Casper, Wyoming (July 3, 2024)

I have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt

I've arrived Casper, Wyoming 13,120 miles from home.  I woke up nice and cozy in my sleeping bag for the first actual campout in the 96 days that I've been riding.  Yesterday was a glorious day.  After forging through the 42F passing the summit on the way to Ten Sleep from Buffalo, WY, the rest of  the day was with sunny blue skies upper 70s and dry. 

As I went to set up my tent, it seemed that I didn't have tent pegs!!!  So 96 days and I don't have tent pegs!  Aye!  But alas, they were wrapped up in the rain fly!  Whew!

I chilled, in Ten Sleep, and at the Ten Sleep Brewery, I took every opportunity to meet dog people.  I find it easier to break the ice with dog people as I have an excuse to talk to them and I get to get a dog fix.

Today, after preparing coffee for the first time on this ride, I took a casual methodical process to disassemble my camp set up and pack the bike, no rush.´

As I set out from the Ten Sleep Brewery Campgrounds, it was sunny, blue skies, 69F open road, rolling hills, high desert, yielding into lower elevation farmland.  The road was with sweeping long curves, speed limit 70MPH, but no need for that.  This was one of the gifts of this ride, to cruise at a relaxed pace with the wind in my face with my helmet visor up listening to a Grateful Dead mix from Spotify.

About 65 miles later, I arrived in Thermopolis, Wyoming.  As the name might hint, there are hot springs here.  So I stopped at Star Plunge Hot Springs Water Park for a few hours of relaxation and reading.  I am reading a book by Micelle Lamphere, The Butterfly Route.  Briefly, she worked in the corporate world for many decades and felt dissatisfied and decided to get off the treadmill and rode her KLR up to Eastern Canada and eventually all the way to Ushuaia, Argentina over the course of almost 2 years.  I find myself alternatively envious, overwhelmed by the riding challenge, and reminiscing about the places that she visited in Central and South America that I visited over 20 year ago that I also visited as a backpacker. 

Then I had about another 130 miles to get to my B-a-B hosts in Casper, WY, and here is what the Weather app showed for the afternoon, and here is the wind warning I found in the gas station I stopped at with 100 miles to go.  

Taking these 2 items into consideration as a motorcycle rider from California, Yikes!  Turns out, it was really nothing, Ihad worse wind in Patagonia 8 years ago.

Heading to a B-aB host for dinner and a single night before I head to Rawlins, WY for the 4th of July.