Wednesday July 10th we left Sunny Meadow Campground and headed west on I-80. We would rather stay off the interstates and stick to the U.S. highways but we needed to make time. I-80 is a great road to travel though because of the many interesting sights along the way. As I mentioned in the last blog this is the route the pioneers traveled west first along the Platte River Road trail which became U.S. 30 then finally I-80.
We passed these sites and others along the way to our next stop in Cheyenne, WY.
It was a long climb on I-80 from Nebraska to Cheyenne, WY. Wyoming is on the high plains and unlike climbing over the Rocky Mountains it is a steady uphill pull the whole way.
We finally made it to the Terry Bison Ranch in Cheyenne where we stayed for 2 days. We picked this campground because it is part of the Passport America system where we get 1/2 price off the rate. At this campground it was only good for one night though but I needed a break from the long trek across the country. Hey, we're old and can't pound the pavement like we use to when we were young.
The Terry Bison Ranch is a tourist trap and cost over $40.00 per night but there is a lot of things for tourists to do. They have a train ride through the buffalo herd, horse back riding, hiking, 2 kids play scape, restaurant, trading post, etc. Everything costs big bucks, however. No free activities for campers.
It was an OK campground but nothing to write home about. While we were here we relaxed, ate out at Arby's, got the car washed, and relaxed some more.
Friday July 12th we hit the road again heading west on I-80 climbing more into the high plains.
I-80 is a very scenic highway and we really enjoyed the trip west.
At the highest point on I-80, 8640 feet, there is the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Monument. Commissioned in 1959, Robert Russin sculpted it to commemorate Lincoln's 150th birthday and completed in in only eleven months..
The monument was located on the original Lincoln Highway. It was relocated in 1969 when I-80 was completed.
View of I-80 looking East from Lincoln's Statue
It was originally on Oct. 31, 1913, that the State of Wyoming officially welcomed the Lincoln Highway at a ceremony in the capital city of Cheyenne. This event was significant at the time because the highway would breach the Rocky Mountains at the Continental Divide, through a natural, 100-mile-wide gap called the Great South Pass. This route was the most direct path for the highway and was used in the 1800s when the covered wagons traveled the Oregon and California trails. Major cities such as Denver, Detroit and Chicago were bypassed by the Lincoln Highway - an event that surprised and angered many living in those cities at the Time.
"L" Marks the Spot. Early on, road markings were painted on existing telegraph and telephone poles. The mile markers featured a blue "L" in the middle of the larger white stripe.
Thank the Boy Scouts. In 1928, the Boy Scouts began installing new style Lincoln Highway markers to identify major crossroads and minor crossings. One per mile was their goal, and the scouts succeeded by installing more than 3,000!
From Names to Numbers. In 1926, the new Federal Highway Administration began giving number designations to federal roads. The Lincoln Highway in Wyoming became U.S. Highway 30. The Lincoln Highway traversed 3,389 miles from coast-to-coast. From Times Square to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Henry B. Joy - president of Packard Motor Company - developed the idea of a transcontinental highway serving as a memorial to Lincoln. In 1913, the Lincoln Highway Association (LHA) was established to promote automobile travel across the country. The "Great American Road Trip" was born.
Even though the LHA disbanded in the late 1920s, the fondness for the Lincoln Highway never died. In the 1990s, the LHA was reorganized to preserve the surviving stretches and sites along the original highway. The monument to the "Father of the Highway," Henry B. Joy, is adjacent to the Lincoln Monument outside the Visitor Center.
On westward. The Lincoln Memorial was a great stop but we had to keep moving west. I wanted to take life slow now that we are in Wyoming so we only drove a little way and stopped at a Flying J in Rawlins, WY. We had a so-so meal at Denny's, which is at the Flying J, and we slept pretty good even though is was a bit noisy with the trucks coming and going.
The next morning Saturday July 13th we made the final push to Lucerne Campground.
Along the way we passed numerous Pronghorn (Antilocapra Americana) along the side of the highway. Wyoming has as many Pronghorn as people. Total population of each? About a Half-million.
The second fastest land animal in the world. (The fastest is the cheetah). Pronghorn can run over 60 miles per hour. Even their young - when just a few days old - can out run a human. Pronghorn can weigh anywhere from 90 to 130 pounds.
We followed I-80 to exit 91 then headed south on WY-530 to the Utah line where we turned onto Lucerne Valley Recreation Road (US Forest Service Road 146) which went to the campground. The campground is in the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area right on the Wyoming/Utah line near Manila, UT.
With our Golden Age Passport card we camp for 1/2 price and the price is already low in a Federal Campground. This site is far superior to any commercial campground we have stayed in and at a fraction of the price. It doesn't get any better than this.
We will be here for 13 days and will be touring around Flaming Gorge and the area. The next blog will cover our travels around the area.
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