Day 40 July 21st

Dubois to Jackson
Not sure what time it was when i started because my phone didnt have any service so couldnt get a signal to tell the time. All I could find for breakfast were some doughnuts so that is what i had to eat before I started my climb. The climb wasnt bad and i did most of it in second gear. When i was close to the top I had to stop and get a ride from a construction worker because WY law says you cant ride a bike thought construction or something like that. The driver was kind of a jerk and asked "Why would you ever want ot live in Pennsylvania?" so that killed any conversation but the ride was only 5 minutes so it wasnt a big deal. After a few more miles that were mostly down hill I ran into another construction area but this one was 7 miles long and i just missed the pilot car when i got there. So i had to wait 20 minutes for it to come back and i spent the time killing mosquitoes. This driver was a lot ncier and we talked for most of the way down. About 15 minutes after that I got my first glimpse of the Tetons on the way down. Right when I reached the base of the hill my back tire went flat. I tried to fix it but ran out of patches so i was kinda stuck. Luckily I was only a few miles outside of Jackson and I knew my family would be arriving soon. I had to wait about 90 minutes for them to get to me but the weather was great and there were no bugs where I was.
The hotel we were at was awesome and you could see the Tetons from our deck. We spent most of the day walking around Jackson checking out the shops and finally getting dinner at The Cadillac restaurant. Dad and I both got the buffalo burger which was pretty good. We spent the rest of the night at the room hanging out and having a few beers but tomorrow was going to start at 6am so we all went to bed early.

Day 39 July 20th

Lander to Dubois 95 milesI definitely woke up with a hangover this morning. So between that and knowing I had a long day with a lot of climbing ahead of me i didnt really want to get out of bed. IM sure going from sea level to 7000 feet wasnt a big help either. I got some food from Safeway on the way out of town and headed out a little later than usual. It was a tough but cool ride with th mountains to my left for the entire morning. I missed not having my speedmeter though for some of the downhills.
I stopped at a rest area to refill my water bottles and ran into 3 guys going cross country too. JAcob was from Denver and going to Astoria and Joe and Jordy were from Illinois and going to OR also. As we were leaving Jordy pointed out that my tire was a little low so i pumped it up but tore the tube as I took the pump off. They waited for me for a few minutes but I told them they could go ahead and i would catch up. I didnt see them again though. It took me forever to fix my tube. After each time I thought i fixed it I would find another hole. Most of the day was spent on the side of the road fixing my tire. I think it happened four times over the course of the day. Eventually i put my spare front tire which isnt the right size but i knew that it didnt have any holes and that Jackson was just on the other side of the pass. Luckily it did hold out for the rest of the day. Along the way were some great views. I would describe it as similar to the Grand Canyon but on a much smaller scale. The Wind River cut into the rocks to make some of the same sort of formations and even colors. This library isnt very good and i cant upload pictures here either. The Wind River really liv4ed up to its name though by forcing my though a headwind the entire way.
Dubois had a gas station with a sign for a Jackalope which is a 6 foot tall rabbit with antlers. I stopped there for a picture and some gatorade. about 15 miles past Dubois I i finally reached the campground where i was able to shower. I fell asleep next to the river and got a good nights sleep.

Day 38th July 19th

Muddy Gap to Lander
I woke up and left by 6:30 since I was so uncomfortable on the ground but I was finished pretty early. The ride started out pretty flat with rolling hills. I passed Split Rock which I remember from the game Oregon Trail. I got breakfast in Jeffrey City. When i walked into the restaurant and asked if they served breakfast none of the three people answered me. They all kept watching tv. So I asked if i could sit anywhere and again there was no answer so i just sat down. It was very weird but they did have pancakes. Possibly the worst movie i have ever seen was on tv in the restaurant. I think it was called Ghost Dad and it had Bill Cosby in it. All the other people in the restaurant were glued to the tv.
Anyway, after breakfast i caught up to two guys from Texas, both named Chris. They were going from Dallas to Canada and i rode with them most of the way and chatted. It was a really easy ride that was almost completely down hill. Along the way i ran into someone from MT and he gave me some good advise about where to stay in Lander where they had a camp with nice grass behind a hotel and you could shower and use their hot tub.
I made it the rest of the way to Lander without any problem. I think the total was around 80 miles but I have to check. I got there around 2:30 and found a Subway at the end of town for lunch. After lunch i went over to the hotel the guy recommended, set up camp, and went over to the hot tub. After about 40 minutes of relaxing The Chrises walked in. We met up back at the camp and headed over to the McDonald's for some food then the brewery fro some beers. After about 4 pitchers we went back to McDonald’s for the dollar menu then a grocery store for a six pack each. We finished the 6 packs, at least I did, over at the hot tub and i was definitely a little drunk by the end. The guys were all right, they were pretty smart but way out there politically and called themselves anarchists. But i would be leaving them tomorrow since they were staying in town to work on their bikes.

