Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Days 36 - 37: 2nd largest peak, WIND

Made it over Togwotee Pass, the second highest peak on the route. I cheated a little by stopping at a motel about 3/4 of the way up. It was sunny and 72, but there was still about 6 feet of snow everywhere.

In the morning, I climbed over the top of the mountain and rolled downhill for 22 miles. At the bottom, I entered a new landscape and a new climate.

The wind continuously blasts this section of Wyoming's high desert. 60 MPH gusts are frequent and the direction varies. Hell for bicyclists.

In Yellowstone, I met a Norwegian cyclist coming the opposite direction who complained bitterly about Wyoming's wind. A couple days later at a gas station, the attendant told me that he'd met the Norwegian and they'd had the same conversation. The day after that, the front desk clerk at a motel told me that the Norwegian stopped there also, and that he'd been considering quitting.

So I've been nervous about this section.

The wind certainly blew ferociously today, but luckily it was against my back almost the entire way, propelling me effortlessly forward. Tomorrow, though, I could easily be the Norwegian.





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