Bicycling Montana, Wyoming,
Colorado and New Mexico - 2006

Riverton to Rawlings, WY

June 17, 2006
Distance 127 Miles Biked 0.6 miles
Climbing Elevation: N/A feet

We ran into a small problem last night. We were unable to contact the only motel in Jeffrey City. When we called the only phone number that we knew about (listed on the Adventure Cycling Association Map) we learned that the phone number was no longer in service. So we called U-Haul and we were able to reserve a 10 foot van that we picked up in the morning. We had to pick up this U-Haul van between 7:00 and 9:00 AM. At 7:45 this morning we rented this U-Haul Van, loaded our bicycle, went back to the motel ate breakfast and loaded the rest of our stuff and headed for Rawlings. We could not take a chance that the motel in Jeffrey City, WY was open and had a vacancy because if the motel no longer existed, we would be forced to ride our bicycle almost 125 miles in one day. We are just too old to ride that far in one day.

We saw many oil wells along the way and for a long time we could see this interesting rock formation. When we got closer we found out that it is called Split Rock and was used as a marker, for Indians, trappers, and people following the Oregon Trail.

When we arrived in Rawlings, we stopped and toured the old Wyoming penitentiary. Construction was started in 1888 and the first prisoners arrived in 1901. The last prisoners used this prison in 1989. It was an interesting tour. We visited 3 cell blocks, the kitchen, dining room, showers, and solitary cells, the exercise yard, death row and the gas chamber and the hanging station (done by water). 14 people were executed in this prison, but many more died from other causes.

We found a t motel next door to the service station where we needed to return the U-Haul. Good news a grocery was near by and the motel room came with microwave and refrigerator. So we want to the store and cooked in our room. It was great not to have to eat restaurant food again. As we sit in our room we can hear the wind howling over 24 miles per hour, so glad we are in and not fighting the wind like we have the last several days.