Today's Report:  Yawn, it was an early get up...we were scheduled for breakfast at 5:00, but we got a call at 4:00 A.M. that Paul was having severe pains and needed to go to the ER.  We'll have to see what his status is at day's end...I suspect a kidney stone from the symptoms and by how sudden it came on.

The terrain today was desolate to say the least.  I didn't see one dwelling after we left town through the first 40 miles except for the small town of Shoshoni...barely a spot on the road. The landscape is so wide open that it's hard to describe it to anyone. The term 'vast' comes to mind, but it's not nearly descriptive enough to give one an accurate picture of the area. It reminds me of Arizona or New Mexico...high desert covered with sage with not much life to be seen anywhere aside from desert critters.  I haven't seen any wildlife or domestic animals for quite some time.  As desolate as it is, there were still a few spots that had interesting formations. As we neared Casper, we began to see cattle and antelope scattered across the landscape...tough land for us city slickers. About 26 miles out of Riverton, I happened to catch a few riders as they passed these rock sculptures that have been carved by the wind over thousands of years.  These were about the only interesting formations we passed all day.

Today started out clear but a balmy 60 degrees at 5:00 a.m.  We've been in a fairy tail weather pattern as it's almost triple digit temperatures everyday after we leave and one day behind us ever since we left Boise.  Yesterday the high in Riverton was 83 and today it's 97.  Today the high in Casper is only 85 with a nice cooling wind pattern...tomorrow it's supposed to be about 100.  Now we'll take a day off and hopefully it will pass through us...we'll see.

After breakfast at 5:00 (yawn), we quickly loaded the luggage and everyone hustled to get on the road to enjoy the few hours of cool temperatures they expected today.  The first 70 miles of today's route rose steadily 1200 feet to about 6200 feet. Not all of it was climb; there were several nice downhill sections that gave everyone a bit of a rest, but overall we were going up all morning.  The morning looked to be shaping up pretty well as the winds were light and the temperature didn't start to rise until late morning and it really didn't get too hot all day long.  The biggest challenge today was the mileage, but with the nice tailwinds that kicked up by late morning the riders were flying...and lovin' it.

To say we are out in the middle of nowhere is not stretching it in the least.  We pass through 3 or 4 'towns' on our way to Casper but none of them are more than 1 or 2 buildings.  Barb set up the second SAG in Hiland where the sign post said population 10. Ten!!!  Where? I'm not sure there was anyone within the boundaries of the 'city limits'...at least I didn't see anyone.  The only shade she had was under a billboard where the shade kept shifting and getting narrower as the sun moved higher in the sky.  There's a mini gas station and store in Hiland, run by a middle-aged couple.  Since they're the only thing for miles, they get a fair amount of business, and our riders and some motorcyclists increased that even more today.

The big news of the day was the visit from Nate's mother, Pat, and his grandmother.  They surprised him and Kelli at the second SAG and were the hit of the entire ride so far.  They not only bought "goodies," they brought a feast complete with ham and turkey sandwiches, frosted cookies, and some kind of cake that was indescribably delicious...a really high class deli in the middle of the desert!  I even heard chants of "We love Pat, We love Pat!"  She definitely set a new standard for visitors and the goodies they bring...the bar has been set pretty high.  The riders chowed down and pushed on with restored energy...and did I say they had a tailwind?  Life was good today!

About 15 miles before the last SAG we came upon a small dot called Hell's Half Acre. In the past, this has been a fabulous sight...an oasis in the desert...food and shade.  But alas, it's closed now and we were denied our only chance for food between Shishoni and Casper (thank goodness for Nate's mom).  The old, closed restaurant sits right on the edge of a scenic gorge that Indians used to slaughter buffalo years ago.  They must have faced budget issues even in those days as they would stampede a herd over the cliffs to get meat for the winter...probably to save the cost of expensive arrows.  Today the gorge is a beautiful, peaceful sight that belies its intended use. 

SAG 3 was set up in the dirt in front of an abandoned building, a rusting out 70s automobile, and a house trailer that obviously housed a family who were not home.  The metal swing set blew noisily in the wind.  Between riders we pondered the lives of this little family so isolated from others.  What on earth caused them to live out here?  What did the adults do to earn money?  Where did they buy their groceries?  Where did the children go to school?  Who did they play with?  Not for the first time, I counted the blessings of my birth. 

From the last SAG it was only about 30 miles to Casper.  The tailwinds made that last effort a real "breeze" (pun intended).  When the vans moved forward to town, it was hard to catch anyone before they got off the highway and on to a bike path along the North Platte River.  The bike path meandered along the river and dumped them out right at the doorstep of the motel and only about 2 blocks from downtown Casper.  Tomorrow there will be lots of things going on for the 4th celebration, hopefully we'll have some time to go check out some of the festivities.

At RAP we said good bye to 3 riders...Larry, Graig, and Katie who all only rode with us for this leg.  We'll miss them and hope they will come and ride with us again.  We'll say hello to two new riders tomorrow...new blood and fresh legs.  After RAP the riders prepared for a rest day and the staff prepared for the next riding day and the arrival of the new riders.  It will be a busy day, but we don't have to get up early and load the luggage...nice change of pace.  Hope you have a nice fourth...we'll post again on the 5th when we trek out of Casper and try to find Lusk.  See you then.

PS:  At the end of the day we picked up Paul from the Riverton hospital...it was as we expected, a kidney stone.  He's much better and will rest a day or two and then continue the ride.  

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