We planned to do a lot of mountain biking at our final two stops in Wyoming. Mother Nature had other ideas. In Lander, WY we encountered rain, snow, and chilly temperatures. We went to the local gym to work out and drove some incredible scenic routes on the yucky days. We did get the opportunity to take a nice hike in the Sinks Canyon to beautiful waterfalls. The downside was horses share these trails…..Ugh!!! Horse poo everywhere!
Fortunately our campsite was at a lower elevation, so we had minimal snowfall. Our next stop was Curt Gowdy State Park in Cheyene, WY, that is known for epic mountain biking trails. We had just spent one night at this location, when we received a severe weather alert on our phone. Yikes…. we were in the bulls eye of an early winter storm and could receive 5 to 10 inches of snow. We could have “sheltered in place” for a few days, but the trails would be covered in snow and the temperature was going to be in single digits, so we quickly searched for a new location. We tend to have our travel schedule mapped out well in advance, so this was the first time we had to be flexible and just figure it out on the fly. We ended up driving to Craig, CO, still cold but no snow.
Besides missing out on mountain biking in Cheyenne, we had planned to have our first trial of “no sewer hook-up” for 7 days in Curt Gowdy State Park. That means being really be careful of the water we put down the sinks/shower, as this goes into our “grey tank”. The “black tank” is for pee/poo, it’s 45 gallons; no one goes that often in 7 days! We’ve gone a few days without sewer hook ups so far, but 7 would have really challenged us. (for the sinks/shower tank, not the poo tank…) We likes our hot showers! Even without this forced conservation, we believe this life style helps us maintain a smaller environmental footprint. No dishwasher, wash machine that uses less water than most. Not gonna say how often we shower but without going to work Mon-Fri who needs to shower daily?
Our next stop is Colorado Springs, as soon as the snow melts. We can’t wait!!
