mar 26th sunday morning
wyoming just passed jewel caves on 16 west. 8a.m. MT
having a lazy Sunday morning. snowed 2-3” last night. fluffy snow.
just did a quick breakfast of instant oats and a cold donut.
I set up the heater this morning to dry things out. it’s annoying at first, because the heat makes everything drip like crazy.
also while lying about, I’m
gathering dirty clothes. after devils tower, we’ll go back to i-90 to stay south of the snow. jeff found a walmart a couple hours away that we can overnight at. I may take the opportunity to find a laundromat and do a load.
back to lounging…
had a nice phone call w Jacqui. all is well at home. the boys are probably annoyed because I’m not around to give them a 2nd, 3rd dinner, but they’ll live. Twitch will live longer; he's got Chonker reserves and then some.
Sunday 5:30 MT time
camping at the Walmart SuperCenter in Gillette Wyoming.
this afternoon Jeff and I hiked the Tower Trail at the Devils Tower. Nice hike, only 1.6 miles, and goes around the tower.
we were slowed by a lot of packed snow/icy trails. we didn’t have crampons or yak tracksfor our boots, so we had to use our trekking poles like a walker. Plant 2 poles out in front of you about 3ft, penguin shuffle to the poles. Repeat until you weren’t on ice going downhill anymore.
was super hungry when I got to Gillette, so I got an Arby’s smokehouse brisket. totally nasty & greasy, but it’s what I was craving. Last few days I’ve been eating light with the cold. the stuffed nose is almost totally gone, my cough and mild sore throat completely gone.
I also spent the $5 to rinse the muck off the truck at a self-service car wash. and I was able to give the oil I removed yesterday to the Autozone guy. I got a chinzy sun visor extender from them. but it’ll work until I find something better. I swear, being a pasty white ginger, I can feel the sun searing my flesh.the visor stopped that so it’s good.
tomorrow we continue West and we’ll be visiting Custer’s Battlefield. after that probably overnighting at a crkr b in Bozeman, weather permitting. they are getting 12-18” of snow right now.
anyway, time to enjoy my imperial stout in my tent. still can’t go hang w Jeff in the van, not feeling 100% yet.
hoping it doesn’t snow here, we’re in the parking lot area where the bobcats and front loaders sit. oh and the laundromat was a bust, walked in and half the machines were broken, and it smelled nasty in there. Maybe Bozeman will have better amenities tomorrow.
Loving the levelmate pro btw. makes it easy to drive around for a good spot. I think the rear higher than the front, and with the wedge camper, i need to also be pointed into the wind. I can just turn on the app, and move around until i find the goldilocks spot.
Monday March 27th Gillette WY, Main Bagel cafe.
slept well at the Walmart. there was a generator that ran all night. I have no idea what it was for, but it was good white noise, and there were no fumes. much much better than engine braking sounds.
eating breakfast over at Main Bagel, just a local shop. bagel is tasty
they have nice bathrooms, so I’ll take advantage of it after breakfast to brush my teeth and use my portable water pik
9:40 a.m. buffalo wyoming, i-90 closed
stuck in buffalo for a bit, i90 west and 16 west are closed due to snow. Jeff and I are doing laundry at the laundromat. if we remain stuck here, we’ll just find a spot to camp overnight.
the good news is we don’t have to be in Belgrade MT for my GFC appt until wednesday morning, and it’s only 5-6 hours from here.
on a positive note, I’ve gotten to experience what white out conditions look like in Wyoming. everything is so open it’s easy to lose visibility in snow storms the pic below was when it wasn’t that bad.
Probably camping here for the night. just a trailhead parking area, just east of Buffalo Wyoming. the town was getting packed with semis and other stranded motorists we’ll go to custer’s tomorrow. not in a rush.
86J5+M2R Buffalo, Wyoming
