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I stay on U . S . Route 191 , following the eastern side of Flaming Gorge over the towering dam and onward .
Somewhat less scenic , but still twisty in spots and with excellent pavement , U . S . 191 winds north into Wyoming , where the land flattens out and the highway eventually merges for a bit with Interstate 80 . I jump off in Rock Springs for both lunch and a quick run through the halls of Western Wyoming Community College . That might not be your normal idea of grand sightseeing , but doing my homework I learned that WWCC has five life-sized dinosaurs on display , including a Tyrannosaurus that watches you eat at the T-Rex Grill .
Fed and informed , I move on , back to U . S . 191 north for another 45 minutes until I turn east on Wyoming Route 28 . If you like solitude , Route 28 will do the job for you — it ’ s 70 miles of quiet with very few turns and even fewer signs of nature other than grassland . There were signs for South Pass City , an 1868 frontier town , but I keep going to join up with U . S . Route 287 and head north to Lander , where I stop for gas and a heat respite , the sun bearing down unrelentingly . Turning right on to Wyoming Route 789 takes me through continuous farm country for about 45 miles until the turn north on U . S . Route 20 . This goes to the east side of Boysen Reservoir and finally to Wind River
Thermopolis , Wyoming , is home to the world ' s largest mineral hot spring .