Mason dedicated the ride to his grandfather David Christianson. David has B cell prolymphocytic leukemia/lymphoma and has had a rough time this past week.
What a great day. Even though we were on the interstate for the full 70 miles today it was not as dreadful as we expected. Luckily the shoulder on the road achieved a coveted 9 (out of 10) rating from veteran rider Kevin, so we got to form double pace lines and talk the entire way. As we rode we were able to see real snowcapped mountains in the distance and we appropriately stopped for snow cones as we rolled into town.
The vibe here is very country western and there were many cowboy statues dotting the sides of the road on the way into the main part of town. It seems to be quite touristy here and there are many hotels and gift shops on the main street. Buffalo is absolutely beautiful and us 21 year olds are excited to experience the town later this evening at the local saloon.
Today we passed the smallest town so far of population: 25. So when our current 24 members of the team rode through we essentially double the population. At a gas station rest stop a kind solo police officer offered to give us an escort out of town so that was pretty cool.
Our shower facilities happened to be at the “world’s largest pool” (fake news) and the warm community members of St. Lukes provided us with some bomb sloppy joes and other food.
After dinner Cheryl, a two time breast cancer survivor gave us a presentation about her version of Relay for Life. Since the first time she got cancer was 25 years ago she noted that the second time she went through treatment it was much more pleasant. Once she got cancer she felt like she could not accomplish the goals she planned to eventually attempt. With a career as a campaign manager for people such as the opponent to George Bush Sr. she then put her skills to use by running for state legislature.
Because of this, when she was working on the Wyoming State Health Legislature she changed the policies so that cancer treatment and screenings were better covered by insurance in the state of Wyoming.
Later on Cheryl noticed that the Buffalo Relay for Life was not attracting as many people as it could. To change this, she formulated the event after Dancing with the Stars. She invited well known community members to compete in a dancing competition to raise funds. In her two years the event raised $15,000 and then $18,000. And now the American Cancer Society uses her event as an example for other local Relays to model after.
Tomorrow will be the most climbing the shortest distance: 7,000 ft in only 43 miles. Pray for us please.
Tomorrow also marks our first day of camping in Meadowlark Wyoming.
Excited for s’mores tomorrow.
MB