Casper to TenSleep

My day began in one of the country’s most haunted cities: Casper, Wyoming (pop: 59,000). It was here I learned a valuable lesson. It’s a variation on the Marianne’s’ Phenomenon, which has come up a few times in this blog over the years. To refresh your memory, you experience the Marianne’s Phenomenon when you mistake unique external conditions for food quality. This happened to me 30 years ago, when I ate at an Italian restaurant named Marianne’s. My wife and I had just taken a long bike ride and I was tired and famished. We sat down to a pasta meal and I was in heaven. “This is the best meal I’ve ever had!” I gushed. The next weekend I insisted we go back to Marianne’s to relive the magic. It sucked. I concluded that my elation at the first meal derived simply from my extreme hunger.

Here’s today’s variation: The motel where I spent the night offered free coffee, which I took with me in the car. It was almost undrinkable–it tasted like the watery and malodorous Folgers my mom used to percolate every morning on the stove. So I drove to the nearest coffee shop to try again, and this time it was the most delicious cup of coffee I’ve ever experienced. Now it’s possible that Copper Cup Coffee legitimately makes great coffee. But I suspect it has more to do with the contrast with earlier coffee. Surely there is an aphorism that neatly captures this? Something like “In the Valley of the Blind the one-eyed man is king.” I realize that one doesn’t exactly suit the circumstances; can someone help?

To be sure, Stanford’s Grub and Pub has many of the things I’ve enjoyed along Route 20: Old cars, streamline moderne architecture, roadside kitch. But it feels too curated, too much like it was designed in a lab by a soulless consulting firm in Greeley Colorado. It just tries to hard. Don’t get me wrong: It’s probably a great place to take the kids. And I’m told they have a great beer selection. It just lacks the sincerity that abounds along the quieter stretches of the route. So I got directly back on Route 20 and headed out of town.

As we discussed yesterday, Wyoming has the least population density of any of the lower 48 states. There just aren’t that many towns, and most of those that I did encounter didn’t have much obvious history or engaging features. That said, the Wyoming landscape is starkly beautiful. Here are a few pictures from today’s drive:

So, that should give you a sense of the stark beauty along my path today. I just don’t have many man-made features to show you.

My goal for the day was Ten Sleep, Wyo (pop: 260). The name comes from Native Americans, who said it’s a ten-day (ten “sleeps”) trek from Fort Laramie. Today it’s a quiet and pleasant town situated on the laconic Ten Sleep Creek.

Now, Ten Sleep is actually about 25 miles off Route 20. I took this detour because I’m meeting three old friends for a short reunion at Chris P’s Western Retreat. They will likely join me for the final leg of this trip along the original Route 20, which runs to the eastern entrance of Yellowstone. That will probably be on Monday. Until then, we’ll be hanging out at the Ten Sleep Brewing Company. If you’re lucky, I might post some dispatches of the ensuing hijinks.

Speaking of brews, it’s time for the…

Brew of the Day

tEven though I spent the evening at the Ten Sleep Brewing Company, the BOTD appropriately comes from a place along Route 20 proper. And that is the One-Eyed Buffalo Brewing Company in Thermopolis (pop: 2,725), which was the largest city on today’s trip. Thermopolis means “hot city” in Greek, in reference to the natural hot springs.

My BOTD was something called the W-Rye-O. It’s a brown ale aged in whiskey cask from Wyoming Whiskey distillers.

I’m a sucker for cask-aged beers of any kind. They generally have more depth and interest than a regular beer. For the W-Rye-O, the cask aging seems to have mellowed the brew. It’s extremely smooth and doesn’t have a lot of carbonation, and the hops are definitely reined it. There’s a distinct tinge of whiskey on the palate, though I wouldn’t say it complements the beer that well. In fact, the two tastes seem to be fighting against each other, akin to brushing your teeth after drinking orange juice. This beer has a slight off-bitterness that tastes like lighter fluid. It’s not enough to ruin the beer, but enough to lose a star. 3 stars.