I didn’t sleep as well last night as I did my first two nights at the hostel. I was a little too warm and, of course, I was achey (and forgot to take some Advil before bed). Still, it wasn’t a bad night compared to my normal and I was up around 6:45 — a full hour later than I’ve been getting up. It was wet and miserable out. I just packed the truck, checked out, and went to McDonald’s for coffee (fantastic!) and to do some online stuff, including firming up my route for today. I decided to head for Rock Springs, Wyoming, as that was roughly the halfway point to Cody. I would do a blip through northwestern Colorado, return briefly to Utah, and then cross into Wyoming.

Over the course of the day, I climbed to over 8,000 ft of altitude. I was not in any way prepared for snow even though I knew it was coming!

I stopped in Rangely, Colorado, after a particularly long climb and descent, to top up the fuel and get coffee. The Kum & Go had the best fuel price I’d seen since Flagstaff ($2.29ish) and they had hazelnut flavoured coffee, which was such a treat! I usually put in hazelnut creamer, but that’s sweet. With the flavour-infused beans, I get the hazelnut taste without the sweetness. This was a very good day for coffee!

Some time later, I paused in Vernal for lunch and to book my hotel in Rock Springs. I decided that since I would have spent 80USD on the last two nights at the hostel, I was going to spend that at the nicest hotel I could get for that price for one night in Rock Springs. I got a deal on a room at the Quality Inn, which is high end by my standards. I get the room, good WiFi, a full breakfast, and a free cocktail! The room also has a lovely armchair and ottoman. I may never get out of this chair again. 🙂

Coming into Rock Springs was scary since there was black ice under slush on the road! I had to slow to a crawl. Moya has really good quality winter tires, but she really doesn’t handle well in slick conditions. I was really glad to arrive. Vernal had felt too early to stop, but by the time I got to Rock Springs, I was past the point where I would have wanted to quit for the day because of the tough driving conditions the last bit.

For some reason, I actually took pictures today!