2015-07-09 Day 11: Our Routine, Jeffrey City to Lander, WY

Miles Today: 61. Total Miles: 548

After 11 days of riding on this trip, Jon and I have developed a daily routine that seems to be working well. That is:

• Alarm goes off at 5:45
• Tear down tents and repack bikes with about 50 pounds of equipment on each bike.
• Eat whatever we have for breakfast. Hopefully protein.
• Cover our bodies with various lotions and creams - sunblock lotion, Chamois Butter, and special sun block for lips. If you do not know what Chamois Butter is, then ask a biker.
• Look at the ride maps to determine our lunch spot and a hopefully a place to lay our heads at the end of the day.
• Start pedaling by 7:15 to 7:30.
• Roll through 40 miles by 11:30. Stop for a big lunch at a local diner for an hour - assuming we are close to a town.
• Roll through approximately 20 more miles after lunch.
• Shut down by 2:30 when the winds pick up and the thunder storms build.
• If we did not get a big lunch, try to find a big dinner. Otherwise, eat one of those dinners where you typically add water to noddles with a can of meat.
• Do it again the next day.

As you can see, our daily routine is a tight loop of food, ride, food, ride, food, repeat. In fact thinking about food and water is what I do 70% of the time. The wonderful thing about bike touring is that you get to see the country, talk with lots of folks, and eat whatever you want.

I wanted to give a special recognition to Rick at the Community Church in Jeffrey City, WY. Rick has a servant's heart. The church congregation meets once per month pulling in between 9 and 20 attenders from as far away as 60 miles. Rick is the pastor and has taken on the enormous task of caring for the building and growing a congregation in a small and remote Wyoming town. He recognized a huge need and took it on as a ministry of the church. After 2 campgrounds in central Wyoming closed this spring, Rick could see there was a huge section of the state (approximately 140 miles) without any place for cyclists to sleep. He has graciously opened the basement of the church with a full kitchen and shower for the summer. The church has had a new group of cyclists from all over the world every night this summer. There were 5 of us last night - 2 from Oregon, 1 from Virginia, and 2 from England. We really enjoyed visiting with Rick last night.