Wyoming - Day #5

Greg and I once agin split up from Mike and Vanessa to divide and conquer.  Mike and Vanessa stayed in Casper to meet with more potential sponsors and present the plans for the Cowboy Tough AR to the city council.

I’d noticed a potential area for the race back toward the south in the Medicine Bow Federal Forest, so we went there to check it out.  As we headed back out of town toward the south we scouted out potential race routes along and on the Platte River.

Once again the state of Wyoming provided stunning terrain as we headed into Medicine Bow National Forest.  As we climbed out of high desert and into thick evergreen forests the scenery was stunning. We climbed more than 10,000' into the mountain range, taking in beautiful and serene landscape.  Without a doubt this area will be incorporated into the race route.

We dropped down and out of the mountain, driving back toward Laramie and then onto Cheyenne. With nearly 400 miles traveled today, Greg and I were tired and hungry.  We grabbed a bite to eat in a great restaurant called Sanford's Pub & Grub and then headed south out of Wyoming to a campground just outside Fort Collins next to Horsetooth Reservoir. We marveled at the distance we had covered and the amazing and varied landscapes we had experienced in just one day.

Tomorrow we would have an early start and head back home, taking back some great ideas and memories to develop the course for the Cowboy Tough AR next July.

Wyoming - Day #4



It was nice to have a bed to sleep in for the night at the Nobel Hotel in Lander, although camping in the fresh air of Wyoming had been fantastic.  Greg headed out to get some coffee and found a great shop on the corner that brewed individual cups.  Delicious.

En route to an 11 am meeting with NOLS, we took the opportunity to check out Sinks Canyon in hopes of getting ideas for future races.  The goal of the Cowboy Tough AR is to highlight different parts of the state of Wyoming over the next 5 years in a series of 3.5-day races each July.  Wyoming has so much to offer with regard to outdoor recreation we are going to be spoiled with future route choices. We had been considering starting the race in Lander or Pinedale, so while in the area we wanted to see what was available.
Sinks Canyon and the areas to the west of Lander are very different from the rest of the state we had currently explored. As we climbed the steep mountain canyon, passing alpine vegetation and thick aspen groves, we noticed a stark contrast to the high desert plains we had traveled in the previous two days.


Sinks Canyon



After exploring the canyon we headed back to Lander and grabbed some breakfast and some more delicious coffee from The Coffee Shop.  We then met up with Aaron and Darren at NOLS to go over any support that they could help provide for the Cowboy Tough AR. You probably know that NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) is an excellent organization that helps develop leadership skills through wilderness training. They have some of the most experienced outdoorsmen in the world taking 10- to 14-day trips into the wilderness, so the philosophy and mission blend well with helping support a multi-day race.



Hell Half Acre



After the NOLS meeting we headed out of Lander and back toward Casper to meet back up with Mike that following evening at a mountain bike race on Casper Mountain.  Mike had been meeting with the governor and had taken part in a press conference in the morning to officially announce the Cowboy Tough AR. Media had picked up the story, and it was exciting to see news of the race on the Internet.

On the way back we stopped at Hell’s Half Acre, an odd geological feature that was used in the movie Starship Troopers.  The "sci-fi" moon-scape was surreal. This scarp could be a nice location for a future Cowboy Tough AR. Or a future REV3 Adventure sci-fi flick.

 As we got closer to Casper we contacted Bruce Lamberson from Mountain Sports.  Bruce was hosting the mountain bike race that evening and was kind enough to hook us up with some bikes to race with. Susan, one of our contacts on the ground in Casper, was also wrangling a bike for the race. When we arrived in Casper we swung by Bruce's outdoor shop, Mountain Sports, to get directions to the race.  It is a great store with everything from bikes to ski gear. When we found out the race was at a local ski resort, Greg and I had thoughts of steep climbs and tight technical single track.  We wouldn't be disappointed.

We fueled up by grabbing a burger at the Wonder Bar, then headed to Hogadon's ski area to meet with Bruce and Susan to get our bikes.  Unfortunately, Mike was still heading up to Casper from Cheyenne and would not be able to make the race start.  He also had Greg's and my SPD peddles so we ended up having to race with flats, which made the three laps on the 3-mile course even more challenging.

The growing mountain bike scene in Casper warmly welcomed us, and it was fun racing alongside the local team Fat Fish who really tore up the course. Bruce put on an excellent event and it was nice to get with the folks who feel as passionately about the outdoors as the rest of the REV3Adventure crew.

Mike and Vanessa made it for the end of the race, and it was nice to have a small cheering section as I crossed the finish line. Post race we headed back to the Wonder Bar for some well-earned refreshment and then to our hotel to catch up on some sleep after another long and enjoyable day in Wyoming.











Wyoming - Day #3

After another early start, we met up with Bob from All Terrain Sports, who we had arranged to escort us to a mountain bike area called Happy Jack and to the climbing area Vedauwoo Rocks.  We loaded up the bikes and headed out. The trails at Happy Jack are great--very different from the technical riding at Curt Gowdy—with lots of flowing single track and only a few technical climbs (that kicked my butt). It was great hanging out with Bob.  He had great insight in to the local outdoor scene and knowledge of the local area.

Ryan, Bob's son, met us after the ride, and we headed over to Vedauwoo to set up a top rope and check out possible options for a ropes section. Vedauwoo is a granite formation that offers tons of climbing options.  We set up a top rope on a 50' face and Greg and I rappeled off while Mike snapped pictures.  After, Bob and Ryan showed their climbing skills as Bob led a 5.10 corner.  I struggled up the first one third on top rope before calling it quits. It brought back some great memories of avid climbing in my (apparently distant) youth--when I was a lot stronger and climbing conditioned.

