Today, after our morning camp, making coffee, and playing fetch with the dog, we meandered down to Laramie and spent a few hours doing some shopping and making yesterday's blog post on the Univ. of Wyoming's free guest wi-fi. I found a lovely food co-op and got some grass fed beef and some heart for the dog along with a lovely salad mix that included nasturtium blossoms. I fixed some of it with sardines and blue cheese for lunch.
One thing that I don't like is the amount of daylight my "night" shades let in. I think The Arleth could do with some new blackout shades. Maybe a thin cellular type lined with mylar to really keep out light.
By the time I finished, it was 3pm. I took US30/287 north out of Laramie of the high 7000 ft valley, then northeast WY-34 over the Laramie mountains and down, down to the high prairie at about 4500-5000 ft elevation. There was a long construction portion that I had to wait for over a half hour to be led along a rough dirt road. I25 to US 18/20 to Lusk ended the day at 8pm. This part of Wyoming is all high dry prairie with buttes in places except for the North Platte river valley. I had to go slower because of very high winds in places. This is eastern Wyoming, after all.
The rest stop outside of Lusk is posted no overnight parking (booo!) so I drove around the town in search of a suitable place to park for the night. Near a motel with unsecured wi-fi is a tiny campground that I decided would be ok for $25. I get electricity and an adequate shower for that. Unfortunately, some motorcyclists pulled in and are camping behind me. They are nice enough but are heavy smokers so I have to close my windows and can't enjoy the cool night air. The downside of civilization is obnoxious habits of others that are not kept to themselves. They have two small yappy dogs that sit tethered to a seat behind the driver. This is the first time I've camped in an actual park with hookups.
I got a little hungry so I fried some Halloumi cheese I brought from home. It makes a good snack. My smoke alarm kept going off so I pulled it down and took out the battery. At least I know it works.
The area around Lusk provides no opportunities that I could see for boondocking. It is all open treeless grassland. Tomorrow will be US85 north and on to Devils Tower.
Route: WY230 to Laramie, WY –
US287N – WY34 over Morton Pass (7301') – I25N – US18/20E to
Lusk, WY
Talk about Lusk, we stopped there to refuel on our way from Cheyenne to Wind Cave NP in our recent trip. Yes, the high wind was incredible. At the aforementioned NP, we enjoyed our stay in its Elk Mountain Campground ($10/night).
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned getting ice earlier. Did that mean you have not replaced the refer? Since our last exchange on this subject, I researched 12VDC refers, and found that they indeed ran on very little power. Our propane refer still performs, but if it quits, I would switch to the 12V compressor type.
NWB
Thanks for the tip on Wind Cave as I plan on seeing it too. No, I have no refer. Making do with ice chests. I really, really want a refer! and will probably get the 12vdc. Not having to be level is a huge advantage.
ReplyDeleteBoo to Lusk!
ReplyDeleteHey, what is this I'm reading about 12v refrigerators? Ours is still plugging, so we're not replacing yet, but I've never heard of efficient DC units.
Roxanne
If you stick to the very well insulated 12V refrigerators with the very efficient Danfoss compressor you can get good refrigeration at 3-5 amp hours. But the compressor is not on but a fraction of the time so the amps used is much less than 5 amps per hour. Compare that to the 2 or 3 way propane refrigerators on 12V at 18 amp hours. This is the standard technology used on boats. Google marine refrigerator for tons of into on them.
ReplyDelete