A tail pressure differential ..and a stroke of luck?? WTH?!
We awoke in Pinedale to a bright and beautiful sun-shiny morning!
We took advantage of the lodging to not only clean ourselves up, but took the time to also do laundry! The “luxury” of riding in clean clothes cannot be overstated. On the occasions where we have had to ride in the same bibs and/or jerseys (but particularly bibs!!) on back-to-back, or even back-to-back-to-back, days is do not present a pleasant start to the day. But it is a necessity when laundry, water, and time are scarce. It is one of the basic premises of the Tour Divide that you MUST get comfortabel being uncomfortable. It is just the way it is, though the clothing problem is one that is rarely thought about, and even more rarely talked about! (See the interesting facts you learn in this blog?? isn’t it exciting?!!)
Now, breakfast came in many forms, and depending on where we were staying, whether that be a campsite (Usually not much at all for breakfast), a nicer motel/hotel (perhaps substantial breakfast fare), a moderate motel/hotel (basic continental breakfast), or a lower quality motel, -read that as just a place to stay and not meet a bedbug hopefully- (nothing but coffee, maybe), breakfast took on many forms. Today it was a moderate place.
While we ate at the motel, we also realized that we were going to be in an area today that would have limited supply options as we rolled across the vast plains of Wyoming towards, hopefully, our destination of Atlantic City. (No, not the one in New Jersey. Who knew there was an Atlantic City in Wyoming??!!) So it was that we rolled to an almost immediate stop at a local gas station/convenience store to pick up some of our basic food supplies, namely beef sticks, candy bars, donuts, etc. and were soon on our way.
The first several miles were paved and we rolled along, almost too easy, noting that we had what we have come to refer to as a “tail pressure differential”. (Side-note: IT has become the custom in Las Cruces ZiaVelo Cycling circles to never say the W word (wind, and that hurt to type), particularly when it is a tail-W. We know that saying the actual word will almost immediately cause a change in direction, thus resulting in a head-W!) Yeah, cyclists are an superstitious bunch!!
Anyway, we were riding along a perfectly paved highway, when all of a sudden, a LARGE moose crossed the highway a ways in front of us. The next thing Ray saw was the calf moose that was trailing its mother, now separated by the highway. While Grizzly bears are certainly a threat on the TD, this particular instance is no less dangerous. Getting between a mother and her calf can result in more unpleasantness that we really wanted to experience. Ray immediately noted that we should slow down significantly so as to give the calf time to cross. There were others that did not note what was taking place, namely the cars coming from the opposite direction. This caused the calf to hesitate and then backtrack, further delaying our progress. We slowed and waited for quite a while as we watched the calf start to go, hesitate, and then retreat. All the while with mom watching from the meadow on the other side. The other complicating factor for the calf was a cattle-guard on the road it was on. At one point the calf almost went down, trying to negotiate the cattle-guard, pavement, and traffic. Finally it appeared that there was not going to be an immediate solution to the crossing, as the calf further retreated, and we figured we could pass quickly before the mom could stomp us into the tarmac, and we made our way between the two. I’m sure the calf later made the crossing successfully (or at least I hope so).
That malady avoided, we were again on our way!
The miles rolled along quickly, and for the only time in the trip so far, almost effortlessly as we chatted and talked about the day ahead.
Soon we were on a wide dirt road that we we would stay on for the next 40-50 miles.
Now, this was no normal Tour Divide road. This was almost pavement quality dirt. With the pushing pressure-differential, and great roads, we were making great time and having an extremely nice and enjoyable ride. The road rose and fell in gently to substantial rollers , each one easily completed with the pushing differential and the great surface. This went on for MILES. Despite now growing clouds and the threat of rain, we were having a fantastic day.
We knew that the last several miles to Atlantic City had an intermediate section of pavement as we briefly were going to ride on a highway for about 10 miles, and then return back to dirt for our ride into town.
W also knew we had about 12-15 more miles of the dirt we were on before we reached the highway. Then things changed.
The differential stayed the same, but the road surface went to crap. We found out later (From Wild Bill, whom you will soon be introduced to) that the state/county had decided that tailings from a mine near Atlantic City would be great to resurface dirt roads with. Problem is, the tailings are incredibly sharp shards of rock, that result in many, many flat tires on cars (as we also learned from Wild Bill). So it was that we would start riding wash-board roads with crappy rocks as a topping. The rollers continued as we feared the next few miles to pavement. Then things changed again.
As we topped one of the rollers, not more than maybe 2 miles since the road went to hell, there it was. A road grader!
Eventually we learned from Bill that he had spoken to the local government (state, county??) about the issue with the gravel. Turns out they agreed and had gotten a grader to scrape them all off the road. The result was 10-12 beautiful miles of dirt that was absolutely smoothe and fast!! The remaining miles flew by as we passed, and then were passed by the driver of the grader. Our thumbs up and our shouts of “we’ll buy you beer!!!” must have been a welcome diversion from his solitary task at hand. The dude was a lifesaverand we can’t thanks him enough!!
