Day 38 – Irwin, ID

Jackson Hole WY

Day 38 – Jackson, WY to Irwin, ID

47 miles

It’s amazing what a shower does after 4 days, slightly sleep deprived and filthy dirty. I couldn’t really lie in as I said to Tom I would go for breakfast at 9 am, and I wanted to get all my stuff ready for another couple of nights probably camping. Tom and I headed into town to grab a bite to eat. We looked round the town before relaxing in the town park before saying our goodbyes.

 

I went to the local tavern to watch some of the Olympics and grab some lunch and then headed off in the afternoon to glide down the hill to Alpine a town at the bottom, however with the wind in my face it was still having to pedal extremely hard, my panniers can act as a sail sometimes and if the wind is against me, like it is most of the time, it can be quite hard. The views were stunning though, I was following a river all the way down and at nearly every corner I would stop to take a picture thinking that this would be the best one, I reached a reservoir just before sunset and made camp there. There were a few others dotted around but I made myself some supper before crawling into my pea size tent to sleep.

 

Jackson Hole was a really cool ski town, it was ridiculously busy and a shock to the system coming from towns and cities with populations of just a few people! I was suddenly having to queue for things, nevertheless, it is a place to visit if you are around the National Park, but be warned, places to stay are expensive.

 

Day 37 – Jackson, WY

Cycling Teton National Park

Day 37 – Dubois, WY to Jackson, WY

95 miles

The extra clothes didn’t really help at an elevation of 7000ft, it was still an icy morning to get up to. Today was the big climb, I had been preparing for a ridiculous gradient but it never came. I reached the continental divide with relative ease, not boasting or anything but I found Iowa a lot more painful. I had 15 miles of downhill and I was flying but sadly I had to stop for roadworks about 5 miles down and catch a lift because of safety reasons, every cyclist had to do it. After the lift, I flew down to the junction where you head into Teton National Park and decided to have lunch at Jackson Lake. Unfortunately, I got a flat tyre just as I entered and spent some time fixing it. I didn’t make lunch till about 3.30pm but my word was it worth the wait. I got a sandwich and sat on the patio looking out onto the Lake and the Teton Mountains. It was quite a spectacular thing to see. It felt almost like a computer screen saver, almost too majestical to be real.

 

I had 30 miles to get to the town of Jackson, what I didn’t know was that it was peak season, and it was quite a flashy, stylish town, a good place to be seen. When you see all the motels booked up and the only remaining places are over $200, you really fear the worst. I had been camping for 4 nights straight and I hate to admit it but I hadn’t showered either! I was desperate and with no luck, I began to cycle to the next town when I saw a motel, I went in to ask and it was cheap by comparison to other places around, and there was a room, jackpot! Tom who I met in Lander was also staying there and we agreed to grab breakfast tomorrow because I was going straight to bed.

 

Day 36 – Dubois, WY

Day 36 – Lander, WY to Dubois, WY

78 miles

Another freezing night and the morning was a real struggle to get out of my tent. I went for breakfast with Tom after which he headed off, whilst I picked up some supplies. I waited around to get the tyres pumped up before the climb. Clearly, I was prolonging the inevitable hike that I was dreading. I did 40 odd miles and stopped at a rest area where I saw Tom, who had just finished his lunch. I decided to take it easy and cook myself some pasta before catching an afternoon snooze under a tree. However, this turn out to be a really bad mistake as afterwards I felt really sluggish and every mile seemed to take forever.

 

When I decided to do this trip I was told of all the dangers I might encounter and how I must be careful because of this and that. When it came to things that could potentially end your trip, I doubt anyone warned me of a flying tyre coming off a trailer. This was the closest thing to ending my trip so far, this tyre came off at about 60 mph and missed me by only a few inches. The person in the car behind seemed stunned and saw it fly past me into someone’s garden. I was bracing myself for something next but when I looked round, the cars had stopped and there were a few stunned faces who couldn’t quite believe what they had seen. I rode on and met the culprits up the road who seemed pretty cheesed off. We had a quick chat and a laugh about it and I carried on up the hills towards Dubois.

