:: shift7 ::

:: north/south adventure ::

wyoming: day 09, sat 6 sep
jackson lake - thayne (pop 314, elev 6995)

stats:
54.8 @ 17.3 = 3:10:06, max 33.0, trip total: 678
[designated driver = 40]

eats:
strawberry cereal bar, rice krispy treat, DQ chicken strips, DQ fries, DQ vanilla shake, hostess apple pie, cheese & chicken crisp (tex-mex)

sleep:
Swiss Mountain Motel, $26

thoughts:
one state closer and utah is around the corner. oh, mexico, it sounds so simple i just got to go. go, go, go. everyday you see something new and you see it changing from where you were - see how canada turns into mexico without blurring the landscape from within a car or just skipping over it from an airplane. its one tenth of a mile at a time.

it was a wet morning. rain on and off. but i was driving until we met up with jason, so it only seemed real wet from inside the van- he was driving up from salt lake city to find us along the route as we were going south. it was cold and everyone was trying to warm up in the van at stops along the route. it was downhill to jackson so that was the only benefit they got as the rain soaked them and the cold stuck around. it looked cool - low clouds and mountains disappearing behind sheets of gray. i played some loud music to keep them going- scott was all over that, combining his dance moves with stretching- this is just the tail end if you will, i missed the best parts-
critical van support clip

as it turned out we saw jason at DQ in jackson (about 40 miles into the day). he knows the way of a cycling tour- meet at the DQ, old habit. but just as it was yesterday we naturally ended up there. we just had lunch (a bit early but not having a real breakfast made it easy to eat). it was time to start biking- we were headed to a town called freedom. since jason just drove the route north we asked him about what he saw in freedom- a motel? a campground? a diner? anything? uh, no- he didn't even really notice freedom. hmm, that was our first clue. then the second bit of info was the road closures, plural, meaning more than one. a couple for today and one for tomorrow. that wasn't exactly what i had hoped for but the route can change... i guess it might have to. its pretty flexible, there's more than one road to mexico.

so we headed off out of jackson (the ritziest place we've been in - it's like aspen, colorado). jason and i talked about life, trips, bikes, houses, family, friends, stories, old times, and the road closures. it was great to see him even if it was only for a little bit. it was great to bike with him- the style of riding, the familiarity from the very first second. i guess after going cross country together you tend to know the ins and outs. i've known him since i was six- we're very much the same and yet we have so much more to share. its hard to explain, we didn't need to talk all that much, just having him close by was great. the stories of trips without a van, all the luxuries we have, and the logistics that go along with that. somehow we saw all the same points- eye to eye. and we came to the same conclusion, sometimes its better to be "unsupported". there's just so much less you need to worry about-- but at the same time its great to have your choice of food or places to stay the night.

anyway, we make it the the road under construction. it doesn't look like it but it was very very coarse stone and rocks- not so great on a bike. but we got through it- not once but three times today. there were different sections that were out -- and this is the only road. after the last section i popped a spoke out and had to screw it back in. this may not seem like much, but the wheels and how "true" (or round) they are makes a big difference for many things.
rough road clip (also known as "now we're having fun")

the rest of the day was cool and rolling hills as we climbed slowly in elevation. we were on our way to freedom but as we already knew there was nothing there. so we asked the clerk in the town before what our options may be for spending the night-- and thayne was the place. a bit further but there was a motel there. that's were we headed. and as we got there the rain started up again.

once we got there we showered up and jason and i left in the van to jackson (where we just biked from). we had to get his car, then drive down past thayne (where we were staying the night) to where we would be tomorrow night so he could drive off from there. oh, and then go back to thayne. so its about 55 miles back and then 55 return and then 90 miles down and then 90 miles return... with a couple road closures, towns to slow down for (30 mph). and we wanted to eat too... so its like going to philly from dc to eat dinner and then continue to nyc, probably a little bit longer. did i mention it was raining all night. it was a lot of driving and we made it back around midnight- with dinner in jackson at a tex-mex place. i played the tunes off my laptop and took it all in- it was hard to see the landscape at night but its better not to know too much before you bike it. and it didn't matter, it was great to have him here.

long day. and a long day tomorrow.