At my friend's (Jeff F's) hunting campsite on the high plains of Wyoming, I slept alright - however, I did get up once during the night and was amazed by the brightness of the full moon. When my night finally ended (0630), I exited the fifth wheel camper (parked near Prior Flat Campground in Carbon County) to find a cool (50s) and breezy morning (just the beginning of the sunrise). What an amazing place! Back inside the camper, I sat down with Jeff and Jamie to breakfast: elk sausage & cheese sandwiches (prepared by Jamie). The food was good but we all seemed to be suffering from allergies. Jeff hinted that it might be the sage that was growing all around but I'm still pretty certain that it's the ragweed I've been reacting to since I entered Michigan... Before I wrapped up my visit, I asked Jeff and Jamie some questions about their hunting camp; along the way, I learned more about how they selected their site, how easy it was (at times) to get a "speed goat" and what they did with the meat afterwards. It all sounded very interesting and they invited me to return some day to participate. We'll see... At 0910 (temperature was 59 F), I said goodbye to my friends and got back on (gravel) CR-102 so I could head west. My drive began with some sprinkles but I really wasn't affected by any water during this tough drive on the narrow gravel track over the Seminoe Mountain range. I used CR-291 and CR-351 to finally reach pavement again (I believe I was on Seminoe Road for the rest of this drive). Along the way, I passed by the North Platte River Miracle Mile and made my way through some steep passes as the road climbed the mountain. At times, I had to contend with "washboard" gravel but my Subaru Outback did alright. I passed lots of amazing rocks and was a bit sad, actually, when I reached the highest point of the pass. After that, the road was a very steep downhill route and I had to be cautious about my brakes. My Google Maps app (which had functioned well since finding a cell tower) led me through the Morgan Creek Wildlife Habitat Management Area (WHMA) and I was treated to an encounter with some bighorn sheep that were crossing the road. Just when I thought the descent was over, I had to climb up and over another pass. During the descent from this height, I stopped at an overlook spot for the Seminoe Dam & Reservoir (1005). Beyond that, I found the Seminoe State Park (North & South Redhills, Sunshine Beach) and rediscovered some pavement. In the distance, I saw the lake and several large sand dunes. At 1025, I found a place with lots of cell service and stopped to use the internet - I was moving again by 1105. This time, I started up an audiobook to pass the time as my drive continued across a flat prairie to the north of I-80. I found the North Platte River again as I approached the town of Sinclair but didn't tarry. Instead, I got on I-80 (1130) and headed west. I'd been planning to hike a bit on the Continental Divide Trail, though, so wasn't on the Interstate very long. Instead, I exited at the town of Rawlins and stopped for lunch at a Taco Bell where I'd eaten when I was in the area back in January. The food took a long time to arrive and I ate it in the restaurant before I was finished (1215). Next, I drove north on the US-287 bypass until I could get on US-287. My destination was the parking lot for the CDT where I'd stopped my "on road drive" of the trail when I'd been here before. By 1225, I was hiking (northbound) from the parking lot. I had to open a cattle gate on the way but was soon passing through a dusty prairie. The day was sunny (with some clouds) and the temps were in the mid 60s - this meant that I didn't need a coat. There were very few blazes - this made navigation difficult because the trail was very curvy. In fact, I needed the internet map to follow the CDT and lost my bearings several time. Despite the challenges, I walked all the way to Cherokee Road before deciding to exit the trail. Later, I figured out that I'd walked 2.6 miles of the CDT. To reach my car again, I hiked east on the dirt road to US-287 - beyond that, I found myself walking south on an old trail near the fence line. My (nearly five mile) hike was over at 1405. Very glad I got out of my car for some long distance trail miles! Before starting up my car again, I made a reservation for a hotel in the town of Evanston (near the Utah border). Eventually (1415), though, I left the trailhead, drove through Rawlins and returned to I-80. Unfortunately, my difficulties were just beginning... At first, I had to travel through 10 miles of construction. Just when I thought I was clear, though, everyone around me came to a complete stop. This delay wasn't too bad and I was soon up to speed again. I passed over one Continental Divide (7000 feet) just before a large (sharp?) stone made a deep star on my windshield - that is going to hurt... At stations I passed along the way, I noticed REALLY high gas prices (yikes). I soon passed signs for another Continental Divide (6620 feet) and thought I was in the clear as far as delays went. But then I had to think quickly to avoid an abrupt lane ending. Just after I got back up to speed again, I was blocked at another closure of some kind - we were completely stopped more than 30 minutes! With no news from WYDOT, I turned my car completely off for most of the delay. We finally got moving (one lane) and I noticed that a car in the passing lane had lost a wheel. In the end, I didn't ever find out why I'd been stuck for so long and the long construction zone after that (slow single lane) continued for almost 20 miles (grrrr), with another full stop in the middle. By the time we cleared this zone, I was very distrustful of the good speeds I found to the west. Fortunately, I never got stopped again. In the meantime, the gas prices kept getting worse... To distract myself, I listened to NFL football scores on SiriusXM. At 1715, I stopped at Little America (a place I'd once visited with Mollie) but was only there for five minutes. Beyond that, I had to deal with intermittent rain and almost got run over by a truck that didn't seem to be able to stop during a steep descent. Needless to say, I was quite relieved to arrive in Evanston and find my hotel (Days Inn) at 1815... With most of the drive to Salt Lake City completed (by Day 9 since I left Minneapolis), I felt like I could relax a bit. I took my first bath in a few days, worked on some Duolingo exercises, did some reading, caught up on my travel blog and made some eBird entries. Beyond that, I did some planning (work stuff) for the next day. When I went to bed at 2300, I felt like I'd been truly productive. It's time to join my work colleagues in Salt Lake tomorrow! Continental Divide Trail Today = 2.6 miles / Grand Total CDT = 44.0 miles (corrections made for hikes in 2011 and 2017)
