august 3 day 86 27 miles total 2,238 it just goes to show you never know. i would never have guessed that fires in california would become a major obstacle in wyoming. but the smoke and elevation combination hit me pretty hard this morning. a rainstorm knocked down the smoke some early afternoon . after that it was easy (smiley face) just heat and wind and ever increasing altitude. looks like desert here to me Read more…
august 2 day 85 26 miles total 2,211 the story of the day is one that has been building for several days. smoke from the california wildfires has cast a haze over everything. it burns my eyes and doesn’t make the air any more breathable. otherwise things went pretty well today. i hated stopping at 26 but the motel was right there… and it was threatening to come a big rain at any moment. there Read more…
aug 1 day 84 25 miles total 2,185 wyoming. up until wyoming i had a plan for how to handle every state. those plans have been executed with varying success, ranging from the catastrophe that was iowa to the perfect execution across upstate new york. for wyoming my only plan was; if i get there i will get across somehow. i knew wyoming would be hard and it has not let me down. i have Read more…
july 31 day 83 25 miles (maybe 27) total 2,160 there is not time to describe the incredible day. constant wildlife: speed goats (pronghorn), elk, mule deer…wyomians. lots of practice climbing steep hills at elevation i am getting stronger and acclimating surviving lots of gravel not the cruel sioux quartzite variety spectacular scenery amy and adam… so cool and informative. 804 miles for july (could have been so much more with normal weather) day originally Read more…
july 30 day 82 26 miles total 2,135 the morning started great walking from my room instead of driving clear skies instead of rain… it took about a mile to top 5,260 feet elevation. and most of the day would be spent higher than that. i said wyoming had its hands full topping nebraska, and wyoming is stepping up to the challenge. we saw a fox and a golden eagle and countless pronghorns. spectacular views Read more…
july 29 day 81 23 miles total 2,109 you know what gets frustrating is only being able to post a tiny fragment of each day. i get to see so much meet such interesting people and learn more every day. it is impossible to convey the wonder of it all. my day started with rain outside grim weather forecasts ugly weather radar and 9 miles of mud. yes, wyoming had decided to stop the lazcon Read more…
july 28 day 80 28 miles total 2,086 back in rushville they told me the farmers might pay me to come back if i brought so much rain. by chandler they were ready to pay me to leave. the ground was saturated plowed fields were washing away dirt roads had turned into mud pits cut hay was rotting in the field because it couldn’t dry out. there can be too much of a good thing. Read more…
july 28 i stepped into wyoming. it was a fitting end to my time in nebrainska a continuous crash and roar of thunder shook the hills while bolts of lightning flew about willy nilly. thick trunks of electricity were hammering the ground all around. gale force gusts of wind knocked me about in the torrents of freezing cold rain. only an idiot would have been out there…. or someone who just did not give a Read more…