Today’s Date: June 16, 2024

Today’s Start Point: Rawlins, Wyoming

Today’s End Point: Encampment, Wyoming

Today’s Miles: 59.93 Miles

Cumulative Miles: 1,753.22 Miles

First off, Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s out there, especially Brandon (father to the outstanding Samuel).

I really needed yesterday for when I woke up this morning I was ready to go. The route today was going to take me south to the town of Encampment, Wyoming, which is almost to the Colorado border.

After the long ride into the wind, I have become a meteorologist and have looked at the wind patterns closely. Being from Chicago, you would think that I would remember that the winds generally pick up as the day goes on. What is true in Chicago is true in Wyoming.

With this sudden dawning of a known fact, I set out at daybreak with a minimal head/crosswind of about four or five mph. Sunday traffic was non-existent and the roads were good.

The first town that I would pass through was Sinclair, Wyoming. Since I left Rawlins, I noticed that there was a terrible stench in the air. As I got to Sinclair, I realized why. Although we don’t generally see them in the Midwest, most of the gas stations that I have seen have been Sinclair (with a dinosaur as its mascot). Sinclair, Wyoming is a company town, with a huge refinery. If you lived anywhere near the town, there was no escaping the smell. As I passed by Sinclair, I was thankful for the headwind because I quickly left the odor behind.

Just pass Sinclair, my route took me onto interstate I-80. You might think that is a scary proposition but there is a huge shoulder and due to the median, I didn’t have to worry about the draft coming from the trucks going the opposite way. It is much worse when riding on a two lane highway with a speed limit of 70 mph.

The scenery along I-80 was probably what you would expect, not that spectacular. After about 15 miles, I got off I-80 and back onto State highways. I would like to say the scenery improved, but this part of Wyoming is relatively uninteresting. I feel like their tourism slogan should be “Come to Southern Wyoming, you have to pass through here to get to Colorado”.

The ride was through arid land covered in low brush with mountains in the far distance. On the upside, deer and antelope were plentiful and it is fun to see the prairie dogs scamper into their holes as I pedal by.

In one case there was an antelope that kept running back and forth across the road, almost getting hit by 70 mph cars numerous times. I finally realized that it was trying to find a gap in the fence that lined both sides of the road, so I rode between it and the road preventing it from crossing. In a few moments it found its gap and was off, my good deed done for the day.

After about 40 miles, I stopped in the town of Saratoga, Wyoming for a Gatorade. Saratoga is on the North Platte River and seems to be a center for rafting, hunting and fishing. It was 9:00 am and I was already 2/3 of the way done. I thought maybe I should go to the next stop and make it a 110 mile day. Don’t worry, even I can learn from my mistakes.

I was quickly back on the road to my final destination for the day, Encampment, Wyoming. Although not what I would call lush, in this last 20 mile stretch I did see some water and cattle (and even an odd tree here and there).

Unfortunately with the water would come mosquitos. Whenever I would stop to take a photo, I would get swarmed by them. I probably could have taken some more photos in this section, but I did not feel like itching all night.

With that I entered Encampment, Wyoming. In my mind I imagined a bigger town than it was, with a population of only about 500 people. The sole businesses in town was the motel I was staying at and a restaurant next door, not a convenience store or gas station-nothing. Unlike the hellhole of a town (?) of Jeffrey City, the motel and restaurant were great and had been refurbished in the last year.

I had brunch at the restaurant and was surprised at the sophistication of the menu. I had a French bread sandwich with blackberry preserves, definitely what I would expect in a big city but not in a one-horse town in Wyoming. Glancing at the dinner menu, wagyu beef was an option (I will be going back for dinner because it is literally that only place to go). These kind of finds make the trip fun.

Since it was such an early day and there is absolutely nothing to see or do here, I am looking forward to a relaxing afternoon (read nap) and what looks like a nice dinner tonight.