Day 54: 75 Miles

Lander, WY to Dubois, WY

I woke up early this morning knowing it was going to be a long ride today. The free breakfast at the motel didn’t start until 6:30 so I had to wait around until then or pay for breakfast at McDonald’s. Had I known what the free breakfast was, I probably wouldn’t have waited around for it. I grabbed a banana and a few packaged pastry items and that was about it. On my way out of the lobby I ran into Mike. He had been riding in the group with Bill, and Mark and Patti on the tandem. I hadn’t seen him since Pueblo, CO. Mike decided to break off from that group and was now riding solo. He was also planning to ride to Dubois today and along with Chris, Mike, and Timmi we now had a group of 5 traveling from Lander to Dubois.

Today’s ride was long and included a good amount of elevation gain. Lander is at 5,358 feet elevation and Dubois is at 6,946 feet. Almost all of the ride was in the Wind River Indian Reservation. Riding with a group made the day go by a little easier. Chris, Mike and Timmi left the motel earlier than I did this morning and Mike started out behind me. I got 15 miles into the day and got to the first stopping point. I thought I’d only find a gas station, but there was actually a full grocery store. I got a bacon, egg and cheese and chocolate milk to make up for the garbage breakfast I had this morning at the motel. As I was eating outside the store, Mike rode up and stopped as well. We rode together for the next 15 miles or so.

The next stop of the day was about 35 miles into the ride at a small rest stop. I walked into the building and had an odd sense that I had been there before. The rest stop building was identical to one I had been in yesterday. I took a short break and then headed 11 miles further down the road to another stopping point. It was nice to have so many break points today, especially after the last 2 days with no services along the route. At mile 45 I pulled up to the general store and found the other 4 cyclists who were riding from Lander to Dubois. I ate the Subway sandwich I had been storing in my bag and was the last of the group to get back on the road.

The final 30 miles of the day went by quickly. We climbed some elevation, but it was all pretty gradual. By the time I reached Dubois it was around 3:00 PM. There was supposed to be a church available to stay at, but when I called the contact number, I was informed that there was already a group of 38 cyclists staying at the church tonight. Chris and I went to grab a couple beers and figure out our plans and thought the rest of the group was right behind us. We waited in the bar, but after a couple of beers decided to go search for the rest of the group. The motels in Dubois were ridiculously expensive. The prices ranged from $110 to $150 a night for a motel I would normally pay $50 for. The closer we’ve gotten to Yellowstone, the more expensive everything has become. When Chris and I found the rest of the group, they had already found 2 motel rooms. We split the rooms so it only cost $46 per person. I’m happy I was travelling in a group, because I otherwise would have been out a lot of money for a room tonight.

After getting settled in the motel I went back out to the bar with Chris to grab dinner. We had a couple more beers, but after a long day of riding that was all we could handle. Tomorrow is another day of climbing. We will be heading back up over 9,500 feet before heading back downhill towards Yellowstone. I just need to get through that 30 mile climb tomorrow morning and it should then be easy riding until my rest days start.