Idaho Falls - Arco
72 miles
6 hours and 33 minutes in the saddle
21.6 mph max speed
10.8 mph average speed
Arco really is in the middle of nowhere. Today we have cycled through 72 miles of barren, arid desert. After about 50 miles we spotted what looked like a nuclear reactor on the horizon. It turned out to be the Idaho National Laboratory for energy research. A little later there was a sign for EBR-1, the worlds first nuclear power plant. EBR-1 (Electronic Breeding Reactor - 1) it was a fascinating insight into nuclear power and the guides were incredibly knowledgeable and answered our endless stream of questions apart from "which hotels in Arco are nice". That question was met by a hearty laugh. Arco can be best described as a bit of an oddball outpost. Mette had an atomic burger for dinner, it didn't glow in the dark, and gastronomically left a lot to be desired.
Friday, 15 June 2007
Tuesday, 12 June 2007
Tuesday 12 June - Crossing the Tetons
Jackson - Idaho Falls
91 miles
8 hour and 23 minutes in the saddle
35.3 mph max speed
10.8 mph average speed
Today we blew away the cobwebs from too many rest days in a short space of time and headed west from Jackson and off the Adventure Cycling route that we have been following. In the interest of saving time and visiting Ken in Boise we have decided to cut the route short and miss out Montana, we will make up for it by cycling from Oregon to San Francisco instead.
This morning we left Jackson in glorious sunshine and headed for Teton Pass, a 5 mile climb at 10% grade. It was a killer hill and probably our toughest climb on the entire trip, even tougher than some of the climbs in Appalachia. We had to stop several times on the way up to admire the view and to stretch muscles that were close to cramping. The descent from Teton Pass took us over the state line and into Idaho, our third last state on this trip.
Our second pass came 10 miles after Teton Pass and it was nowhere near as hard work. However, it took us through dense forests that reminded us of the ones in Yellowstone where we had seen bear. In the attempt to fend off any bears lurking behind the trees we talked as loud as we could, while cycling uphill. We saw no bears, either they were not around or they didn't like our English accents.
The descent from Pine Creek Pass took us into the wide, lush and green Swan Valley. It reminded us of Switzerland as we could see snow capped mountains all around. We stopped at the petrol station in Swan Valley for lunch and enjoyed our noisiest lunch stop of the trip. The road in front of the petrol station was being widened and there was a multitude of construction machinery in constant use.
The remainder of the ride followed Snake River into Idaho Falls. According to the receptionist at the Super 8 where we are staying the only reason people come to Idaho Falls is because they are passing through. From what we have seen we have to say we agree.
It is nice to see the comments on the blog. We enjoy writing it and we hope you enjoy reading about our trip.
91 miles
8 hour and 23 minutes in the saddle
35.3 mph max speed
10.8 mph average speed
Today we blew away the cobwebs from too many rest days in a short space of time and headed west from Jackson and off the Adventure Cycling route that we have been following. In the interest of saving time and visiting Ken in Boise we have decided to cut the route short and miss out Montana, we will make up for it by cycling from Oregon to San Francisco instead.
This morning we left Jackson in glorious sunshine and headed for Teton Pass, a 5 mile climb at 10% grade. It was a killer hill and probably our toughest climb on the entire trip, even tougher than some of the climbs in Appalachia. We had to stop several times on the way up to admire the view and to stretch muscles that were close to cramping. The descent from Teton Pass took us over the state line and into Idaho, our third last state on this trip.
Our second pass came 10 miles after Teton Pass and it was nowhere near as hard work. However, it took us through dense forests that reminded us of the ones in Yellowstone where we had seen bear. In the attempt to fend off any bears lurking behind the trees we talked as loud as we could, while cycling uphill. We saw no bears, either they were not around or they didn't like our English accents.
The descent from Pine Creek Pass took us into the wide, lush and green Swan Valley. It reminded us of Switzerland as we could see snow capped mountains all around. We stopped at the petrol station in Swan Valley for lunch and enjoyed our noisiest lunch stop of the trip. The road in front of the petrol station was being widened and there was a multitude of construction machinery in constant use.
The remainder of the ride followed Snake River into Idaho Falls. According to the receptionist at the Super 8 where we are staying the only reason people come to Idaho Falls is because they are passing through. From what we have seen we have to say we agree.
