Day 4 Wyoming

Day 4

Saturday July 12, 2008

Lusk, Wy (mid-central Wy on Hwy 85) 327 miles

A long day tho we didn’t cover so many miles .

Rode through the Rocky Mountain National Park. I don’t see how the Alps could be any better. Great twisties, amazing scenery. We stopped several times, and at the Alpine Center took a short hike up to about 34,000 feet to photograph some elk and experience the tundra wind whipping through my clothes. My feet weighed 150 pounds a piece, and when I tried to get my bike up off the kick stand it weighed in at just over 2,000. Amazing what a difference oxygen makes. Tree line ends at 11,500 ft, and up there at 12,005 feet there is a tundra similar to the Arctic, created by winds, severe cold and a lack of water. The elk seem to enjoy it, tho. There are pictures at Picasa.

We endured foot-dragging traffic through Estes Park and enjoyed winding out some miles on I-25 north. In Wy, turned east on Hwy 26 to finds miles and miles of beautiful open plains, with virtually nothing man-made. Ft. Laramie has a population of 243 – Lingle. is twice as big. Neither had a grocery store. There were two state parks, both had only pit toilets so we kept riding. My butt was beginning to hurt and I kept thinking, “We have to come to something – soon.” We topped yet another rise in the road, and sure enough, there were cazillions of miles of empty space stretched out before us. We spent the night in Lusk, Wy – small, quaint, dusty – those words are too big for Lusk. But it’s the biggest thing we’d ridden through for the preceeding 80+ miles.

Lusk had 2 campgrounds – the first had no tent sites. The second was a gravel lane behind a run-down looking restaurant. We knocked on the door of a clean double-wide, and the owner explained we could tent on the grass for $10 a piece; the bathrooms were clean and the showers were hot. Plus, the grass was soft – I’d been on gravel and rocks for 3 nights, so it was a welcomed change. All in all, it was one of my favorite campgrounds – quiet, clean, showers. A place I wouldn’t have stopped alone – but after this, I may next time. The pictures help tell the story. Lusk is another snippet of America – another reason to ride.

I’m pleased with the trip. I wondered how I would hold up to serial days of riding, bookended with nights on the ground. I’m having a great time on the bike, and am pleased with distances I’ve covered. At times, I hurt (butt, left knee, both hands…), but it walks off pretty quick and aleve gets the remainder. I’m sleeping well at night – my new sleeping pad is a pain in the butt to inflate but very comfortable -- and it doesn’t make my back hurt.

I have 42,000 miles on my bike, and of those probably 39,000 have been riding alone. This time riding with Clif has been interesting and good. I’ve stopped the bike in many a place I wouldn’t have attempted alone, ‘cause Clif doesn’t mind being my reverse. And it’s fun to have someone to point out things to – an elk here, a donkey there. His wife Carol is OK with his aged, weird riding partner.