Wyoming - Day 22 - to South Pass City and Rawlins

Rawlins KOA, Rawlins

Wednesday, 22 September 2021

I woke up at 11:30 last night, couldn't get back to sleep, finally got up around 1:30.  I need more sleep than this and wish it'd change.

Today is the official Autumnal Equinox.  I won't myself see an equinox until Saturday, when the sunrise and sunset are both scheduled for 6:52 in Laramie, which is where I'll be.

today's route

Actually, I got off the interstate at Rock Springs and went north, then northeast to South Pass City, then came back southeast and south to Rawlins.  The interstate between Rock Springs and Rawlins was my route a few days ago when I went to Lyman.

On the road

Those mules I saw yesterday?  They were still there but had been moved to a nearby field of scrub.  Still nobody around that I could see.

At Rock Springs I bought gasoline for an outrageous price and headed north on US 191.  Nothing much along here but the usual scrubland, grazing land, hay fields, cows, a few antelope.

We stopped at Eden, pop. 281 and elev. 6,590' at their Sweetwater County Bicentennial Park.  Nice park, lots of trees and large picnic area.  And Dext and I saw a couple of antelope which had fortunately seen us first and were running away.  I'm learning that anywhere there's actual grass, keep an eye out for antelope.  And, sadly, antelope poop, which Dexter adores.  Yuck.

Both the map and Google said I'd change to WY-28 at Farson, and I found the highway but never found either the town or a sign for it.

I saw bee boxes, sheep, cows, cropfields that looked like hay (or alfalfa or other grain).  I saw a mama antelope and a new baby - very cute.

I passed a sign for the Little Sandy Crossing Historic Site and didn't stop but looked it up.  This place was important to all westward travelers, but especially so for the Mormons apparently.  Here's the historical marker there.   https://www.hmdb.org/little-sandy-crossing

I had mountains on both sides, though there are so many different ranges in this area, I can't tell from the map which I was seeing.  

I saw more antelope - 2 by the road, 5 in a field.  I saw one black cow alone in a field, looking across the road at a herd of black cows in another field.  Why did it get solitary confinement?

I passed a sign for the turnoff to South Pass National Historic Landmark and, though I didn't stop, I've found 2 very detailed accounts of its importance online, surprisingly not with the same details.  They make the point that the westward expansion of the US might not have happened without the discovery of South Pass.  I'm learning a lot about my country that I never knew.   http://enjoyyourparks.com/South-Pass-WY and   https://wyoshpo.wyo.gov/national-register/south-pass-national-historic-landmark

Along this road I saw many signs saying "Chain Law in Effect When Flashing," and even more pulloffs which were apparently for people to chain up.  This must be some road during the winter.

The Continental Divide again, elev. 7,550'.

I saw 2 signs about 12 miles apart, both saying Turn On Headlights, the first saying "next 42 miles" and the 2nd saying "next 30 miles."  Maybe this is important when it's snowing?

This time what I saw grazing near some snow fences was a large herd of antelope.

South Pass City

I don't remember that Google warned me that the road to South Pass City was unpaved, but it was.  But I was curious enough to make the 2-mile trip in.  

Coming into town I saw this sign,
and it made me a little nervous about whether this side trip was worth it.

I thought entrance to the historic area was by donation, which I was prepared to make.  But I found at the Dance Hall, at the entrance, that they'll accept donations but wanted me to pay $8 (senior), which I wasn't willing to do.  What they offered was a trip through the restored mining town, but I just couldn't drum up $8 worth of interest.  Besides the wind was blowing like crazy and the dogs wanted to walk, so we just walked around the current town instead of the old one.

I found this historic building and a couple of historic signs.

This old mercantile building marks Wyoming's first Masonic Lodge.

Back on the road 

At the turnoff to the town, I found a sign that mentions this town's connection to women's suffrage - unlikely though it may seem.

And here's a website that explains why South Pass City can claim title to Birthplace of Women's Suffrage.   https://www.nps.gov/exhibits/women

Another sign on the road proclaimed it to be Women's Suffrage Pathway - Home of the Women's Vote.

I passed a sign warning: Be Bear Aware - Food Storage.  And another: Watch For Elk On Road!!  (The exclamation marks were theirs.)  I'm sorry to report I saw neither bear nor elk.

In this area, most of the deciduous trees were turning colors, and I saw lots of yellow and orange leaves - very pretty in the sunlight.

A sign told me I'd have a 7% grade for the next 4 miles.  I was at least as interested in the adobe-red rocks I was seeing in the canyon.  And in the earth:

Those are oil tanker trucks,
showing there's another kind of gold in them thar hills.
But aren't the hills beautiful?

I was running into some very strong crosswinds, and having the extra problem of trying to stay awake.  I was afraid last night's lack of sleep might cause trouble.

I passed a sign for Ice Slough Historical Marker, which was surprising enough that I looked it up.  And indeed, there once was an important bed of ice here.   https://www.hmdb.org/ice-slough

Not long after I passed Jeffrey City, elev. 6,324', I turned south to stay on US 287 (north would have taken me back to Independence Rock).  I was back on the Chief Washakie Trail and still fighting sleep.

I crossed the Continental Divide, elev. 6,720' (it really winds around, doesn't it?), and came to Lamont, elev. 6,624'.  By this time I was so sleepy I almost drove head-on into a semi - twice.  I finally found a place to pull off.

It was a lousy place to stop but it was just barely big enough for the dogs and me to walk around a little and it helped wake me up.  The turnout happened to be at the beginning of Malcom X Road (huh?).  And when I walked the dogs I found some unusual signs.

The black car you can see on the road was a couple
from Vermont who were looking for a place to have lunch.
(You know I can't make this up.)

I'm not sure how uranium mining fits with
raptor nesting sites but I'm betting somebody forced BLM
to make these accommodations when they leased the mine.

After this little break, I crossed my buddy the Continental Divide, elev. 7,174', and very soon thereafter came into Rawlins.  This is the town we'd passed through a few days ago, and I'd planned a 2-night stay here, rather than 3 nights in Laramie, because the KOA here is much less expensive.