The Devil’s in the Details

June 29, 2023

June 29

Todays route took me from Gillette WY to Devils Tower where I was fortunate to have a Warm Showers Host, Frank Sanders, who runs the Devils Tower Lodge. This is a hodgepodge of B&B, WarmShowers, RV camp, and rock climbing guided tours/lessons. If that is not unique enough, it is located just feet from the DT National Park and was at one time the home of the park keeper. More later.

Today was a good day. No rain until just after my tent was set up. And no hail storms. There was a bit of a tail wind for the first 30 miles to the town of Moorcroft where I enjoyed a BLT, fries, and coke at Donna’s Dinner followed by a tour of the local history museum and chat with the volunteer lady there. Most of these small towns have free museums to chronicle their history and show off their pride of community. I have visited many in Iowa during RAGBRAI and we have a nice one in Deal Island too.

Before getting to Moorcroft one goes through Rozet, which is really a railway yard for BNSF Railway. According to the museum lady this used to be a main shipping line for coal but now not so much. The yard, which goes on for miles, is a stockpile for engines and cars that used to ship coal. There were a number of rail lines perpendicular to each other and my route, all filled with engines and cars. Just on the line adjacent to the roadway I counted 99 engines!!!!!

From Moorcroft the road heads NE, so today that meant a little headwind and hills. I travelled past the Keyhole Reservoir which is surrounded by gentle rolling prairie with lots of cattle. Pronghorn antelope were scattered everywhere, more than I’ve seen out here before. There really are no services from Moorcroft to the Tower, about 35 miles or so. So I was surprised to find a little store about half way that had just opened three weeks ago. It is run by a jovial woman who lives upstairs and is visited daily by her ranching neighbor across the road. We spent about 30 minutes talking about my ride and discussing the routes put together by Adventure Cycling. Neither woman knew they were on one of the routes though they gave accounts of other cyclists stopping by in recent days. I advised they reach out to ACA and get their business on the internet site. Seems no one along these routes knows they are on the routes and they really should be taking advantage of the situation through advertising. The more folks know about this sort of thing the more cyclists will be accepted and the more revenue cycle touring will generate for these small isolated communities.

The scenery along the second half of todays ride was interesting and I would need to consult google earth to figure it out (if I had interest). I would pedal up a hill gaining maybe 300 feet in elevation and upon reaching the top suddenly find myself speed down into s canyon with ponderosa pines and 100 foot cliffs on either side. Then just as suddenly another uphill would take me to a rolling prairie until the next downhill back into the canyon. This went on for 5-6 times until I got to the Devils Tower when the canyon opened up and seemed to surround the Tower. Sure wish I had internet service so I could get a Birds Eye view and see what the landscape really looks like.

Speaking of birds, there is a bird, or maybe a frog, that hides in the tall weeds along the road and chirps making a sound that perfectly mimics a mechanical squeaking sound. And it seems to be able to project that squeak in such a way that I have been fooled multiple times into checking my bike for a problem. It even seems at times to squeak in synch with my pedaling cadence fooling me every time. Or maybe it is my bike!?!? No, can’t be.

So my Warm Showers host offered a tent site next to a bathhouse with outside shower and a view of the Tower, including dinner and breakfast for as long as I needed to stay! I feel a little bad as the other folks here are paying. Don’t tell them though. Dinner was great: enchiladas, rice, beans. It is served by several young employees who I assume are also here to climb. Tonight we had about 16 at a very long dinner table set before a grand window overlooking the Devil Tower. Can’t get much better than this. Well, I would rank it second only to Kevin and Lisa’s place in Ennis. And maybe tied with Aunt Sally’s Bike Stop in uniqueness.

Since there is no internet here, I’ll try to post this tomorrow along with pictures. Headed to Spearfish SD and host Frank says no rain. I don’t believe him but we will see.

Nite.