Day 26, Circle to Jordan

Tuesday June 23, 2020, 70 miles (113 km) - Total so far: 1,477 miles (2,377 km)

Those were 70 miles of climbing. Over 1,800 feet. It was continuous. You surmount one hill and there in the distance are 3 more. I'm exhausted.

How she did it: I got out at 6 because I heard the road narrows and there is truck traffic. At 32 miles I reached a rest area on 200. A guy told me most of the climbing was behind me. Hmmm. I would ride 36 more miles to Jordan. No shade, climbing in the sun. Temps were in the 80s. Low humidity. I rode most of the day through Garfield County, where more dinosaur skeletons have been dug up than any other area. Info from sign at rest area: 300 skeletons exhumed. The area was a shallow sea billions of years ago. Now it is pretty dry, with exposed rock, but mostly rolling grassland.

At one point I pulled over, there was a house with a barn/garage. I just needed a little respite. The family arrived while I sat there and brought me water and stool to sit on. To be honest the yard was full of junk. You get the idea that life is hard scrabble. The older woman who arrived on a 4x4 reminded me of a character from Winter's Bone the movie, the one with the eerie raspy voice. It was 12:30 and 13 miles left.

I really pushed myself. You know the feeling, when you are at the end of yourself, but you have to keep going. It was mental. I so much wanted to quit. Topping a hill to see another, I was choking. I made it to Jordan by 2 pm. And went straight to the post office to pick up my new tent poles.

Complications: package not there, no cell signal, cannot call company, cannot contact my host in Ft. Benton to get address for forwarding. The water in Jordan gives you diarrhea so I have to buy bottled water, weird camping situation. No electricity.

The city park in Jordan is across from a truck mechanic. Cars and trucks pulling up, loudly braking. I would judge the vault toilet as not Covid compliant. And, there is a decomposing, fly-infested dead bird, a turkey vulture, festering right next to the water pump. Compounding this image was info gleaned from my ACA L&C trail guide, that Jordon was fairly receptive to a group that ended up being ultra white supremacists that took over the town until run out. This was not a long time ago but fairly recent.

I really needed to get good sleep as I didn't sleep too well the night before in Circle. It was so quiet without wind that I could hear birds fighting in the rafters of the picnic shelter next to where I camped and the sound of bugs hitting the tent fly. I was worried a wild animal would come for my food.

So working through a number of problems. But, first eating at town bar and cafe.

maybe some nubs of mountains