I had one of my best days of the tour. We woke up to watch USA beat Algeria in the world cup at the 90+ mark and then headed out to breakfast with Evan our host at a local grease pit, the Prarie Rose. Evan gave us a quick tour of the University of Wyoming, pointing out a 12 story building on campus, the tallest in all of Wyoming.
From Laramie we followed Snowy Range Road through the Medicine Bow national forest which took us up 4000 feet in elevation to a summit of 10800 ft. We were riding 75 miles in total to Saratoga, WY.
The snow capped peaks of the mountain were visible 30 miles out from the flats leading up to their base. Lush green pastures with roaming horses and cattle surrounded the hills. Along one stretch a pack of antelope raced along side us before turning back off the roadside and into the open plain.
We stopped in Centenial, a tiny town at the base of the mountain, for lunch. I was feeling a bit tired, perhaps from not being adjusted to the altitude. I knocked back two cokes, popped a couple asprin got on my bike and began to climb.
The road maintained a reasonable grade keeping in my lowest gears as it snaked up the mountian side. Fast creeks ran by the road side and slender green trees up the ridges. Snow drifts left over from winter stretched across open spans.
I saw the peaks getting closer as I rode, carefull not to burn through all of my energy to quickly. I imagined I would take a couple of rest stops on the climb but continued straight to the top, halting only occasionally to take a photo of the spectacular view.
I began what would total a 20 mile decent from the top, needing to wear my windbreaker to keep warm. The downhill was beautiful reward for the climb, cruising up to 40 mph as I watched the snow patches disappear, yielding again to lush greenery and roaring rivers again.
The sun Illuminated the stunning mountains and canyons and I stopped frequently to marvel at their splendor. I'm not religous, but being in the peaks of Wyoming may be as close as you can get to god without dying.
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Location:Arrowhead Dr,Saratoga,United States
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