Day 67: Rawlins to Saratoga, WY; "Saratoga by Lunchtime"

September 6, 2015

Notes:

1.) If you select the “Comment” link near the bottom of the page you can leave a message for me. I enjoy getting them.

2.) Climbing Today: 1,130 ft -- Total So Far; 157,299 ft

3.) Average Speed While Biking Today: 10.6 mph

4.) Mechanical Issues Today: none

5.) Miles Remaining to Canon City: about 313

6.) Miles Traveled to Date on This Half of the Journey: 1,687

7.) Money Found Today: $.01

8.) Total Money Found: $1.04 (Will I find enough to buy a cup of coffee?)

9.) My Current Bicycle Altitude Record (BAR): 9,584 Feet, Togwotee Pass

I needed a bit of rest after yesterday’s tussle with the Wyoming wind. The Comfort Suites had a free breakfast beginning at 6:00 am, and I slept in until 5:15 am this morning. So sue me already. As tired as I was, I was still reluctant to do this because I was afraid the wind would be bad again today and I might have gained a slight edge by getting out ahead of it. So I was conflicted, but the thought of a “real” breakfast with bacon and eggs and such won out. If the winds were going to be bad today, at least I would get some sleep and food in me and be better prepared for the struggle.

As I was preparing to leave the hotel, I met a nice couple who saw me struggling in the wind yesterday. They are rock hounds from Colorado, and were in Wyoming doing some collecting. Leaving Rawlins yesterday morning, they saw me on the bike making my way south. They put in a full day hunting for specimens, and when they were returning to Rawlins they saw me again and thought “That poor man! He’s fighting so hard against the wind.” By coincidence, I happened to stay at the same hotel as them, and they recognized my bike as I was pushing it out. It was nice talking with them, and they gave me the “inside story” regarding why the restaurant in Wetmore, CO was now closed. You may recall that on the last day of the first half of this journey I had counted on the restaurant being open in Wetmore, and it was devastating when it was not.

So I didn’t get rolling until about 6:30 am, and I was very happy that there was little wind at that time. My route ventured down the “old highway” to the town of Sinclair.

Note the elevation was now 6,592 feet. I will be climbing for the next 4 ½ days until I cross Hoosier Pass, and I must gain a net of about 5,000 feet in order to do so. Sinclair, like a lot of small western towns I have visited on this journey, is a supporter of the Bicycle Altitude Record (BAR) concept.

Many Small Wyoming Towns Support the Bicycle Altitude Record (BAR) Concept

For a small town, Sinclair has some interesting architecture in the town square.

Also Sinclair is named for the Sinclair Oil Company, and the town houses a Sinclair refinery.

The Transam route was designed to travel the lightly-used backroads across America, and that’s primarily what it does. However, for 13 miles in Wyoming, there is no alternative other than to take I-80 from Sinclair to Walcott. I’d been looking forward to it, and thought that if I was feeling strong I would travel in the fast lane and pass the slow vehicles. However, after yesterday’s brutal experience with the Wyoming wind, I wasn’t feeling very strong at all and decided that I would just ride on the shoulder instead. Here’s a view of my route;

As it so happens, the shoulder of I-80 was a very nice ride. I-80 near Rawlins is probably one of (if not the) least busy interstates in America. Here’s a view down the shoulder;

I-80 Near Rawlins Was Not a Busy Interstate Highway

I hadn’t been on the shoulder long before I spotted this penny.

The “Found Money” coffee fund was growing, and this penny brought it up to $1.04. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any more money today. I did find something more useful than a few pennies.

I Scored Several Sockets at 3 Different Locations Today

The above photo was taken later tonight in the hotel room. I’m a tool guy, and I just couldn’t cycle past these sockets, despite the fact that it meant I would have to carry more weight for a while. Interestingly, these sockets were found in 3 different locations miles apart. The bulk of them were found in one area along the shoulder, and another was found about 3 miles later, and yet another was found about half way down the exit ramp at Walcott. They were all the same brand and different sizes, so it appeared likely that they came from the same set. Maybe a drunken cowboy bouncing along in an old pickup on a Friday night without closing the toolbox lid? Or maybe they weren’t all from the same set and were lost from different vehicles. I guess I’ll never know for sure.

My path today goes from Walcott to Saratoga, my destination for the day. I had originally planned to travel further to Riverside or Encampment, but when I called there were no rooms available at either place. So, I was only going to travel 42 miles today. I was disappointed with the shorter mileage originally, but after yesterday’s battle with the wind I probably needed an easier day. This part of Wyoming is still quite desolate.

Still Traveling On Some Lonely and Desolate Highways

Road signs like this are frightening to cyclists, because we don’t know what the road conditions will be like.

Construction Signs Are A Concern For Cyclists

However, this was a Saturday and there was no construction work ongoing. The Overland Trail once crossed my path at this point.

The wind did commence picking up as the morning grew older, but by then I had only an hour or so left to cycle.

Harvey's "Wind Guage" Was Picking Up - But Nothing Could Be As Bad As Yesterday!

As sometimes happens when I travel in desolate places, my mind went weird on me. Before I could stop it, I made up this little jingle about Saratoga, my destination today.

Saratoga By Lunchtime (sung to the tune of “Amarillo By Morning”)

“Saratoga by Lunchtime, That is my goal,

Saratoga by Lunchtime, That’s how I roll,

If I find a dime, That will be fine,

I’ll just add it to the coffee fund,

Saratoga by Lunchtime, Saratoga Here I come.”

So now I had this stupid jingle stuck in my head and I couldn’t quit singing it. Fortunately, I soon spotted Saratoga in the distance.

Rolling into any of these small towns, I felt like an old-fashioned cowboy riding into town on a horse. I waved at most everybody, and most waved back. I checked out the businesses as I entered town just to see what sort of business can survive in a small town. I was surprised by this sign as I rolled into the outskirts of Saratoga.

A Billiard Cloth Business Out Here In This Desolate Country?

I suppose there must be a lot of small-town bars around that have pool tables, and the customers are rough/clumsy/drunk enough to regularly damage the cloth. I had gained about 200 feet since leaving Sinclair.

Only About 4800 More Feet to Climb to Hoosier Pass Summit

OK then, only about 4,800 feet more to go to the summit of Hoosier Pass. Here’s an interesting business that makes specialty horse-pulled wagons, including a jail wagon.

I found the Riviera Lodge and rolled Harvey into our room for the night. After cleaning up, I ventured out for some chow at the local eatery, and the TV was on with a story about one of the copycat Bandana Bicycle Bandits who had confessed to being the real bandit. Seems as though his attorney had gotten him released because laboratory testing had shown that the water bottle he brandished as a weapon did not contain bear urine, but only had Gatorade in it.

“Laboratory testing of at-scene items confirmed that real bear urine was used by the actual Triple B,” said the attorney. “Bear urine is highly caustic and will dissolve plastic and slowly corrode most metals,” continued the attorney. “My client’s entire home was tested by the police forensics team and no trace of bear urine was found. The police obviously got the wrong guy, and justice was served when they were forced to release him.”

The police chief was then interviewed and she said “We felt like we had the right guy, and we think he is being released on a technicality. Just because we can’t locate any trace of bear urine associated with him, we have to let him go. As far as we are concerned, this case is over. We don’t have the money or the manpower to pursue it further.”

Whatever. I don’t miss seeing the news at all, I view not seeing the news as one of the benefits of bicycle touring. But I do need to remember to buy another water bottle, as one of mine just sort of melted away into a gooey mess. Cheap plastic, I suppose. Good night all…

Today's ride: 42 miles (68 km)
Total: 3,984 miles (6,412 km)

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