BunceMan's TranzAmerican Bike Ride

Day 9: Rexburg, Idaho to Wilson, Wyoming. It's 45 miles from Rexburg to Driggs, Idaho. A difficult ride along Highway 33 that starts with the Grand Tetons ahead and then heads south along the Teton mountain range. Difficult because of the head winds I encountered. It took 3 1/2 hours to get to Driggs.

Waterpedes. That's what I call them. People have thought of ingeneous ways to bring water to the land to grow food.. irrigation from canals channeling water from dammed rivers, and sprinklers. Waterpedes are huge sprinklers that are anchored on one end and slowly pivot on wheels for hundred's of meters across a field, depending on how much area needs to be watered.

Had lunch with Peggy in Driggs next to the ranger station. While waiting for me to arrive, she had walked around town visiting the various shops, including a mountaining store called Yostohaus (sp?). Peggy was talking with the proprietors about our trip across the U.S. and suggested that I go meet them myself before continuing my journey. And it was a good thing I did.

We saw a cool lightning storm in Vale, Oregon. Saw a better one in Driggs. We could see it moving in from the south. So could the owner of a store we were standing in front of, who moved her wares inside in lieu of the impending storm. In Vale, the lightning was off in the distance. In Driggs, the lightning was above and all around. The wind blew and the rain drenched the town for about 30 minutes. As the storm continued north, the sun began to shine and dry the roads. And I was back on the road. But it was not the last time I would see lightning that day.

Eight miles south of Driggs is the town of Victor, where I turned east into Wyoming towards the much-anticipated climb to Teton Pass. I could see the road winding to the top of the pass. I could also see dark clouds and more lightning, and hear the thunder. "It's probably just passing through like back in Driggs," I thought. So I put my head down, determined to get to the other side.

The Big Gear Drama. As I've mentioned, I had been saving my biggest gear for this 3-mile 10% grade over the top. As the road became steeper, I began to move my gears up to compensate. "Okay," I thought, "Time for the big gear." It locked in fine and I began to bear down on the pedals with a steady rhythm. But there was a small noise down there as if the gears were not aligned properly. Sure enough, the chain jumped off the teeth of the big gear, and I jumped off the bike. The road was wide here, so I was not in danger of getting run over. I reached down and placed the chain back on the gear, climbed back on the bike and tested it.. chain jumped again. Rather than attempt any adjustments, I shifted into the gear below (one that I had used reliably already), got up out of the saddle and managed to dance my way up the rest of the climb to the top.

Equally steep downhill, sharp turns, and damp roads. Sure enough, a brief storm had passed over and demanded the use of brakes on the way down. I called Peggy on the cell once I'd reached the bottom in Wilson and then headed to the KOA campground a few minutes away.

Short ride tomorrow through Jackson and north to Moran Junction. Gonna hang out the rest of the day next to the Grand Tetons...

Day 9 mileage: 80 miles | Of Historical Interest |