Day 37 July 18th

Riverside to Muddy Gap 104 miles

I left the camp ground around 8:30 and planned to get some food in Saratoga which was only 18 miles down the road. I did the distance pretty quick and got found a place for breakfast by 9:45 but the place was pretty crowded and I didn't get served my pancakes until 10:20. I wanted to use the library there but decided to push on. I learned later that there was a really great hot spring in Saratoga that I could have gone into for free. But there are a few more places that i will be able to stop in that have some but these were apparently pretty good.
Again it was mostly down hill and the climbs that I did have weren't too bad. I feel like I’m getting back in shape and my lungs are adjusting to the altitude again. I had to ride on the interstate for a while today but it wasn't too terrible. There was a wide shoulder and it seemed like people would move to the other lane if they were able to. Subway for lunch in Rawlins where i met an old local guy who still biked a lot and knew about the Trans Am and had a bunch of questions for me. I found the library but it was closed all weekend and I’m guessing that the one in Lander will be closed tomorrow on a Sunday. I had another slight climb that lasted for 16 miles but at the top was another continental divide with a steep descent on the other side that was a lot of fun to go down. Most of the rest of the way was down hill again. I met a guy named Mike on a bike that had both a motor and pedals on it. He seemed pretty weird and dirty and I was glad he kept going when I stopped for the night.
I planned to stop in Lamont where the map says there is a restaurant and a place to camp. But the restaurant had broken windows and someone said that it wasn't going to be opened tonight. Plus the camp ground was just the backyard behind the run down restaurant. And it wasn't so much as a backyard as it was a junk yard for broken trailers. So i kept going to the gas station and camp in Muddy Gap. This place was pretty bad too. There is no grass, only rocks, and all the gas station had to eat was Chef Boyardi which I ate cold. Definitely one of the worst nights of the trip. I wish i realized how bad it was earlier so I would have done another 22 miles to Jeffrey City where there is supposed to be a hotel and a camp that cant possibly be worse than this, but who knows in this state.
Wyoming is pretty cool though. Its totally wide open with little to no signs of habitation. But the views change very little since you can see for 10 miles at a time. So its a little like Kansas in that aspect but at least there is a view.

Day 36 July 17th

Granby, CO to Riverside, WY 104 miles
I got a bit of a late start especially since i was planning on a long day. breakfast took a while and i didnt leave Granby until after 9. I knew i had a big climb to start off the day and it was made worse because i read the map wrong and thought the divide was closer than it actually was. So when i hit the mile marker where i though i should start descending but saw another portion of the mountain i still needed to climb i got a little disheartened. But eventually i made it there and there were some great views along the way. I saw a moose and its baby drinking from a stream about 50 feet from the side of the road and that was really cool. I'll add the pictures in a little bit.
Immediately when i got to the summit the song "How to save a life" came on my ipod and i had to struggle to not cry on the way down. Its just one of those songs that really makes me think about Greg.
But anyway. I needed to buy some water from a general store in Rand. I got pizza for lunch in Walden, CO right before the boarder. Most of the way was down hill after the pass until i reached Wyoming. There started to be some tough climbs especially with the head winds but the worst was the last one which was less than 8 miles from Riverside. I actually had to stop, catch my breath, and walk for a bit. Im definitely not used to the altitude yet. But i made it and finished my chocolate milk at the top of the hill where i could see Riverside below. But with 4 miles let i got a flat tire and just decided to switch it with a spare rather than plug the puncture.
I got to Riverside around 7:15, set up camp, and went over to the restaurant. I had a great burger with bacon, mushrooms, and swiss cheese along with some tots with with the same toppings that were great. After dinner i was able to get a shower but the mosquitoes were so bad that you couldnt spend any time outside so i just went to bed early.

