Salt Lake to Little America to Cheyenne

Yesterday we finished loading our rig in preparation for our trip east, then headed to Flying J Truck Stop to top off our propane and weigh the rig.  We wanted to make sure the rig weighed less than the max of 14050 pounds.  It was 12840.  So we hooked up the tow car and were headed east on I-80 by 2:30 p.m.

Our rig's refrigerator runs on propane unless we're using our generator or an electric hook up.  Since there's a possibility of an explosion if the fridge's pilot light comes on near a gas pump, we keep the fridge off at gas stations and had it off when we pulled in to Flying J.  Once on the road, I turned on the fridge. The “check light"  came on, which means there's a problem.  I tried twice more.  Still got the check light.

We stopped at a rest area just past Park City and ran the generator, which usually resolves any fridge problems.  But as soon as the generator went off, the check light came back on. 

Then Jim had a thought:  Is the propane even turned on?  Uh .... no.  At the next rest area we stopped again and turned on the propane.  Problem solved. Hey, we can't think of everything. 

Since we got a late start we drove just 140 miles for a one-night stop at Little America, Wyoming, a huge truck stop where RVs can stay for free and there’s always a line for their 50-cent ice cream cones.  

Our rig and tow car (with kayaks on top) nestled among the semis at Flying J.

Last night's camping spot at Little America, Wyoming, about 75 miles east of the Utah/Wyoming border. It was once the world's largest gas station.

This morning we left Little America at 9 a.m. and drove 300 miles east to the FE Warren Air Force Base Fam Camp, just barely northwest of downtown Cheyenne.  We got one of the Fam Camp's 40 spots with full hook ups.  They also have 166 spots for dry camping, so there's lots of room here.

Warren Air Force Base is one of three strategic missile bases in the United States.  It's home to the 90th Missile Wing which operates ICBM missiles. It's also the oldest continuously active Air Force base in the country and was established in 1867. 

After we got set up in our spot, and Jim listened to the Oregon State Beavers baseball game (unfortunately they lost, but they were playing in the College World Series and seeded number 3) we took a walk on a nearby nature trail and explored the base.

Jim near the Warren Air Force Base nature trail.  That's an antelope  skeleton in the foreground.  There are antelope (live ones) all over the place here.

This is one of the base officer houses.   

The base has a huge grassy field with a running/walking track ringed with base homes and admin buildings.

This is Lake Pearson, a small lake on the base.  It would have been great for kayaking, but it's very windy tonight.  In fact, there were tornado warnings for the county just north of Cheyenne and also for the nearby Nebraska panhandle.