Day 28: Lander to Jeffrey City - 58 mi, 2,165 elevation gain

Today was a remarkable day in so many ways.  The ride was unique and our landing spot was, too!

Call it serendipity or anything you like, but our decision to stay in Lander an extra night was meant to be (phew!). 

After a tasty breakfast of scones, cinnamon rolls and other baked goods, we set off shortly after 7 am.  Pete remarked that it was one of the first times we actually met our AIS (ass in seats) target.

Ever since Moran just outside of the Grand Tetons, the shoulder along Rt 287 has been generous ranging from 4-8' which makes an enormous difference to our safety and sanity.  The road was recently repaved with chip & seal but the shoulder was relatively smooth (at least until the last few miles) which made for good riding.  

The route followed the Wind River Range for 9 miles before turning East towards Jeffrey City.  The road was desolate but punctuated with gorgeous outcroppings and fields of sagebrush as far as the eye could see along with a few cows sprinkled here and there.

Initially a headwind picked up which lessened our speed and dampened our spirits.  But that challenge was short lived!

The route climbed for what seemed an endless 20-25 miles before reaching the pass at Beaver Rim.  We were treated to stunning views of the Wind River Range and Pete and Steph celebrated over a banana and last bottle of water.

Our crew saw mule deer, antelope, jack rabbits and a rattlesnake ... but unfortunately all were due to vehicular encounters.  Guess that happens when the speed limit is 70 mph!

After reaching the pass, the remaining 25 miles was mostly (but not entirely) flat. There was a brief rest stop at Sweetwater to replenish our water bottles.

With the wind at our backs for part of this section we were able to zoom along at 19-20 mph.  The temperature was starting to climb so we were eager to reach our destination (or not!).

A couple of nights before, we read  blogs by fellow cyclists.  They both spooked us about creepy Jeffrey City.  We also saw photos of our accommodations  which gave us pause and contributed to our decision to stay an extra night in Lander.  If you'd like to read a detailed creepy story about Jeffrey City, check out this blog.

The two Sues speed demons arrived about an hour before the rest of us so they had the pleasure of hanging out in the only Cafe in town.  The people were very friendly, but the place was dirty and desheveled.  It was all a bit grim and depressing.  

Jeffrey City had been a town of 7,000+ when uranium mining was booming.  Now there are only 37 people living there.  A classic tale of boom to bust.

The Mad Potter of Jeffrey City owns the Monk King Bird Pottery studio across the street.  Byron and his dog Floyd make a living selling his clay creations which were creative and mimicked the surrounding landscape.  Several of us bought some of his pieces making his day and possibly week!  

After this experience, Lesli picked us up and we sagged about 50 mi to the town of Rawlins where we dined on steak at Aspen. The portions were so generous that leftovers will certainly turn up in a different form.

All around another interesting day on the Transam!