Wyoming

(Lusk, WY) Hi 82  Lo 58 -- We went through our hitch-up routine earlier than usual this morning. We noticed some black substance on one of our wheels when we arrived here last week, so Jim made an appointment to have it checked on our way out of town this morning.


We arrived at Godfrey's Brake Service and Supply in Rapid City around 8:30.


Brett, the service manager, greeted us and got one of his guys right on it. We left our home in their hands and went in my car for some breakfast. Brett recommended the Cambell Street Café right around the corner. It’s a popular place and was really full. The food was excellent. When we got back to Godfrey's Brett assured us that nothing is wrong with our wheel. He said it was just a little axle grease that bled out of the fitting due to the hot weather. He said it happens usually when someone "overgreases" the fitting. They checked the condition of the other three wheels and found everything to be ok. That was a relief!
We left in good time and had a smooth three-hour trip to Lusk, Wyoming. The terrain changed a couple times during the 150-mile trip. I’m amazed how different the terrain can get and how quickly it can change. It’s sure not like back in the eastern part of the country. (Click on the pictures to make them larger.)

There was flat land.


Strange looking trees.


A lot of snow fences.


Some buttes.


This looks like a Devils Tower wannabe.


We arrived at B.J.’s Campground in downtown Lusk. It’s a small park, with only a few sites. The owners, Linda and Gary, are wonderful and explained a lot about the area.

Here's our site. Nice covered picnic table!


The office, viewed from our site.


The town is having their Rawhide Pageant this weekend. It's an annual event to celebrate the history of Lusk. Part of the celebration is a parade, which came right by our campground. We got out our folding chairs and enjoyed the parade.

There were lots of horses.


A couple of covered wagons.




This wagon was pulled by some huge bulls.


A bunch of indians on horseback whooped and hollered right through the RV park. That's Tumbleweed in the background on the left.


And there were some classic muscle cars. We included this one for our son Frank; a Petty blue early 70's Plymouth Roadrunner.


It didn’t last long but it was kinda neat seeing all the horses. I made dinner and then we settled down for the evening to watch the NASCAR race from Daytona.
I'm very curious about the winters in this part of the country. Gary, one of the owners of the park, said they get an average of 55 inches of snow. He and his wife live in a mobile home and they sometimes get shut in for two months. It seldom reaches 32 degrees during the winter. They have to stock up on food, and the local grocery store only has the essentials. So they go to the nearest Walmart, which is 85 miles away, a couple of times a month to make sure they have enough food for when they're shut in. We love learning about life in these small towns that seem so isolated from the rest of civilizations. We wouldn't want to live here, but it sure is fun to visit.