First, a quick update on my bike: A good bike store determined that my derailleur was shot. The whole drive group will need to be replaced back in Minneapolis. They did not have quality parts in stock but installed a lower end part which will hopefully do the job for the rest of this ride. Fingers crossed.
Today was a rest day in Lander. Chris and I are loving the town: which seems very down-to-earth and outdoors oriented. NOLS, the National Outdoor Leadership School, is headquartered here and there’s lots of focus on outdoor activities, including biking.
Tonight we had a lovely dinner with Izzy Marshall, her husband Jeff, and their three beautiful children, Paul, Bess, and Sophie. Izzy is the daughter of dear friends, Sarah and Paul Marshall. She practices Internal Medicine on the Wind River Reservation. Jeff is both general contacting and contributing his own engineering, design and handyman skills to a big multi-level renovation of their spacious vintage home.
Connecting with Izzy and spending time with her lovely family made for a poignant and wonderful evening. I can remember very clearly spending lots of time with Izzy when she was as old as her children are now. I hope it doesn’t sound cliched to say that an evening such as tonight makes one conscious, in a good way, of how the wheel of life is turning. Lots of warm memories tonight of very special times.
We ride from Lander tomorrow into the remotest stretch of the trip and might not have service to update the blog on a daily basis, but will do so as soon as we can.