Wandered through the very small town of Kelly and cycled about 35 miles slightly uphill through the National Elk Refuge – lots of Pronghorn antelope and not many cars. Road was “all weather gravel” (smooth and free of washboard). The gravel ended and the road turned into a jeep trail which was dirt, then it started rain and within a very short distance my three tires picked up so much mud that they wouldn’t turn. It was only about 3:30pm, but the rain continued so I started hunting around for a place to camp. I found a nice bluff right above the road with a campfire ring and set up my tent, fighting swarms of mosquitoes competing with the flies for the odd patch of skin which I hadn’t covered with my Burt’s Bees Natural Insect Repellent. Then I set about cleaning the mud off my bike in the nearby creek and made a big ass fire to keep me company. Had to hang a bear bag, too.
