Ridge of the Rockies - Vernal UT to Lyman WY

A very tough day, but some fantastic scenery (the Flaming Gorge in Utah).  Climbing started early and as evidence of that we had our first rest stop at just 15 miles.  To backtrack a little, I had pumped up my rear tire this morning in the parking lot and as I removed the pump hose from the valve, I noticed a crack about 1.5 inches long on the rim, near a spoke hole.  Not good.  Lon quickly swapped my cassette over to a loaner wheel, checked the gear adjustment, and I was still ready to roll with Jack on time.

We climbed a total of over 8,000 feet, but it was worth it as we had some really long fast downhills (up to 45 mph), and looking at the Flaming Gorge was breathtaking.  The scenery for the final 55 miles after lunch was not too great, and we had to wait for 15 minutes due to road construction.  By the time Jack and I reached the final rest stop at mile 90, we were done due to a strong headwind, heat, and exhaustion.  Retta Deane rescued us and brought us to the  motel, so we did not complete the full 118 miles of today's route.  However, even those who did were 1 or 2 hours behind their usual time.

Jack and I were satisfied that we completed the tough climbing and enjoyed the high point of the day - Flaming Gorge.

A fast descent on switchback roads

The Flaming Gorge

Once the lane opened, we had to ride through all that smoke from the paving equipment

The repaving delay added about 15 - 20 minutes