111 miles on the Great Divide Basin

I had no trouble waking up at 3 AM, because I knew today would be difficult, and I wanted to get going as soon as possible. The plan was to roll 111 miles through one of the windiest patches of the route on the entire trail, the Great Divide Basin. I knew nourishment was crucial today, so by 3:30 AM four packets of plain oatmeal and peanut butter were being eaten. Tim offered to make some coffee, so we slurped that while talking with Karim. By 4 AM, all bundled up in layers, we rolled out of town in complete darkness. This was my first pre-sunrise day, and after the first mile, I found I loved it very much. Our bike lights provided enough visibility to avoid any debris or roadkill. An hour in, we were cranking those pedals, watching in the distance as the sun began to show its face. Our goal was 40 miles as quick as possible, which ended up being about 2.5 hours. After a brief stint on interstate 80, we made our way into our first town. We noticed a Walmart, and I instantly got excited because of the variety they offer. Dollar General just aren’t doing it any more my friends. Somehow I walked out of Wallie World with more food than I needed, but with today’s mileage, I could use all the calories I could get. With the bike now fully loaded, we wobbled over to a retro-looking diner for second breakfast. The joint was unique, and I liked being able to observe the cook preparing the food. I love watching cooks work their magic. I ended up ordering a large meal of eggs, vegetables, hashbrowns, and a Belgian waffle. After a couple cups of coffee, we took off into the Great Divide Basin. We left the restaurant around 8 AM and had 70 miles to go, but on the Great Divide Basin, the wind had already shown its face. Although I was feeling exceptionally great after a full meal, the wind became an issue the longer we biked. It came out of the north-west, so our trek wasn’t entirely difficult because we were heading north. The winds were enough to knock you around though, so after a couple hours of this you’re feeling its wrath.
The Great Divide Basin was beautiful though, it’s nothing like I’ve ever seen. Very dry land, but huge rolling hills and interesting geology. One aspect I love about Wyoming already are the rock structures. With the landscape as a minor distraction though, we finally made it to our first little stop. My attitude went from a 10 to about a 7 at this point, which measures to still be pretty good. We drank some water because although you may not be sweating, the dry heat just takes it right out of you. Fortunately for us, when we left for the next town 11 miles away, the route veered right a bit and we got a yuuuuggee tailwind. Enough to put a smile on my wind-stricken face. I was flying up hills going 15 mph, which is about 8 mph faster than normal. The landscape once again was incredible. I mean I’ve never scene such extraordinary rock faces in my life. Luckily, I snapped as many pictures as possible to remember the beauty of the basin. One other neat thing that happened today was exceptionally nice. A woman pulled over on the highway and asked if we needed any food or water. Such an amazing act of kindness.

We eventually arrived to the last stop before our final destination. We loaded up on lunch, hiding ourselves from the winds by sitting on the floor in the convenience store. At this point it was noon, so the winds were in absolute full blast, easily hitting 20+ mph. Unfortunately, our last 22 miles was straight up headwinds. You have to be mentally strong going into a headwind like this, so I tried my best to stay positive and relaxed. We had already ridden 90 miles, so I was already ready to be off the bike, but the job had to be done.

We pedaled on into the wind, which immediately stopped you in your tracks once you paused pedaling. We had our work cut out for us. The first 11 miles were pretty miserable, but my attitude was right. I was feeling about a 5 at this point, so with only 11 miles to go I tried to remain strong. I ran out of water around 5 miles left, and absolutely almost gave up several times. I can honestly say today was the hardest part of the trip for me thus far. I felt absolutely defeated. I could barely bike faster than 6 mph, and was putting in as much energy as possible. The worst part about this trek to was going downhill. When you have to exert everything in you and you’re going DOWNHILL, you know you have your work cut out for you.

By the time we arrived at Jeffrey city, I had run out of water, almost quit twice, and had throbbing legs like I had never felt before. However, we just rode 111 miles through the Great Divide Basin in order to stay at a lovely church, so we highfived each other and celebrated. We decided an alcoholic beverage would help facilitate the celebration, so we first stopped at the local watering hole for a beer. The IPA tasted so incredibly delicious flowing down my esophagus, another one was quickly on its way. I went with the grilled cheese and fries as my appetizer before I cooked my own dinner, and it was heaven as nourished and refueled my beaten up body. I went to pay with cash; Tim attempted to pay with credit. She informed us if we pay with cash, we receive a free beer. Cha-chingz.

We settled up, tipped our hats to the cowboys drinking away at the bar, and painfully biked over to the church. As I walked in, I heard voices. I noticed another bike, and said to myself how familiar it looked. Out comes Mike, a guy I met back in Richmond before I left for the trip who happened to be doing the trail as well. We ran into each other’s arms and bear hugged the crap out of each other. Knowing we had a friend from back home made staying here very special for us. We talked a lot about the trail, and he shared what to expect coming up. We all made our dinner and chatted about the stories we’ve collected over the weeks. It’s funny how such a shitty day can turn 180 degrees as easy as it did when I saw Mike was staying the night too. The church itself was wonderful as well. The space offered a full kitchen, shower, and private rooms. We all chose our rooms, setup gear, and one by one moved into our own privacy for some well-deserved rest. Today was extremely difficult, but so incredibly rewarding. I’m sure as hell waking up early tomorrow though, no more winds for me.

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