So Little Time

      Yesterday we drove the remaining 130 miles north on Wyoming Highway 59 from Douglas to Gillette, where we plan to  attend upcoming FMCA and Escapade rallies.  We are unable to get a site in the Camplex, which is the rally location, until June 17.  Since we had a student requesting a lesson, we came in a few days early and found a site at Green Tree's Crazy Woman Campground -- apparently named after a Crow Indian legend and a symbol of good luck.  



      The drive was rather uneventful, thankfully, since we probably saw 50 or more antelope grazing alongside the highway.  I am sorry to report we saw no jackalopes.  There were a few oil wells and the trains were carrying hundreds of cars filled with coal from the local mines, but mostly good highway and open land.  We enjoyed listening, as the suspense builds, to more of our audiobook, "Killing Kennedy."

      We got the coach set up and headed out for supplies and George checked out some training locations for his lesson on Monday and Tuesday.  We picked up a Red Box movie -- "Hitchcock," which we both enjoyed after answering some email messages and a quick dinner.

      






      

      Tomorrow I'll be another year older, which I've come to understand, is really something to celebrate, and a reminder that we have spent nearly six years on the road.  Maybe George will take me out for dinner.  And, during the few days we have before the rallies, we plan to drive out to the Devil's Tower, about 60 miles from here, and spend a few days at a campground there.  I have to say I've never seen it, although its photograph in my parents' picture book mesmerized me as a child, and then there was that "Close Encounters" movie to remind me it was actually there to see.

      










      
      We travelers can't sit still for long.  RVers often refer to this as the "itch to hitch."  There is much to see and experience, and so little time.  

On Jackalope Watch!

      Today we planned a short 130 mile trip from Cheyenne to Douglas.  We had asked to stay another day at the A B Campground in Cheyenne, but we were going to need to move to a 30 amp site, so we decided to head on towards Gillette since we have a reservation there, but not until tomorrow night.  It seems we have begun what reminds me a little of musical chairs, struggling for a limited number of camp sites with thousands of other RVers leading up to large rallies.
    


      I was awakened by gusting winds to find the dogs had let us sleep a little later than usual.  We packed up and I followed George up the road to the Flying J to fuel the motor home since the park didn't really have a good area to hitch the car.  Diesel in Cheyenne was $3.52 with our Good Sam RV Plus card discount.  On the way out we noticed four cars with something peculiar strapped on the top.  My first thought was storm chasers, but it was suggested on our Facebook page that it might be Google Map cameras, which is probably more likely since Cheyenne seems to be quite a distance from potential tornadoes.

      Heading north on I-25 the weather went from windy to light rain.  George drove while we listened to the audiobook, "Killing Kennedy" and I participated in one of my favorite pastimes, taking pictures out the window, with the hopes of capturing something worthwhile.  We stopped for a break at a pull out and arrived at our destination, a reasonably priced KOA in Douglas, Wyoming, early this afternoon.  



     Sadly we won't have time to explore Douglas, but the hand-out lists lots of activities and interesting facts.  The Wyoming State Fair and Rodeo is held here in August, and there is a nearby Glendo Reservoir.  The Bozeman, Mormon and Oregon Trails all passed through the area, and there is a Pioneer Museum as well.  Most amusing to me, though, is that the Jackalope, a rare animal which looks like a large rabbit except for its horns, is found exclusively here in Converse County, Wyoming.  Anyway, Douglas has been officially designated by the governor as "Home of the Jackalope," a day for which there is a yearly celebration.



      The dogs were happy to get a run in the off-leash area, there was a beautiful sunset to watch.   I looked intently at the "rabbit" I saw running ahead of me to see if it had antlers.  Oh well, it was probably just a jackalope, too young yet for antlers! *wink* 

Sightseeing Cheyenne

       George and I took a few hours off Thursday to check out the city.  Our first stop was the former Union Pacific train depot which is restored and designated a National Historic Landmark.



  



    There was a museum inside the old depot, but George was more interested in looking at the train cars in the yard, which they denied access to the public.  Along the Depot Plaza were 8-foot cowboy boots decorated by local artists to depict Wyoming culture.

 Outside the depot stands a statue of a pioneer woman gazing down Capitol Avenue.  It is entitled "A New Beginning," and the bronze work stands as a reminder that Wyoming was the first territory and state to extend women the right to vote.

  It would be difficult to miss The Wrangler, a three-story retail store since the 1940's.  The motorized horse and rider out front caught my attention, but we decided there was much more to see and didn't think we needed any western apparel.

      The architecture downtown was impressive and fairly consistent, but the mural of an angel on the entire side on one building piqued my curiosity.  The trolley ride no doubt would have been informative, but sadly, our time was limited.

      Our next stop was the beautiful Wyoming State Capitol Building, built in 1890 from locally quarried sandstone.  The capitol dome is made of copper but has since been covered with 24-karat gold leaf.


      Around the grounds, to the left of the front doors is a statue of the 60-year Chief of the Shoshoni Indian Tribe, Washaki, who died in 1900.  And to the right is a statue of Esther Hobart Morris, instrumental in furthering women's rights, and thus the state's nickname, the "Equality State."  On the east lawn stands a statue of a bison and on the west lawn is "The Spirit of Wyoming."  Wyoming is home to a replica of the Liberty Bell, and there is also a statue dedicated to those who served in the Spanish and American War.

