Sasha packed a tumbleweed!
PUMMELING HEADWINDS!!
Lee, Zhenya, and Sasha left Cody heading west toward Yellowstone National Park this morning. They had a steep climb for the first 4 miles to get to the dam at the Buffalo Bill Reservoir and went through 3 tunnels before the dam. From there they rode along the beautiful Shoshone River for most of the day, along neat rock formations in a canyon area. They saw cars with license plates from all over the US and Canada, filled with tourists on their way to Yellowstone.
That is the pretty part of the story. The ugly part is the 20 mph headwinds with gusts even higher coming at them down through the canyon for the better part of 35 miles. They pedalled for all they were worth and only averaged 6 mph. One hour into the ride Zhenya (who is always in front) turned to Lee and said, "I hate this," referring to the headwinds.
They stopped for lunch at a little cafe to get out of the wind, and to eat something with a little more substance than a cereal bar to help replace the calories they burned all morning! Sasha had breakfast for lunch, Lee chose a BBQ beef sandwich, and Zhenya stayed true to his Buffalo burger. :)
After 35 miles the canyon got a little tighter. Even though the climb was steeper, they made better time since they weren't fighting the wind so much. They all decided they would rather have hills than headwinds any day!
DAILY STATS:
48 miles from Cody to the eastern border of YNP
9:00 am to 4:00 pm, sunny and 65 to start, 75 at end of day
Total elevation gain of 1800 feet
445 total miles to date
Tomorrow the guys head back into Yellowstone. They will spend one night in the park. Please continue to pray for safety as they ride and for their bicycles to hold up under the terrain. Thanks for your interest and your prayers!
Lee, Zhenya, and Sasha left Cody heading west toward Yellowstone National Park this morning. They had a steep climb for the first 4 miles to get to the dam at the Buffalo Bill Reservoir and went through 3 tunnels before the dam. From there they rode along the beautiful Shoshone River for most of the day, along neat rock formations in a canyon area. They saw cars with license plates from all over the US and Canada, filled with tourists on their way to Yellowstone.
That is the pretty part of the story. The ugly part is the 20 mph headwinds with gusts even higher coming at them down through the canyon for the better part of 35 miles. They pedalled for all they were worth and only averaged 6 mph. One hour into the ride Zhenya (who is always in front) turned to Lee and said, "I hate this," referring to the headwinds.
They stopped for lunch at a little cafe to get out of the wind, and to eat something with a little more substance than a cereal bar to help replace the calories they burned all morning! Sasha had breakfast for lunch, Lee chose a BBQ beef sandwich, and Zhenya stayed true to his Buffalo burger. :)
After 35 miles the canyon got a little tighter. Even though the climb was steeper, they made better time since they weren't fighting the wind so much. They all decided they would rather have hills than headwinds any day!
DAILY STATS:
48 miles from Cody to the eastern border of YNP
9:00 am to 4:00 pm, sunny and 65 to start, 75 at end of day
Total elevation gain of 1800 feet
445 total miles to date
Tomorrow the guys head back into Yellowstone. They will spend one night in the park. Please continue to pray for safety as they ride and for their bicycles to hold up under the terrain. Thanks for your interest and your prayers!
