POST #21-2

On The Road Again - First Stop, Lander, WY

Subscribe to our Blog! 

Get E-Mail notifications about new posts!

Fill the CONTACT US TO SUBSCRIBE fields!

********

Tap any photo or video to enlarge/play.

Tap any underlined links to follow. 

********

On Tuesday, November 17, 2020, we left our home in Billings, Mt and started on the way South.  We planned on leaving at 9 AM, but didn't make it out until 10AM.  Best laid plans....as they say!  It was a nice sunny day with light winds, but chilly in the mid 40's.

We have been this way many times in the past, usually on the way to the Riverton Rendezvous Balloon Rally  If you follow the link to that page the Riverton Balloon shown on that page is one of the two that we sold to the Riverton Balloon Club when we were still in the Balloon Business back in the '80s and '90s.

Even though this road is "old" to us, this is the first time we have taken this route in our Motorhome for a winter escape.  The road goes by Thermopolis, Wyoming...

The town claims the world's largest mineral hot spring, appropriately named "The Big Spring", as part of Wyoming's Hot Springs State Park. The springs are open to the public for free as part of an 1896 treaty signed with the Shoshone and Arapaho Indian tribes.  Dinosaur fossils were found on the Warm Springs Ranch in 1993, and the Wyoming Dinosaur Center was founded soon after.  Both the Dinosaur Museum and the resort at the State park are worth a visit if you happen to travel by there.

As you leave Thermopolis the road goes into the Wind River Canyon.  This road was designated a Wyoming Scenic Byway in 2005.

The canyon cuts through many Wyoming rock strata exposures. Many of these are noted on roadside signs. The canyon was cut in the established course of the Wind River. The water gap was created as the topography of the mountains was raised over the past two million years from previously flat terrain. From south to north, the canyon crosses an area of complex faulting, then narrows as it descends into Precambrian rocks at three road tunnels. Beyond the tunnels, the strata dip, with high cliffs of sedimentary Limestone, Dolomite and Sandstone. The northern end of the canyon cuts through Red Sandstone.

Its a very cool drive!  As you leave the Canyon you get to the Boysen Dam and Reservoir.

After that we went through Riverton, Wyoming, next stop Lander.  The closer we got to Lander the more windy it got.  Estimated crosswinds were about 20-30 MPH.  It was a bit of a white knuckle drive!  We arrived in Lander, Wyoming around 4 PM and checked into the Sleeping Bear RV Park. 

About $43 for one night.  Nice place, nice folks!  We settled in to get some sleep, but that was a challenge because the wind increased through the night and gusts in the 40mph range!  The Boys, (Bill and Ted) were quite nervous about that and hid under the covers with us!!  Tomorrow we continue south...we must climb to 8000 feet as we go over South Pass on Wyoming HWY 28.  Winds are forecast to be 40 MPH with gusts to 60!  Thinking about that also made it hard to sleep well!  Fingers crossed!

Until Next Time!