Biking, Day 15: July 31, 2009

Day 15: Sheridan, WY to Gillette, WY
Distance: 110 miles
Route: 14E, which is 30 miles more than taking 90E and has no discernible hotels/motelss along the way
Lodging: Motel 6, Gillette, WY, $69

I woke up today and it was cloudy out. I looked at the weather and it looked like rain and very heavy winds, but that it would come later on in the day where I was biking to and the wind looked like it would be coming to my side, sometimes behind me, but at least not headwind. I had really bad cramps when I woke up, but decided to forge on to Gillette. I knew there wasn't much on route 14E to Gillette, except a town or two where I could hopefully stop if the weather got bad.

I got a few things from my 'free' breakfast and hit the road. It was sunny, but cool out. I rode right through the center of Sheridan. Sheridan is actually totally cute. Center of town has cute little restauurants, and lots of western themed places to buy clothing and have a beer. As I routed out of town, I stopped by Walmart to get some lady-products and to try to get some mace to appease my mother. Walmart had an abundance of lady-products, but nothing to keep said lady safe (except guns and large knives).

I rode on and started down 14E. There were clouds around me and the wind was kicking up, but it looked like I was biking away from the storm. Also, the wind seemed to be helping me a bit, which was nice. The wind was fierce, though, and I had to be careful that it didnt knock me over. It was 30 miles to the first city on the map and I figured I would stop there.

As I hit that 'city' of Ucross, there was nothing. Like, nothing. Sometimes I don't understand why they tell you the mileage to some location 50 miles out and then you get there and there's nothing. It's such a tease.

I started riding to the next 'city', which my mother researched and promised had something – even, gasp, a motel. It was ten miles away according to the road signage. About 2 miles in, the wind started really stepping up. I almost got blown into the road ditch. About 3 miles in, it started raining. The wind was so intense it was raining sideways onto me. It was pretty crappy. And cold. The only thing good was the fact that I was listening to Rachel Maddow on my Ipod.

I kept going and looking for some sort of shelter. My speed was slow, I was incredibly uncomfortable. There weren't even trees to take shelter under.

It took me about 30 minutes to do the 5 miles to the next town. The library was closed. The post office was closed. The gas station that advertised ten miles out as a 'travel center', was open. It was a small mini mart and one gas pump.
I went in and got coffee and waited. I had no cell service, but I did have intense cramps. The weather was up and down. I wanted to stay in thhe city, but the rumor of a motel was a farce. There was nothing. And apparently nothing until my initial destination, so I had to be careful about whether I wanted to forge on. I could probably ask someone for a ride, but there weren't any people I trusted coming in.
I called my mom on the gas station phone and we discussed options. She looked up motels, there weren't any. She looked up weather. It looked promising, but weather in WY, MT, etc is constantly changing.

Finally, after about an hour and a half at the gas station, I decided to go for it. I didn't have many options.

The ride wasn't horrible. The wind was intense, but it wasn't headwind. The crosswinds were a little hard to manage, but otherwise, it wasn't bad. I actually was moving very quickly. I went through Leiter, which was another 'town' that didn't have anything. Then, 30 miles into it, I hit Spotted Horse.

Spotted Horse, WY has a populatinon of 2, as indicated on the sign when you enter the town. The town consists of a bar. Apparently the bar opens and closes randomly. It was open. Sitting outside were two guys with bikes. I went over and talked to them. They were also biking across the country! Starting in Cincinnati, they were ending in Seattle. They were camping along the way and looked very crunchy – dreads, lots of facial hair, etc. But they were cute – and brothers! I stopped and talked with them, then the bartender came out and said 'another crazy person!'. I ordered a diet coke and called my parents from the bar phone to alleviate their concerns about me.
I hung out there for a bit. A few motorcycle riders came through, too. They were going to the Sturgis Bike Rally – one of the biggest bike rallies in the country, located in Sturgis, SD and starting August 2. I just started feeling the effects of this rally – jacked up motel prices, sold out hotels, bikers passing me on the road non-stop. Figured that they were totally on my timeline.

Finally, after hanging out enough I rode off. My biker friends stayed – they had the wind as headwind and were frustrated by it. The one wanted to hitch hike, the other refused to 'cheat'. So they continued to sit at the Best. Bar. Ever. Seriously, the Standard in Spotted Horse, WY is awesome. It has everything. From really crass signs, make your own nachos (you push the button and the cheez comes out), to fried food, to cheap drinks, to pool. Amazing.

I made great time riding the 38 miles to Gillette. The wind was in my favor. I did the 38 miles in a little over 2 hours.

I checked into my motel 6 and ordered chinese food. I was tired. Exhausted. I tried to map out my ride for the next day, which was difficult with horrible internet and the Sturgis Bike Rally in my way.