 

It had been a hard afternoon getting there and I was feeling better in the evening. I decided to camp behind a baseball shed rather than pay the $30 to stay in a campsite. I added a few more clothes to hopefully keep me warm for the night ahead.

Day 35 – Lander, WY

Day 35 – Mormons Historical Site, WY to Lander, WY

98 miles

Up early and away to avoid being caught and I have to admit it was a great night’s sleep! I was 20 miles away from a place called Muddy Gap and I had ear marked this place for breakfast. But what I had forgotten was that it was Sunday so it opened late. Also no one bloody lives in this desert so there was just a gas station and I had to wait for an hour for it to open or risk cycling onto the next place and had no idea how far away it was.

 

After pop tarts and banana bread, I was told Jeffery City was 22 miles away. Fantastic, I thought, a place where I can rest up and grab something good to eat.

How they get to call this place a city is just beyond me, it has a population of fewer than 50 people!! I strolled into the only bar in the city and to my horror there was a number of people around a biker, who was covered in blood, he had just had an accident across the road. He had broken a couple of ribs and fractured his shoulder. I offered to help but was hurried into the next room, order some food and relaxed. Here I came to the point I couldn’t keep on doing what I was doing. I was just waking up and going west with little care in the world or idea of what was in front of me. I rarely plan my routes, but I was crossing a desert was just plain stupid. But it was here a biker told me to scrap my plan of heading to Salt Lake City and head to Jackson because of the view there, he said, was the best thing you will ever see.

    

Here I came to the point I couldn’t keep on doing what I was doing. I was just waking up and going west with little care in the world or idea of what was in front of me. I rarely plan my routes, but I was crossing a desert was just plain stupid. But it was here a biker told me to scrap my plan of heading to Salt Lake City and head to Jackson because of the view there, he said, was the best thing you will ever see.

That afternoon I headed for Lander, 60 odd miles away. I had quite a contrasting afternoon, within 4 miles of leaving I went straight through a thunderstorm and the wind was so strong that up to the hills I was barely moving. But after 20 miles I got to this road that descended for 6 miles at a 6 % gradient. What had taken me two days to climb was lost in 30 mins, but it was so worth it. Cruising at 30 mph with the wind in your face, turning at corners and taking in the vistas was something hard to describe, but moments like that make the climbs worthwhile.

 

I reached the town of Lander, a small mountain town and set up my tent in their free campsite. This is where I met Tom, who too was cycling across the States but he was following the Trans-American Trail, we got chatting and he showed me the elevation we were about to climb. The top almost looked vertical, guess that is something to look forward to tomorrow!

 

Day 34 – Mormans Handcraft Historical Site, WY

Day 34 – Glenrock, WY to Mormons Handcraft Historical Site, WY

90 miles

I must have picked the worst day to shave my beard if you could have called it that! I spent the afternoon sitting in a bar in the middle of the desert with nothing in a 50-mile radius to listen to other than heavy metal. The bar was preparing for the Metal Fest for the night ahead, mostly bikers would come from miles around, especially for the night.

I had somehow managed to pick the wrong day in the calendar year to come to this bar. Let’s just say Heavy Metal isn’t really my cup of tea. Nevertheless, all part of the American experience! I could have blended in with my old beard but my clean shaven baby face made me stick out like a sore thumb, they were a really friendly bunch though. Before I left I got chatting to some of them about their trip and other stuff.

 

 

I left late afternoon and had a bit of climb but after that, it was relatively flat and I was cruising. There was view after view, the Rockies were a distance silhouette and growing larger with every mile I gained. Tonight I was camping and after 8 pm I was on the lookout for a spot.

In flying down a hill at some pace, I saw a historical site that seemed to be closed. I went to investigate to see what there was and if there was a possibility of sleeping there. All very nice and smart. Before I went on a search mission, I popped to the loo and for some reason, I was quite impressed and decided to play it safe and sleep there.

Now people may think it’s disgusting and wrong to sleep in the bathroom but it was clean, had a plug socket and there was no chance of insects getting in. I settled there and ended up just watching a movie, hoping that security wouldn’t come in and find me because that would be a difficult one to explain!

