16-05-21 Day 55 Really Scared – Mark Trail

Biking the TransAm 2016 Blog
2 Wheels, 6 Months, 1 Adventure

The Hubba Hubba shook all night long and I loved it.. Luckily I pitched it just right so I could leave the flaps open so the breeze could keep moisture from building up under the fly..

It was 5:00 am my favorite time to lay awake, sip on hot chocolate with coffee and watch the morning show. The birds were singing and the sun rising behind the clouds…

Amen!

The forecast was for the wind to be out of the south, S, SSW, SW. I was heading North West with some parts north and some west.. There was only one stop as long the route. Jeffery City. Rocky had the coffee ready and holding down the fort.. The kitchen was closed due to the Fire Marshall requiring  $3,000 worth of equipment. You wonder why the small towns are closing up their places to eat. Not enough to keep up…… My one dollar coffee wasn’t going to make Rocky’s day..

I have never ridden a bike in 27 mph wind and will never again. I pushed 53 miles to get to Rt 28 and 287, where the road turned north, 11 miles south of Lander. Shurly with a southern wind the ride into town would be a breeze….. Get it, a breeze?  Well…..  The forecast for Jeffery City is 60 miles south and Lander was a whole different picture.. The wind was blasting to the point I couldn’t keep the bike on the road. The wind must be coming out of the north. At one point I had to walk, the first of the trip. The bike actually flipped up in my hands as wind pushed me onto the shoulder where there was a deep drop off.. I was truly scared… I was three miles from town, my maps had blown away somewhere, and I had no idea as to what I was doing…

The road crested a hill and turned east, I could ride.. The local police said I might get some help reprinting my maps at the Lander Inn. Judy was so nice, “Would you like some coffee?, Here are some local maps”.

I met Jodi and Braiden from NYC, at the Gannett Grill, the local burger bar. Jodi had just retired and Braiden had just graduated from college.. Road trip across the country to see the sights and share time together before starting their next…  What ever that is….. Amazing. …

I texted Dylan, the bikers from boulder, to see how they were. They had an extra bed so instead of camping in the city park it was the Holiday Lodge…

N Muddy Gap to Lander, WY
64 miles

#AdventuringCycling,#transamericablog,#transamerica,#surly,#jonesbikes,#marktrailrocks,#wyominybiking,#bikewyoming,#brooksspecialflyer,#Biketouring,#marktrail

MarkTrailRocks.Com