Colorado today

Views as I rode into Colorado today

Ok so here I am on another continental divide pass this time in colorado! Rode 79 miles today in very hot sunshine over the pass and then downhill into kremmling. The scenery was fantastic in places and a videos part of the ride for facebook. Checked into a cheap hotel to get a wash and rest up ready for the biggest climb on the tour tomorrow at Hoosier pass. The
Camelback I bought yesterday was a mistake as it leaks and is like riding with four bags of sugar on my back..ill probably ditch it...and get another two bottles to put in my panniers.
Tonight here the sky is heavy with rain and its humid. I'm trying to avoid another huge ice cream!
On the ride today a lady in a parked car gave me fresh cold nectarins..just the job for a thirsty cyclist and I thank her!

Ian a little concerned about my left knee..its painful and another steep climb on a heavy loaded bike isn't what it needs right now. I guess ill see if it is up to the job or not soon.

Thanks to all for the comments and e mails :)

Ranch named after the local people and my first view of Colorado from Wyoming this afternoon.

Rode from Saratoga across the state line into Colorado today!  My ffifth state on this ride! As I came into Colorado it looked much greener than Wyoming. Strange how everything changes as you cross state lines here. I'm in Walden tonight camping in the city park and eating to much ice cream again! The head winds are still here ..had them for a week now!

I'm really looking forward to riding in Colorado..it sounds like a cool state. From now on its cloning really as I approach Hoosier pass in a few days time. Tonight the sun is out and I'm happy.

Shinto at the state line today

One of the cool things about life on the transam ride is that news travells along between riders as you go. You get to know who is behind and ahead of you a few days from riders coming from the east or those passing you from the west. I heard the two girls heading to Florida who were at Missoula made it to lander for example..not bad considering they not have triples fitted for the passes here!
I also met a guy called Fred from Ohio and we rode together a while. Fred already rode the southern tier and is heading home along the trsnsam then turning towards Ohio at Kansas. He is a cool guy and strong rider..he is 70. Amazing.
Tonight I am on the tent.in the city park with a group.of chainsaw wealding teenagers dri.king touch beer and Making to much noise..they have been cutting fire breaks on independance mountain and are sleeping here tonight..on between frisbee games..tent erection competitions and having a lot of fun:)
Tomorrow there is yet another continental divide to climb and a 60miles stretch with no stores..acordi.g to this map. I keep runni.g out of water on rides even though I carry 4 bottles and pre hydrate. So I went to the dollar store here and picked up a cheap camelback. There is a limit to how much water I can carry..it is very heavy but this should help.
I need to reset my spd cleats as everyday at around 50 miles my feet hurt a lot.
I am not getting any cell phone signal still.at and t suck.
Ice cream scoops here are tem times the size of those in the UK..important to know when ordering three scoops lol!
There is a fire fire ban here across the state..forest fires are a big risk still I think.

Hot spring bath for me.tonight on Saratoga Wyoming..and its all free!

I'm just hanging out in Saratoga..its a cool little town in the dessert of Wyoming...just had dinner at dukes bar and am now at the ice cream parlour getting fat lol!  People here ate friendly...and I got chatted up by a lady who thought my accent was spook cooiiil...ha ha..but I'm just not that cheap :)  the hot springs..the ice cream...the pizza.. this is the best town in Wyoming so far.thankyou for all your cool comments its nice to know you ate out there :)

Well here I am on a town called Saratoga having a pizza with local people I met in the hot springs here. I had a hot natural spring bath..todays reward after a 78 mile ride through wyomimg dust. Totally relaxed now man that water is hot.lol!

This afternoons ride from lander to Sweetwater junction was the toughest of the tour so far. I faced a serious headwind which didn't  emerge until I was to far out of lander to go back...besides going back isn't an option. Then came the ten mile approx climb at one in four in places against that wind. Then the shoulder got worse than normal and it seemed the gods had turned against me. I battled every foot up that dam hill and every inch hurt...I  kept at it though and even though each bend hid another endless climb against this wind and I had run out of water...it what is extremely barren country..I made it to the top half wishing I'd stayed at McDonalds in lander...then a guy in a pick up truck looking at the historical marker there gave me two bottles of water...top man! I continued to Sweetwater rest stop to camp wondering what set of life events had led him and me to be on that summit at that moment because if all those life choices we both made had been different I eod likely still be up on that hill suffering extreme dehydration ! Good things happen at the most unexpected moments on a tour like this. The pictue in this post shows the climb from the top looking back at where I had ridden. The climb itself isn't that bad compared to others I've ridden it was the killer headwind that made it so hard and lack of water even though I had four full bottles with me when I set out. This wind is  holding me back I hope it stops soon..or better turns and blows me along like a sailboat lol!

My New friend the wigwam cat and my bed on the wigwam tonight.

When I got to Sweetwater junctiion test area I met a very nice couple who were interested in my trip...they kindly took this picture of me .

Split rock wyoming

Wyoming wingd

Sleeping in a wig wam in Wyoming

Well todays surprise is sleeping in a wigwam or tipee for free! There is a very basic bike camp with three tipees so instread of battling through the rain and wind I will sleep here. There are two dogs and a over friendly cat to keep me company and the fridge is stocked with free ice creams. Alrough I am still on the middle of what I call desert the sky is heavy with thunder ..the signs were to stay here so I'm goi.g with the flow. My map tells me I am entering the great divide basin..I wonder what surprises this part of my trip will bring. This area is so vast..serif..barren..it must have been pure hell for the early settlors here..with names like lost soldier lake and Cherokee creek..I can only imagine what life was like back then. Earlier today I saw a heard of cows being rounded up by cowboys on horses...video on facebook hopefully.

