Day 4, Tues, Sept 21, 2004
Laramie, WY to North Platte, NE
285 miles

I woke up this morning to what sounded like rain on my tent but was actually snow.

There was 3 inches of snow on my seat. I called my boyfriend for a forecast and all he could tell me was that the snow should only last to Cheyenne, WY before turning into rain (which would last pretty much across Nebraska). He also told me that it shouldn't be cold enough for the rain/snow to stick on the ground and freeze. My only traction problem SHOULD be the wet road, not ice.

This was not a day for scenic routes. I wanted to get across the state and out of the snow/rain as fast as possible. I managed to get my bike out of its parking spot by edging across 15 feet of wet snowy gravel. I filled the gas tank and then got on I80.

That lasted all of one exit. My face shield fogged up so badly that i couldn't see anything and the exterior was caking with snow. I pulled off and found a motel6 and sat in the lobby shaking while i called my boyfriend again to discuss the situation.

He suggested smearing some dish soap on the inside of the shield. I was very shaken, certain that I was stuck in Laramie for the next few days and wondering if the trip was doomed.

After I put down the phone, I looked through my tank bag and found the anti-fog spray that I always carry to clean bugs off the shield. I sprayed my visor inside and out, hooked up my vest, and carefully got back on the interstate.

It was 44 memorable miles to Cheyenne. I stopped three times on the side of the road to respray my shield and clear the ice buildup that my glove squeegee was no longer getting.

The pass between Laramie and Cheyenne is actually the highest point on I80. At the top of the pass is a bust of Abraham Lincoln. I saw snow swirling around Lincoln’s head for the 3rd straight time (I had done an I80 car trip back in winter 2001).

I knew i was finally getting out of it when the snow turned to rain a few miles from Cheyenne. I got off the freeway and found a Lyon’s restaurant to have breakfast and warm up. I drank almost a whole carafe of decaf coffee. A few people stopped to talk to me in the restaurant. I think it was obvious to them that I was pretty shaken.

I called my boyfriend again to give him a status and found that it was about 220 miles to North Platte, NE on I80. Normally that would have been a ridiculously low mileage day for me. On this day, with pouring rain and the snow experience of the morning, it was just on the edge of manageable.

It rained the whole way. My waterproof gloves got saturated and failed. I don't think my boots were ever officially waterproof. My hands and toes were cold. I was very glad for my Widder vest. I finally made it to North Platte and got a motel room. I CRANKED the heat that night.