Buffalo, WY - Fort Collins, CO Motorcycling

Typical view along 460 km on I-25 Highway between Buffalo, WY and Cheyenne, WY.

15. After our Helena-Buffalo trip yesterday, we rode from Buffalo, WY to Fort Collins, CO on Tuesday, June 21. Total distance is 540 km and the gasoline cost is under $20. It was quite tiring because of the hot weather, but I learned to adjust to the hot weather by having my jacket's ventillation zippers wide open and drinking enough water throughout the ride.

16. The first stage was from Buffalo to Casper, WY. The 180-km stage felt the most lonely stretch so far. There were very few vehicles. There was no service whatsoever along the road until we arrived in Casper, a bustling city that felt like coming out of nowhere after the nothingness I felt to get there. We had juices and salad to fight the hot weather.

17. The 280-km second stage between Casper and Cheyenne, WY turned out to be the same. There was one service stop in Wheatland, about 180 km from Casper. I ended up riding the 280-km stage without stopping. The fuel indicator showed a reserve status for the last 50 km before arriving in Cheyenne. We stopped at the Exxon gas station just off I-25. The restaurant at the gas station has a very good taco salad. We enjoyed our stop after a long ride.

18. I learned to drink water from the Camelbak my wife carried using the Camelbak tube while riding. It requires coordinated steps to have the tube inserted through my helmet safely. The procedure reminds me of the aerial refueling of a fighter plane by a KC-135, except for our riding the KC-135 would be behind the fighter plane. It would've been very tiring, and I would possibly be dehydrated if I didn't drink water at all. The temperature rose to 41 degree C.

19. The third stage between Cheyenne and Fort Collins, CO (Colorado) was a brief 70 km. The wind subsided once we reached Colorado. In retrospect, the I-25 within Wyoming helps train a riding nerve: the 460-km stretch between Buffalo and Cheyenne was the most desolate highway stretch between Calgary and Fort Collins.

20. We were fortunate to meet a fellow traveller in the gas station who has ridden across the US and gave us a tip to ride through Beartooth Pass in Wyoming when we return to Calgary. I'd keep that route in mind since we seemed to have enough of the big prairie landscape in Montana and Wyoming.

Delicious taco salad at the truck stop in Cheyenne.