WY Trip Stats (7/08):
Counties visited:
7
Best county:
Teton Co.
Last visited:
8/2007
Town visited most:
Devils Tower
Places slept in:
Black Hills NF (Cook Lake Campground)
Most impressive town:
Jackson
Least impressive town:
Bill
Biggest town:
Cheyenne
Most scenic area:
Grand Tetons
Most scenic spot:
Rockefeller Pkwy, exiting Yellowstone NP near Jackson Lake
Highest Elevation:
Continental divide in Yellowstone NP (8458 feet)
Three words:
endless,
furious, cowboy
State Animal: pronghorn
Best Food: chili
in Chugwater was mediocre, so was food in Yellowstone
Road Trips: Cowboy
Trip (7/2005), Ring of Fire (8/2007)
Neighboring States:
MT, ND, CO,
NE,
ID,
UT, SD
Major Passes: In
8/2005 crossed north to south from Gillette to Cheyenne through the mountain-side
prairie along WY-59 and I-25 corridors.
Heroes: Wyoming's
heroes are the everyday cowboys who keep guard over the range.
It is the home of the nation's best rodeos and more cattle guards than you can count. |
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First Contact:
First crossed the border heading west through the Black Hills on I-90 at Bediah
on 7/30/2005. Quickly exited the Interstate as the sun set before us. We rode into the
thick forest of Wyoming's Black Hills. The pavement quickly gave way to dirt and the road
became thick with foilage. First we saw deer in the road and further in we had to honk for
cattle blocking the forest road. After eleven miles we came to a lakeside campground
ringed by steep hills and begged to stay on a site under construction. The sun was down
and we were out of food. You see, there is no going next door in Wyoming. |
Crook
Co. (7/2005)
Bediah. Black Hills NF. Its
thick woods are heavily populated with deer and branded free-range cattle. I found the
middle of the forest a strange place to be confronted with bulls and cows, but the locals
did not. Left the forest after camping to the sound of cowboy poetry on the radio. Alva.
Hulett. Devil's Tower NM. The most famous thing in Wyoming besides Old Faithful.
This formidible dried up volcano core was said by the natives to be the result of godly
salvation. The grooves running hundreds of feet up the side of the vertical walls are the
scratch marks of a bear. This holy site is now soiled by climbers. It can be seen for
miles. Carlile. In Wyoming one building can serve many functions, like in
northern Ontario. A restaurant here was a convention hall, photo lab, newspaper stand,
bookstore, and who knows what else.
Campbell Co. (8/2005)
Gillette. Wright. Thunder
Basin NG. One hundred miles of seemingly untouched short-grass prairie on either
side of WY-59 are home to numerous pronghorn. One's site is uninterrupted for countless
miles. I never saw a more lonely site than this stretch of road in the basin.
Converse Co. (8/2005)
Bill. The
railroad meets up with the road in this town in the middle of nowhere. Douglas.
Platte Co. (8/2005)
Chugwater. This
rail-side town boasts of its chili and seemed a relaxing place to kick back. The chili is
good enough, but pricey due to its high opinion of itself.
Laramie Co. (8/2005)
Cheyenne. Wanted
to stop for Frontier Days rodeo, but a furious thunderstorm whipping by the road caused us
to settle for rodeo by radio. (Not recommended.) The wind can be very powerful when there
are no trees to slow it down and Jessica found driving down I-25 its own rodeo.
Park
Co. (8/2007)
Coming.
Soon.
Teton
Co. (8/2007)
Coming.
Soon. |
Cowboy culture is very much a part of Wyoming.
(2007)
Driving through the plains south of the Black Hills we ran into
some fierce isolated storms like this. (2005)
The willow flats near Jackson Lake in Teton National Park
are home to bears and moose. (2007)
The obligatory tourist photo of Old Faithful. (2007)
Hot springs near West Thumb in Yellowstone NP. (2007)
all photos (c) 2005-07 J. Bezold, all rights reserved |
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