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Oh brother where art thou... September 12, 2008Leave a comment ;)
"John, talk to your brother, he's on the phone. He's got a question about planes." "Planes or instrument flight rule questions?" (He's getting ready for his Instrument Flight Rules Checkride) "Hey bub, what do you know about Decision Height versus Decision Altitude?" I go into this lengthy discussion about height above touchdown versus height above airport, yadda yadda yadda. When out of the darkness this guy comes walking along talking on his cell phone. He looks strangely like my brother. Then I realize it is my brother talking to me on his cell phone. Surprise, surprise, surprise... What a nice 50th birthday present. My brother flew all the way to Wyoming to help me celebrate. How nice is that? I was totally surprised and it was a great present. Now I just need to convince him to rent a bike and ride the next 60 miles with me. Today began as the coldest of the journey so far. I woke up to freezing temps and frost on the windshields. Luckily my bike was tucked into my warm room and the seat wouldn't be an ice cube when I sat on it. I headed down US 14 into a stiff headwind. It took a while for my body to cold soak, but I got into the rhythm of riding fairly quickly and the miles to Granite Pass sped by. The clouds were still hovering low along the mountain tops, but it wasn't raining or moist like the day before. I only had about 1000 vertical feet remaining before I made the summit, so I didn't have too much of a grade to contend with. Along the way, I passed the turn off to a campground with the odd name of "Dead Swede." I know there is a story in there somewhere, but there were no explanations by the roadside. I guess I will just have to research that one on my own. After having ridden such a steep climb the day before and still having to crank another 1000 foot vertical, I was expecting an imposing summit sign stating that I was crossing Granite Pass, Elevation 9003 feet. Instead, all I found was a tiny county line marker next to a fake cattle guard (lines painted on the ground to resemble metal bars. I guess cows aren't that smart. Maybe they are because I saw cow footprints on both sides of the crossing). Talk about a dejected feeling! No summit sign to mark my accomplishment with the obligatory bike in photo, photo. Instead, I made a point of taking a picture of my GPS with barometric altimeter reading showing 9070 feet as well as a picture of the country line sign. Better something than nothing! For today's problem, why would there be a discrepancy between the altitude my barometric altimeter was reading and the actual elevation of the pass. Remember, my altimeter read 9070 feet and the actual elevation of Granite Pass (without the sign) was 9003 feet. The next best photo was of the caution sign for an 18 mile steep descent! Yeeee haaaa... I swapped out of my wet inner layer for a nice dry shirt so that I could enjoy the downhill run. The sun came out and it made for a warm and blissful downhill jaunt. I captured it on video as I went screaming around the curves. I think I maxed out around 39 mph as I descended into Shell Canyon. The switchbacks were a thrill and each one brought a new perspective of the canyon into view. One area was devoid of trees, looking as though it held been clear cut for logging when it was actually the result of a tornado back in 1959. And along the ridge, the forest was a strange shade of grey with a smattering of green. It turns out that pine beetle kill had taken out a large portion of the forest following a long drought that left the trees vulnerable to disease. I was making fantastic time down the canyon and actually had to slow down for a cement truck slowly creeping down the hill. My first time to pass another vehicle while both of us were in motion! Another thing that you notice on a hill like this is that many cars and trucks have been riding their brakes for WAY TOO LONG! Whew! Might be a smart move to open a brake shop at the bottom of the hill (assuming they all make it down in one piece for repairs). The canyon narrowed to a point where it was probably less than 50 yards wide then opened up to reveal a completely different landscape, moving from the mountains to a sandstone desert in less than a mile. This was the most invigorating ride of the journey to date! I made it through Shell, WY after stopping at Dirty Annie's Restaurant for a bite to eat, large chocolate milkshake and French dip sandwich (I was told I could eat like this since I would be burning so many calories). From Shell I continued down through Greybull and turned south toward Worland. The wind seemed to be constantly stalking me from the front the entire ride and it became even more pronounced as I headed south. I pulled into Manderson after turning over 68 miles and decided this would be a good place to stop and continue on to Thermopolis in the morning. I'm hoping my brother can find a bike somewhere in town and make the last few miles with me. More Images: ;)
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7 Comments
Sep 13, 2008 6:27 pm - Jennifer Allen wrote : Happy Birthday John - what a way to celebrate! I am you lil sister's cousin-in-law and we are so glad that she shared the news about this journey with us. You are doing great work!
Sep 13, 2008 5:40 pm - Tracy Knight wrote : Happy Birthday to You tomorrow!!!! Enjoy lots of smiles - Tracy
Sep 13, 2008 1:57 pm - your lil sis wrote : Cut and paste me in the picture! Wish I could have been there...miss you guys! Hope you are having a good ride today! xoxo ls
Sep 13, 2008 11:19 am - Liz Warren wrote : Happy Birthday! Hey there hottie, have a great day and keep enjoying the journey.
Sep 13, 2008 7:50 am - Lee Ann wrote : Happy 50th hope I'm doing as well as you when I hit 50 Keep cruising. I'll be on my bike cruising central Brevard county florida.
Sep 13, 2008 5:22 am - jim gilliland wrote : John, too bad your brother Jim can't do the rest of the trip with you. Happy 50th birthday and many more down the road. Tell Jim I said hello. Your birthday package has arrived at it's destination and is waiting for pickup. Take care and be safe. Jim Gilliland Add a comment: |
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN !! Looking good for 50, thought you were younger! Have a great time and be safe on the rest of your trip and I will look forward to seeing you when you come to Colorado, Dont know when that will be since you wont be returning any cars....Haha!! Diane