It is nice to see the comments on the blog. We enjoy writing it and we hope you enjoy reading about our trip.
Monday, 11 June 2007
Sunday 10 June/ Monday 11 June - Yellowstone in a car!
No cycling today, we are back in our favourite car a Subaru Outback driving around Yellowstone. We have seen a lot and have also decided that it is better to travel through Yellowstone by car rather than bike. Narrow, winding roads trafficated by RVs (recreational vehicles = busses! usually driven in an erratic manner) towing SUVs is not ideal for cycling.
Today we have seen Old Faithful erupt, as expected. We have seen hot springs that stink of sulphur and lots of other geysers. One took us by surprise as it erupted high into the air right next to us. We avoided getting sprayed by the hot, smelly water. We have also seen elk, marmot, a coyote tending to the call of nature on the hard shoulder, deer, bison and bear twice! The first time was this morning and we weren't able to stop and take a photo. Stephen spent the rest of the day on a mission to spot another bear and to get a photo. We finally got a real close-up of a black bear as it crossed the road right in front of our car. We braked hard to avoid running over it.
Cycling through the Rockies was breathtaking, but after seeing the Tetons and Yellowstone cresting Current Creek Pass no longer tops our list of spectacular places (sorry, Colorado). Now it is the amazing view of the Tetons and wild life spotting in Yellowstone that take the number 1 and 2 spots, respectively.
We have taken lots of photos. We managed to return the hire car 5 minutes before our 24 hours were out. Tomorrow we will be planning our alternative, and shorter route through Idaho. That will give us more time to enjoy the ride down the coast to San Francisco. It will also give us the opportunity to visit Ken in Boise.
Monday 11 June - we are taking an extra rest day in Jackson Hole (we enjoy visiting ski resorts). We have spent time planning our route through Idaho and also getting local advice on road conditions and elevations.
Today we have seen Old Faithful erupt, as expected. We have seen hot springs that stink of sulphur and lots of other geysers. One took us by surprise as it erupted high into the air right next to us. We avoided getting sprayed by the hot, smelly water. We have also seen elk, marmot, a coyote tending to the call of nature on the hard shoulder, deer, bison and bear twice! The first time was this morning and we weren't able to stop and take a photo. Stephen spent the rest of the day on a mission to spot another bear and to get a photo. We finally got a real close-up of a black bear as it crossed the road right in front of our car. We braked hard to avoid running over it.
Cycling through the Rockies was breathtaking, but after seeing the Tetons and Yellowstone cresting Current Creek Pass no longer tops our list of spectacular places (sorry, Colorado). Now it is the amazing view of the Tetons and wild life spotting in Yellowstone that take the number 1 and 2 spots, respectively.
We have taken lots of photos. We managed to return the hire car 5 minutes before our 24 hours were out. Tomorrow we will be planning our alternative, and shorter route through Idaho. That will give us more time to enjoy the ride down the coast to San Francisco. It will also give us the opportunity to visit Ken in Boise.
Monday 11 June - we are taking an extra rest day in Jackson Hole (we enjoy visiting ski resorts). We have spent time planning our route through Idaho and also getting local advice on road conditions and elevations.
Saturday 9 June - Reaching the Tetons
Dubois to Jackson, Wyoming
75 miles
6 hours and 32 minutes in the saddle
31.1 mph max speed
11.4 mph average speed
Today we climbed over Togwotee Pass at 9,658 feet and crossed the continental divide yet another time. In spite of the Weather Channel promising strong tail wind, we continue to face head winds. Our faith in the Weather Channel has been severely dented.
Road works near the summit meant that we got a lift for nearly 4 miles through the worst of the road works. We still had to cycle a few miles on rough, unpaved roads. As we climbed towards the pass we had amazing views of Lava Mountain and Pinnacle Butte. There was a lot of snow on the ground following the 14 inch dump of snow on Wednesday.
A 17 mile downhill followed the climb up Togwotee. After about 5 miles down hill we caught our first glimpse of the majestic Teton mountains. It is difficult to describe the beauty of the Tetons. We spent most of the 17 mile descent ooh-ing and aah-ing as we got closer and closer to the mountains. Tetons seem to suddenly rise out of the ground and there are no foot hills to obstruct the views of the 13,000 feet jagged peaks. Our slow average speed reflects the number of times we stopped to take photos and to admire the view.
