Alive in: Dubois, Wyoming

Laundromat in Dubois

This seems to be the week for bike parts wearing out. First my chain snapped and my front derailleur was bent. Today, my seat broke. The seat is attached by two bolts to a cuff that circles the post. One of the bolts sheared off, leaving the head of the bolt inside the collar, where I can't remove it. I think I heard / felt a snap when it happened, and thought I'd lost something, but couldn't see anything wrong. It wasn't until I stopped for a break, and the whole rear end of the bike pivoted backwards, that I saw what was wrong. The second bolt was still attached, but the seat had come loose from it. I was at least able to reattach that, and I will hobble along on one screw tomorrow while Mary has a replacement part delivered to the next town ahead.

Meanwhile, I made it over Togwotee Pass, and rarely have I seen such a dramatic change of landscape in such a short distance. From the west side of the pass to the east, I've watched the world change from dense forest to mountain lakes and meadows to rocky peaks to dry valley to painted desert.