Storm Chasers

For 2 days now we have been dodging clouds, rain, hail, and wind. When we left Idaho Falls two days ago in rain, we thought it might clear up. About an hour into the ride, we had to bail out and hide under a cattle truck to avoid getting drenched. We froze instead, then got back on the bike and got splashed on the road for awhile until it dried. We climbed a huge hill no one mentioned to us and got on a so called flat where there were vast fields of potatos starting to get green. After descending the "flat", it was lunch time, about 1:30. So we stopped at a grille and had a wonderful salad bar and hot soup to warm up, whereupon the perfect storm appeared. There was no way to ride in it, so we got a room at the inn. Then we rearranged plans with my brother Tim, who was coming up to visit from Salt Lake City. He got caught in the mud due to an ill advised shortcut, but eventually arrived at about 8:30. It was great to see him, and he even played photographer today.
After breakfast today we left at 9, and had a beautiful ride up the valley past a reservoir and through a totally green landscape. On a bike you can really see all the little things, like osprey flying around taking care of their chicks. Crossing into Wyoming involved nothing more than passing a sign, something about welcome to Cheney country. After lunch at a Chevron station, we tried to outrun another storm, and succeeded by arriving at motel/cabin operated by an 80 year old local cowboy, in a town called Hoback. He led us into a spare room where Laura helped him change the bed, and we talked to him for an hour or so while it rained and hailed. Seems he was a bronco rider and roper, and rodeo cowboy in this area in his heyday, or hayday. There wasn't any food or anything else in Hoback, and so we rode on, to Jackson. While trying to get a room, it rained like hell again, as we waited under a porch. After a pretty long day, the motel owner would not let us take the bike into the room, so after discussing this awhile we took off for the center of town and found a place that would. And here we are, in a nice warm room, while it is 45 degrees outside. We haven't had this much culture in a long time, while I was walking around town in my blue tights a gay male dancer hit on me. So we figured 60 miles today from Irwin to Jackson, with not much elevation change. My buttocks are quite sore, if anyone cares, and it's not something the butt butter will help. Looks like tomorrow may be a healing and rest day because we are ahead of schedule. Stay tuned, sorry this is so long but with no internet last night this is two days worth. Hasta manana.