Day 36- The Green River

The wind blew all night! When the wind blows, cyclists wonder (and worry) that it might be a nasty headwind to have to deal with.

Somehow, the wind died down right as I was getting ready to shove off for the day. The sky was clear so it might be a good for riding.

After I climbed “the rim” yesterday, I crossed from the Snake River drainage to the Green River drainage. I crossed the river several times during the mornings riding. It is supposed to be a classic trout river but I have never fished it. Maybe someday on another trip.

The Green River also has a lot of history too. It was a main area for the fur trade and the famous mountain men that we gave all heard about from school and movies. They would trap beaver and such and then have these big gatherings to trade. One such gathering place is called Names Hill. It is called that because the members of the gathering all carved their names into the side of the hillside. One of the names was “Jim Bridger- Trapper 1844”.

As I was entering the town of Marbleton, I was flagged down by a motorist with a Utah license plate. This guy, Rupert was an avid cycling tourist and wanted to know if I needed any supplies. He was just returning from a backpacking trip in the nearby Wind River Mountains. I took a couple Cliff Bars but turned down this massive bag if trail mix. It was just too big. Next we were talking about my route and Rupert had cycled almost every mile of my route through Colorado. We ended up having lunch so I could pick his brain some more and he gave me lots of good ideas on altering my route plan.

Once back on the road, the wind had picked up and it was clouding up a bit. The wind was mostly a side wind so it did not impede my progress much. Every now and then it turned into a headwind or tailwind depending on the twists and turns of the road. All in all, not a bad day of riding.

I was planning on camping at Fontenelle Reservoir which is part of the Green River. I knew there were a few campsites but I wasn’t sure where they were. I stopped at this historical market along the road to get my bearings and noticed I had a new text message. It was from Rupert and he had scouted the camping options for me and texted me the mileage from the exact point I had stopped at. Another amazing act of kindness from a complete stranger.

I picked the furthest campground to take a few miles off tomorrow’s ride (it was going to be a challenge).

The réservoir offered a break from the sage brush that has dominated the recent landscape. It was dead calm as I retired for the night. Hope it carries forward to tomorrow. At least I did not gave to listen to the wind and worry about it all night.