I don’t really get bored on a bicycle. However, sometimes the stimulation doesn’t come from my surroundings, and I have to confess I have spent a fair amount of time looking inward since I left the mountains of Colorado. But Wyoming is getting more exciting, and a couple times it has surprised me – like when you crest a hill and see eroded sandstone hills on the horizon, in various shades of red and yellow. And the anticipation is building as I head towards Togwotee Pass, which promises some amazing views.
The amazing highway shoulders have continued, and I am savoring them while thet last. There is a lot of tire debris on the shoulders, and I dug two steel wires from my trusty Schwalbe Marathon tires last night, so I am going to continue checking them every day.
I have some uncertainty about how to arrange camping in Yellowstone Park. Many of the campgrounds are first-come, first-serve, and fill up daily by 7:00 AM. However, most of them hold open biker/hiker spots, but I can’t figure out how early I have to get there to ensure I have a place to sleep. The ACA guide just says you can avoid a lot of traffic if you plan to stop by noon (which I generally do anyway). I have decided not to fret about it – I will wing it, and, if necessary, just keep riding.
I didn’t realize it until I checked the location on a map, but this is the Wind River Wild Horse Sanctuary. When I got off my bike to get a closer look, they ALL ran away.I mailed the tools I kept home from this awesome post office, which is inside a wonderful convenience store in Crowheart, WY. The hollyhocks remind me of New Mexico.The inside of the post office, in the corner of the store.I met Greg and Jérôme outside the convenience store. They’re headed eastwards on the TransAm, and you can see their progress on instagram, here: https://www.instagram.com/biking_the_united_states/I can’t find a name for these red hills and cliffs on the Wind River Indian Reservation, and, honestly, these pictures don’t do it justice. So beautiful! The National Museum of Military Vehicles. It didn’t appear to be open.If you look closely, there are rows of military vehicles. There were signs preventing me from getting closer.More military vehicles.Wyoming doesn’t seem to have much cultivated land (unlike Colorado and Kansas), and I thought this green field was striking at the base of the sandstone hills.A tool find.Another tool find. Usually I don’t pick up spoons because they might have drug residue on them, but this one was too cool to leave on the side of the road. On the other side, it is marked, “Made in Pakistan.”This is a tool I did leave behind, because it’s purpose is to pick up cat poop!I also left this tool behind – rusty saw with a broken handle. But it is still a tool!
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