28 Miles / 450ft climb
A short cycle today, due to the logistics of finding accommodation and avoiding having 70+miles cycling days. We were all pleased it was only a short ride today for two reasons. First, it afforded us a rare, unhurried morning and second, the very strong head wind working against us every mile made very hard work of what should have been an easy 30 miles.
Arriving at Moorcroft, our destination for the day, we visited the West Texas Trail Museum which held many interesting artefacts and information.
As nurses, Caroline and I were amused to find a framed list of ‘Nurses Duties’ from 1887. These included:
‘Graduate nurses in good standing with the director of nurses will be given an evening off each week for courting purposes or two evenings a week if you go regularly to church.’
‘Any nurse who smokes, uses liquor in any form, gets her hair done at a beauty shop, or frequents dance halls will give the director of nurses good reason to suspect her worth, intentions and integrity .’
How times change!
A late lunch at a small cafe, a catch up with admin and folks at home and out to dinner again. We have voracious appetites, reflecting the calories we are burning each day cycling.
Over dinner we meet Pete and Kathy who have cycled from San Francisco and taking a slightly different route, will end at Boston a couple of weeks ahead of us.
Tomorrow is a 6am start as we head to the Devils Tower National Monument, a significant detour from our route to Sundance but something we would all like to see.
Challenging Times 
Peter and I very much enjoyed meeting you all and hearing your story. Wishing you all the very best and hope our paths cross again somewhere along our journeys! xo
Also wanted to let you know we ended up riding round trip to Devil’s Tower from Moorcroft! Stunning site, not to be missed! Got caught in the rainstorm on the way back but all part of the adventure! xo
The Devils Tower featured in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind the name of which seems to resonate in some ways with this ride …. Enjoy the encounter
The Devils Tower featured in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind which seems at times to resonate with this ride … Enjoy the encounter.
I guess next time you’ll go east to west to turn all those headwinds into tailwinds? 🤔😂 I’ll be sending that ‘Nurses List’ to my sister – she wouldn’t have even got her job in the first place!! 🤣
How times have changed indeed! 😂 Nice to have a short day with fewer miles. Shame about the wind – hopefully it will change direction soon. Xx
Hoping for a tailwind today!🙏