The 8640 ft summit has a very nice visitors center/rest stop and we stopped there for lunch. After lunch in the RV we looked around the visitors center and were pleasantly surprised on how well it was done and all the information they had about the history of Wyoming and all the things there are to do here if you go looking for them. There is also an impressive statue of President Lincoln, commemorating the highest point on the old coast-to-coast Lincoln Highway (US Highway 30). We spent some time there then continued west.
As we drove on , the wind picked up and we experienced pretty good quartering head winds the rest of the 150 miles to Rawlins, WY, our stop for the night. This section of I-80 is is all high plains Wyoming desolation. We saw a few cows, horses and antelopes and that was about it. The speed limit there is 80 mph but we could only do about 65 mph due to the wind. The truckers and fast moving autos however didn't seem to have a problem and continued to zoom by. When we arrived at the RV park in Rawlins about 4:00 pm I remarked to one of the park staff how windy it was. He said today was mild compared to two days ago when 65 mph winds were flipping big rigs and I-80 was closed to high profile vehicles. I am not sure, but I think the Native American translation of Wyoming is "Big Wind".
Anyway, we are here for the night, the wind is still blowing and we had dinner in the RV. We are going to try and get an earlier start for Salt Lake City tomorrow and maybe get out of the Rockies before the wind gets too bad. Right now the forecast looks good for clear skies and light winds, but we'll see.
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