Lauren ~ Day 28 ~ Rest Day In Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Wow! Hard to believe we are already into July, and the Texas 4000 riders are on their 28th day of riding to Alaska!

Haven't spoken with Lauren since a couple of days ago; I know that the phone reception and Internet reception is sketchy at best, now that they are riding up in the mountains.

Sent another goodie package her way, and it will be waiting on her when she arrives in Bozeman, Montana on the 4th; what a wonderful state besides Texas of course, to be able to celebrate America's birthday!

More updates to follow! Until then, Lauren, ride fast, ride hard, and remember those for who you ride, and may the moon tuck you in with a smile on your face.

Love you much ~ Mom

Lauren ~ Day 26 ~Shoshoni to Dubois, Wyoming

Just got off the phone with Lauren, and she and the crew are at the Whiskey Creek Saloon (perhaps named for the the nearby Whiskey Mountain) in Dubois, Wyoming; "probably going to have BBQ for dinner, then turn in as soon as I can; pretty tired" she told me. Said that compared to her comical experience in Medicine Bow, the town of Dubois is quite a bit larger, and they will be spending the night at the Dubois Elementary/Middle School; nice place from what I hear. ; )

Dubois is a small ranching town with a population of about 900 people or so and sits along the Wind River. Lauren said they rode through the Redrock Canyons coming in to Dubois; I believe they are to the east of the town. She said the ride was a hard one, but a good one; "riding through the canyons was absolutely beautiful", she claimed. The ride today was 96.0 miles; their third day in a row of 90+ mile rides. Tomorrow they will have a shorter ride, but she said it's pretty much uphill most of the way. They will be heading to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming; a ride consisting of 66.0 miles. More updates to follow, and as I talk with her!

Remember Lauren~~~ride hard, ride fast, remember those for who you ride, and may the moon tuck you in with a smile on your face. See you in Alaska! ; )

Love you much ~ Mom

It's All In The Eyes Of The Beholder ~ Medicine Bow, Wyoming

Spoke w/ Lauren last night, and our conversation turned out to be quite comical! Seems as though she and the Rockies crew pulled in to Medicine Bow, Wyoming late yesterday afternoon. To give you a better understanding of the "style" of town I'm talking about, the whole town is only about 8 blocks long if even that, and the population I believe is around 300; if you have ever been through or have seen pictures of Medicine Bow, it is like a western town that time forgot.

So, after getting settled at the Medicine Bow Community Church and being greeted by their hostess who later on I found out per Lauren, "she seemed to be the only normal person around", the crew was informed per this local "adament odd character of a preacher" that they (the crew) would give their presentation after the church service. Now you have to understand that the Texas 4000 Rockies riders have been gracing this little town for the past 4 years during their rides, and have never been met with such an odd, and almost overbearing kind of person that this local "adament odd character of a preacher" seemed to be! According to Lauren, he and his congregation put on a service of pure fire and brimstone preaching, and that I do believe my Lauren was taken aback quite a bit! I have to laugh at this, but in no way to I mean to offend any one of the the many people who attend these services. Now, this is where it turns a little more on the "not so nice side of things"; this local "adament odd character of a preacher" told the riders to "lay down their bikes", that they were "riding for the wrong reasons and should stop what they are doing..." so on and so forth. Lauren and a few of the others started getting very uncomfortable with this, and needless to say were glad to "get the heck outta there"! She said it was "pretty wierd to say the least"!

And now comes the funny part...a few of the riders, my daughter being one of them, decided to venture over to the local saloon. I have a feeling she was talking about the saloon in the old Virginian Hotel; named after the book and the movie starring Gary Cooper as the Virginian. After they scoped the place out, saw some of the "local characters", finding a table and ordering a few drinks (of what, I didn't ask), my daughter, who was born and raised in a big city, and has never seen the "farm side of life", looked up to see of all things coming through the saloon doorway, a goat. Yes, you read right, a goat! According to the "lady behind the bar", seems as though Medicine Bow has a town goat that wanders in and out of the saloon at his leisure! Lauren said that after what they had been through earlier, the goat was the topper of the evening and several good hearty laughs were shared by all! ; )

They were off early this morning for a 92.0 mile ride to Casper, Wyoming. I haven't spoken with her, so I'm hoping that they arrived safely, and are on their way to peaceful slumbers.

Ride hard, ride fast, remember those for who you ride and may the moon tuck you in with a smile on your face.

See you in Alaska!