     

Day 33 – Glenrock, WY

Day 33 – Lusk, WY to Glenrock, WY

93 miles

Having been used to the sweaty nights, wishing for it to be cooler. I was a little under-prepared for last night when the temperature dropped quite drastically. It was so cold I could even face moving my arm to grab my coat. The altitude was beginning to show it’s true colours. I decided not to meet the group, I knew it was only a matter of time before they would catch up with me. After breakfast and 5 miles they caught me up but with a new chain and flat terrain I was actually keeping up with them, but the hills soon started again and I was left trailing. They gathered for an early lunch and when most of them had arrived I said my goodbyes. They were only heading to Douglas and taking the gravelled road and I wanted to take the highway to go a bit further. It was great to ride with a group for a bit, I think if I had known about them before I might have been tempted into joining the organisation. They do many routes across America and have a really tight group. Anyone wanting or thinking of doing this trip but a hesitant of doing it alone, this would be a great place to start (although you have to be under 25 years old).

 

I sailed into Douglas before 12.30 and grabbed lunch. The bill was again taken care by someone I couldn’t thank and didn’t know, it amazing how kind Americans are. I checked out the town before falling asleep under a tree in the town park. I headed off but after 20 miles or so I was wondering why I was still heading north, I had been cruising with a tail wind for some time and usually that means you have gone wrong. I had, I had missed the turn about 10 miles back but I had no intention of going back on myself so I continued till I saw a turning left. This turn was taking me back onto the road I needed to be on but it was also taking through some rather steep rolling hills and when I saw hundreds of wind turbines in the distance I knew I was in for a rather tricky session with the wind. I reached the town of Glenrock and decided to put myself up for the night, to clean up and get everything sorted for the climb. I say climb, I was already at 1500m above sea level. I know it is difficult to see from the pictures but I had planned to go all the way to San Francisco without shaving but after 33 days I had had enough so that evening I spent 30 mins of my time shaving the damn thing off. Now I have a reverse goggle tan which quite frankly looks bizarre!

 

Day 32 – Lusk, WY

Day 32 – Chadron, NE to Lusk, WY

84 miles

 

I was up nice and early in order to cycle with the group. I waited around in a cafe before been told I had to fill out a consent form in order to cycle with them, basically saying they are not liable for me dying with them!! There I met the entire group, an army of cyclists, kitted out in identical gear, right down to everyone having a Giant Bike that weighed less than my laptop! They had the luxury of a van carrying their gear wherever they went, a luxury I couldn’t afford. We headed off in a group of four. I was able to keep up with them, or maybe they were just been nice and going slow for me, it felt like how I imagine it is running with Usain Bolt, yeah he will run with you for a bit but like a flash we will be gone and that is exactly what happened after 15 miles, the group picked up the pace and I was left trailing. It wasn’t really a problem though because we stopped off at a national park just before the state line and rested up. I was quite keen to crack on as I knew the group would catch me quickly, so I headed off with Dan’s group. Luckily for me, this group stopped at every historical landmark board, every 2 miles or so, so I caught them up every time I was lagging behind.

 

After a quick lunch of sandwiches supplied by bike and build we headed off for the final push towards Lusk. I still lagged behind again but there was always someone coming up behind me for a quick chat before pushing on. When I reached Lusk, I considered pushing on but my chain needed replacing so thought I would rest up early and change the chain. Now, this is where I wish I knew more bike maintenance because I thought breaking a chain would be easy. A little thin piece of metal attached to one another, breaking them, how hard can it be? Quite difficult it seems, I spent nearly one hour trying with all sorts of tools. After breaking my pliers on them, I conceded defeat and headed over to the church where the group were staying to seek help. They fixed the chain in no time, so I headed back to my campsite and to bed.

