Checkout time from the Desert Inn was 11 am and I had no intention of leaving much sooner than that. I slept in, ate, went back to sleep, showered, watched TV, and fell back asleep. It was fantastic! I had decided to splurge on a hotel after three tough days behind me and three tougher ones ahead.
At 11 I left the friendly confines of my room, the last one available the day before, to buy a quick lunch of gas station pizza. I ate it in the parking lot with about a dozen bikers who were returning from Sturgis.
A gate at the edge of town that would close the highway down if the road was too rough in winter was the starting point of the run. Starting out had that same pit in the stomach feeling of jumping off of a cliff. This cliff was 100 miles tall and I wouldn't land until Casper. This would be by far the most desolate 100 miles of the trip thus far.
After about 25 miles in, after stopping every five miles for food, water, and stretching, I got it in my head that I was going to make it to Hiland. The owners of the Silver Sage Saloon in Shoshoni (there's a tongue-twister for ya!) instructed me that I could camp along the highway almost anywhere since it was BLM land. They told me the Natrona-Fremont county line was 32 miles away while Hiland was 41. The prospect of a store being open, despite it being a Sunday evening, sounded a lot better than camping on the barren sides of the road.
There may have been a few self motivational speeches along the way, but the last 16 miles got down. The town with a posted population of 10 was hidden by a hill until the last mile of the run. Seeing the two trees in front of the store in the middle of nothingness was a giant relief. As I stopped at the top of the hill, I was offered a ride into town. I appreciated the gesture but I could make this last mile.
Never have I been so happy on this run to see a store and restaurant open than the Bright Spot. I downed an ice-cream bar and two gatorades before inhaling a bacon cheeseburger all while enjoying the company of four great Wyomians.
At about 9:30 it was time to set up camp behind the four room motel. The moon was almost full and bright as it had been all trip. It was refreshing to camp out with a clear sky for the first time in what feels like forever.
The most beautiful sight of the Wyoming flats
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