Watching cricket- Day 19

Date: Wednesday 25th August 

Route: Dubois, Wyoming – Lander, Wyoming

Distance: 76 miles

Total climb: 1867 ft

Net climb: -1489 ft

We left Dubois a little late, this time due to some work needed on inner tube pressures. However, it offered a good opportunity to visit the giant jackalope and take in Dubois by day. As we rolled out of town, a gentleman started playing the piano on the street, outside a saloon. This provided further confirmation of the importance of tourism and wild west-themed attractions to such a remote outpost.

The road ran through the Wind River Indian Reservation, past changing rock formations and hot scrubland. For most of the day, we were bombarded by crickets and grasshoppers (I think), jumping up from the road at us.  The front panniers have been useful and humane guards against mass leaping of these creatures, but really come into their own as a form of public transport.

I was amused for 9 miles by one cricket hitching a lift with Jay, wandering from pannier to pannier.  At one point, I thought it might eat the route map, before it alighted and vanished. Having not seen many cyclists going in the opposite direction, I’m unsure how it planned to return home.

On the theme of cricket, it is fair to say that a number of cracks had appeared in the track, which may have been excellent for spinners but proved painful for our bikes and bodies.  Boycott could have lost a set of jailer’s keys in a square foot of hard shoulder.

We stopped for a short break in Crowheart, sourcing provisions for a run in to Fort Washakie – the burial location for Sacajawea and former home to Chief Washakie of the Shoshoni. Stocking up for a second time from the only open gas station, we prepared for the final stint to Lander.

Our downhill free wheel into Lander was great, but we had to climb steeply out of the far end of town to get to the RV park. The bike shop for the morning (and new wheels) had been spotted, so it was time to enjoy the setting sun.

Today was a relatively uneventful day, but for the crickets and the changing rock for scenery. However, we continue to move (south) east and closer to Yorktown.

Final bullet points:

• After a few hours of a completely blue sky, I joked to Jay that the clouds were coming and a storm was brewing, spotting a small fluff of white in the distance.  Within minutes of pointing it out, two others had appeared and then nothing further developed. This does play with the mind a little when riding through such a historic location with native significance, particularly when a little dehydrated and feeling the effects of a strong sun.
• Barbecued steaks outside the RV with Team Heagney provided a superb improvement to limited food throughout the day.

FP