From the Mountains to the Prairies...

A 1500 foot climb from Walden, CO while under attack from mosquitoes.  Ended up with about 25 bites.
Then the fun part... a 2000-foot drop over about 6 miles.  Settled into Laramie WY for the night.

Biking on I-80 

After a 2000-foot climb on I-80 to get out of Laramie, I was on Happy Jack road.. Click to listen:

Rest stop on I-80 at the summit east of Laramie

Rest stop on I-80 at the summit east of Laramie

Pretty Rocky country about 30 mi. E of Laramie

Wind farm about 20 miles West of Cheyenne.

  

While passing the wind farm, my music player was set for shuffle.  Click to hear what came on 

Gas is cheap in Cheyenne.

Fields of Yellow Flowers in Eastern Wyoming.

Train after train on US 30

Across the Great Divide

Started my day with a small let down.

No donuts for the fat guy today!

Went to Creekside Cafe and Grill instead for an excellent breakfast with homemade corned beef hash to fuel the arduous climb to rabbit ears summit

The "rabbit ears" of rabbit ears pass

On the Continental Divide in 2015

Same guy at the same spot in 1985

Rocky Mountain High

Arrived in Steamboat Springs tonight.
After going through the tiny towns of Rangely and Meeker.
Spent last night in Craig which is on US 40.  Craig is big enough to have a Super Walmart, so dinner last night consisted of: sweet corn, cantaloupe, and cereal.

Corn comes out pretty well in the hotel room microwave.

There are three marijuana stores in Steamboat Springs and of course I had to check one out.  Things sure have changed since the seventies.  The array of products offered is staggering.

Tomorrow, I climb Rabbit Ears Pass , 9426 ft elevation ... which partly explains my dinner choice (below). 

Dam on the White river about 5 miles east of Rangely.   Rivers in CO are running strong due to a wet May and early June.

Sheep grazing - 20 miles east of Meeker.

Dinner (Rabbit) at Harwigs Grill.  

Dessert from the local candy store.  A lot like Marini's in Santa Cruz, only better...

Tomorrow's ride over Rabbit Ears Pass to Walden.

Let's eat

Arrived in Vernal Utah early yesterday afternoon.

Had a late lunch at Antica Forma.  It was so good I went back there for dessert after dinner. 

Food Fest continues this morning with fresh donuts at 5:45 a.m. at Get Glazed which adjoins the Quiznos here in Vernal.  The Quiznos owner's son runs the donut shop.

Pizza at Antica Forma

The pizza oven, imported from Italy.

Returned for dessert last night.  Baci:  fried dough with Nutella

Industrial Sized (5Kg)

Bacon Maple Donut at Get Glazed

Daniels Summit

43 miles of climbing, first along the Provo River Bike Trail and then on US 40 culminating in a stay at Daniels Summit Lodge, 8,000 foot elevation.

The Climb

Entry to the Daniels Summit lodge

My Cabin

an emBearassment of riches in the store/gift shop.

Return to civilization

In Provo, right across the street from Brigham Young University.
Finally, some food other than chicken fried steak and hamburgers...  Good frozen custard.

Lots of  clean cut, polite, young white kids.

BYU in Lovely Provo

Provo's best frozen custard

Long hot and dry

90 miles and 2400 foot of vertical climb, ending with flat desert.

Great Basin National Park

Lehman Caves tour in Great Basin was well worth the 6-mile 1500ft vertical climb from Baker, NV.

Proceeded downhill to the Border Inn, which is literally on the boarder between Nevada and Utah, with the Casino on the Nevada side, and motel on the Utah side.

Tomorrow, a long ride to Delta, UT.

More Mountains and rain

Wednesday's ride to Ely was one of the more challenging.

Got caught in a downpour while climbing the last summit, hitchhiked the last 15 miles.

Pinto summit east of Eureka

profile from Eureka to Ely

Yesterday's ride to Baker, also a challenge.

Downpour on the downslope of the final summit... had no choice but to tough it out, they were literally no cars on the road.

the Silver Jack motel rooms in the back where I stayed

an eclectic collection of junk near my motel room

Lectrolux cafe

Eureka. .. More hills

Nevada truly has its ups and downs.

first climb in the morning over Austin pass:

The loneliest road in America

Easy ride on Saturday from Carson City to Fallon.  Mostly downhill.

Once you leave Fallon, there's nothing for 50 miles going east... Just desert.  The small outpost Middlegate consists of a bar, Mini Mart, and run down Motel.
14 additional miles to the east is Cold Spring Station, consisting of a bar, restaurant, Motel, and a few houses.
The motel is quite comfortable and the Internet is working, which is enabling me to post to the blog.
Today's ride was 62 miles and 2300 foot vertical.
Tomorrow's ride to Austin will be 50 miles and another 2400 feet of vertical... With no services of any kind en route.

Big up...big down

5,100 feet vertical amid light rain and occasional thunderstorms on Thursday, finally made it to Lake Tahoe.
Friday's ride easy and exhilarating. 1,200 feet up, followed by a 10 mile 2500 foot vertical drop.
Excellent dinner at the Bistro. French tapas
For breakfast, a bakery tour of Carson City.
Donuts To Go (  got 'em warm) followed by LA Bakery and cafe.

On the up and up

70 hard miles and 4700 feet of climbing.
Finally arrived in Pollock Pines last night.

Will try to make it to South Shore Lake Tahoe this evening.
This will be a 5,100 foot vertical.
These are the two hardest days of the ride... back to back.

wild turkeys on the American River bicycle trail.

Placerville Safeway parking lot

Sailing from San Francisco

On the ferry from San Francisco to Vallejo

Heading out

Odometer reading 3,125. Lots of deer on Sawyer camp trail.
Had a lovely dinner with Mark Steisel on Union Street in the city.
Ready to proceed to Davis.