HitchBiking in Wyoming

This post should be a thank you to all the folks in Wyoming that have been helping us out: Bastion, Chuck and Karin, Reed, Ben, Chris, TA and Carla, that one guy that I can't remember the name of, and probably more to come as we haven't made it out of Wyoming yet. We've been hit with a small bit of challenging weather since arriving in Jackson, WY and are still moving forward (to race the snow) but with less bike power and more rides in big Toyota Trucks.





When we arrived into Jackson we were sweaty and in shorts but within the following 24 hours the temperature dropped to un-bikable conditions. We had been warned since about mid-Idaho that we were going to see some weather so we had already planned to bunk up in Jackson for a couple or few days. On our second day in Jackson the foothills that surrounded us collected a cover of fresh snow, the first snow of the season. Cold to bike near but even worse that we were supposed to be headed up and over a 9000 ft. pass, Togwotee about 60 miles from Jackson. The temperature in Jackson was running between 20 and 40 but up on the pass the daytime highs were running 20 or below.



After the first snow we tried to make a quick "run" for it -- as there were rumors of a second round of wintery weather headed our way. We were actually beginning to joke about wintering over in Jackson -- seems like a touristy job would be easy to come by. But we refused to give up and made a push on bike in our wintery gear. I froze.







About 20 miles into the ride I had lost feeling in my toes; not a biker-friendly condition. We ended up 35 miles out of Jackson at an RV Park just outside of Moran Junction hoping to get a ride over the pass from a friendly motorist. But the rumor was that the east side of the pass was icy and snowy so there wasn't a whole lot of traffic headed in our direction. After 2 hours of Fox news Kiel made the call back to some folks in Jackson, Chuck and Karin, to see if their offer still stood. Chuck was working at the clinic out by the Junction so he stopped by the RV Park and drove us back the 30 miles or so to Jackson. We were really grateful to be headed away from the RV Park although it was hard to backtrack. While Chuck was driving us back to a warm home, Karin was in the kitchen whipping up a warm soup meal for us to feast on. As if the drive back to Jackson, the warm house to call home for the night, the kind company, and the soup were not already enough... Karin also had Pumpkin Cheesecake to offer Kiel -- he had been talking about pumpkin pie and pie in general for the last month.





Further, just to point out the extreme kindness of those who we meet on the road, Chuck packed us up in the morning (forgoing his daily morning Elk hunt) and took us up to the Hatchet Resort where we would wait for a ride over the pass after breakfast and a coffee. It took us an hour of thumbing before a young man, Reed, pulled over to get gas and offered us a ride all the way to Dubois. The pass was a mess... gritty, slushy, all torn up for construction, and cold. Reed's car felt like the right place to be.



We got to Dubois and had a quick lunch with Reed before attempting to get a ride in for the day. But by the time we were actually along our way on the road the day was getting old. We put in a short ride, maybe only about 5 miles before we decided that we might've embarked on a foolish mission. We were pretty certain that we couldn't camp out comfortably for the night and the closest REAL city was Riverton, still 60 or more miles away. We pulled up a spot on the side of the highway and re-evaluated our decision to leave Dubois -- to go back or to stick our thumbs out again? In the spirit of trying to beat the weather we decided to committ to 20 minutes of hitching... if we were not successful we would head back to the safety of the small cowboy town, Dubois where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid hid out from the law.

Lucky for us we were rescued by an older man, Ben, on his way to a Pool competition in Riverton. He was quite the character, a champion storyteller and pool competitor (apparently). As we were hopping in the car Kiel asked Ben why he had decided to pick us up (Ben had driven by, then turned around to come back to us)... Ben's answer was short, "Get in the car, I'll tell you a story." His story started with words that questioned our pressence in the car, "...I hate bikers..." OH?? Ben is a truck driver and he drives one of the most challenging routes in possibly the nation, over Togwotee Pass which offers poor visibility, super windy roads, and obstacles like us -- bikers. He told us the story of a time when he nearly hit a biker during a questionably icy day -- the biker was riding in the road instead of on the shoulder.

The ride was a pleasant one though. Ben got us safely all the way into Riverton and we were grateful.

Jackson, WY to Riverton, WY Not sure how many miles... maybe 130 or more...

Waking up in Riverton was good. We knew that there wasn't much between Riverton and Casper, WY so we needed to cruise out as quickly as possible -- another 120 mile day that we couldn't bike all of unless the conditions were perfect. We got another late start -- we had to wait until you couldn't see frost on the ground. Around 10 am we got out window to leave so we headed north to Shoshoni. Kiel had read the other day that Shoshoni had the BEST Malt Shop so he was counting down the miles and minutes until we rolled into town. We were happy to be back out on our bikes and in the country.

22 Miles of pedalling led us into town and we hunted down this Malt shop. First we found that the whole main street of town had been boarded up and shut down -- it was a tragic looking site, the beginnings of a ghost town (we hear that we will be seeing more of this soon). In fact the building that used to contain the malt shop had been closed down too -- the malt shop had moved down the street to a dingy un-inspired fast food looking joint down the road. We stopped despite the exterior and enjoyed a couple of treats... no malts though so the verdict is still out, but they had posted on the wall their record high malt sales as 729 in one summer day in 2005, must be doin something right.

