Ending point: Longmont, Co.
Miles: 116
Day 4 was technically a time out in our race to the west. One of our sponsors, Wolfman Motorcycle Luggage, has been extremely helpful to our riders since the day Jim started dreaming up these crazy ideas of using less traveled alternate routes to show the story of America. But with all of the help of donated luggage and support, Jim had never actually met Eric Hougen, the founder of the company. They had talked on the phone plenty of times, so when we found out that we would be traveling near Colorado this summer, Jim decided that it was imperative that we meet up with them in Longmont.
It was a wonderful idea. Eric and his partner, Heidi Stack, were some of the most pleasant people I have ever met. They seemed so excited to finally meet our crew and we spent some time discussing motorcycles and traveling and the Colorado area. Eric also showed us one of his street-legal electric bikes, which was absolutely awesome. The machine was slick, quick and so quiet that he claimed you could sneak up on hikers and scare the living crap out of them. It only reaches about 45 mph, but the power is instant. Both Jim and Greg had the opportunity to take it for a spin through the parking lot, and Jim actually said he was intimidated by its power. We stayed and talked for a while before finally deciding to resume our trip.
However, we decided to just stay the night in Longmont and resume our race on a fresh day.
Starting point: Longmont, Co.
Ending point: Casper, Wy.
Miles: 337
Day 5 followed the concept of the Pony Express and was an opportunity to switch riders. Longmont was like our home station for our trip. Jim allowed our photographer, Joe, to ride his bike. He's riding it all the way across Wyoming. But even though Joe's skills seem limitless, we thought it best to let him ride along only with Greg for a while to get acclimated to the motorcycle. So we split up and decided to meet about 150 miles away at Fort Laramie National Historical Site.
On the way there, we were trying to figure out a way to schedule an interview. Unfortunately with some government-run institutions, like Fort Laramie, press credentials are required. But since we are conducting this project for educational uses, we are usually able to get around it. Regardless, we wanted to find an outside source, a local, that could show us around and share some knowledge of the history with us.
On our way through Wyoming into Colorado the day before, we had met a gentleman at a rest stop named Dave. Jason, our field director, sparked up conversation with him and they exchanged information. Because of Dave's background in the media, Jason figured he might be able to point us in the right direction - and he couldn't have found us a more easy-going, available and knowledgeable contact than Robert Melonuk.
Robert met us at Fort Laramie American Grill where we were able to introduce ourselves and get a little background. Robert has lived in Fort Laramie for most of his life, had a career as a teacher, and even though he is now retired, was once a historian at the site. He agreed to take us to Fort Laramie for a guided tour, so after a cup of coffee and apparently "the best meal of our life", as the diner sign boasted, we headed the three miles to the site.
There, after we passed through the security with our cameras, Robert just let the information flow. He explained Fort Laramie as "the last vestige of civilization" not only for Pony Express riders but for any travelers heading into the Great American Desert that spans the west before the coast. Although Fort Laramie wasn't exactly a Pony Express station, riders found themselves in the fort because of the volume of mail coming and going from the military premises.
Fort Laramie is also home to the oldest building and the oldest post office in Wyoming. Established in 1834, the now 175-year-old site is the oldest continuous settlement in Wyoming, a state of flat lands and bluffs that suffers from the strong weather that is pushed over and down the looming mountains. It began with the fur trade business, was then bought out by the military, became the center for a community (the small town of Fort Laramie itself is home to less than 300 inhabitants). As we toured the site, we could see a storm forming, billowing clouds that darkened over a short period of time and threatened us periodically with strong gusts of chilly wind. It eventually began to rain, and Robert looked at the sky to remind us that we were in the rain just like the Pony Express riders would have been.
Weather, he claimed, was probably the biggest obstacles for riders in this region of the country. The geography of deserts and mountains and the clashes of hot and cold must have been overwhelmingly intimidating to riders who couldn't escape to the safety of a vehicle or hotel. Fort Laramie was a haven to riders traveling eastward and an encouragement to those traveling into the west.
Even more interesting than the information provided by the site, Robert added another connection to the fort. His great-grandfather was actually one of the last civil engineers of Fort Laramie. At the time, Robert explained, the military didn't have very many civil engineers to help with forts and other locations like this one, so his great-grandfather probably played a huge role in helping to shape the community of Fort Laramie. How much he contributed, I am not sure, but the personal connection to the history of this area was a pleasant surprise that added character to Robert's stories and information.
We left the Fort kind of late and did our best to head as far west as possible. We didn't make too many stops and set a goal at Fort Casper in Casper, Wyoming. Unfortunately, we arrived five minutes after the museum closed, so we decided to eat and camp right there. Hopefully we might gain some valuable information from this location before pushing onward.
Tomorrow's goal: Evanston, Wyoming.
Count down: Five days, three hours