Well here I am back in the cafè in lamont Wyoming ordering a cheeseburger with everything and a pasta salad...real food..gotta back the most of it while I can out here! There are six guys here I've been talking with who are drilling for oil here ..and truck drivers passing through...its a real 'greasy spoon' place with salt of the earth people...makes a change from the rip off garage stores and processed food.
My tipee has a double bed with a hot kitten in it..ha ha..the wigwam cat won't let me go..very affectionate cat. This place plays led zeppelin music..its set out like its still 1945 but I'm seeing real America..talking to oil drillers ..you say mate we say buddy..type conversation. They want to know about English women..I'm more the European type lol!..one of them didn't know where England was..omg..anyway ..I've also met Fred who is cycling home to Ohio from Astoria..he has ridden the southern tier across the states already and is riding the trsnsam route back. He also isn't a Wyoming wind fan!

Shinto and the buffalo in lander Wyoming

Hot on the reservation. Today

This is crowsheart butte in Wyoming..Sioux territory. I rode over 80miles today including a pass over 9000ft. The land is becoming very cowboy and Indian now. I didn't go to fort waskeke as the lady at crowheart told me the Indians there would give me a hard time..I was going to ride another 40 miles ish to lander but came across an oasis in this desert with fresh green sprinkles grass and posh restrooms...where I met two English cyclists and an Australian all riding across east west! So I met a guy from Farnham and another from Salisbury and a girl from Canberra on the middle.of the Wyoming desert! I even got to have a shave tonight...so am again top sexy hunk lol!
I heard that Simon from cyclechat is in lander tonight..he is riding east west trsnsam on a group tour..it will be cool to pass I'm the middle of Wyoming!
Tonight I feel safe in the tent again free from grizzly attack for first time in over a week!

Dubois Main street today

This was made entirely out of antlers..

Elk antlers apparently

Fire risk today

Way to go on america

Lol!

Riding into a western movie today

Waking up
This morning I suddenly realized the sprinkler system would likely switch on at dawn so I got up and broke the tent down before it got soaked.  I said goodbye to  Laura, James and George who were heading to grand Teton and turned east  to lander. I rode through the Indian reservation  along the wind river and bought cherries at fort  washakie. Riding along eating cherries I wondered if in ten years time the barren road to lander would be a cherry tree avenue! I call on all future transammers to buy cherries here and spit pips alo.g the road ha ha. I met riders from the aca trsnsam east west supported tour I was looking for Simon from cyclechat but missed him...I must have rode right past him...I shouted hi but we crossed without catching up...oh well...I wish you a great final third trip Simon!
Today is hotter than yesterday ans I'm heading for Sweetwater junction. I've been warned by four cyclists that jeffry city is a hell hole so ill ride through and out tomorrow. Right now I'm in subway in lander charging the cell phone and drinking by bodyweight in  coke refills! No WiFi though. I wonder if that old Indian guy found his truck yet lol!

This is just the strangest feeling..sleeping in the middle of what I call a desert...next to kiddies swings on green grass..hoping I didn't pitch the tent on a sprinkler...with the wind blowing warm air ..a truck just pulled up with a drunk Indian guy who needed his friend to help him stand up...I. digress...and there are more English here than Americans...and all around is nothing but souix
Lands...the. wonders of this trip ..the unexpected is good..and something good always comes from nothing when you need it and allow it to happen and accept it when it does...like a river flowing around rocks...just going with the flow is what a tour like this is about...

At crowheart gas station store today I met an old red IndiAn guy. He had lost his pick up truck in the hills and had been walking all day trying to find it..but he couldn't ..then he said his dog needed feeding so he walked a few hours to crowheart to feed him and ask if anyone had found his truck!!!! I tried so hard not to laugh but failed. How do you lose a truck out here????he said all the hills look the same...lmao

Souix sunrise .

I woke up and rode where the Sioux and shoshoni cheyennes and crow tribes had fought ...where chief washakie had helped the us army to wipe out the Sioux.....beats the crap out of a ride to bognor Regis I can tell you!

Talking to westbou.d riders on the aca tour I estimate I am about a week from pueblo Colorado, winds hills etc permitting ! Apparently the fires are no longer an issue on this route any more. In crowheart last night I was warned not to stay on the reservation at. Fort washikie because the people would be hostile to me. When I was there today the local people on the reservation were very friendly and interested in my trip. I think I'm starting to see examples of presjudice here. I've also heard stories that as I go east I will hit the bible belt and places where  the differences between black and white ate still very real. I'll reserve my judgement until I get there myself.
Yesterday I slipped and cut my ankle badly on shintos front chain ring teeth. Ouch..lots of blood and today I find the mosquitos had a feast on my ankle as well...little shits!  
I'll heal fine though.

This morning after a long night in a tent listening for grizzlys I rode ove togwatee pass Wyoming. At 9700ft ish it is the second highest pass I will face on the route across the states. It is cold and very windy up there and heavy thunderstorms but now I am having a coffee on a lodge half way down the 25 mile downhill !

WiFi has been hard to find recently so I tried to keep blog update e mails on the phone and update all in one hit. Not sure of running order of posts is correct but its the best I cam do atm.
I think I look scarier than a grizzly beat anyway lol!

Lewis falls Yellowstone this morning

Hot springs in yellowstone

Views as I ride this morning

This morning started early riding through the mist over Yellowstone..my hands went numb with the cold...30 mind later I was overheating..such is the climate here.

Through the early morning mist I saw what I thought was a forest fire..but it was Yellowstone hot springs appearing!

The water is boiling and can be dangerous..a dog fell in I heard and got cooked. Some kid asked his mum...what happens to ducks when they land in the water?...mum replied..same thing as happed to the stupid dash..lol!

Hot mud bath anyone?