Day 17: Walden CO to Saratoga WY

66.6 miles, 2100 ft ascent / 3377 ft descent, max grade 7.5%, Max elevation 8129, min elevation 6799 ft.

Today Brian, Bill and I meet for breakfast at 0630 and were on the road by 0730.  We knew we had a long day ahead, so we wanted to get an early start.  The wind picks up during the day (and changes direction), so it is wise to start early.  Today, however, the route was downhill with a tailwind for the first 50 miles!  We lost 2700 ft of elevation between Willow Creek Pass and Saratoga.  We rode through a wide open valley with the Rockies in the distance.

Riding away from the snow capped peaks

After awhile we could no longer see the snow capped peaks.  I didn’t take many photos today because I didn’t want to stop on a good downhill, of which there were many!  Also, the surrounding pastures and mountains are of such a scale that it is hard to capture them in a photo.  Even a panorama doesn’t quite capture it; you have to see it.  
We crossed into Wyoming today.  It is the seventh state on my cross-country journey.
Goodbye Colorado, hello Wyoming

My riding companions (Bill to my left and Brian to my right)

I noticed that my seat was getting rather uncomfortable the last miles before Saratoga.  That is not unusual for me on long rides, but I did not expect it after 50 miles.  Then I noticed a little problem.

Broken bracket on underside of seat

This is not a problem you can prepare for (no one carries and extra seat!).  There isn’t a bike shop until Lander WY, which is 3 days away.  I need to get it to last that long, so I literally tried to fix it with baling wire and zip ties.

The attempted repair.

I felt a little like McGuyver.  Let’s hope it works!  Please leave comments, I really appreciate them. 



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