Shoshoni, WY

June 28, 2009

The journey from Dubois to Shoshoni was approximately 102 miles long today. It was a slightly boring ride due to the fact that there was not much to see in the part of Wyoming we were cycling in. However, the day began quickly with some assistance from a strong tail wind through our descent helping us average 21 mph instead of the typical 16-18 mph pace. My paceline finished the ride quickly because we were lucky enough to avoid flats. Our 3-man paceline rode ahead of everyone for the entire ride since many cyclists were delayed fixing their flat tires. Along the ride, we passed through a town with a Taco Bell and joked about stopping for a bite to eat. We were the first group to roll up to the crew stop at mile 90 and we were greeted with a nice surprise. A crew member had bought burritos for me, James, and Max. We enjoyed our 1/2 pound burrito treat at the crew stop, but as we hit the road we started to ask ourselves why we ate those before we finished riding. The last 10 miles of the journey was rough as we tried to survive with heavy stomachs from the treat. We decided not to tell the rest of the team about the burritos for a few days.

Our lodging is at a Senior Citizen Center in the small town of Shoshoni, WY. There are less than 900 people living here. We enjoyed the afternoon napping, taking a trip to the local malt shop, and relaxing on our air mattresses. Our dinner this evening was sponsored by the cooks at the Shoshoni senior center. We spent the night playing pool, practicing "Kids on the Block" puppet show, and writing in our journals before "lights out."

Tomorrow will be another "century" ride as we travel from the mountains through the desert into the city of Casper, WY. Then we will have a day off in Casper to let our bodies recover and enjoy two friendship visits. So far we have ridden in four states: Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.