Sometimes, you just can’t get there from here.
This is especially true in Wyoming.
As I write this, I am looking out my office window at the massive Wind River Mountains. They are beautiful, but they also present a formidable barrier for anyone trying to travel east and west across the state.
The distance between major highways at South Pass and Togwotee Pass is more than 100 miles north to south.
Sure, you can take a bumpy gravel road across at Union Pass, but that is not exactly a reasonable bypass.
This is one of the things about living in Wyoming that people who are new here sometimes do not understand. Our roads are not just roads. They are lifelines connecting isolated communities across huge distances and some of the most rugged country in America.
Wind River Canyon
When one of those roads closes, it can change everything. Wind River Canyon between Shoshoni and Thermopolis is a classic example. If that highway closes, it can wreak havoc on traffic patterns across a huge 130-mile stretch between Dubois and Casper.
A few years ago, a portion of that road was closed for many days.
That brings up an interesting observation from my friend Pat Schmidt, the retired longtime publisher of the Thermopolis Independent Record.
For 30 years, Pat had his newspaper printed in Riverton, usually on Wednesdays. When the canyon road was closed, getting the newspaper printed became a major logistical problem.
Here is what Pat remembers:
“The truth is the Canyon is seldom closed, especially in comparison to the interstate highways. If you don’t believe me, check with WYDOT.” He offered two examples:
During all those years of printing the Independent Record in Riverton, the outstanding WYDOT crews in Thermopolis and Shoshoni never failed to have the highway open for the three hours they needed to make their press run.
A couple of those nights, the road was closed later because of weather. But it was open during daylight when they needed it.
Pat believes the canyon has an undeserved bad reputation, partly because of its spectacular nature.
I think he has a point. I have often found that Highway 20 between the canyon and Shoshoni was more likely to be closed because of high winds. If I could get to the canyon, I often found it was actually sheltered from the worst winds.
There also is a perception that Wind River Canyon is especially dangerous. Pat believes people drive more cautiously there, and there may not be as many serious accidents as people think. The spectacular nature of some of the wrecks probably makes us remember them.
He once checked the Independent Record files and found there had been more fatalities on the highways from Thermopolis toward Meeteetse and toward Worland than there had been in Wind River Canyon.
That would be an interesting statistic for WYDOT to verify.
There is another important point here. Wyoming has many roads that can be much more troublesome in winter than Wind River Canyon.
Pat would bet that Highway 20 between Shoshoni and Thermopolis is closed less than half as often as Wyo. 28 from Lander to Farson, Interstate 90 around Sheridan, or I-80 between Cheyenne and Evanston.
I would agree.
People also forget how often highways leading out of the Big Horn Basin can close — Cody and Lovell to Billings, Greybull to Sheridan, and Worland to Buffalo.
Interstate Closures
Then there is Interstate 80. I have driven that highway in some absolutely awful weather.
Pat Schmidt offers: “I used to think the so-called “Snow Chi Minh Trail” on I-80 between Cheyenne and Casper was the worst stretch of highway in Wyoming. Then I discovered its rival: I-90 between Buffalo and Sheridan.
“Our youngest son attended Sheridan College, so I had a reason to drive that highway during winter storms. I found it every bit as hazardous as I-80 — and in some ways worse. I-90 can have some nasty black-ice problems.”
On I-80, the bigger enemies are often wind and visibility. The road may be packed with snow and ice, but the wind can turn a perfectly familiar highway into a white wall.
I learned that lesson again during one recent storm when I-80 between Rock Springs and Cheyenne was closed in both directions. Wet, heavy snow turned the pavement into slush while wind gusts approaching 45 mph created whiteout conditions.
One stranded motorist in Rawlins had three semis sitting in front of her and only a quarter tank of gas. That is when you realize a road closure is not merely an inconvenience. It can become a survival issue.
Read The Signs
So, what do you do when the roads close in Wyoming? I would suggest three things:
First, believe the closure signs. Do not assume you know better than WYDOT.
Second, keep your gas tank reasonably full during winter travel. That quarter-tank situation can become frightening very quickly.
Third, know your alternate routes.
Wyoming has lots of them, although some are not for the faint of heart.
That is the beauty of traveling in the Rocky Mountains.
Sometimes the best road is the one you did not know existed.
One Last Rule
It is obvious, but have blankets, food and drinks in your car in case you get stranded. Keep you cell phone charged and your gas tank full. And then, there is one more rule. Sometimes the smartest alternate route is no route at all.
Just wait.
Wyoming has some of the best highway crews in the country. They battle enormous distances, blowing snow, ice, drifting snow, avalanches, rockslides and winds that can make a highway disappear.
We sometimes get impatient when our favorite highway is closed. But those crews are out there trying to make it safe for us to travel again.
So, when the road closes, take a deep breath. Find a warm place. Get a cup of coffee. Call somebody and tell them you will be late. And remember one of the basic rules of living in Big Wonderful Wyoming:
Sometimes, you just cannot get there from here.
Bill can be reached at Bill@CowboyStateDaily.com
