Wandering with Tedder and Tamara

Ogden was in the 40s for temperature when I left. I stopped at a bagel shop in town for breakfast. They had an atlas, so I was just looking through it while waiting for my bagel to be ready. It was obviously very old- Interstate 80 was “proposed”. I should have looked at other sections (especially Southern California) to date it more accurately. I wonder when I-80 through Nebraska was completed?

The climb through the canyons in Utah was interesting and pretty. The warm colors on the layers of rock is always stunning, and I always forget. Western Wyoming was pretty, too- rugged, as the Rockies should be.

It was so cold that once I got into Wyoming I started desperately looking for one of my least favorite places, Wal-Mart. I had to ride an additional 60 miles past my 'breaking point', but I found one. I bought six handwarmers, plus three large handwarmers (about 4x6 inches). I put two handwarmers in each boot, one in each sleeve, then put the large warmers on my chest and one in my right arm. They never generated copious amounts of heat but it was better than nothing.

I also stopped for an Iron Butt Motel break right at the Continental Divide. I had the handwarmers on, and the sun was out, so I found a south-facing slope and laid down for a bit. I ended up napping for an hour. When I woke I was feeling much more rested, and my temperature had at least stabilized.

East Wyoming and Nebraska were definitely the plains. It's basically a tilted table- high in Wyoming, low by the evening. Look at the elevation profile (included) and that becomes obvious- there wasn't a lot of variation, just a very gentle slope toward the east. It's pretty, and windy too- there were a few wind farms in this stretch, especially in the few places that there was a ridge of any sort.

Late in the evening I turned over 50,000 miles on the bike. I stopped and took a picture- it was a momentous occasion for me, since the bike is only 3.5 years old.

North Platte was my destination, but I chose to ride another 120 miles because it was still relatively early in the evening, and I knew I'd have light for a long time still. I stopped in Kearney, Nebraska for the evening. I had to go to a couple of hotels to find one that was reasonably priced, but it was clean, I had a king-sized bed, and the bike was parked under cover just outside the manager's window.

I think this leaves about 300 miles for my last day. That'll certainly be much easier than 450 miles.