      Inside we first notice the spectacular cherry woodwork on the staircases at either end, followed by the black and white marble floor tiles.  The rotunda above is stained glass.  There was some impressive artwork and the third largest American Bison ever recorded -- the state mammal of Wyoming.  

      We were able to view both the House and Senate Chambers, both of which had beautiful stained glass inserts in the ceilings.  I was surprised to see a large bust of Abraham Lincoln, but it was given to the state because of his involvement with the transcontinental railroad, which resulted in Union Pacific coming to Cheyenne.




      The Governor's Portrait Gallery was interesting, and I learned that the first woman governor in the United States, Nellie Taylor Ross, from St. Joseph, Missouri, served Wyoming from 1925 - 1927 following the death of her husband, William.


      



      

       Our final stop was the Cathedral of St. Mary, where we were able to sneak only a few photos since benediction was in progress.

      We found the people here especially friendly, and the Frontier Mall we visited today was nice.  There is much more to explore, and the C-130's are a constant reminder of the presence of Warren Air Force Base.   Hopefully our travels will bring us this way again.  

Cheyenne Work Day

       I followed George in the car the short distance (maybe five miles) from the rest area/welcome center to A B Campground where we have reservations for three nights.  Although we drove north out of Denver, by appearances, we have officially entered "The West."

     

      The distant mountains are out of sight and replaced by rolling green hills for miles and miles, with occasional trees only in more developed areas, although the sign indicates we are still at an altitude over 6200 feet.  The lilacs are in full bloom everywhere and there are lots of large military planes in the air around Cheyenne.

      The campground is older and divided into two sections, so the sites are a little close, but it appears generally well maintained.  We were greeted and parked in the south section.  The owners obviously support our troops, and I enjoyed the unusual brick pattern on the office building.

       Since we were unable to check in before noon, we worked to catch up on emails and phone calls and laundry.  We decided to try the small restaurant inside the campground called A B's Barbecue. For $16 we enjoyed a good brisket and pork meal with trimmings served up by smiling, courteous young folks.  But the ambience of this place was the best deal of all, with many critters peering at us from the walls -- badger, raccoon (this guy stared at me the entire meal), porcupine, pheasant, antelope, and a species known only to this restaurant -- the "fuzzalope," who watched the cash register.

The on-site barbecue restaurant is open 4:30 p.m - 8:30 p.m. 

       I followed GPS into town for an item I needed, only to find more road closures than I've encountered in my lifetime.  I'm not sure what's going on here in town, but I think I circled back and detoured at least half a dozen times on my return.  I was most aggravated because it caused me to miss getting a good photograph of what appeared to be an incredibly beautiful sunset to end a fun work day.  Thursday's plan will be less work and more play!

  

Denver to Cheyenne

      With George's direction, I pulled the RV out of our site at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden, Colorado, yesterday where we spent the previous night and enjoyed a marvelous dinner and visit with our friends, Sid and Diana DeLuca.  George took some photos (despite my objections that the rig was too dirty) for use in his seminars since the sites at this campground were particularly tight, although this photo does not adequately depict that.

 Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden, CO.  Narrow back-in sites are $30/night for 50 amp electric with water,  picnic table and use of dump station.  Note that our slides are in here.

      George drove through metro Denver north and stopped at the Colorado Welcome and Visitors Center on I-25 near Fort Collins, thinking he would take a nap just as the phone began to ring.  I took a walk to stretch my legs.  The staff inside was very friendly and especially helpful in updating my Colorado State road map and also offering a new Wyoming State map to add to my collection.  They had a small gift shop inside the Visitor's Center.  

CO Welcome and Visitors' Center located at Exit 268 on I-25

Pretty view of the Rockies near Ft. Collins

     

                  

       

   We attempted to get a reservation at A B Campground in Cheyenne, but since they only had a 30 amp site available until Wednesday, and we wanted to stay a few days, we decided to stop at either the rest area or Flying J at Exit 7 to see if we might spend a dry night there and not need to move sites at the campground.  The road signs began to indicate the rest area was actually at Exit 4, and we saw banner flags and a "Now Open" sign and decided to check it out.  

     

Recommended stop at the brand new Southeast Wyoming Visitors' Center and Rest Area northbound I-25 at Exit 4

We spent an enjoyable dry night just south of Cheyenne despite some wind and rain.

 What we found was one of the best rest areas we've visited in our seven years on the road!  And the signage was very RV friendly.  We pulled in next to the light pole so we could put our small slides out on the driver's side and, since it's all concrete, we put down our jacks and put up the satellite dish.  The dogs enjoyed the fenced area and the walking trails, and George and I were extremely impressed by the structure and the exhibits inside.  The rest area has a dump station with rinse, but no potable water as of yet.  

The State of Wyoming spared no expense on the nice exhibits inside the beautiful structure.

      It clouded up and got fairly windy, but thankfully all we got was a little rain.  The one negative is a railroad track directly behind the RV and truck parking, but we easily slept through that.  

       George found the facility open with complimentary coffee around 7 a.m.  With time to kill this morning, and because we are parked so near to the campground, George set off for Walmart to re-stock our supplies and the dogs and I stayed with the rig.  

The kids give this rest area four paws up!

      I looked up and saw a fellow RVer on his way out with his bat-wing antenna up blowing in the breeze.  I quickly made my way across the lot to let him know it, and he was quite appreciative.  Just paying it forward, hopefully.