Day 67 - Torrington to Guernsey - Two Far 2021 - Sooo... Far

June 14, 2021

Day 67 - Torrington to Guernsey

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We actually left the hotel this morning at 7:20 to try and beat the heat. After a long visit to Ft. Laramie, we didn't get here until around 1:15. It was over 90 by then. The hotel manager here in Guernsey was not very nice and apparently never lets anyone check in before 3:00. We've never had that happen before. We had some lunch, then sat with our laptops in their breakfast room until the magic hour arrived. I was pretty unhappy that she lied and told us rooms weren't ready, when it was obvious no one was still cleaning rooms. Cobblestone will hear about it. Enforce your strictest policies if you must, but don't be dishonest. End of rant.

Upon leaving Torrington this morning we were passed by several BNSF unit trains hauling empties back to the Wyoming coal fields. It is suprising how long it takes for a 1 to 2 mile long train to pass you when you're doing 15-16 MPH (we had a great tailwind again) and its only doing about 20 MPH. It was fun to watch, but our conversations came to a halt because of the noise.

Kerry correctly identified this crop as alfalfa.

Our first break of the day was in Lingle, about 10 miles from Torrington. Previously, I mentioned that Kerry had planned to visit the Gering Bakery but didn't make it. At Ty's Pitstop, he got his chance, as the bakery delivers fresh pastries to Ty's daily. We shared a very large apple fritter and it was delicious!

Lingle has a nice city park with a bandstand

The most interesting thing we saw today was the old iron bridge across the North Platte River near Ft. Laramie.

Kerry here... A look at the underside. I was suprised how small the metal support towers were.

A cottonwood tree near the bridge. We have been seeing cottonballs for several days now and they get into everything on the bike when we stop.

Our visit to Ft. Laramie was less than exciting. There were a few restored buildings, mostly either officer housing or enlisted barracks. There wasn't much that showed the military history or the interactions with the Native Americans the fort was build to control. There was a Visitors Center with written information, but very few artifacts.

Kerry again... I was suprised how large an area the fort covered. The buildings were well spread out and in the open. The central quadrangle appeared to be several acres in size. It was nothing at all like the palisade forts that Hollywood usually depicts.

A partial view of one side of the quadrangle

On the way to the Ft. Laramie Historic Site we passed this crude-oil loading facility. The facility can load 2 unit trains simultaneously with a capacity of 80,000 barrels per day. If you zoom in on today's map, you can see the triple loop siding that holds the trains.

There was a rest stop with historical markers less than three miles from the hotel. Kerry wanted to stop and read everything.

After five hours in the sun, this shade was much more inviting to me than walking around reading about Guernsey and the North Platte River.

Today's ride: 40 miles (64 km)
Total: 2,594 miles (4,175 km)

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