6 weeks completed and we’re stalled for the first time. ‘Severe thunderstorms and tornados’ all around. Last night we were in fact lucky with the violent electrical storm: it didn’t happen when we were riding. Today Joe set off before me to get his brake pads changed in Gillette, WY (where I met up with him later); we’d agreed to take Rte 16, a 2-lane road, rather than the tedious Interstate. Joe wisely changed his mind. I rode 50 miles on Rte 16 only to come to a town drowned in mud (I later met a rider who came to the same town on Rte 16 from the other direction and, like me, had to turn back and ride 50 miles back again, only to meet the same cloudburst thunderstorm I did.) I’d spent the early morning drying out my leather jacket. By the time I reached Gillette I was soaked to the skin again, frozen, and felt like I was wearing a small dead moose. It was as much as I could take today, in freezing downpour and with more storms rolling in. I was happy to stop because the forecast said, better tomorrow. Now it doesn’t any more. Tornados, lightning storms. Now the next day, Sunday, supposedly promises better. At some point we’re just going to have to ride through it (it’s not just about being wet & cold, the problem is being unable to see through the helmet visor in a downpour). I think we’ll give it 24 hours, and pray. This is biking, after all. Latest: highway closed because of weather.
Leave a Reply