We both had a great night’s sleep—much needed after the quiet stillness of camp. Gayla was up first, getting Clifford packed up and ready to roll. I followed suit by packing up our Starlink setup. Coffee in hand, we chatted about where the road might take us next and settled on a general direction to head.
Once Clifford had warmed up a bit (it was a brisk 47°F this morning), we pulled out of camp and set our sights on Laramie, Wyoming. Clifford hadn’t had fuel since Day 2 back in Sidney, Nebraska, so he was overdue for a fill-up. Gayla had her eye on the Wyoming Territorial Prison gift shop—she wanted to pick up another handmade broom, and that made for a fun little stop.
We pointed Clifford north out of Laramie along Highway 30. The drive took us through the tiny towns of Rock River and Medicine Bow, Wyoming. I expected Medicine Bow to be bigger, but the population sign said just 245. A quiet dot on the map.
Eventually, we had to hop on I-80 westbound for a short 15-mile stretch. Just before we reached Sinclair, WY, we stopped at a rest area to walk the dogs and stretch our legs. The break was welcome.
From Sinclair, we turned north onto a very bumpy highway—33 mph was about as fast as I was willing to push it. The road—Seminoe Road—led us out into a beautiful stretch of remote BLM land at the Dugway Recreation Site, right along the North Platte River.
Dugway Recreation Site Coordinates: 42.1956° N, 107.0303° W
There are only five campsites here, and every one of them was empty when we arrived. It’s free camping and the vault toilet was impressively clean. That’s always a pleasant surprise. The sites themselves were mostly level, though there’s not much shade to speak of.
Gayla made us a quick lunch while prepping for her 1:15 PM video call. With no cell signal at all (we only had SOS coverage), I rushed to set up Starlink so she could connect.
While she was on her call, I got my HF radio station set up and activated the POTA park US-10857.
POTA Park US-10857 Coordinates: 42.1950° N, 107.0300° W
(Approximate location near our campsite)
I was able to make 19 contacts, but it was definitely a bit of a grind to get them in this location.
Later, Gayla hinted that it was my turn to handle dinner, so I whipped up some steak tacos—topped with fresh guacamole and shredded Colby Jack. Not too shabby.
We spent the early evening outside reflecting on the day. The mosquitoes weren’t too bad, which made it a nice way to unwind before sunset.
Stats for the day:
139.79 miles driven today
1,139.99 miles total trip distance
Campsite GPS: 42.1956° N, 107.0303° W
