Greybull, Wyoming

Conquoring the Big Horns
We are now on the west side of the Big Horn Mountains and we're still standing! Our day started at 6:30 am with a big breakfast before heading to the mountain. So at 7:30 we got on our bikes and started pedaling. The biggest climb came first which is good, since our legs were still fresh. We cycled up a 7% grade for the first 10 miles out of Buffalo. Unlike Mount Rushmore, there was plenty of opportunities to pull over and rest and also enough level ground to get the bikes started again. The hardest thing about the final climb to Mount Rushmore was that we went from 3400 ft to 5700 ft in 2 miles and there really wasn't any good place to rest. When my legs finally gave out and I stopped at a scenic overlook, there wasn't any level ground to get the bike moving again. It took about 5 minutes and numerous attempts from Dave holding my bike for me before I was finally moving again. It was a nerve wracking experience but I got some good pictures from that overlook!

So back to the Big Horns. After the first grade was over the hills became rolling for the next 10 or so miles. The final 10 miles before the pass were at a 5% grade but by that time we were tired and the wind had picked up. You play lots of mind games on a ride like this and you get into the rhythm of the slow pedaling. And the beautiful scenery definitely helped occupy our minds! The mountains started out with lots of pine forests and as the elevation increased the terrain became more severe. We saw cows grazing on almost vertical slopes and lots of beautiful rocky outcroppings. At 4 mph we had lots of time to study the changing landscape.

As we knew the pass was approaching your legs start to complain even more and with every turn of the road you are just hoping that you'll see the top. But that can wear you out even more, so I tried to convince myself that I had many more miles to go " don't get your hopes up yet!". In the end the wind started howling down at us and then I could see a sign up ahead that I hoped could only say one thing, Powder Pass Elevation 9666 ft. And it did! Boy was that a good feeling. It was 2:00 pm and we had been pedaling for 5 hours and 30 minutes with about an hour of breaks worked in. All that work and we had traveled 35 miles.

After some rest and celebration we were ready to start the 30 mile downward trip. The downhill is hard on your legs and back. You keep your legs tensed and the wind moves the bike around enough that you are using your back to keep the bike in control. The west wind was actually a blessing on this end of things because it kept our speed down without having to use the brakes too much. We made it down the mountain in 2 hours and my top speed was 28 mph. I went almost 12 miles without pedaling at all! That was fun, but like I said it cramps the leg muscles to hold them in one position for that long. The scenery on the west side of the mountain was dramatically different. We were traveling down a canyon with magnificent red rock formations and dramatic bluffs. We stopped several times for photo opportunities and to take in the scenery. It was passing us by much quicker on this side of the mountain!

Needless to say when we got to Ten Sleep we were TIRED! But what a sense of accomplishment! We are now headed to Yellowstone National Park and will spend several days within the park. There is so much to see and do. After that we need to evaluate our next steps. Montana was in the original plans, but the wildfire situation may change that. Only time will tell.