Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR - Segment):
Great Divide Basin: Medicine Bow National Forest
to Rawlins, Wyoming; June 2013
Leg 5 - Medicine Bow National Forest
Above Left: Medicine Bow National Forest: Named for having Good Wood (Mountain Mahogany - Rose Family) to make Strong Bows for young Warriors (Sioux & Cheyenne area; 24 June 2013, GDMBR). This is the back road to Saratoga, WY, We ended our bike tour here, previously (2011, Sept); we are heading (left/north) to Rawlins, WY, on NF 801; we're at about 8000'/ 2400m.
Above Right: Deep Creek at Mile 16.9 (GDMBR Map #3, Side B). I looked for a Paddle, apparently, I was up the creek without ... .
Above Left: Deep Creek.
Above Right: See all of the standing dead pines filled with dead needles. That area is only one lightning strike away from becoming a major forest fire.
Above: Leaving Medicine Bow National Forest (north bound).
Above Left: A natural high altitude park.
Above Right: Forest Edge Ranch: A Grandma and Grandpa live here, they have pictures of their grandkids on wild bronc'ing horses mounted to their gate. The place just felt homey. Good Job Grandma and Grandpa.
Above Left: Aspen Grove.
Above Right: That hill top (ahead) is the end of the woodland.
Above: Leaving the Alpine for High Chaparral.
Above: Entering High Chaparral Climate Zone.
Above: This is the climb out from what we think is Dirtyman Creek (which did had water), we had to push our tandem for about 50 yards/meters. It was not steep so much as it had plenty of gravel and sand, we just could not get good traction under our wheels.
Above: Cycling through Wyoming's High Chaparral. We are biking up and down between 7000 and 8000' (2100m-2400m).
Above Left: Miles of Sage and Fencing.
Above Right: We're about to cross Savery Creek, it did have water and informal camping. We're at about mile 9.5 on the GDMBR, Map 3, Side B (in 9.5 miles we need to flip the map over to Side A).
Above: We meet a south bound Tour Divide Racer. We had a nice but brief chat.
Above: It is about 0930 and We and the Bee decide to take a Snack Break on the GDMBR. As soon as the last picture was taken, the wind suddenly increased and blew the bike over. The Good News is that we will have a Tail Wind for the remainder of the leg.
Above While sitting for our mid morning snack, Two Tour Divide Racers waved as they rode by us.
To Middlewood Hill and Rawlins, Wyoming
(and Continental Divide Crossing #14)
Above Left: Antelope (3 more behind the profile). We're high enough in altitude that the air is cooler and there is still snow on the ground (just under 8000'/2400m).
Above Right: Cattle Guard and high ridge crossing. This is the ridgeline just before Middlewood Hill.
Above Left: Cattle Guard with wide space between grids (not apparent at this photo angle).
Above Right: Cattle Guard grid space is so wide that Dennis can stand in between the grids. For Scale, the Bicycle is 8 feet (2.44m) long from wheel tip to tip
Above Left: East View.
Above Right: West View (3 antelope in the grass field next to the water).
Above Left: Blue flax.
Above Right: This is the climb-up to Middlewood Hill, it is under construction. The road was a little rough in a few places where work was being conducted but overall the entire road has been magnificent. We did slalom around these barrels.
Above: The view south from near Middlewood Pass, Wyoming, on the GDMBR.
Above: The view east from near Middlewood Pass, Wyoming, on the GDMBR.
Above: Middlewood Pass, Wyoming; Continental Divide Crossing #14 on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR), 23 June 2013; 7965'/2427m. The area is under road construction but today is Saturday and no one is working.
Above Left: Looking at our back trail (south from Middlewood Pass).
Above Right: NF 503 heads west to Bridger Pass, in about 30 miles.
Above: Overlooking Sage Creek Basin.
Above Left: View north down the fence line and cone zone.
Above Right: El Capitan is performing map analysis (GDMBR, 23 June 2014, between Medicine Bow NF and Rawlins, Wyoming).
This is how El Capitan holds the bike:
Seat poking in the small of the back
Pedal on the shins (for that scaly shin look)
Up tube locked between the legs
Hand on the handlebar (to prevent rib banging).
Above: Side Views - We're in a long decent into the Sage Creek Basin, we will drop about 1000' in a 3-4 mile stretch.
Above: Best view of Sage Creek basin.
Above Left: Thousands of Daisies but the picture is of an antelope standing center on the next ridgeline.
Above Right: We will only see a couple more woodland pockets in the next 2 miles, then none for 180 miles (not until Atlantic City, Wy).
Above Left: Blue Flax.
Above Right: We know them as Moss Roses.
Above: Our terrain is merging into the Sage Creek Basin. This is the very last of the naturally growing trees for 180 miles.
Above Left: We're about to drop our last 500'/150m into the semi-arid basin. There is water only in the major creek crossings between here and Rawlins, but north of Rawlins water can be scarce.
Above Right: The road is first class and red; we are leaving the road construction area.
Above: The big picture, time to turn the map over to Side A. We're looking north from Map 3, Side A, at about Mile 160 on the GDMBR (23 June 2013; between Middlewood Hill and Rawlins, Wyoming).
