July 4- Lander to Sweetwater

After a 78-mile day which wasn't too hard, this day's ride was only 39 miles but very difficult for me; not for Sandy.

Right from the start of the ride I was tiring quickly on small hills. Sandy was feeling fine, but I had no power in my legs. After 20 miles we started on a 7-mile stretch of road construction, alternating between a milled surface and dirt. By the end of that we had started on the only real climb of the day, up 1000 feet to a higher plateau. The % grade was not too steep but I had to go to our smallest gear and stop frequently to get over it. When we reached our day's destination, I was thoroughtly spent. Sandy was having thoughts that I might be having a heart attack out here in the middle of nothing. Why I had such a tough time is still a mystery. I can only think that after a long day, proper nutrition for recovery is especially important. I thought I'd eaten well, but maybe not. Anyway, after a few hours I felt better.

Our stop for the night was camping at Sweetwater Station, which turned out to be a Mormon historical center. One of the women spending a mission there came over to our campsite and explained.  The Oregon Trail, Pony Express, and the Mormon emigrants' route to Utah all passed here. Groups of Mormons come here to camp and to pull loaded handcarts along the emigrants' trail. There were about 50 families camping near us, all dressed up in traditional garb to make their trek more realistic.

Despite the desert terrain, thunderstorms threatened all afternoon. The last part of the day's cursed ride was into the first significant headwind we have seen so far. After we reached Sweetwater, a very severe windstorm hit, accompanied by a little rain. Most of the Mormon campers' tents were blown down; ours hadn't been set up yet. Sandy and I took shelter in an old schoolhouse on the property.  Over the next couple of hours the wind reversed 180 degrees several times, and we ducked into the schoolhouse one more time. Our camping spot included a large picnic pavillion, which was welcome shelter. The rain finally arrived in earnest as we were eating our dinner of snack-type foods bought back in Lander and watching the Mormons scurry.

We retired to our tent as soon as it was dark. The tent was dry, but we could hear a steady rain as we fell asleep.