I have to admit, Day 26 was a tough one.  We had spent the night at a host home in lander.  So I left his house and walked to the local bike shop.  I had dropped the bike off at a great bike shop called The Mill.  They were fixing that cranky tire that kept getting leaks and replacing brake pads.   I walked to the bike shop in the rain (yep another cold and rainy day) and they told me the rear brake had problems.  So much rock had gotten into the seals (from riding in rain and the fine grit on the roads) that it couldn’t be 100% fixed.  They tried to put a different brake on but didn’t have the parts.  So I went and got breakfast while they worked on it.   About an hour later they got it partially fixed and good enough for now – but try not to use it except for big downhill rides.  The other brake was in good shape.

Piers, Stefaan, and I got groceries and then headed out towards Jeffrey City.  We had a 60 mile ride in the rain with temps between 33 and 38 degrees.  And it rained the entire ride.  At one point we had a 5ish mile climb and so my feet were numb, soaked, but sweating like crazy off my head.  It was kind of crazy – but the climb helped to get me warmer overall.  The problem was after the climb the wind picked up and then I got REALLY cold.  We went a few miles to a rest stop that had indoor bathrooms and again availed ourselves of the waiting area to make lunch and the hand dryers to dry clothes and thaw out feet and hands.  So glad they had the dryers!  The last 20 miles were miserable.  The whole day we had drivers who were nice and moved over so we didn’t get the road spray…. Except one truck.  He got us on purpose.  He had the entire road, didn’t slow down and got me, then got Piers and Stef a minute later.  I’m assuming he really doesn’t like bikers…. Our place to stay in Jeffrey City WY (btw check out Wikipedia on this town. Fascinating history) was an old church that was on the outside of town.  We went about ½ mile down a sand/mud road to reach it -but we’re glad for the shelter.  Our mood wasn’t great. We had ridden 4 straight days in rain/snow/ice.  Cold and soaked as the temps all four days were in the low to mid 30’s. I found a can of soup donated to cyclists and made us all a cup to warm up, that helped.

The church has become a bike stop for folks on the route I’m riding.  The entire lower level was set up as rooms to sleep in, a kitchen, and the old gym to store bikes. It was unheated so we got the wood burners and space heaters going and thawed out.  They had a washer and dryer to use so we got our wet stuff dried and hung up.  The few folks who still attend the church are so kind to provide this shelter.  We walked to a local bar / restaurant (in the rain) and ate which did greatly improve our mood

I slept in a small old abandoned Sunday school room on an air mattress and two space heaters.  It was great and I slept well.  It’s amazing how little comforts can mean so much when on the road.

We woke up early to a very strange sight..  something bright and yellow.  The sky was an odd blue color and there was some kind of warmth that was happening.  Yep!  FINALLY the storm system that had been following us had passed.  Sunny and blue skies.  Such a great feeling to see and feel this!

We packed up and went back to the bar / restaurant for breakfast.  Talked to some of the locals and headed out.  Now we would see the great scenery around us.  We stopped at a couple historic sites along the way, took pictures and were in great spirits.  The grumpy moods were gone.  We had lunch in the sun alongside the road and could see for miles.  We had one 3ish mile climb and we could see it from almost 15 miles away.  Riding in the rain and low clouds you couldn’t see much of God’s creation.  My legs felt great so I stormed up the climb and flew down the highway almost giddy to the town of Lander.  Overall we did about 70 miles and it was fantastic.  We did some shopping and set up camp at a local RV park.  

Yep we all were grumpy about the constant cold and rain.  However at no point did any of us not want to ride. It just became the obstacle we had to deal with.  It wasn’t going to deter us from making progress. Sometimes you just gotta push through.  God gives us each day and we must make the most of it.  Our moods were down because of the cold and rain, but our determination didn’t waiver.  God provided a place for us to rest, a place for a meal, and a warm dry place to sleep. 

Day 28 we ride to Riverside WY.