 

Cycle touring in America

Day 31 – Chadron, NE

Day 31 – Gordon, NE to Chadron, NE

46 miles

My aim of the day didn’t materialise! I had hoped to reach Wyoming by dark but I ran into a group of 30 odd people doing a bike ride across America. Throughout the last 200 miles or so every time I strolled into a town I have been told about this group of cyclists crossing the country. Throughout my route, I have seen random messages chalked into the shoulder of the highway with sentences such as “Text Mum and Dad”, (Which I haven’t done once on this trip, Sorry!) Who was this group of cyclist in front of me? Today I finally caught up with them. Bike and Build they call themselves and they cycle from east to west. So I am not the only person who decided to cycle into the wind! They call in every 5 days or so to spend the day helping build affordable housing across America. So when I strolled into Chadron for lunch I bumped into a group of them and got chatting. We grabbed a coffee and when they offered me a chance to ride with them the following day I jumped at the chance, having spent 99.99% of my time riding alone.

We relaxed in the coffee shop all afternoon chatting to one another until most of them wanted to head back to grab a nap before they go to supper and to the cinema. I needed to find a place to stay as every motel in town was booked up. However, I managed to find a trailer park where I could pitch my tent. This was probably the first time I had pitched my tent in the light, a very strange feeling. Tonight though they have forecasted thunderstorms all night so should be in for classic night sleep!!

Day 30 Gordon, NE

Day 30 – Valentine, NE to Gordon, NE

94 miles

I was slow getting up for breakfast, nevertheless, I was on the road by 8 am. The next town was 65 miles away! I had planned to ride 50 miles then rest under a tree to avoid the sun but there were no trees anywhere in sight. For 60 miles I think I saw one tree that gave potential shade, it was a vast open plain for as far as the eye could see. I ended up going all the way through to the next town, the last 5 miles in the heat were a real struggle, I went to the only cafe in town and settled for a burger and chips. There was a group there from the wild fire fighters heading to a part of Nebraska to combat the wild fires there, one of them just found it hard to believe what I was doing and thought it was incredibly strange for someone to want to do something like this, I assured him it had been worth it so far. After they had finished they left and again they picked up my bill without saying anything, what is it about the Americans doing this? I never got the chance to thank them.

 

I had the intention to do some work but I was so exhausted I ended up falling asleep on the table, I guess the heat had got to me, but it had also got to the waitress for when I woke I looked across to see her fast asleep on the table next to mine! However, when new customers came in she sprung into work mode and I headed off to the next town, only 30 miles away. It was slow going, I think my chain had almost had it now and I was in dire need of a new one.

 

I arrived in Gordon with a Rodeo going on, I thought about going to watch but I reckoned a steak would go down better. I settled for an Italian place which did the best steak in town according to the locals. The weather around was really grey and I was going to settle in my tent for the night but when a flash of lighting struck the next door building I thought it might be best to put myself up in a motel for the night.

 

Day 29 – Valentine, NE

Day 29 – Atkinson, NE to Valentine, NE

91 miles

Waking up, I had set myself up nicely next to an airport! I guess that is the wonders of settling into a place blind. I really do know how to pick them, train tracks and now an airport.

Not cleaning up my elbow had been a bad decision as there was now blood all over my shirt to add to the dirt already there. My shirt looks awful, the clean white has been replaced by murky brown. Today was meant to be the hottest day of the summer in Nebraska and I certainly had no intention of cycling in the afternoon sun. I finally got going and back onto the highway. I was loving Nebraska, flat, calm and easy riding when the sun isn’t pounding you. Although flat the landscape was still interesting, reminded me a bit of an African National Park, I was trying to imagine seeing the elephants and wildebeest roaming in the distance, I can get that bored at times!!!

 

I made it to Aimsworth just before 1 pm and just in time as the temperature had hit a hundred degrees and the front tyre had gone flat again. I was after a steak but had to settle for a burger. My idea was to relax there all afternoon as I had no intention of cycling in the 109-degree heat that was predicted for the afternoon. Sadly the place closed so had to head over to a Subway to listen to the local radio all afternoon about the devastating forest fires in the area.

