Day 44: Teddy Roosevelt the Llama

July 19, 2022 in Lander, Wyoming

This morning, I woke up not really wanting to ride bikes. I am so glad I did though, because I had a perfectly awesome day.

I rode with Caroline, and the two of us returned to the pottery store from last night to say goodbye before really getting on the road.

Once we turned out of the driveway, we were fighting for our lives against the wind, but winning the fight.

The going was challenging for the first 25 miles, but we were rewarded with an epic 5 mile downhill stretch at a 6% grade. The wind limited us to 27 mph, which was fine by me. The views were spectacular–– not a building in sight.

We had lunch at the end of the hill, and had a super challenging climb to kick off the second half of our ride. We both made it without stopping though!

Our ride was mostly downhill from there, with the Tetons in the distance, except for a very hilly last 10 miles.

Caroline and I finished our 58 miles and made it to the host before noon, which meant we had plenty of time to explore the town!

We are staying with host families tonight, so we wouldn't have showers or provided food until 5:30. We changed into less skin-tight clothes and ventured out into the real world to get coffee and treats.

Our first stop in town ended up being at a juice shop–– I got some carrot-ginger summer juice, and it was delicious even though it was bright orange.

Next, we wandered down the street to a coffee shop, where we got coffee and I got a chicken dijon sandwich. It was quite good. I also found a gelato shop next door and we got a sundae with chocolate fudge and strawberry ice cream! Between the two of us, it was gone quite quickly.

Once we were full, we decided to walk to a thrift store! On the way, we saw the NOLS headquarters, which is an outdoor-based leadership program. Caroline's best friend and my boyfriend had both done programs with NOLS, so we took lots of pictures for them.

We must've stayed in the thrift store for an hour trying on hair curlers, attempting and failing to fix a camcorder, and going through bins of art supplies on the floor. Even though we left empty-handed, it was loads of fun.

We made a few more stops, including a bike store for degreaser and snacks, and the dollar store for goodies for our Bike and Build prom dates.

(I don't think I've explained this yet–– Bike and Build prom is a tradition where everyone draws a name from a hat to get their date and we dress very silly and dance a whole bunch.)

Once we got back to the host, Caroline and I deep cleaned our bikes and did some tune-ups with the help of Corbett, our resident bike tech. My bike looks brand new, and it was a surprisingly moving experience to spend time taking care of my cross-country buddy.

I think I'll remember our afternoon together as one of the best on the trip.

Between our shopping and cleaning, we didn't have much downtime before host families arrived.

My teammate Ali and I went with an older couple named Roger and Donna–– Donna has MS and has a home built around her needs, right next door to their son and their three grandchildren. Their house is spectacular, and they were beyond kind.

A couple of fun facts about them:

- Their son, Jason, is an extreme skier who once rescued a buddy by digging him out of an avalanche.

- They have two rescue dogs, Smokey and Harry.

- Their son has llamas to carry his bags when he backpacks. One is named Teddy Roosevelt. They are also getting a husky named Bearbait.

Roger made delicious spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread, and Caesar salad, and it was glorious. After my shower, I was just about ready to hit the hay.

Ali and I were able to throw a load of laundry in, but it won't be dry until the morning–– we will have to speed pack!

Roger and Donna are making us eggs, bacon, and pancakes in the morning–– a gourmet meal! I feel so lucky to be sleeping in a bed tonight and waking up to that deliciousness in the morning.