Wednesday, 7-11 Day 17

Start: Sheridan, WY
End: Gillette, WY
Scheduled Miles: 112.1
Actual Miles: 112.6

Dang! I overslept, we are camped at a KOA right next to the intersection of I-90 and Hwy 14, Lots of traffic noise so I used the earplugs I brought along for the first time. So I didn't hear the zipper alarms. (Everyone else waking up and zipping and unzipping their tents and luggage) By the time I got dressed and got my tent taken down and gear stowed away on the truck, all I could do was help clean up after breakfast. I should have been there an hour earlier to help set up and maintain. Boy do I feel bad. Also being late there was not much food left for breakfast, so I broke one of my rules (no chains) and stopped at McDonald's for my first Egg McMuffin in over three weeks. Well, maybe it was more of just a guideline?

This made me one of the last to get on the rode. At mile 8 we ran into some serious road construction. The next seven miles was nothing but gravel and sand. They were allowing vehicles to go through in caravans led by a "pilot" car. They put us bikers right behind the pilot car and then placed another pilot car right behind us with the rest of the motorized vehicles behind. So we cyclist set the pace for the whole caravan, and there were about 25 cars/trucks behind us as we threaded our way through the construction.

Getting out of the sand and gravel and back onto the pavement, I checked my tires and then took off on my own. This was my idea of perfect biking. I was by myself for 90% of the time. Setting my own pace, not having to watch someone else's wheel, just me, the road and the chirping birds. As close to bicycling perfection as I may ever get. I would come up on people I normally wouldn't see, ride along side of them for a minute or two, and then leave as I went back up to my speed. At one point I was on top of a hill and looking into the valley I could see a tow cloud shadows crossing the fields, and figured if I went just right downhill I could race into them on the other side and get a little break from the sun. Well, that turned out to be a lot like chasing rainbows, cause as soon as I got there they would disappear.

The landscape is just like the last past couple of days when you try to describe it in words, but in reality as you experience it, it was always changing and always a different combination of hills, background mountains and road conditions. A lot of the roads here are red. Red granite must be locally available, as that is what they use to chip coat the roads here. So a lot of them are this real pretty red/pink color. Much different than what I used to.

At mile 74 was the last commercial establishment we would have to buy anything for the next 50 miles; The Spotted Pony. I was feeling so strong and so good I went in and ordered a Coors light! Now typically I do not drink in the middle of a ride, especially one that is 112 miles long with little civilization, but Coors Light is as close to water as you can get, and still call it beer.

Coming into Gillette we see a big strip mining coal operation. the scale is huge. and it after all the natural beauty we have been seeing it is particularly ugly. The scale of the equipment used is cool, and they seem to be doing a better job of reclamation, but it is still a bit of a shock to see it.

So, I do the 112 miles in good time, just over 7 hours. I feel strong and confident. This really is soo much fun. Food for the day was a McMuffin in the morning, 1 peanut butter sandwich, some crackers, 4 power bars, the Coors Light and about 6-34oz bottles of water and sports drink. Dinner after the ride was a Mexican fast food, yes it was $10 night again.

A young local reporter spent most of the evening talking to us. See www.gillettenewsrecord.com/articles/2007/07/12/news/news04.txt

We spent the night in the city park and had to put up with young hooligans running through the camp and various times yelling their dang fool heads off.