On our way to Jackson we stopped at the airport to pick up a hire car. Tomorrow we will drive around Yellowstone.
Today we have seen lots of deer, a moose in the distance and bison roaming the plains.
75 miles
6 hours and 32 minutes in the saddle
31.1 mph max speed
11.4 mph average speed
Today we climbed over Togwotee Pass at 9,658 feet and crossed the continental divide yet another time. In spite of the Weather Channel promising strong tail wind, we continue to face head winds. Our faith in the Weather Channel has been severely dented.
Road works near the summit meant that we got a lift for nearly 4 miles through the worst of the road works. We still had to cycle a few miles on rough, unpaved roads. As we climbed towards the pass we had amazing views of Lava Mountain and Pinnacle Butte. There was a lot of snow on the ground following the 14 inch dump of snow on Wednesday.
A 17 mile downhill followed the climb up Togwotee. After about 5 miles down hill we caught our first glimpse of the majestic Teton mountains. It is difficult to describe the beauty of the Tetons. We spent most of the 17 mile descent ooh-ing and aah-ing as we got closer and closer to the mountains. Tetons seem to suddenly rise out of the ground and there are no foot hills to obstruct the views of the 13,000 feet jagged peaks. Our slow average speed reflects the number of times we stopped to take photos and to admire the view.
On our way to Jackson we stopped at the airport to pick up a hire car. Tomorrow we will drive around Yellowstone.
Today we have seen lots of deer, a moose in the distance and bison roaming the plains.
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.
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.
Thursday, 7 June 2007
Wednesday/ Thursday 6/ 7 June - waiting for the storm to clear
Lander
No cycling at all for two whole days!
We chose to take a rest day yesterday because we were tired from the 126 miles we did on Tuesday. We were planning to ride to Dubois today, but overnight a cold front came in from the west dropping the temperatures to what feels like freezing and dumped snow on the mountains around us. There was just no way we were getting on the bikes to cross mountains with snow on, torrential rain and 30 mph headwinds would have made it a miserable bike ride.
Last night we met Clive, another English TranAm'er who is also hotelling it across the US. We went out for dinner together, it was nice to meet someone who is doing the trip in the same way that we are.
Lander is a really nice town. There are good restaurants here, nice shops, a supermarket that sells fresh fruit and vegetables and even has organic food! We are not feeling too bad about being stuck in Lander. We have also made new friends with the people who run the local bike shop.
No cycling at all for two whole days!
We chose to take a rest day yesterday because we were tired from the 126 miles we did on Tuesday. We were planning to ride to Dubois today, but overnight a cold front came in from the west dropping the temperatures to what feels like freezing and dumped snow on the mountains around us. There was just no way we were getting on the bikes to cross mountains with snow on, torrential rain and 30 mph headwinds would have made it a miserable bike ride.
Last night we met Clive, another English TranAm'er who is also hotelling it across the US. We went out for dinner together, it was nice to meet someone who is doing the trip in the same way that we are.
Lander is a really nice town. There are good restaurants here, nice shops, a supermarket that sells fresh fruit and vegetables and even has organic food! We are not feeling too bad about being stuck in Lander. We have also made new friends with the people who run the local bike shop.
Wednesday, 6 June 2007
Tuesday 5 June - A character building bike ride
Rawlins - Lander
126 miles (a new record)
9 hours and 12 minutes in the saddle
34.7 mph max speed
13.6 mph average speed
Yes, we were mad to do 126 miles in a day. We are hurting in every muscle in our body, but the posterior is particularly sore. We left Rawlins at 6.45am, which is far too early according to Stephen since he has paid good money for the hotel room, and therefore needs to make full use of the facilities....oh it's great being married to an accountant!
We had calm winds as we left Rawlins to climb up towards the Great Divide Basin. The Great Divide Basin was the bottom of the sea 300 million years ago. The views across the basin were like looking across a moon landscape. It is a vast open, empty desert surrounded by mountains. The sand is orange and the hills are also orange. The road crosses the basin as straight as an arrow for about 20 miles. We had tail wind and for the first 60 miles of our ride we were averaging around 16 mph. As we reached the end of the basin we stopped at Grandma's Cafe. It was spooky. We were probably the first people who had stopped there for weeks. The smoke from cooking fat was so thick in the air it was like walking through pea soup fog. We didn't waste any time at Grandma's smoke house since the owners appeared to come from a very limited gene pool.
