Intro

Well, it's been a year since my last blog so I'd best do another one before I forget how.  There have been a few trips in the last year but no blogs.  Of note - Death Valley in February, and a trip to the Grand Canyon (15 days of rafting) preceded by a week in Utah and followed by two weeks in New Mexico.  All worthy adventures, but alas no blogs.

Trans Am Part 2...........  Again a bike trip with WomanTours.  This one will take us from West Yellowstone, MT to Wichita, KS.  Last year (Part 1) we went from Florence, OR to West Yellowstone.  Not sure I'll join parts 3 & 4, but they will go from Kansas to Kentucky in 2020 and Kentucky to Virginia in 2021.

For this trip we will start cycling in Montana on September 9th, head into Wyoming, then Colorado and on to Kansas, finishing in Wichita on October 2nd.  The ride is projected to be 1256 miles (2021 km).  We will ride an average of 52 miles per cycling day and have 3 rest days along the way.  Our shortest day is 29 miles and our longest will be 104 miles (167 km).  The length of our rides is often dictated by where there is appropriate accommodation.  We will have somewhere between 25 and 30 riders.  I believe there will be about 15 women who were with me on Part 1 last year.  In addition, there are a few on the list who I know from previous other rides.  And - it's always fun to get to know still more women crazy enough to do this!

Here's a quick look at where we'll be going.................



Our guides once again will be Cy Pugh and Sue Lincoln.  We couldn't be in better hands!

They tell us the highlights include:

• Yellowstone National Park
• Grand Teton National Park
• Rocky Mountains
• Great Divide Basin
• Continental Divide - Hoosier Pass
• Colorado & Arkansas Rivers

I leave town tomorrow for a few pre-adventures.  Four friends from Calgary and I are joining 55 other cyclists for Adventure Cycling's "Black Hills of South Dakota" ride.  I am looking forward to this ride for all of its purported merits, but I'm also planning to use it as some training for the Trans Am ride.  I've only done a few rides locally this year.  Poor weather most of the "summer" has dampened my enthusiasm for riding.  And - it seems most nice days that I had available were spent hiking rather than biking.  Oh well - I'm sure I'll survive.  Following the week of South Dakota riding two of us will go to Grand Teton to do some hiking and perhaps some more biking.  Ursula has kindly offered to drop me off in West Yellowstone on her way back to Calgary.

Not sure of internet availability over the next 2 weeks, but if I can I may post some pictures and/or comments from the South Dakota and Grand Teton adventures.  If not - I should be able to start up again around September 9th.