The Plan Is Always Changing

After a very enjoyable day of literally wandering around Devils Tower (twice) as well as getting caught up on a few things, I woke this morning refreshed and ready to hit the road. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I wasn’t quite ready to leave the majestic sight of Devils Tower behind but I knew many more sights were still to come and they wouldn’t get any closer if I stayed where I was. It was time to move on. But first breakfast.

At breakfast, I once again met up with Joe, Jordan, and Jake (from Utah and Nevada) who successfully reached the summit of Devils Tower yesterday. Pretty exciting stuff. Maybe I’ll have to come back and sign up for the 3-day course and climb it myself … apparently that’s a realistic option. I honestly didn’t realize climbing Devils Tower isn’t just for experienced climbers. Maybe that should’ve been one of the FIRST questions I asked Gabe as opposed to one of the LAST ones. Who knew? Anyway, there was much discussion over a VERY hearty breakfast – I was anticipating a windy, hilly ride to Gillette, WY today so I loaded up on carbs … and pretty much anything else that was within reach. It was all delicious.

I also exchanged contact info with Joe and Jordan. The latter lives in Nevada and recently signed up as a Warm Showers host. I’m not sure what my route through Nevada will be – that’s SO far away – but it’s good to know I have options. As for Joe, despite just having met yesterday, he has offered to store my bike and gear for me when I get to Salt Lake City. Why do I need to store my bike and gear when I get to Salt Lake City? Well, much like my cycle tours of the past, this one is going to get a bit interrupted.

As you may or may not recall/know, at some point over each of the past three summers I’ve found myself in Kenya working on a documentary with my friend Gage from Philadelphia. Well, that project is finished but a new one has potentially surfaced. And it’s in India. Yup, India. SO, in the middle of August, I’ll be going to India with Gage to scout out this new project. Nothing like taking a trip in the middle of a trip. The funny thing is, it’s happened on all but one of my tours. I also find it a bit funny that regardless of where I tour, which direction I’m headed, or even on what continent I’m touring, I’ve met up with Gage at some point on all my tours. So, with that little extra detail, I now need to be in Salt Lake City by August 12th. The challenge is finding a route that best makes that happen. That challenge is still very much a work in progress.

So, with contact information swapped, a very full stomach, and the morning quickly moving on, it was time to get a photo with my hosts before hitting the road. The forecast was calling for pretty strong winds from the south – and 60% of my day was to be spent heading south. And much of that first 60% was also going to be at least somewhat hilly. The sooner I got on the road the better – even though I wasn’t really looking forward to seeing Devils Tower disappear behind me.

My departure from Devils Tower National Monument was a bit slow as I found myself stopping more than a few times for some last chance photos. Some of those were of the Devils Tower but some were also of Prairie Dog Town where, as you might suspect, there are a LOT of prairie dogs.

My departure was further delayed when I arrived back at the entrance to the park and made a not-so-quick stop at the Devils Tower Trading Post where they have a souvenir for everyone. Including me. I’m not one on souvenirs for several reasons but not the least of which is I’m on a bike and the last thing I need is more stuff. That said, it seemed fitting to buy my first two souvenirs from Devils Tower. I probably would’ve bought a t-shirt if I wasn’t travelling by bike but with space being limited I opted to “buy” (or more accurately, “make”) a couple of self-squished stamped pennies. Despite these souvenirs, I REALLY wish the US would do away with the penny.

With my souvenirs safely stowed (inevitably to get lost somewhere along the line) and my alien fix filled (there were more than a few silly alien-themed items available), it was time to hit the road for real this time. Gillette was still about 95 km away and much of that distance was to be filled with headwinds and hills.

Much to my surprise, the wind either wasn’t as strong as forecasted or the direction was off a bit but the ride leaving Devils Tower behind wasn’t nearly as challenging as feared. And yes, there were hills but certainly nothing like the hills that still await me further west. Perhaps my mindset helped a lot too. I anticipated I was in for a tough day so I made a conscious effort not to look down at my current (or average) speed or how far I’d gone. I decided to just pedal and let the kilometres take care of themselves. That technique doesn’t always work but it certainly did today.

My first stop of the day came around the 60 km mark in the town of Moorcroft – also featured in the movie “Paul”. I made a quick stop at the local grocery store for a banana (for my usual peanut butter and banana lunch bagel) before heading across the street to the library. They had a shaded bench out front where I could have my lunch and there was WiFi. I needed to inquire about the password for the latter but they were happy to provide it. The folks at the Moorcroft library were very nice.

It was during lunch that my plan for the coming days changed a bit. I received an e-mail from a client asking about doing a short video – it would mean one day off the road. Given that these trips don’t pay for themselves (well, with the exception of my great JagBag), I confirmed I could do the video. The new plan was to spend an extra day at a hotel in Gillette. I probably could’ve put it off a couple of days but my route becomes a little unclear again beyond Gillette. I also probably could’ve done it from a campground but I got a good rate for two nights at the Howard Johnson in Gillette and, clearly, a hotel would be infinitely more comfortable.

I found the good rate online but didn’t book it because I’ve found many times the online rates (even the good ones) can still be beaten if you just show up at the front desk. And, since you never know what will happen on the road, I find it best not to book too far in advance. ANYWAY, when I got to the front desk the woman at the counter couldn’t get me the online rate so she just told me to book it online. So, there I stood at the hotel’s front desk – using the hotel’s WiFi – booking a room for that hotel. Moments later I was checking-in. Ah, the joys of technology.

The rest of the evening was once again spent trying to get my blog updated. And eating. I did a quick grocery run after checking-in and found myself eating constantly for most of the evening. I’m not even sure if I was hungry! I just kept eating though. Side note: the hotel room has a fridge with a tiny freezer which meant my grocery run could include a six-pack of Klondike Bars (of the mint chocolate chip variety). There was ice cream tonight … and there will be ice cream tomorrow! Yup, life is good.