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The TransAmerica Trail – Wyoming
Lander, WY – Dubois, WY
July 27, 2006
Packed this morning by 7:30, and went to the cafe to use the computer and get my paycheck… yeah, I actually filled out a W-4 and was on the books for three days work, but I still got a good check out of it for 20 hours work. It was nice to be productive and make some money, and now sitting here drinking a Mocha Java, it feels a little funny to be leaving town, which is odd because last night I kept saying that it’s been strange to stay in one place for so long. I’m going to miss sleeping underneath the tall cottonwood trees in the town park, hearing the same owl every morning, and seeing the deer that simply saunter on through the park without a care in the world.
I updated the journal, said goodbye to everybody, cashed the check, and it was noon by the time I left town. Jim made a point of leaving me with two particular points of advice. They were “Never, never, never give up,” and “Ask for the moon, and you may just get it.”
It felt great to be back on the road again, despite the hot, dry weather. Highlights on the radio included Cat Stevens – Peace Train, Styx – Fooling Yourself, Allman Bros – Midnight Rider, Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Come on Eileen, and Outkast – Hey Ya. I also never mentioned that I heard Survivor – Eye of the Tiger a couple days back… that really got me going!
I took a break at a highway rest stop, and was surprised to see Troy and Mel Clough catch up behind me. I thought they’d be days ahead, but they went ahead to take some days off in Yellowstone and the Tetons, and had now come to ride back over it. A tour bus showed up that was taking a group through all the Northwest National Parks, and at least four people approached us with the usual 20 questions. They even asked to take our picture, as though we were just some more of the “unique wildlife” on their tour! Mel fielded most of the questions while me and Troy went about other business.
In mid-afternoon we passed Crowheart Butte, and took a break at a gas station in the small town of Crowheart. It was after five o’clock, and we had 27 miles to go yet to Dubois. Most of the riding today was long, steady, gradual climbing, especially in the later hours, and a headwind kicked up to make things more difficult, but the scenery was nice enough to keep my mind off it. Soon the sun sank low, and that’s when things really became beautiful. The way the light shone upon the rocks was breathtaking, and all I can say is WOW – my jaw dropped soundly to rest on the handlebars for as long as the light lasted.
But then things went from about as good as it gets to an all new low, when all of a sudden I started to bonk at sunset. Hard. My legs were cramping from my feet all the way up to my groin, shortness of breath, fatigue… not good. I kept telling myself to just keep going, because I knew if I stopped, I’d have a hell of a time getting started again. This went on for a little while, until I was churning up yet another gradual incline, and couldn’t help but plop down along a flat, comfortable looking guardrail.
In a few minutes Troy and Mel caught up, and wasted no time parking their butts on the asphalt too. “I’m having trouble breathing today,” Mel said. Okay. Good. So it wasn’t just me. They shared some Pop Tarts with me, and I think it helped a little. It was a beautiful, crystal clear night, with a little dim light still in the west, and a crescent moon rising. “There’s supposed to be meteor showers tonight,” Troy said. We must have been quite a sight there, sitting on the quiet shoulder in the near dark. My right leg started to cramp up badly again, so that’s when it was time to go.
It was only two, maybe three more miles to a campground just shy of Dubois, and I made it okay, even though I didn’t care to go as little as another tenth of a mile. We split a site, and I got right to work cooking up some Lipton noodles. It was a slow task forcing them down, even though I knew I had to eat, and I ate only about half of my usual serving. It was the same deal with water, and soon I just passed out in my tent, among the same tall, mature cottonwood trees as the park in Lander. Life is good.
*In retrospect I believe this was an episode of severe dehydration.
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