TransAm Day #35 Kremmling, CO - Walden, CO
TransAm Day #35
June 29, 2018
Kremmling, CO - Walden, CO
80 Miles
Ride Time 6:13 Hours
Tour Total Miles 2558
I want to begin by apologizing to my traveling companions for the language I used last night when the lawn sprinklers went off. I have previously described in this journal how I sleep in my hammock, comparing it to a human sushi roll. Starting in my Merino wool boxers, I enclose myself within a silk bag liner, which is then enveloped by a down sleeping bag, all of which is carefully balanced on a narrow nylon hammock, which is then wrapped with insect netting cinched shut with draw strings on both ends.
Last night I was all comfy in my cocoon, and had been laying there for at least an hour. I was either in dream land or close. It was completely dark out. All of a sudden I’m being sprayed with water from lawn sprinklers. I was like a fish caught in a net. I couldn’t figure out how to escape.
My first concern was my sleeping bag, which would be useless if it got wet. I was at 7300’ and it gets cold here at night. Long story short, I was in a panic and couldn’t get out of all my bags, enclosures, and draw strings. I was cursing profanities and could meanwhile hear Eileen and Scott laughing at my dilemma.
In addition to the park lawn, the insides of the pavilion were also being sprayed. I managed to move all of my things into the center where it was dry. I pitched my tent hemmed between two picnic tables and crawled inside. My companions were being hammered with spray out on the grass where they had set up their tents. They were giggling and helpless. They had to wait out the sprinkler cycle before they could exit and survey the damage. All of our gear was soaked. The lush park grass, and the fact that we're in a desert, should have been a sign. Kremmling lived up to its slogan of being wild and untapped.
This morning I got up around 6am and packed up. Breakfast would be twenty miles down the road. Whenever I stopped to take a photo or return warm clothing to my panniers, I was attacked by ravenous mosquitoes. For the second day in a row I was blanketed by white fuzzy organic air-borne particulates. In addition, it was hazy because of two wild fires in the area.
The first town was Parshall, and there was no food or refreshments. It was another five miles to Hot Sulphur Springs. Along the way I rode through beautiful Byer’s Canyon, where the road, a train line, and the Colorado river tightly snaked through stunning rock formations.
In Hot Sulphur Springs I had breakfast at the Bait Shop Grill. I had the fisherman’s breakfast special with coffee and orange juice. After breakfast on highway 40, still following the Colorado River, I met a Dutch couple who were cycling the TransAm westbound. They had plenty of time and were pedaling short days.
The route left highway 40 and the Colorado River, and headed north on highway 125 towards the 9621’ Willow Creek Pass. There were so many dead pine trees because of the pine beetle epidemic. Pedaling up the pass, I followed Willow Creek, where I kept my eyes peeled for moose. The route entered the Arapaho National Forest.
The difference between Rocky Mountain climbs and Appalachian Mountain climbs is that I can do much of the Rockies in my top gear. The grades are so gentle. The Appalachians were steep and I frequently used my lowest granny gear. For some of the pass I had a tailwind. Close to the summit a horsefly bit me through my glove. Higher elevations increase ones heartbeat, because less oxygen is available.
Eileen saw three moose on the climb, including two near the summit. I saw an otter. On the down hill coming into Rand, I saw a bull moose running through a field. I wasn’t expecting services in Rand, but was overjoyed to find a shop with Gatorade and water. My water supply was below a liter.
The final stretch into Walden was windy. The first stretch was a cross wind, but once I rounded a bend and began heading northeast the wind was at my back. It would have been a much better ride if the pavement didn’t have major cracks every twenty feet that rattled my teeth loose.
I realized that it’s been a while since I’ve heard birds chirping. I’m looking for Yellowstone suggestions from my readers. Please leave comments or message me.
Yellowstone...remember the campgrounds have hiker/biker sites, no reservation needed and inexpensive. If you stay to ACA route you will come to Madison that has good camp site. On the way there is a nice, level trail through woods you can ride a bike on to Lone Star Geyser that was good just to be away from heavy crowds...but it's a geyser...it only goes off on its schedule and you may get antsy waiting for it to build up steam. Grand Prismatic Geyser will be on route. This may be the best you will pass. Stop wherever there are signs for geysers. You're on a bike...it's easy to pull over. North of Madison where ACA route turns west is Norris basin that has lots of steamy sites but it's off route. You will pass Old Faithful but like many things, we have loved it to death. There are stores for food and eats, but you will be disgusted with the number of tourists and consumers. It will be hard not to be self-righteous in that sea of SUVs because you just rode your F...ING bike across the freaking country! Ducking into Old Faithful Lodge can be cool. It's a beautiful structure. I found it relatively easy riding in Y, no steep grades and traffic didn't seem bad. Hopefully you'll see critters. Keep eyes open leaving Madison toward West Yellowstone along the river. Leaving Madison early morning, which I read you doing a lot, might be good to catch some animals. Many places to get late breakfast in West Yellowstone.
ReplyDeleteKeep on pedlin'.