By eight o’clock this morning the crew and I are on Interstate 25 passing through Cheyenne.
It’s a good day for being on the road – clear skies and no wind. Traffic is light and the terrain is gentle and green.
Our destination is Wheatland, 150 miles from Laramie via interstates 80 and 25.
It’s an easy, short drive. We’ll arrive in the morning and then we can relax for the rest of the day. About 30 miles short of Wheatland, we exit at Chugwater to top off the tank. Shortly thereafter we’re pulling into a City of Wheatland park with a campground area for RVers and tent campers.
The campground is in the middle of Lewis Park.
Tennis courts, ball fields, playgrounds, an exercise route, paved walks, picnic tables, rest rooms, and even a swimming pool are in the near vicinity. Across the road are train tracks. The campsites have 15/30/50 amp hook-ups. A water spigot of potable water and a trash dumpster are handy for campers. There’s even a dump station with a hose of non-potable water for flushing tanks.
The campground fee?
The City of Wheatland asks for a donation of only $3.00! It’s left up to campers to decide if that’s $3.00 per night or per stay. There’s a three-day limit in any 30-day period. I’d say that’s a pretty good deal! It’s not a resort, but it’s shady and very pleasant. I think it will be a long, long time before I find another campground with hook-ups, water, trash pick-up and dump station for three dollars.
Here are directions to the park:
From I-25 Exit 78, go east one block, south one block on 16th St, east on Cole Rd. for 8 blocks, north on 8th St. for 2 blocks. Park and campground are on the left. Latitude: 42.0476 | Longitude: -104.9539
I wish more towns and cities would adopt the welcoming attitude of Wheatland![slideshow]
rvsue
Glad you had a easy drive. What a great deal on camping there, will make a note of that location. Enjoy your evening Sue and crew!
Thank you, Tina. You enjoy your evening, too!
I love this! What a deal. I can’t wait to get a rv and start driving. I will definately stop by here.
When I return to Florida on my car road trip I will be wanting to look again for the right one for me. I left Fl. May 24th and probably won’t return until August. I have driven through Florida, Georgia,
North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, New Jersey, Penn, New York, Conn. Mass, N.Hampshire and Maine. I may have missed one. lol. I drove from Virginia on 95 and then hit the mountains. What a nice ride and view! It was great except for the pelting rain storms which made me sleep in the car at the first rest stop for 4 hrs. Took alot longer with the rains. With the rv I would not care. Looking forward to your next adventure. Sharon From Florida
Hi, Sharon!
I hope you drove through South Carolina before you drove through North Carolina. LOL Maybe you went through Delaware…. Did you cross Chesapeake Bay on that long bridge that becomes an underwater tunnel? It sounds like you didn’t go that way if you drove through W. Virginia.
That’s a very long road trip… Florida to Maine. You’ve got the moxie, girl.
I also can’t wait to get our R.V., retire and hit the road. I’m keeping tract of your stops that are nice in “my new” set of Benchmark Maps ! Love the blog, Woofs n Paws to the Crew…
So you’re a Benchmark person, too. I love those maps — my dream books. I need to get one for Wyoming. That will bring my total to seven.
That does sound too good to be true…and pretty area too, huh?? You are finding some great places!!
I can’t take credit for finding this campground…. I found it on the internet. No, it was DesertHawk, I think, who told me about it. Then I looked it up on the internet. It is nice here. A few minutes ago I was sitting outside — it’s breezy this evening — watching the local ball team “The Lobos” play across the field behind the BLT. I put the crew in their pen next to me.
Dang – 3 days, and either way that you pay – you’ll get change from your $10? Now THAT is a DEAL of all deals. Enjoy!
And it’s totally on an honor system. So if someone is low on funds, they’ve got a place to stay for free.
Sounds like the deal of the century to me.
It’s hard to believe . .. but that’s the deal!
Have to agree that’s some deal. In Forest City Iowa we were going to stay at a nice city campground which was $18 for the same thing you are paying $3 for.
And $18 isn’t a bad price! I’m going to make sure I shop here. Wheatland rocks!
We go through Floydada, TX on our way to and from FL/NM. The little shaded 7 spot municipal campground has 30 amp with a 3 day limit. Just want you to stop, buy gas, groceries and a meal. Not quite as pretty as yours but the idea is the same I would think! We too, think more little towns could draw travelers in with inexpensive campgrounds if there are none in the area.
It would be great if there were an rv association that’s primary mission was to convince towns and cities to make campgrounds for RV and tent visitors. I wouldn’t mind paying dues for an organization like that!
WOW such a deal….the concept of an honor system is unheard of in places that I’ve lived. In Calee, one has to pay for your gas before you pump it. Where we are now, the honor system is prevalent and a handshake is as good as a person’s word. Culture shock and took awhile to get use to.
Rest up rvsue and crew!
If this place is as good as it seems, we will probably stay for three days.
Greetings RVSue and Crew:
How were you able to come up with the Latitude: 42.0476 | Longitude: -104.9539? I just bought a Garmin and am still learning how to program the darn thing ~ sometimes I’m ready to throw it out the window!!