Jeffrey City was our lunch stop and also potential overnight stop. Jeffrey City is a ghost town. It was originally founded on a uranium strike in the 80s, but has since been deserted. There are about 15 people still living in the town and most of the buildings are boarded up. It is a strange place. We stopped for lunch under the picnic shelter that Rotary had built. It was probably a nice place to have a picnic in the 80s, but now it is populated by a million mosquitoes and some tumble weed that has found its final resting place. We took one look at the Top Hat Motel and decided that we'd be able to ride to Lander. We didn't leave Jeffrey City before we had bought the last 4 bottles of water in the only shop that was not boarded up.
The last 60 miles to Lander were incredibly tough because we were tired and also because we had head wind. A storm started brewing as we reached Sweetwater Junction about 40 miles from Lander. Just as we were picking up speed a cyclist travelling in the opposite direction stopped and waved to us. Grudgingly we pulled over and crossed to the other side of the road. We exchanged the usual tidbits of information about riding conditions, how far we had come etc. As we were talking lightning was flashing and thunder rumbling around us. We looked anxiously towards the skies and said good-bye to our fellow Trans-Am'er. Fortunately we had the benefit of a five mile descent to help us race away from the storms. The last 40 miles of our ride we spent as much time looking at black storm clouds as looking at the road. Thankfully we reached Lander without any further weather incidents.
We are very glad to be in a comfortable motel and are looking forward to a well deserved rest day in Lander.
126 miles (a new record)
9 hours and 12 minutes in the saddle
34.7 mph max speed
13.6 mph average speed
Yes, we were mad to do 126 miles in a day. We are hurting in every muscle in our body, but the posterior is particularly sore. We left Rawlins at 6.45am, which is far too early according to Stephen since he has paid good money for the hotel room, and therefore needs to make full use of the facilities....oh it's great being married to an accountant!
We had calm winds as we left Rawlins to climb up towards the Great Divide Basin. The Great Divide Basin was the bottom of the sea 300 million years ago. The views across the basin were like looking across a moon landscape. It is a vast open, empty desert surrounded by mountains. The sand is orange and the hills are also orange. The road crosses the basin as straight as an arrow for about 20 miles. We had tail wind and for the first 60 miles of our ride we were averaging around 16 mph. As we reached the end of the basin we stopped at Grandma's Cafe. It was spooky. We were probably the first people who had stopped there for weeks. The smoke from cooking fat was so thick in the air it was like walking through pea soup fog. We didn't waste any time at Grandma's smoke house since the owners appeared to come from a very limited gene pool.
Jeffrey City was our lunch stop and also potential overnight stop. Jeffrey City is a ghost town. It was originally founded on a uranium strike in the 80s, but has since been deserted. There are about 15 people still living in the town and most of the buildings are boarded up. It is a strange place. We stopped for lunch under the picnic shelter that Rotary had built. It was probably a nice place to have a picnic in the 80s, but now it is populated by a million mosquitoes and some tumble weed that has found its final resting place. We took one look at the Top Hat Motel and decided that we'd be able to ride to Lander. We didn't leave Jeffrey City before we had bought the last 4 bottles of water in the only shop that was not boarded up.
The last 60 miles to Lander were incredibly tough because we were tired and also because we had head wind. A storm started brewing as we reached Sweetwater Junction about 40 miles from Lander. Just as we were picking up speed a cyclist travelling in the opposite direction stopped and waved to us. Grudgingly we pulled over and crossed to the other side of the road. We exchanged the usual tidbits of information about riding conditions, how far we had come etc. As we were talking lightning was flashing and thunder rumbling around us. We looked anxiously towards the skies and said good-bye to our fellow Trans-Am'er. Fortunately we had the benefit of a five mile descent to help us race away from the storms. The last 40 miles of our ride we spent as much time looking at black storm clouds as looking at the road. Thankfully we reached Lander without any further weather incidents.
We are very glad to be in a comfortable motel and are looking forward to a well deserved rest day in Lander.
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