Tim's Great Divide Ride: PASTURE Paradise

Day 39—Friday, September 9—Great Basin dispersed camping to Slater cow pasture

90 miles

Sun rising where the moon was the night before

Knowing I was off the official trail but pretty confident I could find a way back to it, I continued on my errant way towards a town called Wamsutter. In fact, the Tour Divide—the competitive bike race that approximates the Great Divide Mountain Bike Ride—follows this route (I guess I was feeling competitive).

Piles of decomposed granite…ants? No burrow in sight. Mystery of the Great Basin

Pronghorn!

Climbing out of the Great Basin

Hydrated from the benevolence of Art the Water Angel, I had a lot of energy, and a slight tailwind (thx Kelli) and made it 25 miles to Wamsutter before before treating myself to a 10:45 am brunch. Thankfully, I ate at the best restaurant in town, the Hacienda Hernandez (the owner confirmed it was the only restaurant in town). Delish.

Brunch…so amazing, I could not believe how fortunate I was to find this place.

Regulars at Hacienda Hernandez in Wamsutter

Crossing over the RR tracks in Wamsutter…a bench: why, for whom, who walks here?

I picked up a WY map and found a gravel road in the direction I needed to go towards Baggs, WY, which is right on the border with CO.

This general area is dominated by oil exploration interests and production with many storage tanks dotting the plains. If you squint you can pretend they are grain silos. Although one might say they mar the landscape, the reality is that all of us depend so heavily on fossil fuels that we all have a hand in shaping this landscape. They were not unsightly and the impact to the surrounding land appeared to be minimal, but they are a distraction.

So, 25 miles to Wamsutter and then 25 miles on more gravel roads intersected with a paved road that would take me to Baggs. A slight descent and a continuing tailwind made lots of miles possible.

From Wamsutter to Baggs…Great Basin landscape

Wetlands in the desert: amazing diversity of bird life

There are wetlands out there somewhere

St. Luke’s historic Episcopal church in Baggs, WY

Despite riding through some roadwork, I made it to Baggs by 4 pm. Shopped at a convenience store (cold drink) and a grocery where I was helped by 6-year-old Amelia who showed me where the apples were. Her mom let me buy her some candy as a thank you.

By that time the sun was getting lower and I was eager to cross the border. Folks at the store said Slater was 15 miles away and pretty flat (IOU a blog post on people's perceptions of flat). It was a steady climb up to Slater but through a lovely irrigated valley (little Snake River). I had the water I needed, crossed into CO and let myself into a cow pasture for a campsite. Long day, good miles, beautiful sunset and moonrise.