Sinclair, Sheryl, Saratoga…
I got a late start because I had only intended to ride for an easy 40 miles. It didn’t turn out as easy as I thought.
The first 20 miles were a breeze - it was at my back. I think I covered the 20 miles in a little more than an hour. At mile ten, I passed through Sinclair, WY. Have you ever seen the gas company that uses a green dinosaur as its logo? Well the Sinclair Oil Refinery is located of all places in Sinclair, WY. It is an interesting town. It has that used up company town feel to it. I wonder what happens when a toxic cloud gas has to be released in an emergency. Fortunately, the town is located up wind.
Sinclair does have interesting architecture though. Downtown there is a Spanish-style hotel. Seems really out of place, but what do I know?
The first 20 miles ended in Wolcott, a nothing little place with a Shell gas station. I was hoping for a Subway Sandwich, but no luck. There was a nice surprise, though, her name was Sheryl. She was a touring cyclist riding the TransAmerica Route (at least since Kentucky) and headed West.
When I pulled up to the gas station, I noticed a touring bike with a load of gear - surely this was a touring cyclist on a long journey, one of my people! And shortly after I set my bike down, a woman jumps out of the gas station. This was Sheryl. She had been touring for a while along the TransAmerica Route. She took a break in Denver to see friends and family. The problem was that the bulk of touring cyclists cross the Country in June and July. So, in August, there are few touring cyclists. The campground host at the campground that I stayed at this day said that he had not seen any touring cyclists for a month.
As a touring cyclist, it is nice to see (and talk to) other touring cyclists once in a while. It is nice to compare notes and experiences. Often the experiences are similar - roads, dogs, cars, camping, scenery. So, Sheryl was excited to have another touring cyclist to talk to. Of course we were going in different directions, but at least it was nice to sit, chat, and eat a 7-Eleven-style bean & cheese burrito.
I said farewell to Sheryl and went on my way to my original destination for the evening - Saratoga. The ride to Saratoga was supposed to be an easier day after my long day of riding from Lander to Rawlins (Day 31). From Rawlins to Wolcott, I was traveling east. I was actually riding on the shoulder of Interstate 80. If I kept going, I’d been in Omaha in 7 days, but I turned south. The wind was from the west, which made the first 20 miles from Rawlins to Wolcott easy, but turning south, I now had a side wind. The riding was harder. I didn’t really care because I thought that I only had a short ride.
Saratoga didn’t turn out to be the stopping place I was hoping for. I really wanted to use the high temperature hot spring - the Hobo Pool. But a visit to the only campground in town - Saratoga Lake - convinced me that I needed to keep looking. A gentlemen at the Lake said that sometime people camp at the High School. This sounded suspicious, so I stopped by City Hall and they said “no way.” You sometimes can’t rely the advice of strangers - especially those who don’t know what they are talking about!
Not finding a hotel room that I could afford, I reluctantly did the only thing there was to do - continue riding to Riverside. The problem was that I had spent so much time running around Saratoga that it was getting later in the day. In fact, it was after dinner, but I pushed on to the next town, 20 miles away - Riverside.
I’m glad that I did. The ride to Riverside was different than the rest of the day. It wasn’t just rolling sage brush. Yes the ride to Riverside still looked like riding in the Mojave Desert (with cooler temperatures), but I started to approach the mountains and the scenery became nicer. I entered Riverside as the sun was setting.
The campground in Riverside was very nice - Lazy Acres - I almost wanted to stay for a while.
At Lazy Acres, I met a motorcycle rider who had just ridden 26 mountain passes (mostly in Colorado, I think) in 26 days. He said it was exhausting. I can imagine!
Day 33 - Rawlins to Riverside - 72 Miles
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