Hi everyone and welcome to day 42! It was another exciting fun day for us, but first we have a very special ride dedication.
Today we rode for Sam’s grandma Kath. Here is a little bit about her from her family’s words:
She lived life to the fullest and took joy in every day. She would have loved that Sam is on this adventure and would have told everyone what her granddaughter was doing! She died from uterine sarcoma that was not detected with testing before it had spread to her lungs — it is a rare cancer so more research on cures and earlier signs of detection would be a blessing.
Riding for Sam’s nana Kath on day 42!
The day started off cold for us, but we tried to pack our tents away quickly and then warmed ourselves up with a group hug session.
After the hugs, we were ready for a scenic ride ahead of us. The biggest advantage of climbing 40 miles up a mountain is… going downhill the next day of course. We had almost 20 miles of downhill riding first thing in the morning and got to enjoy some absolutely breathtaking views on the way. There is very little in life that can compare to rolling down a side of a mountain on your bike for an hour straight, and very few words that can describe the feeling. But, I would describe it as a once in a lifetime experience that is certainly worth biking all the way across the country for. Even the coldness of the morning could not spoil the experience for us.
After we exited the Bighorn National Forest, the landscape changed quickly and quite drastically. We went from mountains covered in dense forest and dozens of mountain streams to yellow, dry, treeless hills. We also got to go on some very scenic downhills and enjoy this very different kind of natural beauty.
By the end of our riding for the day, the weather heated up quite a bit so we couldn’t wait to get to our stayover and escape the 95 degree heat.
Midday van naps
Once we got to Thermopolis, we went to experience their famous hot springs and take showers all in one go. The general review of the hot springs was: too hot and too smelly.
Afterwards we decided to explore the town a little bit, but quickly realized that there is not much to do or see in a small town on the Fourth of July of all days, so pretty much nothing was open except for a fireworks stand.
Back at the stayover we decided to indulge in one of the most American traditions - eating way too much pie. Also known as a pie eating competition. It was over quickly but the photos that came out of it were very much worth it.
The reigning champion of the 2022 I4K pie eating competition!!!
The reigning loser of the 2022 I4K pie eating competition
In the evening we indulged in some fireworks in the middle of a Wyoming field. We were only slightly concerned about causing permanent damage to ourselves and/or the field, but everything turned out just fine.
Right before bedtime we also got to see the town’s fireworks to end this great day on a high note.
-Valerie