Day 35 July 16th

Denver to Granby
It was a very tough day with lots of climbing. it starte off good with steak, pancakes, and hash browns at the hotel for $6. I was off on the road again by 10. I asked the guy at the reception what he thought about going to the Coors brewery which i would be passing right by. He said he didnt like domestics and never had any desire to go. I felt sort of the same way. The bike is running ok but it wont go into third gear which wasnt a problem today since it was mostly climbing but i need to get it fixed before Wyoming. The camelbak was ok but it definitely tasted like bleach still so i need to wash that out some more and drink only from my bottles. I had Subway for lunch after climbing Lookout Mountain. I refilled my bottles again at a McDonalds where i didnt buy anything but walked over to the fountain drinks and filled up with powerade and water. After the town of Idaho Springs it want a tough ride until a few mies before Empire where it started to get steep. In empire i stopped at a market and had to buy a half gallon of normal milk and a container of Hershey's syrup to make some chocolate mill. The climb after Empire was terrible. It wasnt as tall as teh other pass i did but it was much steeper, plus i wasnt in as good condition as before. I was definitely not used to the altitude and struggled for a few miles before putting y thumb out and hitchhiking while riding. The bike shop i stopped in said that mountain bikers do it all the time and then ride down on the other side for fun so motorists are used to doing it. It only took about 4 tries for someone to stop and pick me up. Mike lived on the other side of the pass in Frasier and he gave me a lift in his truck. Even his truck struggled up the pass. The way down seemed pretty treacherous with switchbacks on the side of the cliff and some really steep descents. MIke was kinda strange. He talked a lot about pot and how they are slowly starting to legalize it. He also said how he wanted to move to Penn State and sell pot to all the college kids there. But he gave me a free ride so i cant really complain.
It was only 15 miles from where he dropped me off to Granby and i found a hotel there by 7. When i was walking into my room a man and his son stopped me and asked what i was doing with my bike. I told them a little and they invited me to dinner with them. Steve and his son Christian were in town for the mountain bike national championships that Christian was in. They were both really friendly and had tons of questions about my trip.
104 miles tomorrow and crossing another continental divide at 9,500 ft tomorrow morning but i will be back on the route in less than 5 miles.

Day 34 July 15th

Bryn Mawr to Denver
It was a pretty long day but I'm not exhausted while writing this at midnight mountain time. I saw Harry Potter last night/ this morning and Christine drove me to the airport to catch my flight at 5:30. I got to the airport pretty late and i couldn't check my boxes since i was within the 45 min before take off. But i was bumped to a direct flight to Denver that was going to get me there about 15 minutes later than the one i was scheduled to take when u include the connection. The flight was great and i got a window so i was able to lean against that and sleep most of the way. I left the airport around 11:30 mountain time. It must have been pretty strange to see someone pull a bike out of some boxes, assemble it in the curbside check in area, and ride off out of the airport. I forgot my phone charger but hopefully my parents will be able to bring it when they meet me in Jackson Hole.
It took me a while to get to the other side of Denver because the airport is pretty far outside town and it was confusing riding in a different city. Plus i had to wait over 20 minutes for a train to pass. I called it quits on the western side of Denver and spent the night in a hotel. The hotel was able to help me find a bike shop close by where i could get some tubes and other things i would need. I got Quedoba for diner on the walk back and it was the only thing i ate since the banana i had before with Christine for the airport but i wasnt as hungry as you would expect. The camelbak Libby gave me got some mold in the tube from just sitting in the garage for the last month so i got some bleach and tried to clean it out.
Parts of the day were pretty upsetting for me. My heart really isnt in it this time. I even thought about calling home and saying that i would be coming back after Yellowstone. But i think if i just give it some time and get back into the routine and the scenery gets better.
I should be going over a major pass tomorrow, over 11,000 feet, and im not sure how far it is to Granby but i know there are a few campsites along the way.