill, downhill, the wind eventually turned from a cross-wind into a tailwind for the last 11 miles, after Daniel Junction. Getting close to Pinedale, we were surprised to see a bicycle (and snowmobile) path start up 3 miles out of town near the Duck Creek Overlook. This made the last few miles really enjoyable, since we could ride side by side and talk about the scenery.

Oh the scenery! After reaching Rim Station, there was a historical marker that talked about the “Astorians” who had crossed the Continental Divide just a mile north of us. And for much of the day, a ridge of tall mountains stood on one horizon or the other. Approaching Pinedale, the mountains are right in front of you, and it looks really fantastic. Part of me wishes that there was more snow, but another part of me is glad there isn’t..this is the part that likes to ride bikes in warm, snow-free climates. Pinedale was a big surprise; it’s a happening burg! Loads of hotels and restaurants and whatnot. After stopping in at the Visitor’s Centre to pickup maps and whatnot (there’s a walking tour!!), we had a drink at the Corral Bar and then drove to Jay and Sam’s place, our Warmshowers hosts.

Jay and his son Thom, were out hunting elk, so Amanda and I made nice with Sam and their daughter Grace. Wow, that’s a lot of names to follow! Originally from Illinois, this transplanted family loves Wyoming, and I continue to be amazed at all of the things this state has on offer. I also picked up a new recipe I want to try for “Hash”:
Chop up a big onion (or two)
Chop up a big pepper (or two)
Chop up a big Kielbasa sausage (or two)
Bake a bunch of potato cubes, except I’ll need to fry them?
Fry it all up, put it in a bowl and add salt/pepper to taste.

We all sat around the kitchen table, sharing experiences, and getting to know one another. It was a fun time. Tomorrow is a day of rest for us, which considering the forecast is calling for 80-100km/h winds is a good thing.

Amanda writes:
Waking up in a campground all to ourselves was really nice, albeit a bit cold. The ride was nice considering how long it was. We were cycling for more than 6 hours which is not what we like to do. It turned out just fine though because arriving in Pinedale was such a pleasant surprise. Sam and Grace were there to greet us and they were awesome to chat with. Sam is so laid back and Grace is young teenage girl. The two of them reminded me of my sisters and their daughters. I really felt at home at they had this really great spot for us to stay in the back of the garage. Andrew had also arranged in advance for us to stay for two days so I was excited to be there.

Today’s Photographs