20 June 2023
Baker, MT to Sundance, WY
We got together at ten for our briefing which indicated storms initiating in northeastern Wyoming in the Gillette area. We weren’t far from the area, so we took our time driving south, and on the way, dropped into Medicine Rocks State Park which I had visited last year.
I walked around and got some pics of the others around the rocks. And of course, we tossed around the football.
We had lunch in Ekalaka and then visited the museum before we headed into Wyoming.
We stopped at the Devil’s Tower Trading Post.
I got a black toque with a green alien on the front just like the one I got in Roswell.
From here, we drove to Gillette and waited while the storms initiated. At one point, we could see a storm that was, believe or not, over a hundred and fifty miles to the east in Nebraska.
Bill was wondering if we should have been there, but that storm fizzled.
We found a spot on a road with a great view of the surrounding grasslands. A storm on the horizon was spitting out a lot of lightning.
The photo tour group showed up as well.
We stayed there for a half hour or more and loaded up just as the rain hit us.
Then a local came tearing up the road and had a nice long animated conversation with the lead van while it was pouring out.
He must have been soaked to the bone by the time he *waved* goodbye. Apparently, he was upset we were on his land, but the map indicated the road was public.
The rain kept up with us as we got to Gillette and headed east. The storm stayed to our right and when we got a break in the rain, I was able to get some lightning shots from a moving van.
Once we got into Moorhouse, the rain was very heavy. Bill had booked rooms in Sundance, about an hour to the east.
As we drove, the lightning was quite close and one struck very close. At the same instant, the windshield wiper on the driver’s side detached and disappeared into the darkness.
The rain was so heavy, the driver didn’t have much of a problem seeing the road and the reflective posts. The squeaking from the wiper arm was grating on our nerves, so we pulled over and they wrapped it in a cloth.
It did a great job and our adventurous drive ended in Sundance by 10:30 and the Bear Lodge Hotel.
Luckily, they had courtyard parking and we could park under the entrance to get out without getting soaked.
Bill Reid’s entry for 20 June.
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