Mile 1060.8 - Aloha, Wyoming

Here it is already, the beginning of Week 3. I Feel like I accomplished a lot on day 14, I crossed another state line (a couple times), I hit mile 1000, I had my second century day, and I'm getting ever closer to being out of the mountains. Oh, and I also survived doing something I pray I never have to again.

I started in Coalville. I had the hotel breakfast which was a step up from the one in Provo, but obviously sourced from the same supplier. I bet I know who it is, too. I considered giving my legs another dip in the pool, I'm sure my knees would have appreciated it, but by the time I got rolling it was already 9, so it's for the better that I didn't. Also slashed were the plans to ride unladen up to the top of Echo Dam and back, which only would have been about 15 miles round trip, but if I was going to do that, I should have the night before.

I took Chalk Creek Road east out of Coalville towards Wyoming. The road follows some rolling hills, a decent combination of rise and descent. It is also really pretty. The Creek runs along the south side of the road for the most part with hills immediately to the left. Covering these hills and the valley created by the creek were lots and lots of livestock ranches. Horses, cows, goats, sheep, and since it's still spring baby versions of all of the above too. The frolicking lambs were perhaps the cutest. There was also one pig in Wyoming that ran circles in it's pen, squeeling happily as I rode by. It's the same behavior I saw in several dogs, she wanted to run with me. Also, my mom would be happy to hear, I passed a flock of sheep being watched by a Great Pyrenees. I didn't get a picture though.

I seem to have a similar effect on sheep as I do with cows. Most cows will stop mid-cud chew and watch in puzzlement as I roll by. Some might stand up if they were sitting, but generally the reaction is 'what the hell is that?' Sheep put their own twist on it. When they look up, a few will just stand there and watch, some will go back to grazing, and a few will bolt. My favorite were the ones that would see me coming, back away a few steps, graze some more, look up see I'm still there, back up a few more steps to eat then look up again. Horses seem to get what I'm doing, some of them just don't seem to know why I would do it.

Since I'm on the subject of critters, I also saw several gophers throughout the day, plenty of deer, several antelope, an eagle, a falcon and several birds I could not identify. Also, I didn't mention the day before the rock chucks on the Union-Pacific path. There were also lots of dead animals at the side of the road, but I won't get into too much detail about that. I just wonder, though, if the hunters in this area are more effective at killing things with their guns or their cars.

Anyway, Chalk Creek Road. More sheep as you got closer to Wyoming. Also, it was official, I had seen more deer in the desert than other cyclists in the whole state of Utah. Sigh. At mile 981.4, Utah's worries were mine no more, as I entered Wyoming from it's southwest corner. As I got to the state line, there was a horse in the pasture about 200' away. He watched me get off Penny, prop her next to the sign and take her picture. He shook his head, thought 'Tourists' to himself in horse and went back to his chomping. Also at the state line, to celebrate my freedom from various oppressive Utah laws, I took a small swig of whiskey. I in no way advocate riding while intoxicated, it is stupid, dangerous and stupid. It was really much more of a symbolic sip than a hearty swig. This would turn out to be handy a mile and a half later, as the dirt road I was on climbed to 7155'.

Along this road there were lots and lots of sheep. I've decided that sheep are not pretty. Perhaps I'm not the first to come to this conclusion and I'm sure that there are the sheep defenders out there who would say otherwise. Granted, frolicking lambs - adorable. Grazing recently shorn ewes - not so. As the road dipped and climbed again on it's way toward 7365', I passed a tow truck driver who was loading up someone's car. 'Hell of a place to break down', I called to the truck driver. He laughed as I cleanly made it up the hill the car couldn't.

My reward for getting up that hill was pavement. Beautiful, sweet asphalt, may you always be under my tires unless I choose otherwise. Unfortunately, the price of pavement was going back into Utah 4 miles later, as the road took a long swing around the butt of some hills. 4.5 miles after that though, I was crossing back into Wyoming for good.

Not that far back into the state, I hit mile 1000, after 80:27:11 of riding. Three and a half miles later, I was in Evanston, taking a quick lunch break. Part of the route that I was concerned about since I first set it was east of Evanston, getting to highway 189 on the way up to Kimmerer. On the map, it looked like there were a couple unnamed (and probably unpaved) roads that would eventually get me to the right highway. The first road I wanted to take was out, presumably for construction. But, according to my map, there was another way around. I spent about 45 minutes probing the hills for through streets. The few that looked like they would go through: one ended in a junkyard, one at a heavily marked gate saying private property, and the other wound up outside the sheriff's office.

There was one road that I knew connected to 189, but it was the last road I wanted to take, my old friend I-80. There was an rest area/info booth off the highway, so I went in and asked how I could get to 189. The woman told me to just take the expressway, that it would be fine and if I had any issues with a state trooper stopping me to have them call her. Ok. I really didn't like the plan, but the only other option would be to go back into Utah and add 35 miles swinging up to highway 30 to get to Kimmerer.

For 11.5 miles, I rode along, with gas tankers and double trailer trucks zipping by at 70 mph 8 feet away. I think there's a huge difference between a car going 55-65 six feet away as on most highways and the heavy traffic and higher speeds on the expressway. Adding to my woes was a 6% grade up to 7450', which I grinded up at about 6mph. Finally, I got onto 189 and saw the sign saying Kimmerer, 37 miles. I kinda wish it was about 15 miles closer, but that was my aim for the day.

189 was a really nice road to take. Along the length of it, the shoulder is a lane wide with the rumble strip right along the white line. So I was well separated from the traffic, which is fine by me. The road runs along the base of some hills to the east, in a wide valley stretching a mile or more to the hills to the west. In this space, I saw a lot of deer. Then, after 20 miles or so, I saw a small herd of antelope. They saw me coming and stood their ground uncertainly for a moment, before, as a body, they turned tail and ran from the road. A few miles later I saw another dozen antelope that went half way up the hill to stop and watch if I was following. I didn't. I had been followed by storm clouds since Evanston and they seemed to be catching up.

I finally made it into Diamondville, a small town attached to the southern flank of Kimmerer. I went into a motel near the highway to inquire about room rates, found it was almost twice what I wanted to pay, and continued into town.

I pulled up to a different motel's office, just as the rain was starting to come down. The owner saw me ride up, and after explaining my trip to him, he was impressed. He offered to give me the room at his cost, which was fantastic. I will take it. My knees were especially glad for the stop.

Day 14, Coalville UT - Kimmerer, WY
104.26 miles, 1060.8 total. 10:14:09 today for 85:33:18 altogether and a high speed of 36.5