Rose Pedals . . .: Hello, Wyoming!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Columbus, Montana to Powell, Wyoming
111 miles
5,252 feet of climbing

Today we crossed over into the 4th state of our Tour - the great state of Wyoming. When we started today's ride, the weather in Columbus was cool and overcast. There was a 25% chance of rain, so I reluctantly began the ride carrying my rain jacket in my jersey pocket (I say "reluctantly" because I hate carrying stuff). Our route started with a gentle climb out of Columbus toward the towns of Absarokee and Roscoe. After our first rest stop in Roscoe at mile 28 (where I took a gamble and ditched my rain gear), the more strenuous climbing began - with big rollers, some with some fairly steep sections. Around mile 51, we were greeted with an unbelievably fast descent which brought us right to our second rest stop of the day at mile 56. From there, we had a nice easy ride to lunch, with a few more miles of descending and then some smaller rollers, at which point it started to rain, just a little (of course it did, because I ditched my rain gear). We quickly rode out from under that rain cloud, and it was dry as a bone as we arrived at lunch . . . where, coincidentally, we arrived in Wyoming!

Did you know Wyoming has 32 named islands, the majority of which are located in Jackson Lake and Yellowstone Lake within Yellowstone National Park?

The PAC Tour crew outdid themselves by preparing for us a delicious spaghetti lunch, complete with garlic bread and two kinds of spaghetti sauce - one with meat, and one without, for us compassionate vegetarians. That great lunch fortified us to power through the next 35 miles of gentle climbing with a few ridge ascents. I got distracted taking pictures and missed the left turn to Powell, which added just about 2 miles to mine & Art's ride (yes, Art missed the turn with me - hee hee!) We finished the ride just about 3:00, which included a stop at the McDonalds next to our hotel for a McShake and to use the McBathroom.

Today's ride was amazing - sure, there was some big climbs, but with big climbs, you get great views. That's how you get to see all the good stuff!