27. Rawlins, Wyoming

Day 27:  Saturday, July 18, 1981
Jeffrey City to Rawlins:  65 miles

We were glad to leave Jeffrey City this morning.  But it wasn't because of the scenery.  All 65 miles or so into Rawlins was monotonous Wyoming plain.  We did see a lot of antelope.

Just past Muddy Gap, we stopped for lunch, and met a biker from Rawlins who recommended a bicycle shop.  We told him we didn't think we'd make it into town in time, and he said he'd buy what we needed - then, in the evening, he even delivered the stuff to our campsite!

After Muddy Gap, we crossed the Great Divide Basin, which doesn't drain into either ocean.  It looks just like the rest of Wyoming.

We did make it to the bike shop before it closed.  The bike shop man fixed Guy's broken luggage rack free.  He's retired, and runs the shop out of his garage.  Neat guy.

We set up camp at a KOA-type place.  Soon after, dark clouds moved in from the north.  But they didn't bring rain - just wind and dust.  Winds up to 40 mph blew for an hour, carrying fine sand from the prairie and spreading it over everything.  In spite of it, Jack and I fixed supper - then we had a pizza - then I went downtown with Rick and Guy for more pizza and beer.

Wind and dust

We went to a little seafood restaurant that served the best pizza in town.  (Their seafood was fresh, flown in from the coast.)  They didn't have a liquor license, but we could bring in our own for a setup charge.  So we visited the nearby carry-out liquor store while our pizza cooked.  Afterward, we had a nice chat with the owner.

Rawlins seems like a friendly town.  But the countryside is awful.  Too much desert.  No trees.  You can see for miles, but there's nothing to see.