When we left Walden it was 34 degrees and we headed into 20 mph winds and freezing rain. We headed north pushing against the wind and getting slapped in the face with freezing rain. A miserable day for riding but we had already taken two days off in Walden because of the weather.
The best part of the day was when the road briefly turned west and the wind was at our back. The second best part: we reached Wyoming!
Before reaching Wyoming we passed through Cowdrey. There's nothing but a post office there. It's only open two hours a day but has a front room that was open. We warmed up in there briefly before continuing on.
The landscape is a valley between mountains on the east and west. It is pretty much all ranch land, covered in snow.
When we reached six mile gap. We were happy because we were pretty cold and anxious to crawl in the tent to get warm. However, the campground is 2 miles up hill from the main road. This road is not paved, it's not even gravel. It is a dirt road that in current conditions was a mud road. We couldn't ride on it, our bikes are too heavy. We had to push them the final two miles.
We found one of the sites that wasn't buried under snow and fought the wind to set up camp. We ate and went to bed before dark.
The wind and the cold are relentless. This week is supposed to bring warmer temperatures and I'm very excited for that.
The next morning the tent was being pelted with freezing rain. We opened our eyes and said eff that, rolled over and went back to bed. Around one the clouds broke and for the first time in a week we saw the sun. An hour later the wind stopped. It was a glorious feeling and a complete mood changer. We probably could have gotten some riding in but had already decided to take the day off. We collected water from the Platte River, made some dinner, played cards and went to bed. Looking forward to finally riding under a clear sky tomorrow.