The Western US Days 5 and 6

On day 5 I decided to head in the direction of the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone Park in western Wyoming. I was on the road early with the goal of hitting Casper Wyoming by the end of the day. My goal on this trip is to avoid travelling on the ‟super slab” as much as possible and stay on the secondary highways. My route across Nebraska and Wyoming was US route 20. Route 20 is a coast-to-coast route spanning 5,415 km and is the longest road in the United States. Well, the corn fields of Iowa gave way to the corn fields of Nebraska which then turned into hay fields and finally plains and cattle ranches.

The western stretch through Nebraska was particularly thrilling with lots of twisties and not a lot of cars (if any). I found it very difficult to keep my speed below 70mph. Despite this, my goal for day 5 was a bit ambitious and I ended up staying the night in Lusk Wyoming.

For day 6 my goal was Jackson Wyoming and Grand Teton National Park. I continued along route 20 through terrain that was hilly and desert like. I passed a few Ghost towns and a few almost Ghost Towns - hello Lost Springs Wyoming population 4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Springs,_Wyoming.

At Casper Wyoming route 20 becomes the Yellowstone Parkway. It is also called The Sand Creek Massacre Trail. This route was is part of a 600-mile ceremonial link between south-western Colorado, where this event happened, and the headquarters of the Northern Arapaho Tribe on Wyoming's Wind River Reservation. The Sand Creek Massacre is said by some to represent one of the greatest atrocities to happen to Native American people during the development of the United States. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_Creek_massacre.

As I continued towards Jackson, the terrain became more desert like but I began to see the Grand Tetons off in the distance. I also saw what looked like a vicious storm right in my path. I got lucky however as the road seemed to proceed right between two storm systems. I seemed to be riding right through them and felt like Moses parting the Red Sea. Well not exactly as I rode for 20 minutes through crazy wind and sideways rain - and tumbleweeds blowing past me. After 20 minutes it was over and the sun was shining again.

I stopped for a late lunch in a pleasant little town called Dubois. Now we Canadians would like to pronounce this Doobwah, however whenever I said it like that there was always a little chuckle and I was corrected. It was pronounced Dooboy. I had lunch at the Cowboy Cafe http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60453-d511429-Reviews-Cowboy_Cafe-Dubois_Wyoming.html and then headed for Jackson and the Tetons.

Jackson - home of the Jackson Hole ski area is a great little town with very friendly people. It reminds me a lot of Banff, but Jackson might be a bit cooler. I decided to camp here as hotel room prices were a bit astronomical. I hung my hammock for the night at the Fireside Resort www.firesidejacksonhole.com/, just outside the town. The proprietors were a friendly lot and there are really slick cabins on the property for rent. They were too rich for my wallet but groovy none the less. Day 7 I will travel through Yellowstone - stay tuned