September 06th, 2022

Sunday 9/4 to Little Joe. 37.4 miles. 688 miles total. We left Beaver Dam in the cold, about 35 degrees. Within 25 minutes we peeled off the hats, tights, jackets, mittens as we were climbing up the storied Fleecer ridge. Saw lots of cows and some were bulls so we were cautious passing them. The calf’s tend to be the wariest. Soon I heard “ting, ting, ting” and realized Tara was leaking quarters onto the road. we checked four holes in pockets and panniers and found none. We started again and “ting, ting”. We never did learn where they were dropping from but are committed to spending them to reduce that weight! We went over the ridge, that was totally rideable by Tara and I only pushed a bit. We overshot the turn and went up further than we needed to. Does that sound familiar? The down part is infamous, so steep for a quarter mile you have to walk in the sage brush. There is a lot of smoke from fires today. We made it down safely and took a break. Our next stop was the one horse town of Wise River where we got supplies=food. It was hot! The views were of lots of rubble as the mountains are actively eroding. Rode to Little Joe campsite, bathed in the river and met some great folks in their sixties, camping and offering food! we accepted an avocado and lime for our bean tortillas and melon and pistachios. Later we joined them for birthday wine and brownies!