The strange people you meet in a laundromat

So I was looking at the map the other day, planning our route east. I saw that Lovell, Wyoming has a free campground in town with a 3 day stay limit and I figured that might be a good spot to ride out the American 4th of July long weekend.

With that in mind, I started to look for things to do in the area. We had been through these parts back in April of 2016 but we were on a mission at the time and so we didn't stop to see anything along the way. This time, we are in no real rush.

I noticed a recreation area that straddles the Wyoming Montana border called Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area that is run by the National Park Service. And the more I looked into it, the more I realized what fantastic looking scenery it has! And apparently it's relatively unpopular, for whatever reason. The pictures look fantastic, and we can't wait to show you some of our own when we head over there tomorrow.

We headed onto the road early again yesterday. Not a far drive from Red Lodge, MT to Lovell, WY...

Yesterday's drive 74 miles (118 kms).

First, we had to make our way out of the trailhead parking lot.

Yikes. Poor Sherman sure puts up with a lot from us!

We drove by the site of the Smith Mine Disaster near Bear Creek.

Back in 1943 there was a methane gas explosion in the underground coal mine. There were 77 men working in the mine that day, and only 3 got out alive. The mine was never re-opened.

Scenery along the way.

As we came into the town of Cowley, there was a big speed limit sign that we both couldn't help but notice. It said that it was 25 mph in the residential areas of town, but 30 mph on the main road through town.

So, we're doing our 30 mph through town and as we get through the other end of town I'm not thinking about it any more. And there's a gradual downhill section after that, but you're still not really outside the town limits.

We see a cop up ahead on the opposite side of the road and he puts his rooftop lights on. As soon as he did, I looked at the speedometer and I was doing 35 mph! I hit the brakes right away and he turned his lights off, knowing that I had got the hint! For a quick second there I thought I might get a speeding ticket, but we smiled and waved at each other as we drove by and nothing came of it.

Main drag in Lovell, Wyoming.

We pulled in to the free campground in Lovell, and we both then realized that we had been here before. In April 2016 for one night on our way up to Cabri Park.

Yes, the sign says "Closed" but only because the washroom and shower building is closed.

The other campers here had checked with local officials and we were okay to stay here if we are self contained.

There are only about 8 sites and half of them were taken. We put our little table on one site with a sign saying "Campsite Occupied" and drove back into town to the laundromat. Got our things ready and I helped Ruth carry them inside.

There was a couple in there with their 3 kids. (The term "redneck" came to mind!) There were about a dozen standard sized machines but it looked like they were all being used. But there was nobody else around but this family. We started looking in the machines and they were all full, and they had all finished the wash. They just needed to be emptied. So, while we're checking the machines, this family just sat there. I asked the guy where everybody was who owned the clothes, and he says "oh, they're all ours" without making any effort to make a move to get up and empty a couple for us.

Ruth had to ask the lady to empty a couple and eventually (somewhat begrudgingly) the lady instructed the oldest girl to help her.

Very strange. The people you meet in a laundromat!

Got the laundry done and then headed back to the campground. Our table was still there, but there were a few more people around.

Set up in Lovell, WY.

We actually put out the chairs and the BBQ!

It's a little crowded, but everybody seems really quiet.

Nice clean dump station with potable water.

We walked over to the visitors center for the Bighorn Canyon. It's still closed due to COVID but they had an outdoor stand set up with pamphlets and maps. We spoke to the ranger there about some things to see, and now we're really looking forward to our visit, but we won't go until Saturday morning.

The campground was full by evening, but considering there are no hookups at this campground we were really surprised that not a single person used a generator last night!

We are at lower altitude now (3,800') and it's noticeable warmer. Sunny with a forecast high of 90F (32C) and a low of 60F (15C).

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