Rawlins was a great place; for one thing it had a population over 50 which was very exciting! Despite the treacherous windy weather, we arrived in one piece but managed to snap a tent pole in the wind and bend all of our tent pegs banging them into the hard ground. It was a unanimous decision (not just because Robin was cooking) that we should go out to eat or else we would be chasing our plates around the campsite with food flying everywhere! Luckily by bedtime (which is about 8.30pm these days) the wind has settled a little and we both got a surprisingly good sleep.
Yesterday we cycled to Jeffrey City. Do not be misled by the name; Jeffrey City is not a city at all. In fact it is a ghost town and seems to be described as such by those whom live there also (about 30 people I think). Jeffrey City once had a population of over 5000 people as it has Uranium in the area. Until there was a nuclear explosion in three mile Island and the town went bust, it was thriving. Sadly today, the town consists of closed down gas stations, stores and motels (one of which we stayed in). Yes, we stayed in a non operational motel that has probably been closed for years, so it was in need of a little more than a lick of paint to say the least. As there is no where to stopover between Rawlins and Lander which is around 130 miles, the owner agreed to open it for us for one night. Interesting place.
Today we are in Lander and again to our surprise it has a population of over 100 - 6800 in fact! We have cycled 57 miles of beautifully dramatic scenery with no wind and mainly gradual downhill so it's been one of the most pleasant days yet. Makes up for all these nasty head wind days we've been having lately! We have set up our tent in a campsite up on a hill overlooking the town and have already visited the bike shop and outdoor shops to try and find a replacement for our broken tent pole and pegs! Tonight we have a friend of Jerry's joining us for dinner (a guy who cycled the Southern Tier of America with him this year, just before this trip) so we've decided to go out. Better wash my hair then!
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