USNA 1973 Ride-2-Remember

Day 22, 25 August: Dubois to Riverton, WY

During the past few weeks Facebook and Blog posts have provided some wonderful photographs and portraits of places we’re seeing along our cross country journey. It’s hard to describe and fully appreciate such natural wonders as the Columbia River Gorge, Painted Hills, and traversing 25 miles of paved bike path adjacent the towering Grand Teton Mountains. There is, however, another side to our travels that is not as dramatic and one that consumes most of our time… riding.

Our days begin early. Most days we start riding 30 minutes before sunrise, roughly nautical twilight. This gives us enough light to ride, while providing the earliest possible departure, which in turn offers less traffic early in the ride, often less wind, and early completions that provide the most possible time for recovery before starting the routine again.

Getting in miles consumes much of our day, and in the process we often miss some attractions that require time we don’t have, or places that open after we’ve passed by. Knowing how many miles remain also skews decisions towards moving on.

Today we had an early start, which means wake-up calls that precede launch by at least an hour and often more. Seven miles into our 80 mile ride we encounter the National Military Vehicle Museum, obviously closed at 6:30 AM. This museum had been highly recommended to me by riders with the Class of 1983 cross country ride team. In the opinion of this group that visited the museum two years ago, it’s one of the finest museums in the country and is on par or exceeds the Smithsonian. The museum was the vision of one man who orchestrated and funded the entire project. The Class of 1983 cross country riders started their trek two days ago. They’re taking only one rest day as they cross the country, and it will be in Dubois, Wyoming in order to spend the day at the museum. We got a few exterior shots, but otherwise It was a miss for us.

We often pass historical markers, national parks, and the treasures of small towns taking in only what can be seen at bike riding speed. These are misses, the same as we all experience when we speed along at much higher speeds. Every town has a story — there just isn’t time to unearth them all.

One gem we did discover today is the Crowheart Store. It offers all the necessary provisions for local families and ranchers. The building’s structure, smells, floors aged by decades of wear all harken back to the country stores and general stores once the staple of towns across America. This store is located on a reservation. It is family owned and the silver-haired woman running the store during our visit was one of the most gentle and peaceful spirits of I’ve ever encountered. Conduct a search for “Crowheart Store” and you’ll see and read that my experience wasn’t unique.

Eighty miles today from Dubois to Riverton, Wyoming. Tomorrow we reach Casper and the end of Stage 2. More than a third of our trip is behind us, but there are still many miles and “missings” ahead.

Doug Leland