Casper WY to Waltman Rest Area 53 miles (2,597)
Near the end of my ride today, saw what looked like a spectacular viewing area. But, the state of Wyoming had blocked it off with an 8-ft high chain link fence - probably out of an abundance of caution as it could be a dangerous area to walk around. I saw someone on the other side of the fence and asked how he got there. He told me about this little crawl space he had found. So, I went for it!:
The area is called Hell's Half Acre. It is indeed spectacular (the pictures don't do it justice):
I had some nice views to begin my ride this morning:
and nicely paved, wide shoulders for much of today's ride:
I eventually came to a nice rest stop, just a few miles shy of my overnight destination:
It was hot and I was not looking forward to an overnight without a shower - especially after having sweaty arms and legs and crawling around in the dirt at Hell's Half Acre. My overnight was going to be camping on the ground behind a restaurant in the middle of nowhere - about halfway between Casper and Shoshoni, WY. The forecast for the next few days was for continued hot, 100°+ weather without significant cooling during the night. I've had a few miserable nights of camping in these conditions and was not looking forward to another one. So, I made the decision to ask around at the rest stop to see if anyone would be willing to drive me to the next town. The first couple I approached were driving a pickup truck with a fifth wheel. I asked the wife first and she said I should ask her husband who was walking around the rest area somewhere. Then she saw him and pointed him out to me. I approached him and asked him if he would be willing to give me a ride to Shoshoni or Thermopolis. He said yes and we promptly loaded up my bicycle into his fifth wheel and I squeezed into the back of his not king sized cab. They drove me to Thermopolis where I am staying in a nice hotel (thank you, Laura!) and soaking in the hot mineral springs - infinitely more therapeutic than being hot, sticky, and stinky and sleeping on the ground with high temperatures all night!
We had an enjoyable conversation on the drive to Thermopolis; discussing a variety of things including travel, health (the husband, Rick, also had open heart surgery in 2014 - the same year as my surgery), politics (we kept it amiable), education, and what a great country we live in. Here is a picture of me with Rick and Becky:
And of me next to their fifth wheel as we were saying goodbye.
Note: I don't know what my decision to hitch a ride for 80 miles will mean for the rest of my journey. But, I am content with what I've done and may fly home from Cody. On the other hand, there are still some beautiful sites to see and, I'm sure, great people to meet. We'll see...
Hey, I thought we talked about following rules and stuff (see previous post about the buffalo 😁)
ReplyDeleteThat was very nice of them to give you a ride. Loving all of the good people God has put in your path....
I second that Robert, that was the first thing that I thought about too. First ride with Bison, next crawl under a fence that must be there for a reason 🤔
ReplyDeleteI remember stopping at Hells Half Acre as a kid on family vacation in my moms little travel trailer. We needed a place to stay for the night and finally stopped there well after dark. There was severe rain, thunder, and lightning all night long and I thought for sure we were going to slide into the crevasse and die. I’m glad you survived Hells Half Acre!
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