Back Up Into the Mountains Today

I'll be up in the mountains again for a couple of days now ... another 5,000-foot climb today!

Enjoy this video of the downhill from the last time I went up and over the mountains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPonLR6g6jI

It's long!--you probably only want to watch a few seconds of it to get the idea!

Getting high....

... and I'm not even in Colorado yet! 9033 feet high to be exact, after a 5,000+ climb yesterday. The ascent was really not at all unpleasant ... that's making me feel good about the many big climbs ahead of me. And the descent today was incredible! ... I made a video of that which I will post when I get some Wi-Fi.

Warmshowers host Blaise (in picture below) was a lifesaver in Cody while my bicycle was being repaired. Rick and Brian at the shop were awesome too, and Birdie (that's the bicycle's name) has never ridden any better than she does now! Thanks to all of them!

posted from Bloggeroid

Back in the Saddle!

I'm back on the road, but not without complications....  a flat tire and check out this picture (hint: the pedals are supposed to be *opposite* each other!):

I'm pretty sure the bicycle shop where I left my bike while with my brother did a very sloppy job in various ways, and now I am suffering the consequences.  We'll see if they make it right (i.e. at this point all they can do is give me a refund since I'm 130 miles down the road) before I start naming names and posting blistering reviews.  At least I made it to Cody safely and will be able to take it into a shop here tomorrow to get it fixed and checked out.

On the upside, I had a lovely visit with Paul Tackes (my canoeing friend that I met in MN) at his cabin in Red Lodge, MT last night.

View from the cabin ... Wow!



Getting ready to get on the bike this morning

 The scenery has definitely taken a turn for the better, but I can certainly feel the altitude (over 5,000 feet part of the day yesterday and pretty much all day today) as I breathe the thin, dry air.