Conquer The Divide!

Although I believe the term "big sky" is used more to refer to Montana, it applies equally to Wyoming. There are vast stretches of beautifully colored rock and buttes and lots and lots of blue sky. It's just amazing how wide open it is out here! And the colors of the rocks change depending on just how the sun is hitting them. Also along the road are many small prairie dogs. These little furry creatures stand up and search around while making a sort of chirping noise. Of course, they scurry back to their burrows as soon as they see my bicycle approaching. There was another nice surprise yesterday when I came across the "Continental Divide" sign. This line which runs generally north-south through the western part of the country is the true dividing line between the west and east. It's said that if a raindrop falls on the west side of the divide it eventually winds up in the Pacific Ocean and if it falls on the east side, it winds up in either the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico! While 6,930 feet is not the highest point on the Continental Divide (it goes up at least into the 12,000 foot range) it still felt like a major milestone in my trip. Seeing that sign made me feel that I'd actually accomplished something big, even though my trip is only about one-quarter done. My next big decision is whether to continue east through Wyoming and part of Nebraska, or head south through the Colorado Rockies and then east through Kansas. I'll mull it over tonight and decide whether my knees are up to the task or whether I've just had enough of big rigs and RVs on the interstate. In any case, thanks for checking on my blog. I don't know when I'll have my next opportunity to post since I'll be going through some backroads rural areas again. Hope to write to you again soon!

Total mileage so far: 1,315

Please consider making a small donation to help cancer survivors (sadly, my mom was not one of them) http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2008/steveonhisbike