26. Jeffrey City, Wyoming

Day 26:  Friday, July 17, 1981
Lander to Jeffrey City:  60 miles

Today was a short day.  It was warm when we woke up, and we expected a hot day.  After checking at the post office for no mail and at Western Union for no money, I left Lander at 9:45, two hours behind everyone else.

The whole 60 miles were up-and-down, but the first 32 were generally uphill.  The scenery was boring - Wyoming hills and prairie and sagebrush.  I had a headwind all day, except for the last ten miles, when a thunderstorm behind me pushed me into town.   I arrived only ten minutes after everyone else.

Far and flat

Jeffrey City is the site of Wyoming's first uranium mill.  The mines are not too far from town.  We're staying in the town park.  It's free, and that's what it's worth.  At least the recreation hall next door has toilets and washbasins.  And they're cleaner than the facilities at Lander.

Some other people are camping here.  They had to.  They were driving to Yellowstone, but their car's water pump went out and blew out the radiator and cracked the block.  Major repairs...

The rain hit while we were shopping for dinner.  We hung out at the grocery store for an hour or so, and finally headed down to the park to fix dinner.  So it began to pour.  Fun evening.

We journeyed along the Sweetwater River today.  It got its name when a mule carrying a load of sugar missed his step and dumped his load into the river.

The Oregon Trail passes through the Sweetwater River valley.  A girl whom Guy met who works for the Bureau of Land Management said she was looking at the trail today, and found ruts still a foot or more deep!

Soon after dark, a couple of dogs came around to raid the trash barrel.  One of them tried to crawl into bed with all of us.  Then, at midnight, a couple of people who were obviously high drove up and got a drink of water.  They managed to keep us awake for a while.  It's not such a good idea to camp in city parks, no matter how little they charge.