Love your blogs ~ please keep them coming as I read them everyday. Even Kona with his four paws enjoy reading about the Crew!!!
Ha! John . . . For a minute I thought Kona is your wife! How did I come up with the coordinates? I copied them from the internet. I’m a nitwit with my Garmin. In fact I hardly ever use it. Thanks for the compliment on my blog.
Nothing like a quiet night enjoying a local little league game! It sounds idyllic! Thanks for sharing your adventures!
You’re welcome . . .
Actually it looked like high schoolers. The home team has some pretty good moves!
Lady Luck is smiling on you. Great drive and a great spot!
I wouldn’t be so “lucky” if it weren’t for the help of blog readers and the internet!
For Blog readers with iPhones, the Camp Where app is a steal for $4.99. Only public campgrounds and you can search by city or just look at an area of the map. The campgrounds are color coded so you know if it’s a city/county, state park, national park, NFS, or COE. The app has contact info, location, a link to directions and basic info about the campground. We found a great overnight stopping spot in Dumas, TX at Texoma CIty Park. It’s just a parking lot with 24 electric posts and a 24 hour limit but if you’re going to New Mexico or Colorado from Texas, it’s great to stop in the Panhandle for FREE camping WITH electricity, especially when it’s 90 outside.
Wow! That campground in Dumas is a good deal, Reine. You’re making me want an iPhone.
I think a lot more communities are starting to think this way for attracting visitors, it there is not anyone to invest in a small campground, put one your park or next to your utilities building, etc! We always support the local community of Floydada,TX when we go thru.
Emilys hometown in Kansas also has a low cost, nice campground…hep me out Emily!
Yup, ours is right on Big Creek Lake, has hookups, showers/rest rooms, dump and WiFi. Think it’s $15 a night. I try and use county/city campgrounds as much as possible; some are donation, some have set fees. There are many resources out there, I found many just by Googling “free campgrounds” and from others. Hi Chuck.
Since Big Creek Lake is a generic type name . . . This one’s in Kansas. Am I right?
Hi Chuck. Hi Emily.
There’s a few apps like this that have me looking into the iPhone too.
That is an amazing deal, and the park looks pretty nice. Enjoy!!
I thought maybe the trains would keep us awake last night. Two went by during the day but I didn’t hear anything last night.
Dang, what a great deal. You really are on a mission and putting down some miles.
When I want to get somewhere I find it hard to mosey around looking at stuff on the way. I am going to take it easy for a few days here in Wheatland.
Sue – Are you going to be anywhere near Thermopolis, WY? Truly a neat town with the most amazing hot springs and formations from the minerals in the springs. My kids and I have been thru Chugwater and everyone felt the need to chug a little water while I gassed up! My daughter still talks about it and how funny she thought it was.
Safe Travels!
I don’t know if I’ll be near Thermopolis. I don’t know where that is. I’ll have to look it up. That’s a good name for a town with hot springs.
Cute anecdote about your children. One can guess the name Chugwater came from thirsty travelers crossing the great expanse of Wyoming.
Wow, $3 a night! Are you going to stay the maximum time? I think I would.
I can’t wait until my husband and I can be free to go where we want when we want. We are enjoying our new life in our motor home, but we have to go where his job tells us too.
Hi, Patty!
We probably will stay three nights. It’s not only for my sake…. Bridget and Spike enjoy being around other campers and dogs, instead of hanging out on the bench seat in the PTV going down the highway.
Do they still have all the adds for the famous Chugwater chilly ?
Ron
I’m not sure. That does sound familiar.
There are so many apps for rv’ers. A National Parks guide, We Camp Here, AllStays Rest stops, Allstays Camp & Rv, Gas Buddy, Road Ahead, etc. One even shows you where dump sites are.
Around Me (or others like it) show you what is in your area. You can hunt for restaurants, gas stations, libraries, hospitals, etc. Very, very handy. I could go on and on. Go to Itunes and search the Apps.
Amazing, the resources we have available.
Hi Sue,
Lorraine (wife) posted some Ruby Lake pictures to her Facebook page, lorraine vail. As you often say, the camera doesn’t do it justice. Viewers will just have to go and see for themselves.
Went into the Ruby Wilderness 20 years agoand after exiting boring I80 desert scenery to go about 25 miles south and see this gorgeous area was mindboggling. Still many people have never heard of this area a go whizzing by on the interstate.
Sue,
If you noticed what appears to be an old railroad bed a little distance from the freeway (I-80), well it is! That is the original transcontinental railroad built in the 1860’s! 100% built by hand, wagons and a lot of horses. Rawlins, Laramie and Cheyenne were bad railroad towns back in the day. Railroad museum and S. Ambrose book “Nothing Like It In The World” tells the whole story.
Thanks again for all the info on places to stay, fuel up and spectacular scenery!
The railroad presence in this part of the country is hard to ignore. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Cheyenne is a very long train!