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Last night, I dreamt of zombies and escaped by figuring out how to ‘coast’ on the unicycle. I zoomed down the mountain to safety but woke up to the real world. It was awesome while it lasted.

I had hoped for a relaxing day doing chores and planning. I tried to sleep in, then went to do laundry. Walking down the street, I noticed how hazy it was; I could barely see the mountains in the distance through the smoke. This spurred me to check the active fire maps. There’s a fire burning 30 miles northeast of Rawlins, my next major stop. I come in from the north/northwest, and winds are blowing to the southwest. Not sure if I should be concerned. While waiting for my laundry, I went down the street to the BLM office to see if they could provide information or advice. While enthusiastic to help, not a whole lot was accomplished.

I picked up my laundry and headed to the saddle shop to procure some real sheepskin for a saddle cover. I found some, dyed orange, and went to work. I was dismayed to discover that the bolt hole for the seat post clamp had stripped out again, which was the same issue I had when leaving Helena.

I headed to the A to Z hardware store to see if they could tap it. They did, and we also ground down part of the clamp so that the next time this happens (I suspect it will be very soon), I can put some nuts on the ends of the bolts and clamp down the seat post.

Armed with a seat that stays in place, I headed over to a campground I’d heard about just three blocks away. I wanted to find out how much it’d cost to stay there in case my part doesn’t arrive early tomorrow. I was excited to find Hannes and Annelies, who have been touring for 3 1/2 years! They started in Europe, headed to South and Central America, and are now following the Great Divide Route. They have about another year left and will finish in New Zealand. They’ll be resting here tomorrow, so if I stay at the campground, I’ll have good company!