Day-28 marks 4 full weeks on the road...and the most "exciting" day yet but not entirely in a good way.  We left Rock Springs WY at 9 am on our 11 8-mile jaunt to Lander WY.  We had been on much of that 2-lane route before -- just last year in fact -- and knew the road was good and very scenic as it went through South Pass, the Continental Divide, at an elevation of nearly 8,000 feet.  It was raining for the first 50 or 60 miles, with temps in the mid-40s, but as we gained elevation, heading up to South Pass, the temperature steadily dropped and the rain became sleet and then snow.  Heavy snow!  Big illuminated roadside signs were warning of dangerous conditions.    By the time we reached the Divide it was getting very nasty and then it got even worse on the other side.  Turning around was not feasible or safe.  By now the temperature had dropped to 33 degrees and deep slush was building up on the road, with impressively deep snow roadside.  A big plow drove by southbound, temporarily clearing the road on that side, but we never saw a plow on our (northbound) side.  It was getting very hairy and our windshield wipers began to get clogged with ice further hindering visibility in the falling snow and developing fog.  Having spent most of my life in the north I've driven on snowy, icy roads but this, on a mountain road with some steep drop-offs and sharp curves, was as challenging and nerve-wracking as anything I could remember.  White knuckle stuff for about an hour.  During the desent on the northern side of the Divide the snow for a time got heavier but eventually the temperature edged slowly up and the snow turned to sleet and then rain.  I've never been so happy to drive in the rain.  What a relief!  Even though we had been driving at only 20-30 mph during the worst of the snow we arrived in rainy Lander shortly after 11 am, just 2 hours after leaving Rock Springs, thanks to 80 mph conditions at lower elevations.
      In Lander we quickly found the Chinese buffet we remembered from last year and decompressed over a great lunch.  Following that we spent a couple of hours at the extremely impressive Pioneer Museum with excellent exhibits detailing western history and Lander ' s important role therein.
     Tomorrow we continue heading north, about 180 miles to Cody WY.  The weather forecast -- and elevations below  4,000 feet -- hold promise of a less stressful drive.
      We hope you are all having a safe and happy holiday weekend...made especially exciting by your marathons and painting projects at the Bushongs.