Day 15
   
   5/12/01
   Mile 1578
   Casper, WY
   
   Frost was on my tent and pack when I got up at 6am this morning.  From
   here on out I expect that will be a common visitor to me, since this
   is still early in the season.
   
   The terrain is becoming more interesting.  Bands of colored rocks
   appear where harder caprock has slowed erosion.  At the tops of small
   rises, bare earth show through where the wind has swept the vegetation clear.
   Snow fences are common and still have snow piled up behind them many
   feet deep.
   
   The hills were endless, and so was the wind.  I started getting
   worried about the time.  With all these hills, I was estimating it would be
   well after dark before I could reach Casper.  On several previous
   days, things had gone very slowly all morning and afternoon, and then I had
   gotten lucky with some downhills at the end of the day.
   
   But looking more closely at it, most cities are built near rivers.
   Going between them involves rising up to go over intervening hills,
   then descending down to the next river valley.  So luck had nothing to do
   with it after all.
   
   I came across an antelope on the wrong side of the fence - that is, he
   was stuck on the road side instead of the field side.  Sensing a photo
   opportunity, I pulled out my camera and went to full power on the
   bike.  The antelope ran away from me, along the fence and parallel to the
   road.  I strained to keep up, wanting to get as close of a shot as
   possible.  After about at quarter mile, the antelope stopped for a few
   seconds - then ran toward me!  Got 'em, right as he passed me.
   
   About 20 miles from Casper, I saw a woman on horseback with her two
   dogs following.  I stopped and talked with her a bit, asking if the
   antelope had any other predators here besides coyotes.  She said no,
   and even then it was only newborns and/or sick ones that had to worry, since an
   adult antelope could easily outrun a coyote.  However, in an ecosystem
   like this they never developed the long-term stamina you might expect,
   and I wouldn't be surprised if there were some very fit humans
   (marathon winners) that could eventually run one down.  The Tarahumara
   Indians hunted this way, pursuing a deer until it dropped from exhaustion.
   
   The sun was just setting when I rolled into Casper. I loaded up at a
   Chinese buffet, and felt charged up enough to go bang out another
   thirty miles.  Too bad it was dark!
   
   I checked in at the Ft. Caspar campground, run by a lovely older
   couple who take their job very seriously.  No riff-raff allowed in here!  A
   tent site was $14, but included a continental breakfast.  It was
   almost 10pm, and I wanted to get the tent set up and get to sleep.  Yes, I
   understand the regulations about X, Y, and Z.  Yes, I see where the
   restrooms and showers are.  Yes, I understand that quiet time is from
   10pm onward.
   
   And so it went, with me agreeing to everything as quickly as possible
   so that I could leave.  By 10:30pm, I was passed out in my tent.

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