- Total miles traveled today: 321
- Total miles for trip: 1521
- Time on the bike: 7:15 AM
- Time off the bike: 2:30 PM
- # of conversations about the bike: 1
- # of times I flirted, unintentionally, with a tractor trailer's tractor: 3
Today was to be a sort of rest day. It was, in the sense that I didn't ride 500 miles. It wasn't, in the sense that the areas of Wyoming and Colorado I rode through are hazardously windy. Idaho has nothing on the Wind River and Southeastern portions of Wyoming, another place to consider returning to. The morning dawned a little overcast, and the weather report talked of afternoon thunderstorms. I was headed to Windsor, CO, a small town outside of Fort Collins, which is apparently a nice place to live. US 287 was fine at first: empty save for a few trucks, wide open, rolling prairie. You can see for miles, and not see a thing that resembles civilization, save for plentiful snow fences bordering the road, though everyone knows free-range is better for the snow. For a long stretch, 287 actually parallels where the Oregon Trail went, so you just know crazy things happened here.
Sweetwater Station, near Ice Slough
I stopped at two places along the Trail. The first was Sweetwater Station, which is near a milepost on the trail called Ice Slough, where even during the hot summer months, Oregon Trail emigrants could dig down 18 inches and find ice. I wonder how they discovered this. During the winter, Ice Slough was known as Just Another Ass-Cold Place. Nowadays, it's just the undisclosed location where Dick Cheney's heart is kept, guarded by an ultra-secret Delta Force team. They let it out at night, when it drinks the blood of jackrabbit bunnies and baby coyotes ("nature's al-qaeda," it snarls, bearing more than a passing resemblence to a ling cod on a line).
Really, that's where his heart is kept. He's a Wyoming native, after all. You just won't find his name here. Not that that's really a problem, except when it is. And when your hands are all over groups like this, it's actually kind of offensive.
("Dude, I thought this blog was supposed to be funny.")
I thought about Dick Cheney, the bionic man, all the way to Split Rock, my second stop along the Trail.
Split Rock
Really, that's where his heart is kept. He's a Wyoming native, after all. You just won't find his name here. Not that that's really a problem, except when it is. And when your hands are all over groups like this, it's actually kind of offensive.
("Dude, I thought this blog was supposed to be funny.")
I thought about Dick Cheney, the bionic man, all the way to Split Rock, my second stop along the Trail.
Split Rock
Split Rock was a landmark along the Trail that emigrants could see for days in either direction, and was a good place to camp. But, to quote the informational sign, "Mormon emigrants tried to camp on the opposite side of the river from the main trail to avoid confrontations with others also heading West." I realize that one can only put so many words on a sign, but...a little more information, please?
Split Rock was also a stop for the Pony Express, which, for $5, could get a letter "across the west" in 10 days. In today's money, that's about $4.3 million. Buffalo Bill Cody once rode 322 miles in 21 hours and 40 minutes, using 21 horses. I, or more specifically my ass, has a newfound appreciation for this feat.
Outside of Rawlins, WY, the winds kicked up as the sky darkened alarmingly. I was starting to feel the effects of 3 days on the road, mood-wise, and the wind and impending rain encouraged me to find a place to stop, eat, and relax. If only such a place existed in Rawlins. Finding none (seriously, I drove back and forth across the town...apparently people live there, but they don't eat), I filled up my gas tank, gritted my teeth, and got on I-80 East. While the rain held off, the winds were so strong, I often found myself leaning the bike right, while turning left. This is not the MSF-approved way to ride. In fact, this is an exhausting and stressful way to ride. I didn't realize till I stopped at a rest area that these winds are in fact celebrated in Wyoming:
Wyoming is Windy. Yay!
Route 287 from Laramie to Fort Collins is another of those fast and interesting roads that is ideal for motorcycling. Cars probably hate the motorcycles on this road, as I'm sure that there are too many college kids feeling a need for speed. Ever the diplomat, I kept it under 80. Again, I'm kicking myself for not taking more pictures, because the scenery is fairly awesome in this part of the world.
The last 20 miles of the day took me completely out of the mountains and into the high plains of eastern Colorado. And with that, say goodbye to interesting scenery and interesting roads. Hello, Nebraska! Do I really want to ride the rest of the way?
Split Rock was also a stop for the Pony Express, which, for $5, could get a letter "across the west" in 10 days. In today's money, that's about $4.3 million. Buffalo Bill Cody once rode 322 miles in 21 hours and 40 minutes, using 21 horses. I, or more specifically my ass, has a newfound appreciation for this feat.
Outside of Rawlins, WY, the winds kicked up as the sky darkened alarmingly. I was starting to feel the effects of 3 days on the road, mood-wise, and the wind and impending rain encouraged me to find a place to stop, eat, and relax. If only such a place existed in Rawlins. Finding none (seriously, I drove back and forth across the town...apparently people live there, but they don't eat), I filled up my gas tank, gritted my teeth, and got on I-80 East. While the rain held off, the winds were so strong, I often found myself leaning the bike right, while turning left. This is not the MSF-approved way to ride. In fact, this is an exhausting and stressful way to ride. I didn't realize till I stopped at a rest area that these winds are in fact celebrated in Wyoming:
Wyoming is Windy. Yay!
At this rest area, I had a lengthy conversation about my trip with an earnest young man, who, along with his girlfriend and what appeared to be her mother, were moving to Utah from Alabama. I didn't ask what side of the river they camped on, but I've got a guess. He claimed to have a Honda Nighthawk in the back of his Uhaul...which meant, obviously, as we talked, he was considering ditching his woman and future mother-in-law, and heading back east.
Somewhat wistfully, I think, he got back in his Uhaul.
There was also a tipi ring at this rest area. Tipi rings are the most common artifact found in the West. Here's a picture, kind of. This could also be a picture of the ground.
Anyway, the rain held off, and I made it to Laramie, a university cowboy town. Would've loved to stay a little while here, as it seemed like a cool, laid-back place, but I had relatives waiting for me in Windsor, CO, and one thing I've learned about riding a motorcycle: don't keep your relatives waiting, because they've already divvied up your stuff amongst themselves, and they're just waiting for the green light from the hospital to proceed with the liquidation. "Sure, I'm sad, but you gotta admit, he had a really nice couch." So onto Colorado...
Somewhat wistfully, I think, he got back in his Uhaul.
There was also a tipi ring at this rest area. Tipi rings are the most common artifact found in the West. Here's a picture, kind of. This could also be a picture of the ground.
Anyway, the rain held off, and I made it to Laramie, a university cowboy town. Would've loved to stay a little while here, as it seemed like a cool, laid-back place, but I had relatives waiting for me in Windsor, CO, and one thing I've learned about riding a motorcycle: don't keep your relatives waiting, because they've already divvied up your stuff amongst themselves, and they're just waiting for the green light from the hospital to proceed with the liquidation. "Sure, I'm sad, but you gotta admit, he had a really nice couch." So onto Colorado...
The last 20 miles of the day took me completely out of the mountains and into the high plains of eastern Colorado. And with that, say goodbye to interesting scenery and interesting roads. Hello, Nebraska! Do I really want to ride the rest of the way?
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