Day 32

Mileage: 74

Total mileage: 2826

Wyoming has some of the most incredible scenery, but the wind is so crazy, it's hard to enjoy it.

This morning I had my phone charging off a random outdoor outlet on one of the park buildings, so I had no alarm. I figured I'd wake up when it got light like I usually do. Nope. 10:30 am when I incredulously stumbled out of bed. By the time I got breakfast and was rolling, it was a little after 11. I suppose I probably needed the sleep.

Today, the wind was a huge factor again. I took a 15 second video of the tall grass by the side of the road just getting knocked absolutely flat, but I don't have a good way to upload it or display it for you guys. Let's just say that these were some of the hardest miles I've worked for. There was a 6 percent grade today that I did a little experiment on. I faced into the wind and stopped pedalling, then promptly slowed down and rolled to a stop. If the wind is so ferocious that it stalled me out on a hill that steep, you can imagine what it did to my legs today. They're going to appreciate the sleep tonight.

Normally when I'm riding I try to soak in the scenery in my mind and just use the pictures to jog my memory. Today, I'm very glad I have the pictures, because all 

of my memories are slightly tainted with bitter resentment toward the incessant wind. Several times when I got blown off the road I just yelled as loudly as I could into the Wyoming wilderness to vent the pent up frustration. However, despite the struggle, there were some really fun parts of the day as well. 

Today I met Thomas, the 75 year old gentleman who's riding this trail for the third time. His reasoning was flawless and he made a point that I've been thinking a lot over the last couple days. He said that at home, you're just another person, another citizen doing their job. Out here (he gestured to the wide open Wyoming landscape) you have the whole world at your fingertips, you can go anywhere and do anything. He punctuated his point by pulling a flask of whiskey out of a water bottle holder and passing it to me for a toast to freedom. What a character! 

The mile marker signs have been replaced with cryptic symbols by the side of the road. I'm thinking they have something to do with passing lanes, but the markings on the sign don't seem to line up with any markings on the road, so I'm forced to conclude that these are glyphs that are part of some grand Wyoming riddle. I'm sure I'll solve the puzzle before I leave this state. Maybe I'll find buried treasure! 

The scenery changed drastically today, and despite the brutal winds, I was able to appreciate some of its beauty. In order, I climbed up onto a grassy plateau, descended into a rocky valley, passed by a ton of cool cliffs and cattle land, followed the aptly named Wind River through an incredible valley and came out in Dubois. I think I took at least one picture at every stage, so I'm sorry for all the landscapes, but I just couldn't get enough of the scenery! 

A few miles outside of Dubois, I had no real idea how much farther I had to go, since I hadn't paid attention to the mile marker when I got on a new road a few dozen miles back. Then I saw someone wearing pink on a bike ahead of me. I found a sudden burst of energy and caught up. It was a girl in yoga pants, with a purse and wearing a pink sweatshirt: a local casual. I was reminded of the quote from Star Wars where Han Solo remarks 'those are short range fighters' and realizes there must be an empire base nearby. In the same way, I realized I must be close to town. 

In Dubois, I scarfed down a huge steak and potatoes dinner and finished with apple rhubarb pie a la mode. It was amazing! The plan was to leave and ride a few more miles down the road until I could find an unobtrusive place to pitch my tarp, since there were no free places in town. Fortunately, as I left I ran into two cyclists with handlebar bags, a dead giveaway of a touring cyclist. They told me that they were staying at the local Episcopal church and gave me directions. 

I went up to the church and found Mary-Ellen working in the garden out back. We 

talked gardening for a while as I helped her water the beds, and she showed me what they were all growing. She let me into the fellowship hall and said I could stay here tonight. So I'm posting from church Wi-Fi and sleeping in air conditioned bliss on the carpeted floor! Tomorrow I get to enter Yellowstone if I get far enough. Let's hope for the wind to stop! G'night!