We got an early start again this morning. We talked a bit with two couples headed for Alaska. One was on a Harley Ultra Classic, the other a Road Star. Both were pulling trailers with extra stuff piled on top. (Sheesh.)

The first 100 miles were overcast and cool. We put on extra layers in Ft. Laramie, WY. There was Remington-like statue by the side of the road.

Across the road was an emu farm. Guess that’s what the cowboys are raising these days.

Just after we got on I-25 North, it started to rain and hail. We rode in this for about two miles and were able to pull off into a rest area. We waited out the worst of it and continued north. A helpful driver in the rest area warned of slush on the road north of Casper, but it was long gone by the time we got there.

The weather improved all day and the temperature rose into the low 70s. This high plains area just east of the mountains is an impressive whole lot of nothing but rolling grassland and mountains in the distance. There were very few cars on the road, so we enjoyed the time. Unfortunately there were no scenic pull-offs, so we didn’t take any pictures. Maybe we’ll have some photo opportunities tomorrow when we attempt to do the Bear Tooth Highway.

We settled in to a Super-8 in Billings, MT, and had dinner nearby. Fireworks are 10 miles west of town. We could get there easily, but are wary of getting out of the site and finding our way back late. And, of course, there are some very black clouds in that direction. I’m beginning to detect a theme of weather patterns up here this week. I’m thinking the convention should have been in Elko, NV, where there wouldn’t be a problem with rain, hail, and slush on the roads.

We traveled about 10 hours and covered 474 miles.

The Map.