Day Two

Greetings from Cheyenne, Wyoming! I actually made it as far as my goal today but just barely. The lack of sleep caught up with me again this afternoon. Too late for caffeine if I wanted to have any chance at all of getting to sleep tonight. I considered stopping in Rawlins and then again in Laramie but was able to push on. And boy am I glad I did.

Most of the day was gorgeous – perfect for driving. It was reasonably warm this morning in Wendover, and the forecast that I saw for Cheyenne looked promising. Consequently, I dressed in a tank top, shorts, and flip-flops. I pulled on a sweatshirt when I had to stop and walk Toby but was otherwise quite comfortable. That is until I stopped for gas in Laramie. The weather threatened most of the afternoon but never delivered on that threat. I usually saw rain ahead and to the north and south of the interstate but ran into only the lightest of showers and not often at that. But by the time I was approaching Laramie, the sky was very dark and evidence of recent snow was all around. The temperature had dropped into the 30s and, with the very strong winds at the gas station, it was feeling more like the 20s. People must have thought I was a raving lunatic, dressed as I was. I thought for sure I was bound for one of those horrible blizzards this part of the country is known for, but I think I’m safe now. When I finally saw the rolling hills of the plains begin about twenty miles west of Cheyenne, blue sky was peaking out here and there and the end of a rainbow greeted me. Now it’s a reasonable 45 degrees out, and I think I look rather hardy dressed in my shorts instead of foolish. Or perhaps I’m deluding myself.

So about day two on the road. It started out at a McDonalds. (Alas, no Starbucks latte for me today.) As I was leaving with my cup of coffee, I heard a guy say: “Let’s go steal some cars.” My admonishment to “Be good” was greeted with “Yeah right. Be good.” and laughs followed me out the door. I wonder, were they really going to go steal cars? Is that some strange Wendover slang? Code words for something else? I guess I’ll never know.

Shortly after leaving Wendover, I drove past the Bonneville Salt Flats. Always a strange sight – all that white ground as far as the eye can see. A bit further down the road, after miles of flat and unvarying landscape, I passed sign after sign warning: “Drowsy Drivers – Next 15 miles.” Kind of odd. About an hour later, we stopped at a very nice rest area. Unlike the one in Nevada that I visited yesterday, this one smelled good. Really good. The kind of good that makes you want to linger. What a pleasant contrast. Later I thought longingly of that beautiful rest stop. I even longed for the smelly place in Nevada. It turns out that while Wyoming has many “Parking Areas” where one can pull off and nap, rest areas (meaning places with "facilities") are very few and far between. I think I was nearly 150 miles into Wyoming before I found one.


As I was nearing the Great Salt Lake this morning, my GPS told me to turn off I-80. I ignored it. It insisted again at the next exit. Becoming concerned, I pulled off the interstate hoping to figure out what was going on. Amazingly, I ended up at the very same lakefront place where we stopped years earlier on another cross-country drive. Back then, the lake was much higher and it reeked to high heaven. Today, the water was way out in the distance, and it had the smell of a typical seashore mixed with the earthy smell of sulfur. It was really quite lovely. I asked a guy who worked there if the water was lower than normal. He answered: “I don’t know. I’m not usually here when the sprinklers are on.” Wouldn’t you think that a visitor would be inquiring about the level of the lake and not whether the sprinklers were working as well as they should?


Some other things I saw: Belted Galloways that reminded me of a herd in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, which I used to see on a favorite bicycle ride. A line of Black Angus moving with purpose from one point in the middle of nowhere to another such point. More amazing rock formations, especially the red rock canyons I drove through for ages in Utah. Several wind farms. Many, many firework stands. Small herds of antelope. A recumbent bike being ridden down the interstate. Snow drifts behind line after line of wooden snow fences. The Continental Divide – twice. And mini oil wells as I neared Cheyenne.

Highlights of the day: Definitely the rock formations that lined so much of my route today. The sign for Vedauwoo Road – isn’t that a great name? And the train that is parked outside my motel window right now. It consists of a long line of flatbed cars, with every two cars carrying one gigantic windmill blade. It was still moving when I got here, but it has been stationary for the last hour or so. Rather surreal to look at. Also, Toby was a trooper today. Not quite Zen-like but more resigned than dejected. What a good dog! And more Springsteen. In fact, I listened to Springsteen all day. I think Pink Cadillac is one of the best songs ever for car dancing. I’m not one to hit the dance floor, but I can do a pretty fine shimmy in the car. And finally, as I was moving into my first room at this Motel 6 (now I'm in my second because of poor internet reception in the first), I saw two older women walking their dog. I commented on their more appropriate attire and they commented that I was from California, which obviously explained the shorts. Turns out they are from California too and headed for Maine! Isn't that a strange coincidence?


Total mileage for the day: 571.6
Total time in the car: 8 hours and 45 minutes
Destination tomorrow: Omaha, Nebraska or, if I get an early start (and enough sleep!), Des Moines, Iowa.