Dodging Bullets

It's summer, right?  I thought it was!  It's not supposed to rain in the summer, is it???  I get into Wyoming and it seems that all I have been doing is racing the rain storms and there are some nasty ones that need avoiding!  I don't like riding in the rain anymore than the next guy but I have to be in Washington by Thursday so I don't have a lot of room to play with.  I am quickly finding that on rides like this I shouldn't set such a rigid schedule.

Cheyenne is one of my stops and I allow for a leisurely lunch at a surprisingly upper scaled hotel by a Little America truck stop.  I feel a little out of place wearing my leather vest and boots when all around me are 50/60 someones wearing suits, Chanel, and carrying Fendi handbags but carpe diem.

Finishing up and heading to the gas station to fill up the bike, I run into the funniest thing I have seen so far on this trip.  It's a Toyota Yaris with two guys in it, but these are two normal guys, these two look like linebackers for the Chicago Bears.  They are stuffed into this little Yaris.  I think I can hear the little car pleading for help.  I have to hear the story so I ask... They are on their way to Texas from Kenniwick, Washington, (What a coincidence) they are couriers and are going to pick up a gentleman that is blind and his dog to take them back to Washington.  They have a Ford Expedition but the Yaris gets twice the mileage and that puts more money into their pocket.  My one question is, where do people find these jobs?  But my biggest observation is that these guys are smiling and seem to be happy.  They are making the best of the situation and what they have.

Looking at my phone and the weather radar map, I have got to get moving but I take the time to post on my Facebook page, asking my friends what would they do if faced with the impending weather.  Most tell me to stay put, keep safe, but my one brother, who is a serious rider like myself, tells me "Drive fast and take the chance!! Also put on the rain gear when you get close.........never know it may be fun!"  I have to agree with him, the worse case senerio is that I will have to take shelter under an over pass.  So I grab a few snacks, some extra water and I make tracks West.

I make it through several sets of storms with only a few drops and I finally settle down for the night in Rock Springs, Wyoming.  I almost didn't get a room.  The rodeo is in town and almost every hotel is booked.  I logged around 650 miles that day and the next round of hotels is another 15 miles down the freeway, not a lot of miles but still a few more than I want to make.

I don't even eat dinner that night, I just take a hot bath, call my Sweetheart, and go straight to bed.  I am putting on too many miles and not taking enough breaks, I can feel it, my body is telling me that I am pushing too hard.  

Note to self: Schedule your route better next time or you had better be happy and make do with what you end up with!