Days 17 & 18--Empty Spaces, Full Hearts

We got an early 6am start for our longest ride thus far--the 115 mile stretch between Sheridan and Gillette. The day was long and challenging through very remote, wide open spaces. We saw deer and antelope in both playful and serious moods. We started at around the 3,700' elevation mark, climbing to 4,800' in 20 miles, downhill to 3,600' at mile 60, then back up to 4,600' at Gillette.

We ended the long, hot century-plus ride at our camp at the 'Lasting Legacy' City Park in Gillette. The name sounded like a it would be a cemetery and we were excited about the prospect of a quiet evening (not the case). The fine, friendly folks at the adjacent Campbell County Recreation Center, Jenny and Addi (pictured), made us feel welcome and offered the full use of their facilities.

The next morning, Day 18, we left Gillette for Newcastle, WY--79 miles of more wide open spaces and limited services. One oasis at mile 47 was the town of Upton (population 700). It included Polly's Café and Pub. We had a very enjoyable lunch at Polly's and hob-nobbed with regular customers Sam, Leetha, and Jack (pictured) as well as Polly (owner and cook) and Sharon (waitress). In the back room there were several beautiful, wall-sized murals depicting local landscapes and enterprises, including the Devil's Tower, ranching, oil drilling, etc. Sam (a former mayor) told us that the artist painted them between 1950 and 1954 to work off his bar tab. We left Upton with a good meal and warm conversation. On the way out of town we passed by the Upton Sinclair (gas station). It's a jungle out there.

We arrived in Newcastle, WY and our accomodations at the Weston--the Weston County Senior Center that is. We camped next to the building and were served a warm dose of good food and wonderful hospitality by the fine folks at the Center (some pictured). In the evening we were serenaded by the whistles of BNSF coal trains (some over a mile long) rumbling behind the senior center building every 10 to 20 minutes. The seniors served us breakfast the next morning for our ride to Rapid City.

On to South Dakota...

Marty