July 20 - We have been driving on route 191 for about a week now and it’s beautiful, but very steep and curvy and you've got to keep your eyes on the road. Sue is a nervous passenger and reminds me of every upcoming curve and speed limit sign, pretty annoying ! Most of the traffic is large trucks pulling double trailers, probably filled with coal, my guess ? I don’t envy these guys on this route in poor weather conditions.
We make a stop in Rock Springs, WY and tour some of the historic downtown area. As soon as I see the old railroad station, I remember this place from a previous trip due to a statue and other historic signs. The local historic preservation group is doing good work to improve this area and save the old buildings, great to see.
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| It was invented right here |
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| My kind of coffee |
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| This historic Bank is slated for a complete restoration |
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| Now the visitors center |
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| The Fiesta Guadalupe |
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| I can see the old guys talking about the old days here |
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| A good trade ! |
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| Love these old signs |
Finally, we leave route 191 behind and get on Interstate 80 east for 120 or so high speed miles, but a boring drive through desolate prairie land to Rawlins, WY. We again park and tour the historic downtown area where I again spot a familiar site bringing back memories. This the Rifleman Club whose interior is decorated with all sorts of antique items and dead animals, much to Twinkles dislike. We enter and have a beer, people are friendly, this place hasn’t changed at all. I miss these kind of old bars, sorry to say that we have nothing with this kind of character in the city of Tucson.
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| Please bring back the bread |
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| That's a real bar |
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| Nothing better than school art |
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| Don't tell the rifleman about this place |
We then go to Walmart where we will spend the night and purchase a few food items.
July 21 - We take Intestate 80 east to the exit for route 30 taking us through open range land to Saratoga, WY where we stop to explore. It’s a beautiful town with lots of interesting shops, restaurants and things of interest on the North Platt River.
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| Downtown Cantina view |
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| It's a river kind of town |
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| Garage Beer at the Rustic Bar |
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| Very strict rules here |
We then take route 130 into the Medicine Bow National Forest. It’s a beautiful ride for its entire length. The climax was a stop at a beautiful lake (post card perfect) with Medicine Bow Peak at 12,013 in the background.
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| A fine road view |
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| Still snow in these mountains |
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| Doesn't get much better |
A short distance away brings us to an interesting trail that goes to an old mining site and cabin with great wild flowers.
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| The cabin has had better days |
It's then a long downhill drive into Laramie, WY where we park and do some exploring around the downtown area. It hasn’t changed much since my last visit, I had hoped for more, but The Old Buckhorn Bar still stands exactly the same as I remember, some things never change. We then stop at the local library and then to Walmart for another night. it’s amazing that there are still pockets of snow in the parking area !
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| The Elk's Club is still open |
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| The Old Buckhorn and Parlor Bar |
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| One of my all time favorite murals |
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| Nice Steam Train display |
July 22 - As we are leaving Walmart, I remember seeing a Daylight Donut Shop in Laramie and I am lusting for them, they’re the best ! I was very happy to see the store open as we arrived and the sales girl at the counter was most cute and enthusiastic.
We then get on I-80 heading for Cheyenne, WY when we come upon an exit for the Lincoln Highway Memorial. It was dedicated in 1938 and features a huge bust of Abraham Lincoln.
We then decide to go to the nearby Vedauwoo Climbing Area located in Medicine Bow National Forest known for its rock formations that attract climbers. It is composed of 1.4 billion year old Sherman Granite and is a sight to see. No climbing for us however.
As we ride around, we come upon the campground, it's attractive with lots of open campsites, cheap, all stuff we love, so we grab a campsite for the night. We go off for about a two mile hike on the Turtle Rock Loop Trail which was very scenic.
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| Lots of Aspen Trees with goofy stuff carved in them |
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| I believe it's called a Goats beard, looks like mine at present |
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| Pretty Rocks |
July 23 - We had a cool overnight sleep so we were fully recharged for the day. Our destination of Cheyenne, WY is only about 30 miles away where a special event, the Cheyenne Frontier Days is taking place. As we drive into town, we see immense crowds in the historic downtown area and look for a place to park. The Frontier Days parade is going on with lots of horse riders, horse drawn carriages, old cars, marching bands etc. It goes on for about 2 hours, but we managed to catch only the last half hour.
As we are only a couple of blocks from the Wyoming State Capital we head there after the parade and take in the building architecture and exhibits.
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| Front View |
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| $20 prize for the state Flag design back in the day |
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| One of the chambers |
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| Nice ceiling |
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| Slipping on a banana peel actually can kill you |
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| Famous Indian Chief Washakie |
We then go back to the central historic area near the Cheyenne train depot to wander around. It’s a thriving area with many tourist shops, restaurants, interesting building architecture and murals.
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| Where I bought my first cowboy boots |
The Cheyenne Frontier Days is a all week event held at the fair grounds on the outskirts of town and draws a huge crowd with a major rodeo, music events, amusement park attractions and much more, but we have little interest in that.
It seems that everything in town is full and this Walmart doesn't allow overnighters, so it’s back on the road into Colorado to a Cracker Barrel Restaurant in Loveland, CO for the night. Soon after arrival, a wicked thunderstorm developed with heavy wind and hail that was a little too exciting, but no damage.
We will be looking for a hotel in Leadville, Colorado tomorrow, our first one on this trip, it's about time !
