After nearly 6 months, I took to the road with moderate apprehension. I’m always “a bit on edge” when I start to break down my 5er (fifth wheel) after a winter in the mountains as you never know if any system is going to act up. And…. of course, with this virus everywhere, I was concerned about it as well.
As I shared in Part 1 of my journey, the biggest issue I encountered with my trailer was a “LCI Error” (Lippert control panel error) for my electric landing gear. It disabled my remote and forced me to use the panel in the storage compartment to raise and lower the legs. I linked to a helpful video in my earlier post that shows how to clear that error. How these things develop are beyond me, but I write it off to the fact that “it’s just Lippert, oh well.”
In addition to the minor mechanical glitch, of course I made my journey while Idaho was on lockdown and things in Wyoming were pretty strange as well. I did secure the “blessing” of the local Sheriff’s office before breaking camp in Victor, and ensured there was an open campground upon my arrival in eastern Wyoming.
My RV journey today starts in Rawlins and ended in eastern Wyoming.
As you saw in the video above, I started out late morning and it was STILL the 2nd coldest start I’d ever done – temperatures hovered in the high teens as I tried to fill the fresh water tank, connect to the truck, store the landing gear, and secure everything inside.
I thanked the Red Rose campground for their hospitality and then took to the open road. As you saw in my first segment in the video, traffic was nil and remained so throughout my nearly 200 mile journey.
My fuel tank was full so I literally drove the entire stretch without needing any services. A couple of food bars was all I needed to keep ME fueled up for a few hours and nearly 200 mile drive.
Crossing the high plains – semi desert
From Rawlins, east to Medicine Bow, Wyoming, the terrain is relatively flat and you’re at an elevation of about 6500 ft. This region is actually a high desert. The light coating of snow in my video gives the impression of moisture, but in fact, its water content is minimal. The snow appeared stable thanks to a cloud cover and temperatures remaining near or below 20F – despite the fact that it is mid-day in the middle of April!
This is a stretch I’m actually quite familiar with as Saratoga and Saratoga Lake are just east of Rawlins. Saratoga is literally world famous for its hot springs – I’ve been there several times for a week (or two) of soaking. Currently – the hot springs are closed.
Click the image above to see my recommendations for important RV Accessories
The Laramie Mountains
East of Medicine Bow, you climb and enter a spectacular region – the Laramie Mountains. The route I took (Wyoming 34) does not pass near the Laramie Mountains highest peaks which reach up to 11,000 ft. My travel through these mountains took me over Morton Pass (7175 ft) and the region appeared to have peaks reaching to about 8500 ft. as I headed northeast towards Wheatland.
After a relatively brief time, the relief of the land becomes flatter and there’s a gradual decline to Interstate 25 which is about 4700 ft. above sea level near Wheatland. Wheatland is a small (population around 3000) farming town and near my final destination of Guernsey. Guernsey is a town of about 1100 located at 4300 ft. above sea level.
When I arrived in Guernsey, I set up camp (it was just over freezing!) and it is here I’m staying until I have greater clarity on where things are heading with this virus. I do have some “increasingly clear” thoughts on health in general and will share them in a future post (soon.)
RV Life for the Lifestyle & For SAFE TRAVEL…
****A quick message… RV’s are becoming a SAFE way of traveling – knowing where your OWN bed is; your own bathroom; your own food and kitchen… In short your camper can be your “SAFE ZONE” If you’re looking to purchase a camper (motorhome or trailer) – please know I offer a Concierge RV Buying (and Selling) Service – designed to help you get the RIGHT camper for your needs at the BEST possible price. Details can be found HERE. ****
The campground I’m staying at is adjacent to a waterway and a golf course. The people are friendly and I’ve found great places to bike and kayak (more on this soon) along with a couple additional pleasant surprises.
As always, THANKS for reading. Feel free to leave comments below AND if you want to be notified of the next step in my journey, please sign up for my newsletter below…
Metropolis of Medicine Bow … lol // georgeousride Alan, i enjoyed your great vieeo again
Thanks Marius!
Show us a picture of your camper and tell us why You chose it
I’ll do better – I’ve written two articles that detail what I got and why – https://rvacrossamerica.net/outdoors-rv-glacier-peak-4season-5thwheel/ Remember, I’m available via my Concierge RV Buying Service (http://rvAcrossAmerica.net/buysell) to help you get a camper for yourselves. Al
I’m not surprised at the cold and snow in Wyoming mid-April. One year it snowed so much the second week of May that ALL roads into and out of Laramie were closed down. The University had to open up the dorms again so those of us after finishing our final exams had a place to stay. The roads opened up again the next afternoon but there was still the problem of blowing snow across the roads on my way back to Casper. Sigh… gotta love Wyoming!
And I’ve been stranded in Medicine Bow along with a couple of thousand other students on the way back to Laramie over Easter break. They finally opened up the roads again around midnight, but I waited a couple of hours to hit the road because all those students had “tanked up” during the stranding and I didn’t want to be on the road with a bunch of drunk people all around me!
Kathy,
Yep, I’ve seen snow in Casper right thru Memorial Day and it has been known to snow in June & July as well! (It can also be 98F) Al
Thank you for sharing Alan. Stay safe.
thanks!
Good morning Al, I enjoyed your trip this morning. We’ve not traveled since our Halloween trip to Cape Disappointment, having to cancel four trips due to the virus. We’re hoping ORV is still having their annual Wallowa campout, as we are there for a week. it was weird to see downtown Rawlings looking so deserted. Until next time. Blessed travels, Melanie
Melanie,
Yep, surreal is probably one of the best descriptors; as to ORV and their Wallowa camp – time will tell. Frankly, its EASY when rv camping to maintain social distancing.
Al