"How do we get there from here!?": Western Relief

Whether it's an additional 30, or 10 or 2 because of not seeing a hotel, seems we've had many a day when we've gone more miles than planned. Not that, as Paul wrote in a long-ago post, the plan is something we feel we need to adhere to. But, still... the longer mileage days are compounding and I'm kinda pooped!

Today was supposed to be a 53ish-mile day but ended up 60. Why? Damn road work!

Knowing the wind forecast wasn't too promising for our purposes (as Paul wrote in a short post last night), and that we had some road work to contend with later in the day, we got off as soon as we could after our basic hotel continental bfast (hey, I love hardboiled eggs on english muffin!). The early morning cycle up the hill that we'd inadvertently summitted yesterday to "old" Rawlins was quiet (so much easier without the 35mph headwind), and even the first part of the ride up the rolling hills of State Highway 71 was pleasant, then harder, then harder as the winds picked up and we proceeded along unpaved (though not bad!) County Road 401.

Push push push. It was a hoot, stopping to talk with two more Continental Divide through hikers (Bottomless Bart (or Burt?) and Christian, young men who've been at it since April!), and the winds buffeting us and our bikes, and them and their hats and slim bodies.

Soon after crossing their path, and after a break before the big climb for lunch at Sage Creek (hi, Sage!), we began our steepest climb of the day, pretty much where the road was sort of "closed" for construction... for 27 miles the sign said! They'll be paving the entire stretch connecting I-80 to State Highway 70, up and over and up and over...

Jiminy... Mary Mother of God, Holy Moly, but what a hard day! Huge construction earth movers, gravel trucks, water-spraying trucks, worker trucks, dust, loud wind knocking us around, climbing for a good 30 miles today, with the first 10+ a steep ascent to CD 14 where we returned to the western slope of the Divide - Whew! Hot, dry, thirsty, we were grateful for a place in a gully where 1) we could rest our bikes against some construction barriers and 2) climb over said barriers and such to the not-gorgeous, appropriately named Dirty Man Fork for some much needed water.

Still, as we moved along, we got back to trees! Soon before we entered the Medicine Bow National Forest, we had trees again. This helped ease the winds a bit, absorb some of the dust too, and proved some shade. Ahh...

Close to the end of the construction zone is the famed Aspen Alley - or at least what is left of it which is only about a few hundred meters otherwise it's more like Aspen Highway. But at least there is a little bit that might be saved for a while longer.

But--the road work--quite the frustration for us in many ways, including that the road building efforts made access to anticipated creek crossings (a.k.a. water sources) very difficult...including the one (Little Sandstone Creek) where we'd hoped to camp for the night. Right near there was a major holding area for roadwork equipment and a staging area for a major section of work. With no real place for us to legitimately set up camp, with water access, we... pushed on. Paul saw a camp symbol on our map that was off route, but we figured to try it anyway, thinking maybe we could follow that same forest service road further to hook up with tomorrow's route. The Battle Creek Campgound, 2 miles down down down from Highway 70, was "developed" according to the map, "undeveloped" according to the sign at the top of the hill, and more like moth-balled with it's locked water pump, missing outhouse and vandalized picnic table. But, still, lovely creek acess and trees and calling Ptarmigan (or wild turkeys?), and meeting car campers Sarah and Darrell from Bolder, Co.