D33 Casper to Douglas. I'm back!!!!

(Goodbye Casper! You can keep your wind)

Mileage: 58

Video: https://www.relive.cc/view/v1vj7rjreYO

Map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/93550315?privacy_code=7ih84H772pzOQaXF

Tomorrow's Destination: Lusk, WY

Tonight's Accommodations: Super 8

Last night I tossed and turned thinking about my escape plan. It was to rent a car and drive it east to meet my brother and Kisho. The thing was that yesterday nobody had cars. I had I wait until today. I was forced to hang out in Casper. I finished my Murderbot Diaries book which kept me sane but it got old sitting around the coffee shop. Even I have limits. 

During the night I thought about the plan to rent a car and drive 30 hours in 3 days to get to see my brother in New York before he leaves on vacation and a bunch of other complex logistics. My body was squirrelly after a day of not pedalling so soon after the last rest day. My body is now craving physical activity. As the sun came up, I noticed the wind was down. I had a sudden thought that I can do this. I just needed to get out of Casper. I met a ton of great people there, but sitting around all day got old.

I quickly crammed all my stuff into my bags then headed to the complimentary breakfast for a couple of quick bowls of Honey Nut Cheerios and a packaged donut. I didn’t want to lose my nerve. Soon I was biking out of town on a bike path or thought I was until I got to a sign saying it was closed. I wandered a maze of closed streets that you can see on the video. It was like Casper didn’t want to let me go.

(Casper is an oil town)

The road to Glenrock was a haze of “I’m really back”. When I got there, I headed to a gas station to refill my Clif bars and get some Vitamin Water. The clerk said, “So you’re pedalling today.” Like it was no big deal. A lot of folks in small towns aren’t that casual. Was it a sign? When I went outside I saw Glenrock’s brand new bike path. It goes to the school on the outside of town. I gladly rode it. There were headwinds, but not crazy. After the school the bike path ends, but the road isn’t heavily trafficed.

(Another banana peel)

The road ends up near a huge power plant. You can either get on I-25 or turn onto Tank Farm Road, at 17 mile mostly gravel workaround. It was washboarded and I had a bit of a headwind, but it was all good for me at this point because I was out there. The scenery was beautiful grassy range and the Northern Platte with some farms tossed it. Cows were a frequent site. 

(Open range)

I was glad to get to pavement. I turned right for the last 10 miles to Douglas. I was going to make it! Most of the time in Wyoming I’ve felt pressure to get to my destination before either 1) the wind kicks up or 2) it gets hot. The Fort Fetterman Historical Site came up shortly after the turn to gravel. I was antsy, but went over for a short visit. It was a fort then a town and is now pretty much gone. It was known for being lawless until it was abandoned in 1888(?) (It was a short visit)

(Was the golf cart part of Fort Fetterman's original inventory?)

I completed the journey by 12:15. I thought about the very nice Riverside Park for camping because Thursdays they don’t turn on the sprinklers at night. It’s in the 90’s so I opted for a hotel. Given my still young emotional rally I decided its OK not to be studly. So here I am at the Super 8 typing away. I’ll be in hotels for next 4 nights at least. 

(I realized I can steam veggies in the microwave)

After I checked in, I biked over to the Pioneer Museum. There I learned about the Johnson County Range War which I’d heard of it a kind of vague way. The Museum did a great job of covering it. Basically, the moneyed cattlemen hired thugs to ‘cleanse’ homesteaders and small ranchers to eliminate competition on the public lands. They got away with murdered a bunch of people due to friends in high places. It’s still a wound for the community because people have not so distant ancestors on both sides.

(One could drink out of Grover Cleveland's head in Douglas)

Well, it is off the bed for me. Tomorrow, Lusk and my lightweight sleeping bag waiting at the Lusk Post Office thanks to Hisako who sent it general delivery