I pushed hard today to get out of the Basin and into Rawlins, WY, with enough time to do some chores in town. It was a 55-mile dry stretch, but much of it was paved and fast. I did hit one speed bump. A rock-hard cow pie in the middle of the road caught me off guard and sent me flying. I came down hard on the pavement and lay there for a minute before testing my appendages.

I can thank the biting flies today for helping me achieve my ten fastest miles. They were relentless, swarming me like a piece of rotting meat, and could fly faster than I could ride. The only distraction I had from the flies was when the helicopters flew over with buckets of water to dump on the fire.

I arrived in Rawlins around 3:15, delirious, dehydrated, and hungry. I took care of the hunger first. I felt too tired to move on, but virtually every motel here is booked full tonight. I worked my way further and further from the grocery store, eventually finding a spot at a private campground. It’s cheap, and there’s good company – thanks, Gypsy for the hot dogs and salad! I’m cringing at the thought of having to backtrack 2 miles to resupply at the grocery store tomorrow.

Oh yeah, I crossed the halfway point yesterday or today. Woo hoo!