So we finally made it to the road, well ahead of our anticipated (planned is not a good word, as nothing we planned on the TD ever came to fruition!) schedule. That being the case, we decided to stop at a rest area (not having to sleep at it this time) only a couple miles from the start of the pavement, to fill water bottles and take a nature break (There are few trees to hide behind in that part of Wyoming!).
While we were stopped we were approached by three folks, a couple about our age and a man appearing to be in his twenties. We talked at length to them about the bikes on their vehicle (Salsa Cutthroats as well) and their plans to ride across the Great Basin (our destination as well) the following day. Meet Justin and Zach!
After about a 45 minute break, we were back on the road!
Soon we had left the pavement and were making our way towards Atlantic City.
There was an intermediate town on our way to AC, South Pass City, WY. South Pass City is much like Atlantic City, and old and remote former gold mining camp and a stop on the Oregon Trail. It is now a unique historical stop, with many of the old buildings having been revamped and tours taking place.
We had the opportunity to meet a north-bound rider at the only place to find food/water, a small sweet-shop that caters to the locals and tourists. We spoke at length to our new friend Kyle Peterson and we had decided to get a few treats on our way to AC.
As we entered the store and looked around, we were surprised to find many, many of the old candies and treats we had grown up with. Ray and I each selected a handful of candies of various types, the most notorious of mine was a Sugar Daddy. As we spoke to the owners of the shop, Mel and Buddy, we easily lost another 30 minutes as the conversation flowed easily. Incredibly friendly folks!
Finally we were on our way to ride the last 4 miles or so to Atlantic City. The first mile or so out of South Pass City did offer us the chance to ride up about a 20% grade, now that our legs were cooled down and definitely NOT ready for a hard effort.
We rolled into Atlantic City about 6 PM, an early finish to a day. Something Ray and I rarely saw!
We finally made our way to Wild Bill’s!
Wild Bill’s has a special place in TD lore. Bill originally moved to Atlantic City with his first wife (Now deceased) to build a cabin and put down roots. As his place was/is right on the TD route, he sould get many cyclists sopping in asking for water and the like. He finally decided to build a small cabin for cyclistsw, and that has turned into him having MANY cabins, a bath house, and dining facility. He charges $66/night per person, and that includes a very nice home-made breakfast in the morning! Wild Bill also builds custom knives (I, as did Ray, resisted the strong urge to purchase one..aren’t you proud Lola??!). He and his present wife, Carmela, now operate the place almost exclusively for cyclists all summer long!
Bill informed us after we checked in, (basically Bill pointing to the cabin he had selected for us), that the only place to eat in town was the Miner's Grubstake & Dredge Saloon. He also told us that if we didn’t get there before 6:45 we WOULDN’T be served and food. So, off we were!!!
We walked into what can only be described as a local watering hole, and were instantly greeted by the sounds of laughter, drinking, and smoke. There must have been 20 folks sitting around the bar, drinking and having a good time. (I’m guessing anywhere for 30-50% of the towns population!)
We walked past the barroom and into the restaurant. What a cool place!
As we sat eating our TWO entrees, we heard the jukebox from the bar. Now anybody that knows Ray and I know we love music (Ray being much more of a music guy than I), particularly Country! Playing for the next hour or so were old Johnny Horton tunes. Johnny Horton is one of my favorite old artists. When I asked the waitress who was selecting the music, she pointed to an older gentlemen (maybe in his 80’s) and his wife sitting at the end of the bar. I asked what he was drinking and she said “Busch Lite”. I asked her to buy him a beer on me, as the tunes kept coming!
We were soon greeting, again, by Darren Jer and Rob!! They joined us for dinner for a bit, until we decided to leave to hit the hay in anticipation of our ride across the great basin of Wyoming the next day. The ride is over 130 miles, with an 80 mile stretch in the middle where there is NO water, NO food, NO ranches, NO people, NOTHING, so we wanted to get rested before that!
As we were leaving the bar, we stopped to buy some resupply items (Ramen, candy, beef sticks, etc.). Doing so brought us next to the Johnny Horton fan at the bar. He asked if we were the guys that bought him a beer, and offered his thanks. We said yes and he and his wife began to speak at length about Johnny Horton, and his history. According to her, Johnny Horton had married Hank Williams widow. As a result Horton became the musical inspiration for Hank Williams Junior. Not sure if that’s true, but it’s a cool story! Nice couple.
As we left and made our way back to our cabin and the other cabins Wild Bill had, we ran into Hannah Bingham! Hannah we had first met at the Squirrel Creek Elk Lodge, you recall. She noted that she had cut a tire, that was then repaired , but was hesitant about riding it across the vastness of the Basin the next day. We asked her if she wanted to ride with us the next day , as we had multiple tubes, tire boots, and patch kits. She accepted and a plan was set for the next morning.
Wild Bill came out of his house to meet us and ask us what time we wanted breakfast. It was decided that 0600 was a good time for all and the decision was made.
We finally hit the hay in anticipation of what would almost certainly be a challenging and interesting day across the Basin.
We’re South bound and down!
Shane and Ray
