Heading West, 6-15-07

It's been over a month now since I first headed west for Wyoming, uprooting myself less than a week after the sudden uninvited departure from college commonly known as graduation. Memories are beginning to fade, so this account will inevitably be briefer than it should be.

6-15-07: Left the river house at around 9 am, then run around Marshall in search of bank, gas, and Ipod adapter. Car is making odd noises at slow speeds, but no problem is discovered. Strike out across South Dakota, stopping only for gas. I try and fail to contact Dan O'Brien but act on his voice mail invitation and head for his ranch, hoping he will be home when I arrive. I reach my exit ahead of schedule and discover that my route takes me through Badlands National Park and will therefore cost me $15. I kill time and try to get my moneys worth by stopping and exploring the park. The first picture is an attempt at a self-portrait using a metal railing as a tripod.

The Badlands are interesting but not particularly varied. One part of the badlands looks pretty much like any other. I guess dry clay formations and fossils aren't really my thing. I stopped and hiked a one-mile loop trail which provided some decent views and, more surprisingly, some close looks at wildlife, including this singing Spotted Towhee...

...and this (mule?) deer.

I reached Dan O'Brien's ranch around 6 pm. Dan is recovering from broken ribs, and his wife is gone, but his brother Scott is around working on building some new barn walls. After we haul the wall up to the barn to check the fit, we eat a man's dinner of cold beans and potato salad while waching Dan's herd of 150 buffalo.

They turn in early, so I read awhile before sleeping comfortably.

6-16-07: I earn my keep by working on the wall, stapling on metal screens, hauling it into position, and securing it in place. Take off around noon, heading south through Hot Springs and Lusk then west to Casper. Hwy 20 follows a major Union Pacific coal route out of the Powder River Basin, so I am treated to several trains chugging uphill at 10 mph with engines in full throttle on both ends. After Casper, it's a long lonely two-lane to Lander, where I pick up some camping supplies and find some dinner. Drive south on Hwy 28 to near South Pass, where I take a gravel road up into the Wind River Mountains to find a campsite.

6-17-07: Wake early and drive to Pinedale, arriving before noon. Kathy Gunderman meets me at the grocery store and gives me a tour of the town before showing me to my trailer. That's Ryan's car and kayak on the right - he arrived later the same day.

The trailer seems quite large inside, with a master suite on the east side, a large kitchen/living room in the middle, and two more bedrooms and a bathroom on the west end.