I think today might be designated our official “be kind to ourselves” day. Having created the plan to see all these wonderful places, there is no doubt that we have been arriving at our various destinations ready to collapse in a heap after an evening meal. Today is something of a staging post (pardon the pun) as a mere 268 miles on open roads is now small fry to these intrepid travellers. Salt Lake City is the main event another 440 miles down the road.
It is difficult to say anything different about our journey, except, for me, it was particularly frustrating. My youngest grandson was 3 years old today and I wanted to FaceTime and wish him a happy birthday. We couldn’t make it work from the hotel at Mt Rushmore so set off intending to stop off at somewhere with WiFi and catch him at what would have been his teatime. So off we went and experienced the wilderness of South Dakota, which is very much like the wilderness of Wyoming…mile after mile of nothing. No houses, no service areas, no gas stations, nothing. Well, there were sporadic herds of cattle but no civilisation. Not even a phone signal, never mind WiFi. It makes you realise how much you rely on technology and how frustrating it is when it is not there. Sorry Oliver, I will try tomorrow. I did, eventually, manage to speak with his Mummy.
The most exciting part of this particular journey (!) was coming face to face with the most abnormal load I have ever seen. It needed various escorting vehicles, special flag wavers to slow down the traffic and most of the road. Miles into the distance you could see this large object and wondered what it was. I still don’t know. It was a huge truck carrying something twice its width and forcing cars going towards it onto the non-existent hard shoulder (a soft dusty track).
So, here we are in Cheyenne, the capital city of Wyoming, wallowing in the luxury of a nice hotel, having had a very nice lunch and wondering whether to explore the place, have a swim (it is very hot and sunny but the pool is indoors), or whether to just sit and chill. Apparently, Cheyenne is home to the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, with exhibits about early rodeos and artifacts like 19th-century passenger wagons. The landscaped Cheyenne Botanic Gardens includes a labyrinth. Collections at the Wyoming State Museum include dinosaur fossils. Wot? I think not. It’s a long drive tomorrow!
Carolyn’s Curios & Curiosities
So, we checked out from Rushmore and decided that we wouldn’t visit the monument again. Partly, as we wanted to ‘hit the road’ but, mainly, because we couldn’t see it! We drove off through a cloud – literally!
However, the Sun powered its way through, dried up all the rain and then dispersed the clouds as we sped across South Dakota back into Wyoming. Different roads but similar scenery and lack of both habitation and cultivation. Long, straight seemingly endless roads bereft of other vehicles for much of the time but a 70 mph limit which allowed great progress. Fortunately, we’d filled with fuel, taken some fruit from breakfast and had water and cola cans in the car. Fortunately? At one stage, we drove for an hour and a half (100 miles) without seeing a garage, café or human being. Strange. Wide, wild wilderness with new vistas appearing after each small crest you rise as the road stretches beyond the present, then towards every new, horizon. What a State!
Driving towards Cheyenne, we passed through a couple of ‘cowboy’ towns and Kath and I reminisced about TV and film Westerns: ‘Maverick’ (James Garner with an English cousin played by Roger Moore), ‘Wagon Train’ (Ward Bond and Robert Horton), ‘Rifleman’ (Chuck Connors), ‘Bonanza’… etc. and, of course, ‘Cheyenne’ itself with Clint Walker playing the eponymous Cheyenne Bodie.
As we passed through Laramie, the TV (me) and Film (Kath) came up in song! As did Davy Crockett, Roy Roger’s Four legged Friend (aka Trigger) and others. I scored bragging points because I’d had a Davy Crockett hat (as a child!) and had had Roy’s record played for me on Uncle Mac’s Children’s Favourites (also, as a child!!!).
After driving over several ungated and unguarded level crossings, we, again, marvelled at the length of the trains as we overtook one.
On Route 66, two years ago, I counted the number of wagons on a passing train. Today, it was Kath’s turn to count.
148 coal wagons with two engines at the front and three at the back. Doing some calculations,…
Each truck loaded weighs 286000 lbs
Each engine weighs approx 400000lbs
Therefore, the train weighed 44,679,936 lbs
Or,… 19946 tons (20266 tonnes)
Which is the equivalent of 199460 16 stone people.
Wow!
So, we drove into Cheyenne. It’s bigger than I thought and, after lunch at Applebee’s, we checked into a very pleasant and inexpensive hotel… early for once!
We’d covered the 268 miles and got here by lunchtime. Yes!
Now relax.
kathrainbow 