Day 34 - 6/19/08
Start - County Rd 42
End - Medicine Bow Nat'l ForestMileage
55 miles
So last night we were all set up to camp and had just pitched the tarps due to the approaching thunder clouds when a ranger pulls up. It was probably around 10 pm or so. Regardless, she comments on hoe nice our campsite is, to which I respond "thank you, it is beautiful". The ranger proceeds to tell me how we were on a day use area only and camping is PROHIBITED. We knew this all along, but figured no one would really check. But we played the ignorance card and ended getting a lift in their truck back to county rd 42 in a national forest. Sucked to have to give up such a sweet camping site, but it happens. The morning started with a beotch of a climb to the watershed divide just a little below 10,000 feet. The ranger told us it was closed and socked in with snow, but our thrubiker attitude kicked in and we said "no problem". Well there wasn't a problem for the first hour- hard climb
ing, but no snow. Then we hit the satanic white stuff. We ended up slogging in the snow for the next two hours or so- not the most pleasant of activities. Our bodies have morphed into biking machines with resultant atrophied upper bodies. Needless to say, it sucks to drag your 50 lb bike through 5 foot snow drifts. So we covered a whopping 6 miles in about 3 hours- slower than hiking pace. But it all works out.Once out of that, the roads were nice and dry, with a good bit of descending to Slater, CO- a one trailer town at the border of Wyoming. We sat outside of the post office (located in that one trailer) for a little break and then started a 16 mile road section that had us climb into the Medicine Bow Nat'l Forest. So we hit WYOMING!! Three more state and then Canada to go. Once turning off onto a dirt road here, we went through this super beautiful lane called Aspen Alley- just epic. Our campsite is laden with yellow and purple wild flowers and is surrounded by aspens. Couldn't get much better.Tomorrow we've got about 55 miles to get into Rawlins, WY- we're planning to get a motel room and indulge in a well needed shower. I think it's been almost a week and my stench is starting to wake me up at night- so perhaps it is time to practice some personal hygiene, just a thought. Well gotta go read some Count of Monte Cristo- a pretty good book thus far. Then zzzzzzzs.
Start - County Rd 42
End - Medicine Bow Nat'l ForestMileage
55 miles
So last night we were all set up to camp and had just pitched the tarps due to the approaching thunder clouds when a ranger pulls up. It was probably around 10 pm or so. Regardless, she comments on hoe nice our campsite is, to which I respond "thank you, it is beautiful". The ranger proceeds to tell me how we were on a day use area only and camping is PROHIBITED. We knew this all along, but figured no one would really check. But we played the ignorance card and ended getting a lift in their truck back to county rd 42 in a national forest. Sucked to have to give up such a sweet camping site, but it happens. The morning started with a beotch of a climb to the watershed divide just a little below 10,000 feet. The ranger told us it was closed and socked in with snow, but our thrubiker attitude kicked in and we said "no problem". Well there wasn't a problem for the first hour- hard climb
ing, but no snow. Then we hit the satanic white stuff. We ended up slogging in the snow for the next two hours or so- not the most pleasant of activities. Our bodies have morphed into biking machines with resultant atrophied upper bodies. Needless to say, it sucks to drag your 50 lb bike through 5 foot snow drifts. So we covered a whopping 6 miles in about 3 hours- slower than hiking pace. But it all works out.Once out of that, the roads were nice and dry, with a good bit of descending to Slater, CO- a one trailer town at the border of Wyoming. We sat outside of the post office (located in that one trailer) for a little break and then started a 16 mile road section that had us climb into the Medicine Bow Nat'l Forest. So we hit WYOMING!! Three more state and then Canada to go. Once turning off onto a dirt road here, we went through this super beautiful lane called Aspen Alley- just epic. Our campsite is laden with yellow and purple wild flowers and is surrounded by aspens. Couldn't get much better.Tomorrow we've got about 55 miles to get into Rawlins, WY- we're planning to get a motel room and indulge in a well needed shower. I think it's been almost a week and my stench is starting to wake me up at night- so perhaps it is time to practice some personal hygiene, just a thought. Well gotta go read some Count of Monte Cristo- a pretty good book thus far. Then zzzzzzzs.
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