Day 48, Saturday, June 7

Casper, Wyoming to Shoshoni, Wyoming

We did not have a great plan for the day. We would have no amenities until we reached Shoshoni, 100 miles west of Casper. There was not even a dry camp along the way. Since we typically ride 50 to 60 miles per day, and occasionally 70, we planned on riding to the Waltman Rest Area, 54 miles away, and possibly camping there. As in most states, you can sleep in your car at a rest area, but you are not supposed to camp. However, Loraine and Charlie, who have now hosted cyclists 98 times, said a lot of people camp there and they have never heard of anybody being rousted in the night by cops.

So our plan, such as it was, was to ride to the rest area and check it out. We could stay there, or just wild camp somewhere nearby. 

We had some breakfast and headed out into the wilderness. However, it took a while to get to the wilderness because US 20-26 west of Casper has a lot of industry. Eventually, though, we did start climbing through the high Wyoming plains.

The wind was mostly from the northwest, so it was working against us as we climbed. We had been riding a while, taking short breaks, when we came to Powder River. We stopped for a lunch break at an old boarded up bar, the Tumble Inn. We sat on the front porch, sheltering from the sun and wind.

When we left, a short way down the road John noticed a Coke machine. It was outside an old motel that looked like it had closed many years. As John rode toward it an old man (even relative to us) came over. It turned out he was trying to renovate the motel and open it. In the meantime, he was running a little grocery out of the office, so he sold us some could drinks for a dollar each. He gave us each a bottle of water for free. 

After chatting for a bit we moved on, and around 3:00 we came to the rest area, 54 miles into the day. There we decided to cook a meal right away, because we had not had anything decent since Casper.

We also cooked then because we had a new plan. It was only 46 miles or so to a town, Shoshoni, and it was almost all downhill. If we pushed on, we could be there well before sunset, which was around 8:45.

We set out. It was the first sustained downhill riding of the trip, and it was very good riding. The wind of the morning had completely stopped, so we managed a decent speed. With only short stops, we arrived in Shoshoni, after 100 miles, before 7:30. It was my first ever century.

I should say I arrived before 7:30. Somewhere between miles 99 and 100, John had a flat. We were only a half mile or so outside Shoshoni, so he asked me to ride on in and figure out where to stay while he walked his bike in. It had been a long day and he did not want to fix the flat on the side of the road.

As I rode on in I noticed a sort of rest area on the left side of the road. There were no "No Camping" signs, so it seemed like a possibility. I waited there for John and we decided he should fix the flat there and I could go check the RV park.

The RV park was no good. With no showers or even bathrooms they were not set up for tent campers. So back at the park we decided to throw our sleeping bags down there. John tried calling the police station to ask permission, but there was no answer. 

With that settled and the flat fixed we rode up to the convenience store, the only place in town with food. On the way, we meet Vinny Doyle, an Irish racer in the Trans Am Bike Nonstop race.

The race started June 1 in Astoria, so in seven days Vinny had made it to Shoshoni, Wyoming. Perhaps more remarkable, he was in fifth place. Four other riders were ahead of him, three having passed through Casper while we were there. They were almost out of Wyoming when we met up with Vinny 

Vinny was also staying overnight in Shoshoni, in another park. I would have loved to talk to him, but of course we all needed our rest. After a brief chat we headed off to our "camps."

It was a long day, but I felt a sense of accomplishment having finally ridden a century. I slept soundly, despite being on a sidewalk in a public park.