|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gone with the wind September 10, 2008Leave a comment ;)
"Frankly Scarlett, I kind of like a 30 knot tailwind..." "But tomorrow is another windy day!" I will never, ever, ever complain about the wind again (well, maybe not ever never). I checked the forecast last night and they were predicting 20-30 knots out of the NW. I thought for sure they would be wrong and I would be bucking a headwind the entire way south! Well, thank goodness meteorologist have their good days too! I left Hardin without even pedaling. I should have thrown up a sheet and played pirate on a bike. "Thar she blows!" Literally! I was easily taking a 20, sometimes up to 30 knots on the tail end. What an effortless way to ride a bike! When I stopped, I felt like someone was pushing on my back! I just pray that the wind stays this way for the next two months. I'll be done before you know it! Once again the frontage road is my friend. It was nice to stay out of traffic, especially when I was clipping along at 15 to 20 mph on flat ground. I made my turn at Crow Agency in less than one hour and wandered through the town until I found the tribal headquarters. Just as I was talking to a gent walking into the building, three folks came out to greet me. I had called ahead over the past week just to let them know when I would arrive and they were ready for me. I have always been told that the Crow Indians are very tall people and I was not disappointed. Check out the picture of all of us on the front steps and you will see that I am still shorter than Scott and Darrin and I am standing one step up! A few years back I gave a talk at the school in Lodge Grass, MT and I was given the flag of the Crow Nation and asked if I would fly it in space. Not having been assigned to a flight yet, I took the flag and promised I would, whenever that might be. After I flew, I knew I would bring it back, but I did not just want to mail it or drive up in a car. It was a natural thing to do, deliver it by bicycle! Who'd have thought? Everyone was so appreciative and I spent some time discussing the flight and describing how items are packaged and flown aboard the shuttle. The flag was still in the sealed pink plastic bag that it flew in. One of their elders shared some very meaningful words about how the Crow people(Apsaalooke) view the heavens and how they honor the moon as their grandmother. He then used sweetgrass and smudged the flag as a blessing and thank me for returning it. I was deeply humbled by their sincerity and kind words. Returning the flag this way was the proper and honorable thing to do. After spending some quality time with folks from the tribe, I climbed back aboard my Trek and headed south to Ranchester, WY (like Winchester only different). The skies were a bit foreboding when I left Hardin in the morning and the wind brought even darker clouds by the time I left Crow Agency. I sped along at an amazing clip and didn't expend very much of an effort. The road weaved left and right, but never did the wind leave my rear quarter. I turned around a couple of times when something beside the road caught my eye and the wind just hammered me in the face. Thanks goodness I was going south to southeast. It would have been achingly slow to have had to pedal the opposite direction! The hills rose up on both sides of the Little Big Horn River, but my ride was relatively flat until I had to crest a couple of hills at the MT and WY border. By now the sky was beginning to open up and the rain was starting to come down pretty heavy. The water began to pool on the roadway, most often in the depressions made by the car tires. A couple of times I feared that I would hydroplane off the road when I was cruising along at 20 mph, downhill with the wind. Just about six miles from Ranchester, a fellow in a Toyota pickup pulled alongside and asked if I wanted a ride into town. I guess the fact that I was pedaling in knee deep water left him room for concern (just kidding). Actually, pedaling in the heavy downpour was quite pleasant and it would have taken me longer to get off the bike, empty my gear into the back of his truck and climbed aboard then if I just stayed on the bike. It has been raining steadily since arriving here at the hotel Tomorrow I will head up US 14 and crest Granite Pass at approximately 9000 feet. The elevation down here in Ranchester is around 3700 feet, so I have quite the climb ahead of me. Steepest pass to date and probably for the entire trip. So, for today's problem, if the temperature down here in Ranchester is roughly 42 degrees, what might the temperature be on top of Granite Pass, assuming a standard adiabatic lapse rate (for those of you that don't know what that means, give the Wiki a try)? Rather than using the fancy formulas you might find on the computer, there is a standard rule of thumb that pilots use when calculating a temperature at altitude. See if you can find what that is... More Images: ;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
4 Comments
Sep 11, 2008 11:01 am - Jim Gilliland wrote : John, I shipped your flute & carrying case to day, via US Postal Express mail. Check your e-mail for the tracking number and location for pickup. It will be delivered at the location we discussed this Saturday. Take care and be safe. Jim
Sep 11, 2008 11:00 am - Bill Ward wrote : John,really enjoying the blog and pics. We are all proud of you and looking forward to your arrival in OK. You have many, many people praying for you. Say hi to Aunt Joyce and Uncle Jim for me. Rock on.
Sep 11, 2008 10:20 am - Don wrote : John, Hello well you made it out of Montana. It is better to be "Gone with the wind", than "Gone with the Schwinn". Good Luck on your climb. May the great spirit give you strong legs. Add a comment: |
 RSS
Follow John on his trek via
Google Earth! 
PLEASE SUPPORT
THESE SPONSORS 
View Clip Now! >> |
Linn Productions.
Adiabatic Lapse Rate, Dry The first law of thermodynamics: dQ dU + W n · cv dT + P dV 0 where cv is given in units of erg/K/mole and n is the number of moles. The derivative of the ideal gas law, P · V n R T, is V dP + P dV n R dT R defined as cp - cv, yields dQ n cv dT - V dP + n cp-cv dT dQ n cp dT - V dP 0 for adiabatic Cp cp/ mw ; n mw /V so that dT/dP V/ n · cp 1 / Cp · From hydrostatic equilibrium and the gas law we can convert from pressure to height coordinates: dP - g dz dT/dz|a -g/Cp a - dT/dz|a g/Cp