TODAY'S TALES: 

I think the other riders had a good day off yesterday...some went sightseeing, some went for a bike ride, some just laid around resting, while others took the opportunity to spruce up their bikes.  A clean bike is a happy bike I always say.  We welcomed two new riders yesterday so we had a little time off in the afternoon...even took in a movie.  Now the staff needs a day off.  :-)

Everyone seemed to be in good spirits as they loaded the luggage this morning.  And why not, the winds were light and forecast to be behind us today...a big improvement after coming to Casper.  As the morning rolled around, the winds picked up a bit and was nicely at our backs until we neared the second SAG...then it got a little in front of us for the last few miles...reminiscent of coming into Casper two days ago.  We were forecast to have afternoon thunder storms but they never materialized.  The dry afternoon wind, coupled with the dry climate, made for a warm and dry last 40 miles into town for sure. 

To digress a bit, the weather was very pleasant as we departed Casper on a nice frontage road that paralleled I-25 for the first 30 miles.  Then we got on the interstate for about 14 miles and finished the last 50 miles on one of the loneliest stretches of road around...state road 18/20.  The only break in the scenery they had after leaving the interstate was the coal trains that came by about every 15 minutes.  The trains out here have anywhere from 100-260 cars and fill up the horizon when they pass by.  As we neared the second SAG, I caught up with one as it was climbing and passing two other trains parked on a side track to let it pass.  I raced it to the SAG and gave them a wave as they passed the SAG...good thing I finished because my bubble would have popped as it crested the hill and started down the other side.  I wasn't a match for the tons and tons of coal on the downside of the hill.  The engineer tooted at me as he passed me the first time and got a lead of about 80 cars and again when I passed him back before the SAG...I probably made his day a little more interesting seeing a biker racing him up the hill.

We passed through a small town of Douglas home of one of the largest jackalopes...actually, it's just a statue to honor the little animal.  It stands about 8 feet and overlooks the Chamber of Commerce.  A jackalope is a jack rabbit with antlers...probably spent too much time on the prairie with the antelope.   I guess they have a lot of those allusive little critters around here.  Every once in a while, we'll see little antlers sticking above the sage brush as they spend the heat of the day in the shade.   I've never seen one as roadkill though...they must be pretty fast, unlike the numerous roadkilled rabbits we saw today who seemed to be a "hare" too slow.

The terrain today was dry, and rolling.  Again we are in a vast area where you can see forever. . . you don't see much, but you can see a long way.  We're starting to get into the grassland area that's a little more interesting than the desert, but we still ride for miles without seeing a living soul outside of a passing car occasionally. If souls are scarce, antelope and cottontails are not. I stopped by one field and counted dozens of rabbits gamboling about in the sagebrush. Antelope grazed everywhere on both sides of the road.  Last year an antelope ran out of a shopping mall in Douglas right in front of Karen and I as we rode through...must have missed the sale.  We passed through one prairie dog colony and all the dogs shrilled out their alarm whistle as we passed.  In the past we've seen buffalo on this route...but not today.

Douglas was the only town that had services, and a few of the riders stopped there for lunch.  Karen and I usually stop in the small little spot of Shawnee and talk to the post mistress, Amy, who's been there for 35 years. She told us that the town population was 3.  We cycled through another town (Lost Springs) that had a population of only 1, at least that's what the sign said 2 years ago...but this year the sign was gone.  The final resident must have succumbed.  There is a bar in what used to be Lost Springs...lucky for the guys out front today...they were able to get water there.  The local bar was a very large two-story building...for 1 person...that's not even there anymore?  This area adds new meaning to "small town America."

Not much going on in Lusk normally, but luckily for us the Legend of Rawhide weekend was in full swing.  Just before dinner we were treated with a parade right in front of our motel...complete with cowboys, Indians, classic cars, oxen, and lots of other frontier stuff.  I think the riders really were impressed with what pageantry they witnessed. 

Well, we're rolling again...we're over 1/3 of the way already...can't believe it.  Tomorrow we get up early to ride to Hot Springs...they don't call it hot for nothing.  We're hoping the wind Gods are favorable again...the new riders a hoping that too.  We'll load at 5:45 in the morning so we've got an early get up...yawn...time for bed.  See you tomorrow.

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