Day 20 – Back in the Saddle

July 7, 2018

Day 20 – Casper to Lusk, WY – 107 miles, 3,220 feet vertical

I really, really like rest days!  But, … all good things must come to an end, and it was back in the saddle today for another century-plus ride to kick off the third segment of our journey. 

The morning was sunny and warm, and while it would stay sunny, it would also get freakin’ hot.  I think the temperature may have matched the mileage at one point. (At the very least, it felt like it.) 

We had some logistics to deal with today, since we were scheduled to ride a section of the interstate, I-25 South.  The only problem was that there was some heavy duty construction and a, …uh, …section of the highway missing.  Have you seen the movie Speed, with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves, where they find out that there’s a 50-foot section of highway missing and they have to jump the gap by flooring it? (…in a bus, no less!) Well, that’s what we had in store, except that a) we’re on bikes, not a bus and more importantly, b) this ain’t Hollywood.  

So at Exit 151 and the 40-mile mark, ABB staff loaded us on to the vans, shuttled us through the construction and dropped us off at a safe spot.  It did cut off some miles, but hey, better than dropping into the ravine.  

I want to thank my hammer team for the speedy 61 miles to the second SAG, but at that point, I needed more recovery time and so, I bid them adieu and rode solo the rest of the way.  The landscape turned desolate (except for relatively lightly traveled trucks and RV’s) and at times I would pull over, stop and get off my bike and just listen to … silence.  Pure unadulterated silence.  Until, … the next coal-laden freight train came through.  The sight of a mile of coal cars being pulled by powerful diesel locomotives and trailed by helper locomotives, still gives me a rush. 

I met Jon Dobbs with about 10 miles to go and we rode together into Lusk.  Our overnight is at the Covered Wagon Motel – a delightfully refreshing pit stop after a long hot day.  A huge salad and a bottomless stack of fancy pizzas awaited us for dinner, and then I walked next door for a heath bar vanilla shake.  After the calorie burn today, I could have ordered the large. (But I didn’t.)

WiFi seems to be as exhausted as I am, so check back some time tomorrow for more photos.  

And finally, a big shoutout to Nicosia, the manager on duty at the Covered Wagon for just being a fantastic upbeat person, and especially for handling any and all customer requests.  She knows what I’m talking about.  Thank you, Nicosia!

Dont forget to check “Where’s Jeff” to track our progress.