 

I got going at just after 5.30pm and it was still very hot, I mean really hot. I had had 46 miles to reach the next town and after a night in the dust, I was going to set myself up in a motel to clean up. I had to change the tyre which seemed to take ages and doing it in 106 degrees brought on a sweat even before I got onto the bike. The first 10 miles were hard going but after that, I was cruising. I had a slight tail wind for the first time and the heat was dropping rapidly. I watched the sun go down over the hills and arrived in Valentine in the dark and settled in the motel for the night.

 

Day 28 – Atkinson, NE

Day 28 – Norfolk, NE to Atkinson, NE

100 miles

The day’s rest had done wonders, I was up at 5 am had breakfast and was ready to roll. Only to see that the next three days is going to break all sorts of temperature records and hit 109 degrees!! Just what I wanted to wake up to. However, I was still feeling confident I could get the miles in. I was on the cowboy trail for the next 350 miles. However, what I didn’t realise was this trail runs parallel to the highway and the choice between soft gravel and tarmac wasn’t difficult. I got straight onto the road after 10 miles of slow going on the gravel. It was perfect, the hard shoulder had plenty of room so I was cruising. I stopped at a nearby gas station to grab some supplies ie energy bars, and to my delight, they were selling cliff bars again. These bars were organic peanut bars that were great for cyclist and Iowa didn’t ever sell them. A woman then shouted across from her car and then came over to chat, she was telling me how her daughter had done this trip and finished it only last week. At first, I thought it was across the country but it was actually across the state, still very impressive. Her daughter then got out of the car to see what I was doing, after a brief chat they both gave me some money to have a meal on them, I was overwhelmed by their generosity. I think Nebraska is going to be good to me.

 

A quick lunch in the village of Clearwater and then 5 more miles before I found a nice spot under a tree to have a rest. I say rest, I ended up sleeping for about two hours! I had slept so long that the sun had moved so I was now half in the sun and half out. I got going again at about 4 pm, earmarking the town of O’Neil for supper and decided on a Mexican restaurant to mix things up a bit.

I was determined to hit the 100-mile mark and I did, but it came at a cost. As I hit the 100 mark, it was pitch black and I had gone back onto the trail to avoid the lorries. I tried to find a decent spot to pitch my tent, however as I was looking around, I went into the side of the trail where the gravel is loose and fell over. I fell to the side and my elbow got the full force of the fall. It was dark and I was pretty annoyed by this. I couldn’t be bothered to clean the cut, probably a bit stupid I know, but I set the tent up on the trail and got in asap. I fell asleep watching the lighting storm in the distance, I’m sure I will encounter a few of those in the next couple of days.

Day 27 – Norfolk, NE

Day 27 – Norfolk, NE

My suppose lie in didn’t really work as the family decided to call in the early hours, nevertheless good to hear from them. I headed to the bike shop to get the chain sorted and pump up the tyre, I also purchased a camel-back because yesterday was the first time I had run out of water and had no intention of letting it happen again. My intention was to avoid the sun and bike as much as I can to recover. After lunch, I headed to the cinema to watch the Dark Knight Rises. After walking in, a man asks me if he could see my bags, he had a good rummage, but still not convinced about one’s safety he confiscates all my bags and takes them out of the cinema and behind the counter. I thought it was a little unnecessary but I could understand why after the shootings in Colorado.

Superb film, I walked out to find my bike had another flat tyre, I couldn’t believe it. I had to walk it to the bike shop to fix it up again, luckily they were still open. Now my plan was to head out onto the trail in the late afternoon to get 30 odd miles in but when I went into Frankie’s Bistro for supper that plan deteriorated very quickly, I just relaxed in there and thought I would get another night in the motel as it was cheap and cheerful. Again thank you all for your continual support, it is very much appreciated.

Privacy Settings
We use cookies to enhance your experience while using our website. If you are using our Services via a browser you can restrict, block or remove cookies through your web browser settings. We also use content and scripts from third parties that may use tracking technologies. You can selectively provide your consent below to allow such third party embeds. For complete information about the cookies we use, data we collect and how we process them, please check our Privacy Policy
Youtube
Consent to display content from Youtube
Vimeo
Consent to display content from Vimeo
Google Maps
Consent to display content from Google
Save