Jackson to Casper, WY

I gleefully spent the first three hours of the day wandering through Grand Teton National Park.

From the Jackson Lake side:

Of course, there were the usual “critters” along the way – and a few new ones:

When you get here, take the Signal Mountian turn off. Here are the two views of Jackson Hole and the Snake river.

Sometime well after lunch I reluctantly turned east for Casper. It turned windy and was significantly cooler than yesterday. And there was still plenty of snow where I crossed the Continental Divide.

The terrain changes significantly as you enter the Wind River Indian Reservation, and you instantly realize how the river came to be named.

As you leave the reservation, the terrain turns to sagebrush and rolling hills — and today, the threat of rolling thunderstorms.

Fortunately I dodged around the rain and the gear kept me warm — well mostly warm, the gloves seem to be the weak link.

Casper seems to have no internet café’s, there is only one Starbucks and it does not have internet service. I ended up “phoning-a-friend” to help me locate a place to stay for the night. I had intended on camping, but with a tentative phone interview scheduled, I had to be able to check email and have a place for the interview. Alas, it didn’t take place. Stay tuned.

Today’s route:

There just wasn’t anything worth stopping for today — so sorry, no pictures. I started the day out with several great phone calls, and it put me leaving just after noon.

The scenery on this section of the trip was nominal at best. Or, maybe it was “great” and just couldn’t compete with the “astounding” views in Yellowstone.

In short, today was more about internal processing and covering ground than anything else. I arrived at Eric and Rachel Beck’s to a warm welcome from everyone but Sam. Apparently Sam still thinks I’m frightening.

Today’s route:

The Beck’s have a wonderful home on 22 acres just outside of Bailey, CO. They moved here earlier this spring from Santa Rosa, CA. Apparently I was their first guest.

Here is a shot of the Beck’s, left to right, Sam, Judah, Eric, , Aidan, Rachel and the newest edition (yet to be named of course):

A few shot shots of the home as well as a shot of their view from the back deck:

I stayed an extra day to insure that I could get my 7500 mile service completed on the bike and to give us more time together. We caught up, played with the boys, watched movies, walked the land, and generally had a great time.

Thank you Eric & Rachel for your hospitality!

Eric was kind enough to drop me off at the shop this morning to pick up my bike. That’s a two hour round trip from Bailey to Castle Rock. Thanks again Eric! And of course, Jamie and Eddie did a great job for me at Xtreme Performance Center. They even washed the bike. Thanks guys!

On the way in with Eric, I received a call from an agency in San Francisco about an open position. I spoke with the founder for about an hour and we both came away feeling that we might have a potential fit. Another call with him later in the day resulted in me planning a break from my vacation to fly to SF and interview for the job during the middle of next week. More to follow.

I’ve long wanted to see the Silverton, Durango, and Mesa Verde areas of Colorado. My dad has been out twice and I know it’s one of his favorite trips. With that in mind, I charted a course for Montrose, CO.

The scenery isn’t all that spectacular going south until you turn west and follow the Arkansas River along Hwy 50.

Here is a shot from near where 115 intersects with 50:

The Arkansas River:

An hour later I re-crossed the Continental Divide at Monarch Pass, elevation 11,312 feet.

Here is vista shot to the Atlantic side:

To the Pacific side:

As you can guess from the photos, it rained again. However, it was a warm rain — the first of those that I’ve experienced on the trip.

This is a view of Black Mesa Lake and the mesa.

I arrived in Montrose around 5:30 PM, found a hotel, searched out dinner, uploaded four day’s worth of posts, and booked my trip to SF for late Monday afternoon. Now all I have to do is be in Phoenix on Monday in time to fly out.

Today’s route: