Friday 8 June - back on the bike

Lander - Dubois

76 miles
6 hours and 34 minutes in the saddle
31.1 mph max speed
11.5 mph average speed

Clear, crisp sunshine came through the cracks in the curtain this morning. Unbelievable really, considering the rain came down in sheets yesterday and there were blizzards in the mountains. We met two cyclists who had to be rescued because they got stuck in the snow.

Lander was a great town for a couple of rest days, but we are both glad to be on our way again. Soon after leaving Lander we rode into Wind River Indian Reservation which is home to the Shoshone tribe. We had been told that it could be rough cycling through the Indian Reservation as there are problems with drugs and alcohol, but we did not encounter any issues. Although it is clear that many Indian families live in poverty.

Today we have cycled through what we think was a canyon carved by the Wind River. The colour of the landscape is changing to deep red rocks and it is very arid, almost desert like. Amazing red rock formations towered over us as we got closer to Dubois.

Wind River is an apt name for an area that is very windy. We have added to the name "Northerly Wind River" since the winds are blowing hard from the north down the valley. The last 20 miles to Dubois were hard work for exactly this reason, we often faced gusts of 35 mph.

When we got to Dubois we dropped off a note at one of the outdoor shops from Brian who owns the bike shop in Lander. Margo at the outdoor shop in Dubois gave us good advice on hotels and also restaurants. Tonight we are staying in a quaint log cabin and we have eaten lovely fresh food (including vegetables!) at the local restaurant.