IPFS
CONNECTING THE DOTS
Frosty Wooldridge
More About: Entertainment: Outdoor RecreationPart 13: Bicycling the Continental Divide—Mexico to Canada—Pony Express
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone
else’s life. [i.e. watching television for endless hours] Don’t be trapped by
dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let
the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most
important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow
already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” —
Steve Jobs
(Wayne, Dave and Gerry ready to ride each morning.)
Without a doubt, Jobs proved that we live on this planet for
a very short time. As you can see from all the quotes in this series,
each author pens something of himself or herself to bring their wisdom to your
life. Get out there and live your adventures that benefit your
well-being, fulfill your heart and make you happy.
One
of my friends loves to play a lot of golf. It consumes him. He
said, "There is always another great adventure waiting for you whether
pedaling, writing, advocating or playing with Sandi. Can't see how you could
pack much more into your 'earth time'. I recommend never taking up the game of
golf as it will suck the will to live right out of you!"
Actually, I support any activity that consumes any person
because it makes them happy. I honor all paths and choices to adventure.
The key: get on your path, passion and joy. It may be macramé, cards or
painting. Good! Go for it!
Next morning, Gerry and Dave pedaled up to our campsite on
the plains in the early morning hours. Wayne and I packed our bikes and
stood ready at the pasture gate where we camped last night.
“Morning mates,” Gerry said. “Did you see that sunset
last night?”
“Sure did,” said Wayne. “Lots of pictures, too.
Are you ready to ride?”
“Let’s make some miles before the wind kicks up,” said Dave.
(Wayne, Gerry and Dave riding into a slight headwind across
a high plains road.)
We pedaled along high plains with antelope grazing and young
ones tagging along with their mothers. We immediately summitted another
Continental Divide pass crossing at 8,000 feet.
We enjoyed a fabulous gravity-powered descent into an
enormous valley with views over 50 miles in the distance. Again, we
climbed up and crossed over the Continental Divide for a second time in the
day. We reached Muddy Gap where we turned into a gas station for
water. The entire joint sported signatures from patrons on the ceiling
and all the walls.
(Water stop at Muddy Gap. Bikes lined up against the
building. If you want to feel like the old pioneers, mountain men and
explorers, a bicycle provides the next best rendition on what it was like to
explore the old west in the 1880s.)
We headed north from Muddy Gap with rolling hills, clear sky
and 20 mph headwinds. We met a Swedish couple pedaling coast to
coast.
We stopped at Split rock where the Pony Express once housed
a horse stable. Buffalo Bill rode for the Pony Express and narrowly
escaped with his life at one point taking a 322 mile ride with a double shift
when the other rider fell ill. Bill saw Indians chase him, but outran
them on his swift “Express” horse. The Pony Express ran from 1861 to
1862.
“The Pony Express provided a mail service delivering
messages and mail from St. Joseph, Missouri across the Great Plains,
over the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada to Sacramento, California by horseback, using a
series of relay stations. During its 18 months of operation, it reduced the
time for messages to travel between the Atlantic
and Pacific
coasts to about ten days. From April 3, 1860 to October 1861, it became
the West's most direct means of east–west communication before the telegraph was established and was vital
for tying the new state of California with the rest of the country.”
The 1,900-mile (3,100 km)
route followed the Oregon and California Trails
to Fort Bridger
in Wyoming,
and then the Mormon Trail (known as the Hastings Cutoff)
to Salt Lake City, Utah. From there it followed
the Central Nevada Route to Carson City, Nevada before passing over the
Sierras into Sacramento, California.
(Photography: Wikipedia)
The Pony Express Mail service existed briefly in 1860 and
1861. The Pony Express mail cost $5.00 to send a 1/2 ounce letter. During his
route of 80 to 100 miles, a Pony Express rider would change horses 8 to 10
times. The horses ran at a fast trot, canter or gallop, around 10 to 15 miles
per hour and at times they were driven to full gallop at speeds up to 25 miles
per hour.
“At 15 years of age William Cody was employed as a Pony
Express rider and given a short 45-mile run from Julesburg to the west. After
some months he was transferred to Slade's Division in Wyoming where he made the
longest non-stop ride from Red Buttes Station to Rocky Ridge Station and back
when he found that his relief rider had been killed. The distance of 322 miles
over one of the most dangerous portions of the entire trail was completed in 21
hours and 40 minutes using 21 horses.” Wikipedia
(Frosty standing with John Wayne at the only bar in Jeffrey
City, a ghost town that dropped from 6,000 people to 47 after mines closed.)
You can still see the remains of the stable and the trail
cut into the plains by the riders from where we stood on the overlook at Split
Rock. I can’t help but mention how cool it felt to be pedaling through
history.
From there, we pedaled into an abandoned mining town of
Jeffrey City, which once held 6,000 people, but today, only 47 and they mostly
inhabit the single bar in town. We struck camp at an abandoned
pavilion with picnic tables and roof over our tents.
(Gerry with John Wayne. Don’t you think they make a
handsome couple?)
##
Frosty Wooldridge has bicycled across six continents - from the
Arctic to the South Pole - as well as eight times across the USA, coast to
coast and border to border. In 2005, he bicycled from the Arctic Circle, Norway
to Athens, Greece. In 2012, he bicycled coast to coast across America. In
2013, he bicycled 2,500 miles from Mexico to Canada on the Continental Divide,
150,000 vertical feet of climbing and 19 crossing of passes. He presents
“The Coming Population Crisis facing America: what to do about it.” www.frostywooldridge.com . His latest
book is: How to Live a Life of Adventure: The Art of Exploring the World by
Frosty Wooldridge, copies at 1 888 280 7715/ Motivational program: How to Live a Life of Adventure:
The Art of Exploring the World by Frosty Wooldridge, click: www.HowToLiveALifeOfAdventure.com
Live well, laugh often, celebrate daily
and enjoy the ride,
Frosty Wooldridge
Golden, Colorado
6 Continent world bicycle traveler
Order these unique cards
today: http://www.howtolivealifeofadventure.com/