Today we had an ambitious route planned. 32 miles to Shoshoni for food then another 100 miles to Casper, WY. The Paris's made us a delicious breakfast of pancakes, eggs and sausage. Best of all: they had the first real maple syrup I've seen since leaving Connecticut. Unfortunately my body had other plans and the stomach pain I had been fighting for the past couple days got the best of me. Sudden vertigo confirmed that I was dehydrated and despite drinking plenty of water, I had become electrolyte imbalanced over the past few days. 132 miles was not going to be possible.
Many glasses of water and Gatorade later, and a few Thermotabs later and I felt 100%. A fantastic Paris meal of spaghetti and meat sauce gave us the energy we needed to get moving. The midday heat was in full swing but we only needed to get to Shoshoni.
The ride first part of the ride was beautiful as we entered the Wind River Canyon.
This ride was a slow climb for its entirety but once again our eyes were deceiving us. Even with a slight headwind, and the fact that we were opposing the Bighorn River's flow, the road looked downhill. Recent "chip and seal" work had left loose gravel and sticky tar in the shoulder. With rocks sticking to our tires, we were in for a bumpy ride. The canyon was beautiful though and with our short distance today we were able to take it all in. There were signs along the canon's length that explained the name and age of the rock formations that reached far above the road on which we traveled.
Traveling through 3 tunnels in quick succession, we exited the Wind River Canyon next to the Boysen Power Plant and dam. We climbed a few long rolling hills and suddenly we were out in the open. With the mountains at our backs, we reached flatter and flatter land. Sudden we could see for miles. We first saw Shoshoni about 5 miles before actually reaching it.
The Desert Inn Motel is the last of 3 motels still open in town. Before getting there we ate at the last gas station of 3 that is still open. As a welcome change, the only diner in town is still open. In fact, the Mimi Diner opened just today, and was about 50 feet from our motel door. Our luck is looking up.
Written by Greg Kirby
Photos by Jonathan Kobles
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