Day 41: Meadowlark Lake to Buffalo, WY

July 9, 2023

43 miles

1,397 miles so far

Big Horn Mountains Part 2!

As the forecast was for sunny skies and temperatures in the 80s, we decided to get an early start. We made breakfast in our cabin and hit the road a little after 8am.

We began to climb immediately, as the first 8 miles included another 1,000 feet of elevation and would take us to the summit at Powder River Pass at 9,666 feet. We had read enough blogs to know that the descent would be comprised of ups and downs with an overall downward trend to Buffalo. The next several miles were rolling with essentially no decrease in elevation. The remaining miles consisted of a series of seven steep descents with a 7-8% grade, which were each followed by a climb. The final descent was about four miles with several switchbacks. While the descents were exhilarating and felt great, it was a little treacherous with the volume of RVs, perhaps returning from 4th of July vacations in the mountains. Finally, there was a separate bike path that led us into the town of Buffalo. It was a gentle downward slope so it was nice to just coast. Honestly though, I think I would have rather ridden on the road, as the path had so many cracks and bumps. We felt compelled to ride on it since it was there!

We checked into the historic hotel, The Occidental, which was established in 1880. I love these old hotels - Sharon less so! Our room didn’t have a shower. Instead, we had a clawfoot soaking tub that sat inside a large closet with two doors and drapes….”water closet?” I had read somewhere that The Occidental Hotel is the most haunted hotel in Wyoming. When I woke up the next morning, I must say that I was just a little disappointed that we didn’t experience any “friendly spirits.”

One of the town’s claim to fame is that the fictional western town portrayed in the 23 novel series, Longmire, (also made into a Netflix series) was set in Buffalo. It was also once called “the most lawless town in the nation” and was where the Johnson County War, a battle between cattle barons, homesteaders and small ranchers, took place.

Crossing Powder River Pass