First order of business for today was to fill our wallets and then our stomachs. We went to the site of the bakery we stopped at yesterday where we had seen a large sign advertising a 24/7 ATM. It was obviously fake news as there was no ATM anywhere near there. So we went to the bakery for a light breakfast. On our way out of town we found a bank with a functional atm.
Continuing our journey on US 20 just outside of Thermopolis, we drove through the Wind River Canyon which lies on the eastern edge of the Wind River Indian Reservation. The views in the canyon and valley were spectacular. We also drove past Boysen State Park and Boysen Reservoir which was created by an earthen dam on the Wind River. It is quite beautiful and is a great recreation site for fishing, boating, and camping.
Just past the reservoir, we left Wind River Canyon and the lush green landscape. We returned to flat farm and ranch fields with dune and green colored fields occasionally dotted with cattle.
We took a break from driving to explore the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, Wyoming. The center is operated by the Bureau of Land Management, Casper City, and the National Historic Trails Center Foundation. It has exhibits and excellent information about The Oregon Trail, The Mormon Pioneer Trail, The California Trail, and The Pony Express Trail. Between 1840 and 1869 approximately 500,000 emigrants traveled through the Casper area along one of these trails. There was a fun “virtual wagon ride” across the North Platte River that replicated the bumps and jolts the pioneers experienced crossing the river. There was also an excellent exhibit and video about the impact of the travelers and settlers on the American Indians and how the U.S. Government broke every treaty it ever made with the Indians. We were very glad we stopped at the center and encourage anyone traveling in the Casper area to take time to visit this center. The outside of the center also provided some great views of the city.
A few miles west of Lusk, we suddenly came upon recent snow or hail on the road. Fortunately, other people had driven through it so it was mainly clear for the tire tracks. The Miata is not made for driving in snow so we were glad to see that it ended after about a mile. Happily the road and the sky cleared and we continued on to today’s destination.
We ended today’s journey in a town called Chadron, NE and checked into a Best Western that had guest laundry facilities (our laundry was getting quite ripe). Since we had a large lunch in the early afternoon, we had settled for a small snack, did laundry and worked on the blog. If I manage to get this posted before bed tonight, I will actually be caught up for the first time in a long time.