Day 16 - Wyoming Wind and Warmth

We set out on the road with a plan to take Wyoming 50 and 387 to Edgerton and then into Casper with the final destination for the day of Rock Springs.  I saw the sign for Wyoming 50 and right next to it the sign for Moorcroft which is eastbound.  I hesitated and opted for I-90 west thinking I would find the turn off for WY 50.  Well after 30 miles I had to face the fact that I had lead us astray.  By the time I stopped to re-check the map, it was closer to finish riding to Buffalo than to turn around and go back.  Not a proud moment as a ride leader, but we're 16 days into this ride and it's the first missed road.  It was a bit cool riding, but dry and mostly clear.  It was windy but much less so than yesterday.

After a brief break in Buffalo, we headed south on I-25 toward Casper.  Our next break would be in Kaycee.  As we approached the exit we saw the signs denoting this is the home town of Chris LeDoux.  Instantly the Garth Brooks song came to mind, "Good Ride Cowboy".  Rudy happened to be listening to Chris LeDoux music at the time and really likes Chris LeDoux.  While Torrey drank a monster, Rudy and Cami went to see the park dedicated in LeDoux's honor.  Rudy and Cami decided my earlier wrong turn was meant to be - for had I gone down WY 50 we would not have passed through Kaycee. The winds were light, but present as is often the case in Wyoming.

In Casper, we hit the HD store and got a lunch recommendation from the staff.  We made our way to J's Pub and Grill and enjoyed a great meal.  For the record, Harley staff members have never steered us wrong when in comes to suggesting good eats regardless of where in the country we are visiting.

Cami says, "Wasn't Me"

Some riders peeled off a layer as we fueled up and got back to it on WY 220 as we left Casper.  The route winds along the North Platte River for the first several miles.  The sun was shining and it felt like what we had hoped every day of this ride should have felt.  The winds seemed to have subsided. Deb snapped a few pics of us riding.

At Muddy Gap we fueled again before turning off on WY 287 which led us to Lander.  This stretch was also warm with very little wind.  Rock Springs is only 114 miles from Lander on 28 & 191.  The sun darted in and out of the few clouds in the sky.  Temps dipped noticeably when the sun was obscured by the clouds.  In fact, as we topped the pass and crossed the Continental Divide we could see evidence of the coming fall.

    We arrived safely at our hotel in Rock Springs and tomorrow we will ride the last stretch of this ride.

Total miles today: 447 (69 miles more than we should have, but allowed for stop in Kaycee)
Time to ride that distance: 9.5 hours
Total Cumulative miles: 4372