The Amazing Journey Pt. 3

Leaving Colorado, I passed a cloud factory.

Somewhere along Rt. 13, somewhere in Wyoming

Rt. 20 in Oregon. This video just doesn't do it justice.

On the road again, snow-free roads at that, and on my way out of Colorado on Rt. 13 North into Wyoming. Up to this moment, I had never driven on a more beautiful road. It was two lanes wide and cut across the high desert at the foot of the Rocky Mountains themselves. I couldn't help but think how this lovely sight would not be seen and how everything amazing that was to come would not be had I not listened to my heart and dared to follow my dream. They were the first happy tears I have ever cried.

Passing through Wyoming and on into Idaho, the sun had set and temperatures began to drop below freezing. At first, the fog was only patchy and required a decrease in speed by about 10mph. But by about 9pm, as I climbed over some smaller mountain passes, I encountered something I had never seen before. Frozen fog. Although the roads were dry, I feared they would become icy thinking that that is how black ice forms. I would soon find out that that wasn't the worst thing that can come of frozen fog. All the while, the difference between humidity and temperature on either side of my windshield caused a haze that made it difficult to see through. I messed with my defroster and A/C settings to clear it up but nothing seemed to work. I passed a tanker truck and safely moved back into the right lane. When I hit the wipers to clear the spray from his wheels, it smeared all the dirt and the water formed a layer of ice on my windshield, making it even more difficult to see. I hit my washers thinking that it had some anti-ice formula in it, but what happened next was the scariest thing I have ever had happen to me. I hope my mom isn't reading this!

As soon as the washer fluid hit the window, it froze. The wipers then distributed it evenly, thus completely whiting out my windshield in seconds. I was still doing 60mph and could only see through a small slit at the bottom, just enough to be able to see the lines in the road. I hit my four ways and pulled over to the shoulder as the tanker sped by me. Coming to a stop, I couldn't believe what had just happened. I sat there until I was able to melt the ice off and exited the roadway at the next rest area.

I sat there and ate dinner, thinking about what happened and the danger in pressing on. I was headed for lower elevation, the fog was going away, and I really didn't want to cut my drive short because I didn't want to risk not reaching Bend by the next afternoon. Once again, I sat there thinking when I just fired up the engine again and rolled out of there. The rest of the night's drive went on without a hitch.

Two more hours and I reached Twin Falls, where I was sure I would find a Walmart. The expanse of lights ahead made me believe I would have no trouble finding this oasis of the open road. I drove directly into the center of town and began making right turns. Every third turn, I would go one more block so as to not go in circles, but to expand outwards in a spiraling fashion. I explored every corner of town until I had seen a Costco, a Lowe's, a Home Depot, a Kmart, a Target, and many other large stores, but no Walmart. I was just about to give up and head back to 84 and proceed to the next rest stop, when I saw the familiar looking edifice.

A trip inside to fill my water bottles for the next morning's coffee and I was back in my van making my bed for the night. It was cold, but I had been quite comfortable each night spent inside. I had accidentally ripped my sleeping bag near its zipper on the pedal of my bike and that opening allowed cold air to seep in, making me consciously aware of the coldness throughout the night. The wakeup process in these cases is long. It was about an hour and a half from the moment I woke up to the moment I was out of my bag and dressed. I made my coffee, filled up with gas, and hopped back on I-84 for the final leg of my journey.

Before, I said that Rt. 13 was the most beautiful road ever driven. That was until I took Rt. 20 across eastern Oregon and into Bend. My head was on a swivel as each curve revealed another snowy mountain, frozen river, or vast expanse of rolling white bumps. The highlight was the summit at Drinkwater Pass, where the sun shone through the low clouds turning everything a crazy shade of orange, and then dropping back below them revealing a beautiful view of the valley.

Rather than my friend Laura preparing dinner that evening, she called and said some people from Cyclocross Magazine were getting together for dinner and we were invited. I arrived at her house where there was a wonderful reunion and I was shown where I would be staying. Dinner with the CM people was an absolute blast. They were all so friendly and welcoming. What better way to spend my first night in a new town? The next few days we would see them at the races and around town and we were always greeted with smiles.

We've been pretty busy these last few days and I have been introduced to countless new people with whom I am continually impressed by the quality of their personalities. It's only been two full days spent here and I feel like I have been here a month because there is so much going on. I have this feeling of certainty that I have done the right thing and come to the right place. I have done everything I had set out to do. I am living my life. And I have never been happier.

This amazing journey has come to a close, though this very moment plans for a new journey are in the works. There are so many directions to go from here, but you can be sure it will be my heart that I will be following.