Day Forty-Two: Going to Gillette

Today we left with the sun rising in Sundance for Gillette, WY.

The sun rises over Sundance, WY.

We passed by cloud-covered peaks on our way out of Sundance.

The route itself was nothing special--just beautiful Wyoming as seen from I-90:

We spent most of the day riding on the interstate to avoid dirt roads (it's legal in WY!)

It was a pleasure to ride along this all day.

We reached Gillette early, and decided to stop in a local coffee shop (City Brew). It was there that we met Linda, a wonderful woman who revealed to us that her two sisters are both battling cancer, and graciously invited us over to her ranch 17 mi outside of town for elk burgers and star gazing.

How could we resist?

So, after settling in at our host--a recreation center that included rock climbing, water slides, a pool, and a hot tub (which we all took advantage of)--and enjoying a fabulous dinner complete with ice cream and brownies from a local Masonic Lodge, we piled into the vans and headed out Linda's ranch.

A view of the landscape from the ranch.

Sunset over the ranch.

The cherries Linda served us were fresh and delicious, but the elk burgers were even better. It was my first time trying elk (which Linda's husband had killed the year prior). It had a distinct taste that made the burger more enjoyable; of course, that could also have been caused by the method of grilling (which I'm not exactly knowledgeable of). Elk meat has a different texture, a little more dry and less compact than that of steak or regular chopped meat burgers. I enjoyed it so much though I went back for seconds.

The real treat was watching the stars slowly appear in the sky, one by one. My teammates shared their knowledge of constellations; I don't think I would be able to recognize anything but the big dipper without their guidance. For the first time I got to watch a satellite orbit the earth and observe the white stream of the Milky Way. You just don't see that much of the universe in the NYC or DC skylines.

It was a great day, except for the fact that I couldn't call home because of the lack of cell reception. This is becoming more and more of an issue as we move further west.

Now it is later than I want to be, but I must try and salvage as much time for sleep as possible.

Dreaming of the Stars Above,

James

--------------------------

Today was dedicated to my mother, for all her love and support.