After eating we started to make our way west towards Casper. We didn't have a whole lot of hours to make 100 miles but we decided to put a couple of hours of biking in before trying to hitch. I guess we only made it about 15 miles, in a headwind, before Kiel's rear tire blew a flat (the count is Kiel:2 Emily:4 ... but we had been doing so good since Oregon). While stopped for repairs I stuck out my thumb... we knew we would be hitching soon enough, might as well give it a try while we look in need while making repairs. The trick worked :) The first real line of traffic brought us Chris and his big ol' truck. We popped our bikes into the truck and ignored the flat for the time being.

The second blessing about Casper, besides being carted there in a car so easily, was that we had a home lined up with TA and Carla thanks to my brother. And we are hanging out again -- as is the theme with Wyoming and potentially the rest of our trip, we'll see. It's been about a week since we have put in any serious biking so we're beginning to go a little stir-crazy.

But tomorrow we are going to hit the road again. It looks like we will have about a 4-Day window until another Rain/Snow storm somewhere in central Nebraska. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be our last one until we arrive safely and warmly in Marion, IA.


on the trails we traverse
roads paved and reflecting bounding raindrops and stop lights, flashing
underneath clouds the clandestine covers
we sink in as two trapped travellers
stuck in the mud of gods back yard
but life aint that hard
just our minds that might make it so
and as we lean to and fro
to avoid rolling over rumble strips
she puts her finger on my rambling lips and asks me to shut up...
with a kiss
oh the wind and the rain
and in the comfort of our tent is a miraculous event
but up on the tetons its all glistening white and shining of a feeling burning fresh and alive.
them "race goats" sure glad to be alive
Today we were alive
as the coldness crept in all over us
but it will never escape us
love has been poured all over us

two little feet to get me 'cross the mountain
two little feet to carry me away into the woods
two little feet, big mountain, and a
cloud comin' down cloud comin' down cloud comin' down

I hear the voice of the ancient ones
chanting magic words from a different time
well there is no time there is only this rain
there is no time, that's why I missed my plane

John Muir walked away into the mountains
in his old overcoat a crust of bread in his pocket
we have no knowledge and so we have stuff and
stuff with no knowledge is never enough to get you there
it just won't get you there

a culture exploded into knickknacks and memories
Eagle and Bear trinkets I don't think it's good
old man what am I trying to say it's a
it's a messed up world but I love it anyway

two little feet to get me 'cross the city
my little hand to knock upon your door
my little thing for your little thing
and a big love to lift us up once more to the mountain
lift us up

tumble us like scree let us holler out our freedom like a
like a wolf across a valley like a kid lost in a game
no time no name gonna miss that plane again
and I'm gonna stay here with you baby and kiss you to a good dream
I'm goin' kiss you
kiss you like you like it

I got two little feet to get me across the mountain
two little feet to carry me away into the woods
two little feet big mountain and a
cloud comin' down cloud comin' down cloud comin' down

D | Fm | G | A

Two Little Feet - Greg Brown



but now we watch from behind this house's windows at the wind and the rain
the grey wet roads arent beckoning us anymore
with a constant wind at 12 mph this is the 5th windiest city in america

(http://web2.airmail.net/danb1/usrecords.htm)

We are holed up again
waiting for weather to let us pass
i feel like a sailor intrepid in an unknown harbor watching white caps and wondering what is safe in a world of unknowns, when do you go out in the waves and allow the wind to be your way. We have been left to be the sole judges of our own decisions in such matters as our own level of comfort amidst potentially uncomfortable circumstances, an interesting endeavor knowing our own judgements to be not only a subjective opinion colored by our current feelings but also a hinderance in fullfilling our desire to be close to the spirit that moves in all things. As rumi says "I am wary of the things I want."
To make matters more interesting is that we are practicing compromise in such situations, to not only be attentive to our mission but also the eachother's vision.
Watch pride strut by. bye bye.
Hence she has called on her dad to come rescue us from the cold winds of Casper Wyoming. Soon we will be safe for a stint from our need to make decisions, we can put on our sweatpants and put our feet on the dashboard and listen to the nightime radio as we roll at 70 through Nebraska and Iowa.
I wanna laugh as I thank him for saving me from being a man!

Where is humility taught to us as something courageous, something bold and true. How does one remain un attached to outcomes and remain active in the decision making processes of relationships. Just dancing. Love for the dance.
"I know Im stepping all over your toes dear, just stay with me for one more song?"

Before we left the farm in Hebo I was driving the backroads feeling filled with resistance, filled with what-ifs, filled with ideas of what this journey will look like...I drove by a sign in that serendipitous kind of way that said in capital letters;
BE PREPARED TO STOP
All the preparation to be warm dry and fed
Now I prepare to be un-prepared I said
seems to be the best preparation I can do
I can hear every man say
I dont wanna be scared with you
Just tell st. christopher that we've rode on our way

Are we prepared to stop?
to end our bicycle tour to Iowa
all I can say is that everyday is new and the mission was to venture into the unknown

We will be here in Casper until Thursday afternoon and leave Friday morning I assume. Safe travels Gary, I will go buy us some travellin, road ramblin tunes. No worries, we aint yet got the travellin blues, we should still be decent company!