Day 31: July 6, 2021 More Wyoming Comment via blog

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A promising spot for breakfast in Greybull turned out to be closed but just down the road in Basin, WY, the Copper Corner Cafe was open and waiting for me. I initially sat on the short leg of the 'L' shaped counter but moved when a grandmotherly lady started setting freshly baked pies in front of me to cool. No one said anything to me, but I figured they really wouldn't want to serve me over the pies. Plus, I didn't quite trust myself to resist trying to run away with one. I moved to the spot from where the pie picture was taken to order and eat my breakfast.

It wasn't long until I encountered the first construction zone of the day. I was in a long line of vehicles following a pilot truck when I spotted another long line of vehicles on my right. I flipped on my turn signal and started to pull over when I remembered the pilot truck and decided that would not be a good move. Instead, I just snapped pictures from my window as we drove by. This super long display is roughly ten miles south of Manderson, WY.

This wonderful sculpture was the second thing that caught my eye as I drove into Worland, WY. The Lyndon Fayne Pomeroy sculpture is in Pioneer Square which occupies a downtown corner. The first thing that caught my eye was this sign for a nearby motel. It advertises DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), a type of internet connection. It's not uncommon but I don't recall ever seeing a motel ever advertise it by name.

The first three of these photos are from a gravel section that bypasses Winchester, WY. The second three are from a gravel section that goes through Kirby. I encountered nothing on the Winchester segment that seemed to explain the unusual "ROAD DAMAGE" sign and I followed it to its reconnection with US-20. I did not follow the Kirby section, which looked to be in worse condition, to a reconnection because it was blocked by a "PRIVATE" sign hanging across a bridge.

What I'm guessing is the world's largest advertisement for the World's Largest Mineral Hot Springs is at the Hot Springs State Park at the north edge of Thermopolis, WY. I took my pictures from a roadside overlook but the spring water and the deposits it leaves behind can be approached much closer in the park.

Discover Thermopolis is barely off of US-20 and quite visible when driving the route eastbound. Even though the incredible range of merchandise impressed me when I stepped through the door, I didn't think there would be anything I needed in there. Was I ever wrong! The first thing I found was a much needed SD card for photos that I had been avoiding going into a big box store to buy. I also bought a few bottles of hot sauce (for friends:-) from the wall of bottles Howie, the owner, is standing in front of. At 1800 varieties, it's thought to be the world's largest. Howie is a supporter of Historic Route 20 and it's not just as a roadside business owner. He has driven a number of US Highway end-to-end including 1, 11, 12, and 22.

As I headed out of Thermopolis, it occurred to me that I had not recently performed a brewery check, so I did. A few came up including one that was less than a mile away. Missing that one would have been embarrassing. It was actually behind me meaning I had technically already missed it. Whew! Dodged a bullet there. I turned back to discover that the missed brewery was almost directly across the street from Discover Thermopolis. If I had been paying any attention at all when I exited the shop, I'd have seen it. I'd barely avoided an incredibly embarrassing oversight. With a great sense of relief, I parked and stepped to the door only to find it locked. After a couple of tugs, I finally read the sign. Yep, it was Tuesday. I really don't know whether to score this as a win or a loss so I'll just call it a tie.

South of Thermopolis, the road enters the Wind River Indian Reservation and passes through the scenic Wind River Canyon.

One, two, three tunnels and you're out.

By the time I got to Glenrock, WY, the Thermopolis episode was far enough in the past that I was ready to seek out another brewery that had shown up on my search. The address indicated this brick building but the brewery's name was nowhere to be seen and the business housed there seemed to identify as just about everything but a brewery. I finally stepped inside and asked. After being assured that this was indeed a brewery, I took a seat at the bar, ordered a beer, and saw the sign I'd been looking for. The three letters on the wall clearly identified this as the home of Cowboy State Brewing.

I did drive a little more gravel and am including a couple of pictures primarily to show off the clouds and lawn decorations.

I ended the day in Lusk, WY, at the Covered Wagon Motel. My room was in the quiet corner across from the Tesla chargers. I was able to do laundry here and there is even a resident movie star.

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