Exit the 'Mississippi valley'

It's been a few days that little by little I have been riding up the mountain. Some days, you hardly notice it but still you can read that the elevation of the towns you get to is increasing. Some others with a strong wind and some more steepness, you know it the hard way.

Nevertheless, Dubois is 6,940 ft high (2,115 m) and road 26 runs thru Togwotee mountain pass 9,658 ft high (2,944 m) very close to which the Wind river springs at the other end of this lake by the same name:



I entered the Mississippi river drainage basin more than a month ago, when I was in Pennsylvania around Curwensville. This pass marks also the limit of the 'Mississippi valley', including its many affluents like Missouri crossed in Omaha, Nebraska. This limit is known on the west side of the country as the 'continental divide'.

The upcoming rivers will not eventually flow into the Mississippi and therefore into the gulf of Mexico; but rather into the Pacific ocean. And that's another confirmation that I am now right in the middle of the Rocky mountains.

Note:
* From a biking point of view, the average steepness is less than 2% which is not that big of deal. As the road goes up and sometimes also down, the steepness is a little greater but never gets into the 10%. It's just a long way up.
* There were some road work as almost reached the top and the procedure is that bikes should be carried in the pilot car that directs traffic from one end to the other of the works. Still I managed to avoid the pilot car and rode to the top; even hide a little in the woods where the Wind river springs. Yet for the second portion of road work, down-hill, I had to load my bike and trailer in the pick-up. I wasn't happy at all and gave the poor lady driving the car a hard time about biking, freedom, lawyers, responsibility... Oops, sorry.
* On the way down, I met with Bruce and Ryan Pesch, father and son, riding up to the continental divide. Exchanged info. And they made it to Lander that same day... with the wind!