Today was a hot day, a slower day, and a shorter day. I decided to do only around 40 miles to let my saddle sores heal up a bit. This meant ending the day ~20 miles east of the town of Shoshoni. For some background, between Shoshoni and Casper lies a 100-mile stretch of highway with nothing notable other than a rest stop right around 50 miles in. No water, stores, or lodging, but plenty of public land managed by the BLM. My plan was to take advantage of this public land and just camp somewhere off the highway.
The morning started off reasonably well, with excellent coffee and a bagel sandwich at the Brown Sugar Coffee Roastery. I hit up Walgreens and Walmart for saddle sore treatment supplies and food, respectively. The internet suggested hydrocolloid bandages for managing active sores; I can report that they do not work (for me) since they simply don’t stay attached to my skin. The combination of sweat and friction from biking just rubs them right off.
I made it to Shoshoni after a brief 20 miles, where I camped out at the gas station for probably 4-5 hours at least. I was hoping to wait out the sun and heat, and head towards my campsite in the evening. This is what I did, but I can’t say I felt particularly excited about waiting so long halfway through my ride. (I probably should have changed out of my biking clothes, but that seemed like a hassle to do at a gas station bathroom.)
I got to my campsite probably around 7 or so. The BLM land adjacent to the highway is largely fenced off for wildlife/livestock management (to prevent them from crossing the highway). I detached my panniers and chucked them over the barbed wire fence, followed by my bike and myself carefully. I wandered away from the road for a little bit until I found a cool gulch that was shaded and somewhat protected from wind. It was a nice a spot; it felt like I was finally a “real” camper in the wild.
Dinner was mashed potatoes with raisins, a true moment of culinary inspiration. It was surprisingly good. I was imagining a hot plate of Swedish meatballs at the IKEA restaurant, which comes with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam. This was close enough. As I was wrapping up dinner, I heard the sound of coyotes howling in the distance. I was slightly unnerved, but later heard the sound of some cows mooing, which oddly soothed me.
