Coast2Coast Day 26: Meadowlark Lake Lodge to Buffalo, WY; ascent to Powder River Pass followed by intermittent descents/ascents and swirling winds, and celebration!

We started the morning with re-connecting with Brian, and, though guided, a fruitless search for moose.  The Lake was very calm, and begging for some stand up paddle boards or kayaks to bring some rippling.  The sun and temperatures were very pleasant, and we enjoyed another morning of wonder.  

Finished cleaning the Alchemy Atlas that had ridden on the back of the van for a few days.  The bike had collected both road dust and cottonwood seeds.  We wished Brian (and Hollie) well on the acquisition/disposition, along with episode 401 of Grey’s Anatomy!

We ‘conquered’ the remaining 1100 feet of elevation to reach Powder River Pass, and began the ‘descent’ to Buffalo after the motorized biking couple from Cedar Rapids passed each of us by with a friendly beep.  We took a pic at Melissa’s last summit of our journey before she heads home to Colorado, and began our very windy descent, with intermittent ascents, into Buffalo.  The 9% descents, followed with up to 16% climbs, and significant headwinds and sidewinds kept us focused on our riding.

Melissa had come across Chris and Bob again before the summit, and I caught them on the ‘descent.’  Bob encouraged me to catch Melissa (an impossible task, until she stopped to wait).  We exchanged bicycle bell rings ‘till next time.’  Bob and Chris did have a monster day, as they started on their bikes in Ten Sleep, climbed to the summit, and descend into Buffalo after 6,500+ feet of vertical gain, each with ‘fully loaded’ touring bikes, amazing to me! 

Melissa and I met up with Cathy at the Johnson County Library.  (The libraries along the way provided Cathy with the most consistent Wi-Fi access to allow her to work her advisory practice, along with being our nutritionist, porter, supplier, and chin-cook-and-bottle-washer!)  After just a bit, and checking into the historic Occidental, we walked down Main Street to meet Megan and Deanne, who drove up from Denver to pick up Melissa.  We enjoyed lunch, including a deluge of tater tots, while being donated on by Chris (originally from North Carolina).  The restaurant had ‘just’ opened in 2021, a post-pandemic venture.  [Megan shared that HGTV had  recently feature a downtown-makeover of Buffalo!]

We (Megan, Deanne, Melissa, Cathy and I) ‘moved into’ the Occidental, occupying adjoining rooms, and the four of them ventured out to ‘explore’ downtown Buffalo.  I sent out a missive to Chris and Bob, inviting them to our celebratory evening for Melissa’s completion of her planned participation in our journey.  With Chris, we enjoyed more than a couple libations, splitting our time between the Garden along Clear Creek that runs through Buffalo, and the live music and dinner of appetizers in the Saloon.  Cathy tried again to ‘lead’ me in the Texas-Two-Step, but surrendered after I stepped on her toes a myriad of times.  An education to-be-continued?  [Melissa, Megan, Cathy and Deanne did dance with each other, and some of the male attendees in the saloon!]. Melissa, Megan and Deanne interrogated Chris, as I had provided inadequate background prior to his joining us for the evening.  We also heard of some of the educators’ (Melissas, Megan and Deanne are teachers.) experiences and exploits.

After the lights were turned out on us, we all retired to our rooms after a wonder-filled evening!   Tomorrow Melissa heads home, we pick up Daniel and have a day off the bikes before continuing our trek East.