Sometimes I just wish I could curse.

Stupid wind.  11 miles in a strong, Wyoming headwind is a long, arduous, depressing process that does not exactly ingratiate one to the joys of cycling. 

Despite the fact that I felt good about my 44 mile weekend, I feel kind of pissy about riding at the moment.  So... in no particular order...

Weather.com, for two days now you have insisted that the wind was coming WSW at 10 mph, when I can ASSURE you that it was, in fact blowing from the WNW at 25 mph... enough to exhaust me and make for two white-knuckled, tough rides. I'm not sure who your meteorologist is, but I would like some input before you nominate him/her for the accuracy award this year.  Here's a tip.  Get on a bike for ten minutes and you'll know exactly what the weather is doing.

And let me just say to the truck driver who inexplicably thought it was cool to come up behind me at 70 mph and honk your obnoxious foghorn just as you passed, YOU SUCK.  Maybe you're not aware of the fact that it is hella scary riding on a highway shoulder to begin with, and that your blankety-blank 18 wheeler causes enough wind as you pass to make my bike jump sideways in your wake, or maybe you're just a jerk.  In any case, it was NOT appreciated, and if the wind hadn't been wreaking its havoc, I would have written down the number on your "How's my driving" bumper sticker and given whoever had the bad misfortune of answering my call an earful.

Finally, hey Utah driver of the Kia Sorento heading southbound on 189 around 3:20 pm, would it really kill you to give three feet of space to cyclists just to be on the safe side?  I realize I am riding on the shoulder rather than in the road, but you were still cutting it pretty close there.  YOU ARE BIGGER THAN ME, and I think I am correct in saying that clipping a cyclist and killing or maiming said cyclist would adversely affect the rest of your life. 

(All that being said, I want to extend a sincere thank you to the driver of the pick-up truck who slowed down and rolled down a window to check on me when I had pulled into the rest area to check my gears yesterday.  I have found the majority of motorists to be courteous and friendly on the road, which is especially comforting for us "novice" riders.)

Kay.  'Nuff said.  Thanks, blog.  Tomorrow will be better, I promise.