Day 45, Wednesday, June 4


Lusk, Wyoming to Douglas, Wyoming

It rained most of the night in Lusk, but the weather gods took pity on us and stopped the rain long enough for us to pack up and get to a local cafe for coffee and a breakfast sandwich. When we came out it was drizzling. As we rode out of town the gods' pity ended and it started to hail. We took shelter but thew hail was tiny and it ended quickly. 

The rain did not end quickly, and the 10 miles to Manville were miserable. The rain was light but continuous, and the first 5 miles were uphill.
We arrived chilled to the bone, wet, and very much on need of second breakfast. Fortunately, the Three Sisters Truck Stop was just opening. 

This was not the typical Love's or Flying J you see on interstates, but a small sole proprietorship. The woman who was opening was very welcoming, and she seemed to personally know all the other customers. She made us a great breakfast, and we each had a huge cinnamon roll.

The rain had stopped when we came out, and the next 34 miles or so were fantastic. There was a little more traffic than I would have liked, but we had a wide shoulder, and the shoulders in Wyoming are generally in better condition than Nebraska. There was little wind, and it was all downhill to Orin Junction. 

By the time we reached Orin the day had warmed up. We had a break at a convenience store, then set out for final thirteen miles to Douglas. We were climbing again, so it went slowly, but we reached out destination by mid-afternoon.

Douglas has a park where you can camp, but we were faced with a dilemma. Apparently the sprinklers come on at midnight four nights a week, including this day. Should we take a chance or go to a campground where we would have to pay?

Everyone in Wyoming has been talking about how wet spring has been, so it seemed absurd they would be watering. John called around and even walked over to the public works facility next door to find out if this was true. Most seemed to agree that they were not watering at this time and we would be fine anywhere. 

Just to be safe, we pitched our tents in a patch of brown grass that clearly had not been watered in quite some time. 

As is always the case, we set up then went in search of dinner and beers, and we found them in two places. Fortunately both had beer lists featuring something other than the standard American lagers, so we were content with the end to a fine day of cycling.

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