I have just returned from a three day
adventure around Wyoming. When I decided that I was going to move, I
started to think about the places and things that I would never see
again, as I likely would never make it back out here in the future. I
put these things on a list to weigh how much they meant to me. The
downside to my list was that the places I cared about were quite far
away from both Laramie, and each other, however I did not want to
regret not seeing them again, so off I went. I had planned on taking
Georgia, which would have meant it would have been quick drive by
visits, as she doesn't like to get out and hike, and it is too hot to
leave her in the car. The night before I left I made arrangements
with my former co-worker Jessie to stay at my house and take care of
her, which left me open to do more on my trip.
Wednesday morning I headed out of
Laramie towards Devil's Tower. I collect the Great American Road Trip
Stickers that are given away at Welcome Centers around the state, so
I stopped in Wheatland and got stickers and talked about their plans
for the eclipse and what they are expecting as far as traffic. I then
visited Douglas, which has a cool mini train museum with historic
train cars that you can walk around inside of. I was fascinated by
the sleeping car, and the dining and commuter cars were cool as well.
I've never been much of a train aficionado, but I can see why people
love them so after visiting this place. My next stop was Gillette,
where I learned about coal mining and it was recommended I drive the
Spirit Highway and visit the Vole Buffalo Jump, which was on my route
because of the Welcome Center in Beulah. I went round that way first
to make sure I got there before they closed. The Vole Buffalo Jump
was a good historical stop, and I am glad that I went there and
learned about it. When I got to Devil's Tower, I regretted not
spending the night here, as it was even more majestic than I had
remembered. It's just a big rock formation, but it is so much more,
and I think I really cool just look at it forever. I laid back on a
big flat rock at the base and stared up for longer than I had
intended before hitting the road again on my way to Buffalo.
Having planned my trip to have Georgia,
I had planned on being in Buffalo for dinner, and wanted to spend
time at Mishap Brewery, which belongs to my friend Emily's brother. I
did not make it into town until 9pm, and all but one restaurant was
closed for the night. I had dinner there and then went back to the
Indian Campground where I'd rented a cabin for the night. Harold at
Indian Campground is wonderful, and I would recommend staying there
without hesitation. He remembered me from two years ago, and that I
worked for Christa, which is how I heard about them in the first
place. They've also got a more than decent shop with knick-knacks and
souvenirs galore.
Thursday morning I got up and went to
the visitor's center where I chatted with the lady that works there
for way longer than I had planned. She's from Arkansas, and we talked
about the weather and history, Longmire, and the stickers that I was
collecting. After that I had breakfast at the Busy Bee Cafe. It's next door to The Occidental Hotel, and is mentioned on the Longmire TV
show, based on the Longmire books by Craig Johnson. The author is
from Buffalo, and his fictional town is based on the city of Buffalo.
It really is a lovely place with lots of history. I had just finished
breakfast and was wandering through the Occidental again when Emily
texted that she was at the brewery if I wanted to stop by. I was
about 60 feet from there, so I quickly found a geocache that was
right next door practically, and popped in to see her. She gave me a
tour and showed me how everything works in the beer making process.
Mishap Brewery is a darling business and is just the kind of place
that I would enjoy spending time in after work.
I left Buffalo right about 11am, and
headed to Thermopolis. There was crazy fog all the way from Buffalo
to the highest point of the Bighorn Mountains, but the rest of the
drive was pretty clear, through Ten Sleep (where I have previously
found a geocache in the back room of a bar – it was a once in a
lifetime find, that's for sure), and into Thermopolis. My first stop
was the visitor's center where I got my stickers and then I went to
the State Bath House where I had my free soak in the public mineral
hot spring pool. The temperature is kept at 104 degrees and it is
soothing and relaxing. I left there and drove up the hill to where
the state buffalo herd lives in Hot Springs State Park. I had a good
view of them as I picnicked in the sun and dried out my swimsuit.
From there I drove through the Wind River Canyon to Shoshoni, where I met a lovely couple that
ran the visitor's center which is also the town library. They were
wonderful to chat with I wished I had more time to get to know them.
I made a mad dash for the Tetons and crossed the Togwotee Pass right
as the sun was setting. I was disappointed to see the haze, which was
from fires in Idaho, but the mountains are still impressive. I
descended down and got to watch the sun set from a pull off just
North of Jackson. I drove just South of Jackson and found a pull off
where I could sleep for the night. It was quite late by the time I
found the right spot, and I was knackered, which meant I got a very
good night sleep.
Friday morning I woke up at 6am, when
traffic increased on the road I was next to, so I got up and headed
to the nearest grocery store in Jackson to use the restroom and get a
coffee. I was in the city center taking photos of the antler arches and finding a geocache
before there were many people out and about. I had an amazing
breakfast at the Silver Dollar Grill, another historic business. From
there I went to the visitor's center and got a map of the Jenny Lake
area. In discussing my plan with the man at the desk I forgot to get
stickers (!). I headed to Jenny Lake, took the shuttle boat across
the lake (it saved me a two mile hike each way), and headed up to the
falls a half mile up the trail. They were gorgeous and the
temperature was mystically cooler than even 50 feet away from them. I
continued up another third of a mile to the Lower Inspiration Point
(the original Inspiration Point was unreachable from this trail due
to maintenance, and the alternative trail would have added about
three miles onto my hike and I just did not have the time). The view
was still magical, and I am very glad that I did it.
I took the boat back across and at that
point remembered the stickers. I could not believe that I had
forgotten them. I debated with myself, but decided to go back, as I
needed the Salt To Stone, and I knew Jackson had a cool one for the
town as well. Twenty minutes back into town, nearly thirty minutes
back up to Jenny Lake (traffic was getting crazy at that point), and
then on the way to Dubois. I got my stickers there and took some
photos on the Jackalopes at a gas station in town. I'd meant to do it
the last several years when I'd gone, and forgot each time, so this
time I had to get it done. I was in Lander just before 5pm, and my
only bad experiences on my trip happened at this point. First, the
lady at the visitor's center was rude when I asked about the stickers
and told me I had to go to the Commerce Bureau or whatever it's
called. She was way more testy than she needed to be. Second, I went
to the building she directed me to and there was a sign on the door
saying they were closed for the weekend. It wasn't even the weekend
yet, and I feel like the visitor's center should maybe have known
that they were closed. Third, I went up to Sinks Canyon and they were
out of stickers. So three disappointments on my entire trip, and they
were all in Lander. Those of you who know me will know why this is
significant, and why it figures, to be honest. I still took time to
sit at the Sinks and let the sounds of the water surround me, and
then I fed the fishes at the Rise. On my way I went. I was well after
closing time before I got to Rawlins, so no stickers there, but I did
take some photos with the Sinclair Dinosaur in Sinclair. There are
other Dinosaurs, but I wanted mine with the one in actual Sinclair (I
was probably delirious at that point). I got home just after 9pm,
brought my things inside, showered, and literally fell into bed.
It was a fantastic trip overall, and I
am so glad that I made the decision (with some help from friends) to
do it. I am grateful to Jessie for being able to stay with Georgia so
that I could actually do things on my trip. I collected a great
number of stickers, met some great people, collected rocks
(apparently that's my new thing, I guess it could be worse), and saw
again all the places that I have loved since I've been out here.
I have not added lot of photos to this post, but my complete collection of photos can be seen on my Shutterfly page HERE.
