Cheyenne - Take Two

Greetings once again from Cheyenne, Wyoming! Despite a somewhat shaky start to the day, I made it back for another stay in Cheyenne. Even though I was pretty tired, I originally thought I might drive as far as Laramie (if not all the way to Rock Springs), since I got such an early start. But a visit to a Wyoming rest stop changed my mind. While there, I picked up a pamphlet for a "Historic Downtown Cheyenne Walking Tour." Stopping early and playing the tourist sounded so much better than several more hours in the car.

As I mentioned in this morning’s post, I left Des Moines early. It was pouring by the time I got on I-80 and the only real light in the sky came from some pretty intense lightning. Luckily for me, the nasty weather lasted no more than an hour. The farther west I drove, the bluer the sky became. All things considered, it ended up being a pretty decent day on the road.

My biggest challenge of the day was finding caffeine when I wanted it. I couldn’t even find a McDonalds at first. Later in the morning I decided I “needed” a latte, since the two cups of coffee I’d already had were a little hard on my stomach. It took me until 1:00PM to find a Starbucks – five hours after I left Des Moines. My GPS also acted up for awhile, but it fixed itself while I was having a quick lunch break.


Toby continued to be a trooper, even though he was stuck in the car for hours. Only now and then did he look at me with a “Dear God, are we EVER going to stop?” expression. I wish his cooperative behavior would have continued on our walk around downtown Cheyenne. He pulled on the leash for the entire hour. He also lunged at a passing bicyclist and really irked me when he charged after a rabbit he saw near the railroad tracks. None of that is unusual behavior, it just was extra challenging since at the same time I was also reading the tour guide, snapping countless photos, and dodging traffic. I discovered very quickly that Cheyenne drivers do not believe in stopping for pedestrians.

Despite the challenges, I had an enjoyable time walking through the downtown. There were some pretty amazing buildings within a several block radius. (The tour guide was great except for one major shortcoming – the printers left the numbers for the buildings off the map.) I started at the Union Pacific Depot, which is at the opposite end of Capitol Avenue from the State Capitol Building. I also ended my walk at the Depot, since it housed the only restaurant downtown that allows dogs. I had a pretty good dinner and an incredibly delicious beer - Odell's Cutthroat Porter (nitro-tap) - my new favorite!

Highlights of the day: Watching windmills slice through low clouds. Breaking out of the rain early on. Finding my latte in North Platte. Belting out Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger several times near the end of the drive. (“If you’re bored then you’re boring”) Walking around downtown Cheyenne. Watching a weird guy quickly bend down and grab Toby by his collar so he could get a dog kiss. Taking photos of an intriguing alleyway. Learning that a two block area that includes the old Becker Hotel once contained seventeen saloons with numerous upstairs bordellos. And finding a new favorite beer!


Total mileage for the day: 634
Total time in the car: 10 hours and 15 minutes
Destination tomorrow: Maybe Wendover, Utah again???
Miles to go: 1051