We bid Bob and Ryan farewell, and we all scattered. Mike met back up with Dominic and headed back to Cheyenne to meet with sponsors and some other state officials.  Greg and I headed back north to tie in some sections of the course around Medicine Bow and work our way toward Lander for a meeting with NOLS the following day.

The possible route to a put-in on Seminoe Reservoir was beautiful, rugged, and desolate. Challenging terrain, for sure.

After stopping by Arcola Reservoir and taking a jaunt up Independence Rock we headed west to Lander.  With limited food choices along the way, we ended up eating pizza in a very local bar in Jeffrey City.

We arrived in Lander and checked into the Nobel Hotel, which is the lodging provided by NOLS for their students before they head out on wilderness courses.  The setup reminded up my childhood where I grew up in an Outdoor Education Center in Wales, hosting students for weekly stints in the Welsh countryside to do outdoor pursuits.  This may sound gross, but it was the smell that brought back those fond memories. After cleaning up we hit the sack to get some rest, ready for another new and exciting day in Wyoming.

Wyoming - Day #2

With an early start for another day of race development in the Wyoming sunshine, we broke camp and met up with Dominic and his family. They were going to be our guides for the day. We then met up with two ranchers, the Landers, who were kind enough to take us out and show us how real cowboys rustle cattle. This is something I definitely never witnessed while growing up in the mountains of Wales. It was worth the wait.

We then headed to Laramie and met with Bob at All Terrain Sports. We checked out his cool outdoor store and made arrangements to mountain bike and climb on Sunday. We then headed north to Medicine Bow, developing a route for racers and looking for a good TA for day 1 of the race as we drove. We found the perfect spot next to a small lake just outside of Medicine Bow.

With that settled, we followed Route 487 to Route 220, heading west to Martin’s Cove historic site, dedicated to the plight of the Mormons and other migrants who had headed West in search of a better life. The migrants used handcarts to pull their wares hundreds of miles across the vast plains.  Wouldn’t it be fun to have a handcart pulling challenge? We tried it out, and after only pulling the cart a short distance it really hits home how hard they had it.  Compared to surviving the Wyoming winters in the 1800s, a three-and-a-half day Adventure Race seems almost tame. We send a big thanks to Elder Smith and Sister Smith for their great hospitality and for showing us around the museum.

For our next stop, we headed back east and down Fremont Canyon.  The canyon is an impressive feature that connects the Pathfinder Reservoir with the Arcola Reservoir. It is a deep canyon with fast-flowing whitewater and steep walls that provide a great spot for some technical climbing. Sweet.

We turned south and worked back toward the Miracle Mile—a stretch of river famous for the abundant amount of fish and a favorite spot for fly fishing.  Dominic had gone ahead to throw some lines into the water with his kids to see if they could hook a few trout, but when we caught up with them they only had had a few nibbles and no real bites. No fish fry for us. We coordinated events for the following day, which took in climbing and more mountain biking, and then went our separate ways once again.

After another full day of exploring the wonders of the state, Greg, Mike, and I headed over the dam at Seminoe Reservoir, down toward Interstate 80, and back to our home sweet Wyoming home—the campsite at Curt Gowdy.  We had spent most of the day traveling on gravel roads and some very rugged terrain, covering more than 300 miles. Plans for the route and features that we could include in the race are beginning to take shape. One thing’s for sure--it is going to be a challenging race. Those cowboys are tough.

Wyoming - Day #1

REV3Adventure has been fortunate to partner with the state of Wyoming to put on an adventure weekend in July 2013 consisting of a 3.5-day Adventure Race that takes in some of the best and most interesting parts of the state, a family adventure race, a 5K glow stick run, and other festivities based out of the town of Casper.

With 11 months left for planning and preparation to make our REV3AR’s event, Cowboy Tough, happen, we headed west to Wyoming to scout out the courses and meet with sponsors and the team that was going to help make the event a reality.

Mike, Greg, and I had an early start from Dulles Airport, catching a 6 am flight to Denver.  After some fun and games (on the part of the car rental place), we finally got our vehicle and headed north to Cheyenne, the state capital of Wyoming. As the Rocky Mountains faded away to the left of us, we drove through the scrubland of northern Colorado and then into southern Wyoming. After a few stops for photos we arrived in Cheyenne and met up with Dominic at the state parks headquarters. Dominic is our contact with Wyoming and is critical to making the event happen. He is our eyes on the ground and the main go-to guy for local area knowledge.  Without Dominic, this thing would not be happening.  He is a great guy and we appreciate all his help.

 

After meeting up with a few potential sponsors, we headed to the state capitol building to meet Renee, the governor’s marketing director.  We discuss the upcoming press conference set for Monday, talk about the event and how it is going to highlight the state, and reiterate how happy we are to be able to work with the governor’s office to make the Cowboy Tough AR a reality.

After bidding Renee farewell, we grabbed lunch at Taco John's, where we sampled the famous "Tata Tots" and then headed over to Bicycle Station, where Wendy hooked us up with some great Specialized 29er demo bikes.

We were ready to ride, so Dominic ran us up to Curt Gowdy State Park, a super nice state park just west of Cheyenne.  After setting up camp we headed out to sample some of the trails the park had to offer.  The trails were very similar to trails on the West Coast--loose with a mix of rocks and switchbacks—and enjoyably technical.  The one thing none of us had taken into consideration was altitude.  At 7500' and coming straight from sea level on the East Coast, we all felt the burn in our lungs as we tackled the hills. After about 10 miles of trail riding, we headed back to the campground, cleaned up, and headed into the town of Laramie for some food and supplies.

We finally hit the sack at around 11 pm (1 pm EST), making for a long—but exciting—day of exploration. We are pulling together what looks to be a fantastic, unique, and fun race. Tomorrow brings cattle rustling and a tour of the reas north of Cheyenne