July 13, 2023
Day 63 Rawlings Wy to Jeffrey City Wy
I asked Peter to drop me off at the intersection I passed yesterday where the route starts. My ride to the KOA campground involved some very busy roads that didn’t seem to be safe for bicycles. As it turned out, there wasn’t much traffic at the early hour and I could easily have biked it.
I left Rawlings at 6:40, my earliest start yet. I knew there would be heavy wind starting late morning and it would turn into a headwind. My plan was to get as many miles in while the wind was more manageable. The ride started with a gradual hill that lasted about 7 miles. I love riding in early morning; it’s so peaceful. After a short downhill, the climbing started again followed by a long downhill. There was a great shoulder.
After Muddy Hap, I turned west into the wind. At first it wasn’t so bad as I was somewhat protected but the surrounding hills which helped to block the wind. I prefer climbing to headwind but it really sucks when you get both, which is what happened after about 3 miles.
For the last 20 miles the wind was ferocious, making it difficult to keep the bike on a straight track. When I was about 2 miles from Jeffrey City, Petercame looking for me. He had seen another cyclist struggling as he approached the town. He wanted me to take a ride. Instead, I gave him my panniers so I wouldn’t get buffeted so much by the wind.
I limped into Jeffrey City and checked us into the Green Mountain Motel. Not a class A establishment. Peter was very dubious but there was no other alternative. The first room was not made up. The second and third rooms had no working air conditioner. The elderly (probably younger than me) owner came to check it out with great difficulty. He’s waiting for a multilevel spinal fusion. I asked if it could be a fuse. Then he said “maybe it’s the circuit breaker “. Peter went behind the building and flipped the breaker which fixed the air conditioner then walked the man back to his house. Peter slept on top of the bed. The room was reasonably clean and there was no evidence of bedbugs. My standards are probably lower than others after having survived residency where we slept in scrubs with godknowswhat on them- if we were lucky. I slept very well.
Jeffrey City was once a booming town of 6000 due to the uranium mines. These were shut down after the Three Mile Island incident and is now a toxic cleanup site.
Today's ride: 67 miles (108 km)
Total: 2,251 miles (3,623 km)
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