Day 43 - July 27 - Buffalo Bill State Park WY to Gillette WY

Day 43 - July 27 - Buffalo Bill State Park WY to Gillette WY

Still heading East, we travelled through miles and miles of rolling hills, some with trees, some without. The sky is so big out here we can watch the weather in any direction and see rain, threats of rain, sunny skies, and everything in between. On our way out of WY we decided to pass through the Big Horn National Park. Initially, we climbed through steep mountain passes with expansive drop-offs. We wound our way for what was 60 miles of up, down, round, and round mountain roads - all spectacular to look at. 

Chris assumed her usual 30 degree posture until we made it through the 9,000 foot-plus summit. The descent was longer and more gradual. On our way down we passed through some terrific weather. We could see the massive dark clouds and the large field of rain to the north. And sure

enough, we ended up in a terrific rainstorm that quickly turned into a pea-sized hailstorm. Keith pulled onto a side road, because we couldn't see where we were going, and we watched the hail cover the road and ground with a generous portion of ice. Once the storm passed, we gingerly made our way on the road. There were stretches where the road looked like it was covered with snow, but it was really hail. 

During the storm the temperature dropped from 86 degrees to 44 degrees. We were more than grateful for making it down the mountains. In all of that, we did not see one Big Horn Sheep.

We had lunch at Taco John's (which is similar to Taco Bell, but much better. Too bad there isn't a franchise in Michigan. You'd have to go to almost any other state to samples their menu. It's "West Mex" cuisine.)

We stopped for the night at a Roadway Inn at Gillette WY, and went to 5 PM Mass at Sacred Heart Church.