Above Left: Sage Creek, a major geographic landmark. There is an informal (bush) campground here. This ends any Alpine and High Chaparral plant life and marks the beginning of a consistent Semi-Arid Climate Zone. North of here, water begins to become more difficult to find (we are already tanked up).
Above Right: Desert Flower Bloom.
Above Left: The little picture, we're looking north from Map 3, Side A, at about Mile 160 on the GDMBR (23 June 2013; between Middlewood Hill and Rawlins, Wyoming). That red color is for real.
Above Right: GPS (Global Positioning System).
Above: The Last Cactus Blossoms of Spring, these were viewed near a fence near Mile 160 on the GDMBR.
Above: It appears to be a flowering Sage.
Above: The Bee in full desert dress. We were at around Mile 162 (we're working backwards, north, to 0.0) on Map#3 (of 6) on side A (north). GDMBR; 23 June 2013: We're between Middlewood Hill and Rawlins, WY.
Above Left: Lots of Red.
Above Right: We're near the top of the image on the map.
Above Left: Plenty of Pink Road Base.
Above Right: Tour Divide Racer (GDMBR); 23 June 2013: I am pretty sure that this is Liam Crowley. He was in the #5 position when we met him (I had checked online in Rawlins). He was riding south, we were riding north - He never actually stopped, we spoke quickly and he was gone. He had a tail wind and all of the subsequent riders had a head wind. Timing is everything.
Above Left: Looking North.
Above Right: Looking South at some cool riders; GDMBR, 23 June 2013, between Sage Creek and Teton Reservoir, WY, 7000'/2100m.
Above Left: Daisies in the Dessert. The color contrast demonstrates the red coloration of the local terrain, at 10 miles south of Rawlins, WY.
Above Right: Looking Northeast.
Above Left: Looking south, Medicine Bow in the mountains.
Above Right: Looking west.
Above Left: Cone Head, Wyoming Humor and many dead Vampire Snakes. Wyoming has no shortage of clever people (GDMBR; 23 June 2013; near Teton Reservoir & Bridger Pass Road, WY; 7000'/2100m).
Jim Bridger (for whom the Pass is named) is probably the most famous Mountain Man (explorer, trapper, guide - generally 1810-1880 for mountain men). The movie Jeremiah Johnson (1972, Robert Redford) is a pretty good movie about Mountain Men (see for free at http://viooz.co/movies/2819-jeremiah-johnson-1972.html). Jim Bridger roamed Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, & Montana. Jim Bridger was the hired guide for Baron Gore (as in Kill Gore).
Above Right: Looking Northwest.
Above Left: Drivers view, just following the GPS.
Above Right: The sign states Miller Creek (No Water, GDMBR; 23 June 2013; near Teton Reservoir & Bridger Pass Road, WY; 7000'/2100m). Teton Butte in the background. This area is nowhere near the Grand Tetons. There is water in Teton Reservoir (a few miles ahead, where many cyclists overnight, no facilities). We're about 10 miles south of Rawlins, WY.
Above Left: Teton Reservoir sign, near Bridger Pass Road, 7000'/2100m.
Above Right: Teton Reservoir, WY: Mile 153.8 on GDMBR Map 3, Side A - This is a no facilities camping area.
Above Left: "I like Big Beautiful Buttes, I shall not lie ..."
Above Right: The brightest and most red Indian Paintbrush that I have ever seen.
Above Left: Looking Northeast.
Above Right: Two Beauts.
Above: Where National Forest Road 401 ends and begins, 10 miles to go to Rawlins, WY. We have a hard road and we are cycling more downhill than uphill and we have a stiff tail wind - Life is Good!
Above Left: View Southwest; Interesting Geology.
Above Right: Wyoming 71 proceeds directly into Rawlins.
Above Left: An oil well, oddly the only one in the area.
Above Right: Rim Lake Recreation Site - It looks like an alkali or salt flat. We are about 7 miles (11k) south of Rawlins.
Above Left: Heading north, slightly downhill with a tail wind, we're moving at about 25 mph.
Above Right: Vetch on the road side (aka Loco Weed).
Above: Vetch (aka Loco Weed).
Above Left: The Bee takes a break on the GDMBR.
Above Right: Another Tour Divide Racer. He said that he was in 5th place but he needed extra sleep at Rawlins, now he estimates that he's in 8-9th place for the moment. He's bucking a very strong headwind (our tailwind). Snow fence in the background.
Above Left: The road to Rawlins, 3 miles to go.
Above Right: Roadside Vetch.
Above: Roadside Vetch.
Above: We're getting close to 'Civilization'.
Above: First view of Rawlins from the south on Wyoming 71 (northbound on the GDMBR).
Above Left: A view of Interstate Highway 80 which runs east-west on the southside of Rawlins, WY.
Above Right: The sign for Rawlins, Wyoming - Don't mind the antelope carcass.
Above: We're looking north from Jackson Street to the 6th Street Bridge (which crosses the railroad tracks). This road has a nice downhill run but with a Stop Sign at the bottom of the run (just before the railroad bridge) - Argh!
Above Left: A view of the west side from the Rawlins Railroad Bridge. There is a Train arriving at the same time as us.
Above Right: A view of the east side from the Rawlins Railroad Bridge which includes the town's RR Depot.
We had a wonderful adventure.
We got to ride our bike each day with no bicycle repair issues!
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