For Deb and me, maybe our scariest moment on the road happened a month ago in Wyoming — a brutal gust of swirling wind hit our curb side and pushed the Ernie-Mercy rig to the left like it was an empty milk carton. Even though I maintained control, to be honest it spooked both of us.
Now we’re back in Wyoming. So is the wind. And four times today we were hit by those boomerang gusts.
We arrived safely and intact, of course, but it wore my ass out.
When we left Billings early this morning we hopped right on I-90, put our heads down and bulled east 260 miles as quickly as conditions would allow. It was a brilliant day. treating us to clear views of the snow-dusted Bighorn Mountains for hours on end. (In the center of today’s header image is Cloud Peak, at 13,167 feet the fourth-highest point in Wyoming.) The Bighorn foothills through which we traveled were a scenic roller-coaster ride. More than once we pulled off to take in the view.
Tonight’s stop is another of our trademark one-nighters. The campground, a few miles off the Interstate, might be the crummiest we’ve seen in five months. It’s poorly laid out and poorly maintained. Our site isn’t level. No trees and no amenities, just a washhouse, a laundry and a coin-op pop machine. I can’t speak to the quality of water and sewer, but fortunately the 50A electric is fine.
This also happens to be a self-serve park — unattended, that is. We made our reservation by phone and were e-mailed directions and our site assignment. We drove in and parked.
On the bright side, we’re surrounded by long views of the farmland of eastern Wyoming. It’s quiet and the scene is, in its own way, appealing.
We’ll be back on I-90 again in the morning, bound for South Dakota and a restful stay at a campground we know we’ll love — ’cause we’ve been there before.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath