rod mclaughlinWimping in Wyoming (03 may 12)
By 'wimping' I mean staying in motels rather than camping. But the wind is my excuse. How do people live here? The whole of Wyoming is higher than the highest mountain in the United Kingdom. It's also very empty. Riding from Kemmerer to Mountain View on WY 412, up and down rolling hills and long, empty valleys, for a while I thought I might have taken a wrong turn. Maybe I'd be on this road for days. There is little water and no shelter. It was so windy, when I had lunch, I had to lie down! Once I saw sheepshaggers and their little gypsy trailers with smokestacks, one of which was being towed by a horse - like going back in time. Anyway, it was nice to see the 80 freeway and a sign showing me I was at Mountain View. Luckily, the wind was mostly behind me. If it was against me, I would have had to stop. Sometimes, it was sideways, and a helluva job staying on the bike. Found that after 45 miles when I got to Mountain View I was tired because of the effort of 'tacking' like a yachtsman to stay on the bike and on the right side of the road. Of course, there is hardly any traffic, but you could get blown right over to the other side of the road when a truck is overtaking you. Anyway, that's my excuse for staying in the Country Cabins Inn in Mountain View, with a lovely view of the Wassatch mountains and Kings Peak, a fluted masterpiece like Arequipa but not so fluty. A log cabin with a hot tub with jets. I managed to talk the owner down to $69 including tax, half price. But I must start camping when I start across Colorado in two days. Back
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