Okay, forget that bit about not hearing from me until Colorado. I'm am writing from the public library in Dubois, WY, and I have 20 minutes to do it, so here goes...
Today was our first bout with bad weather. We started with a cool, overcast morning, and as we gained elevation, it got colder and colder. Today we summitted our highest pass yet, and the second highest we will do all trip. I rode almost 15 miles on a 6% grade, and then had an additional 9 miles to the summit on a slightly lesser grade. When I got to the top (the others were ahead of me, except Bryan, who was behind), I hear thunder off in the distance, so I suited up for a cold, wet ride down. On the descent, I encountered some rain, but nothing too bad. Then there was about 6 miles of road construction where the road was nothing but gravel. Ugh, riding on gravel sucks. Well, at one of the flagger stops, this couple, Phyllis and Jerry, offered to drive me in their pickup to where the pavement started again, so I graciously accepted (turns out the pilot car was going to drive me through anyway). So, we're riding along, and when we hit the pavement, it starts pouring, and they were going to stop for lunch in Dubois, and offered to drive me all the way to Dubois. I first said, "No, I'd prefer to ride," but when the rain hit hard, I said "Oh, you can just keep driving." Then I saw Paul, Kev, and Nix up ahead, so I got out to ride with them. That's when the rain turned to bloody hail. (That bloody bit is some more of the British influence. By the way, I'm learning loads of new terms like knackered, shagged out, sod you, etc.) So, we got hailed on the last 20 odd miles into Dubois. It stung a little, but I survived. It is cold here and I went to an outdoor gear store here and got a pair of neoprene socks at a $5 discount, because the woman at the store really liked me. You all know how that charm works :o).
What else is new? We took two rest days in West Yellostone, rented a car and drove all around Yellowstone, where I saw Old Faithful erupt, lots of other geysers and thermal springs, an amazing canyon and waterfalls, lots of buffalo, bald eagles, coyotes, foxes, and elk. What a beautiful place. We also drove through Grand Teton National Forest and down to Jackson Hole. The Tetons, Jenny Lake, and Jackson Lake are spectacular sights as well. I also finally got to see a moose!
Yesterday as we left Yellowstone, Paul, Bryan, and I stopped and jumped off a 30 foot high cliff into Moose Falls. It was AWESOME!!!
Today while climbing the pass I met a guy named Jesse who had started riding in Virginia on May 2, and was making killer time: high mileage, no rest days. He lives in Berkeley in a cycling friendly co-housing set up. I got his contact info, and he told me to come visit when I move to Palo Alto in September. Yay for a new friend!
That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure I'm forgetting tons. We should be crossing the border into Colorado in about 5 more days. Now we're moving!
Oh, yes, Bryan's girlfriend has been sending him care packages to post offices along our route. I'm wondering where my boxes of brownies and cookies are! Kidding, kidding.
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I ran into Debra tonight and we decided to create a "We miss Karli" support group, though really it would be more of a fan club, since of course we all support what you're doing. The specifics have not been worked out, but I have a few fundraising ideas -- like a fan-fiction compilation entitled "The adventures of Karli's bosom." Bet I could get Nick to submit a chapter. We could sell them in L5P and put the profits towards supplying you with new socks.
Whatcha think?
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