Lauren ~ Day 23 ~ Laramie to Medicine Bow, WY.

Lauren and the TK 4000 Rockies Crew are riding in to Medicine Bow Wyoming from Laramie today; a ride of 58.0 miles. I have been to Wyoming on a couple of occasions, and personally, I love the wide open ranges and rolling hills it has to offer. There is something about being out in the open vastness that make us realize how small we truly are! Here are some interesting facts about Medicine Bow...

Climate and Locality

Medicine Bow is located at the junction of Hwy. 30and487. It is the setting for Owen Wister's book, The Virginian, and the home of the Virginian Hotel. The town is located at an elevation of 6563 ft.; more than a mile above sea level. Here is what that means...

*Baked good need a little less liquid or a little more flour. Yeast really rises!

*Boiled foods take a tad longer to cook

*Produced ripens differently

*You exhale twice as much moisture as at sea level, which means you need to drink more water

*You sunburn a little more easily; the atmosphere is thinner, and more sun rays come through

*Medicine Bow is higher than the "mile high city"

*Higher and more persisten winds linger almost year 'round

*Shorter growing season for gardens

*The land in Medicine Bow is shaped by the wind, and the rolling hills have the shapes of sand dunes

*Winds blow daily from mid-September to mid-May, sometimes longer. The wind can be very hard in the winter. The people take pride that they get more wind than most places, and it does provide the power for the local wind farms

*Medicine Bow is the not the easiest place to live, but when things are easy, you miss alot of the fun

*The town covers about an area of 8 blocks long by about 6-7 blocks wide

More to come as I find out how their ride went later on this evening.

~K~

Lauren ~ Day 22 ~ Cheyenne to Laramie WY.

Talked to Lauren this evening; it was so good to hear her voice! ; ) She and the Rockies crew rode from Cheyenne to Laramie, WY. today; a ride of 67.0 miles, all in all a good ride with a few showers and some downward hills. She said they rode Happy Jack Road/Wyoming 210 in to Laramie; I believe I-80 connects the two cities quicker, but Happy Jack Road from what I hear has more scenery.

She is staying with a couple and their 2 year old; members of a congregation from one of the local churches. The church fed them dinner, and then they were able to stay with various host families; she has a very nice built-out "basement" (there's her favorite word again - lol) to herself complete with laundry room and her own bathroom. She informed me that there are a few things she has had to get used to; sleeping in basements, not having to use the air conditioner, and sleeping with the windows open at night! Must be nice to be in cooler weather!

Someone told her this evening that they should try and get as early a start in the morning because "it was going to warm up and get hot rather quickly". Her response was "how hot?", with a reply of "oh...well up in to the upper 80's or lower 90's"......she had to laugh. ; )

Well...sounds like she had a good ride and a wonderful day! Miss her much, and can't wait to see her!

Remember Lauren...ride hard, ride fast, and remember those for who you ride! We'll see you in Alaska!

Love ya ~ Mom

Lauren ~ Day 21 ~ Fort Collins, CO to Cheyenne, WY

I know, I know...it's been a few days since I last posted! That's what going to the seashore for a week will do for you! LOL

Was able to "talk" with Lauren via instant messenger on Facebook this evening. Said she is doing well, and absolutely loved, loved, loved Colorado, and cannot wait to see what Wyoming has in store!

Will post again tomorrow......until then, remember Lauren...ride hard, ride fast, and remember those for who you ride! We'll see you in Alaska!

Love ~ Mom

Lauren ~ Day 13 ~ Guymon, OK. to Springfield, CO.

Spoke w/ Lauren a few minutes ago, and if you can, give her a call or send her a text

(512-698-8155); she had a hard ride (a partial one) into Springfield, CO. today. I know she's tired, but broke down a little as she told me the ride was hilly, which wasn't too bad, but that they had a very strong wind against them the whole way today; her knee still has some tender points-the team physician told her it could be tendinitis issues and for her to make sure she stretches at night and in the morning before she rides, also to keep it iced down and take her anti-inflammatory. She'll be fine, I know she will, but I think it will help if she hears from others as they give her support! ; )

They are staying at Springfield High School, and will leave in the morning for Las Animas, CO. about an 84.0 mile ride. Said they received donated foods from one of the local pizza places, and I believe she said Italian also.

Up and off early to Las Animas, CO. Lauren - remember...ride hard, ride fast, and remember those for who you ride! See you in Alaska!

Love ~ Mom