September 2 - 4, 2020: Greybull to Themopolis and Lander, Wyoming:
I leave Greybull at about 11AM heading on route 16 south, make a quick stop at Basin, Wyoming then continue to Manderson, Wyoming. I then turn onto route 31 for Hayattville and follow a sign for the Medicine Lodge Archaeological Site. It is a beautiful area that archeological study indicates has been occupied continuously for 10,000 years. There are hundreds of petroglyphs and pictographs along a 700 foot long sandstone cliff side. They have a campground at the site, a few few short hiking trails, a visitors center and fishing in Medicine Lodge Creek. This area was homesteaded in 1881 as a cattle ranch and was purchased in 1972 by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
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| Many complex petroglyphs, but difficult to see in the bright light |
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Beautiful setting for rock art
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I then continue south on route 16/20 to Worland and finally Thermopolis, Wyoming. I go directly to the Hot Springs State Park as the conditions are very good (prime time) for photos of the Hot Springs. It was as beautiful as I remember with out of this world coloration.
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The view driving into Thermopolis
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It's far more than a hot spring, more like a hot mineral river
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| A breeding ground for this lush green algae |
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| The colors are remarkable |
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| The walkway is the best viewpoint |
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| Another great view |
After dinner at the popular One Eyed Buffalo Brewpub, I take in some of the downtown sights.
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| Great mural on building facade |
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Great downtown statue entitled "From the soil come the riches of the world", the cowboy is sifting soil through his hands
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| Beautiful flowers along main street |
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| Thermopolis Cafe |
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| Historic route 20 was 3,365 miles long from Boston, Massachusetts to Newport, Oregon |
In the morning I am at the Wyoming State Park mineral bath shortly after it opens at 8 AM. They have set limits on the number of bathers at a time in the pool and a soak limit of 1/2 hour. Actually the 1/2 half at 104 degrees is enough, but not sure it was worth the hustle of changing and showering in the very small crowded mens room.
I then attempt to use the free WiFi on the State Park grounds, it works part of the time, but then I can’t save my work. So, I pack up, drive to the nearby city library, go inside, connect to their WiFi and complete my work. They are putting a new roof on the building and the hammering noise directly overhead is a little unsettling.
Finally at 11 AM, I am ready to roll, getting on route 20 driving south through the Wind River Canyon. I’m told there is a fire burning somewhere in Montana and because of it the skies are super hazy which ruins the view. As you exit the canyon, you drive past the Boysen Dam, reservoir and recreational area.
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| I will be nice and call it an artsy or quirky antique shop |
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| Old downtown mural, it's no longer accurate |
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| The House of Wonder ? |
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| I imagine there were many wild times in the Silver Sage Saloon ? |
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| Cartoon theater and factory too, appears closed now |
I continue on route 789 south to the city of Riverton, Wyoming. It doesn’t appeal to me much, I barely stop except for a couple of photos.
As I drive out of town, I see a sign for the 1838 Rendezvous site and make a turn that takes me through a junky area to an park area that was the original site of the 1838 Rendezvous attended by many famous and infamous trappers, mountain men, guides, explores and Indians. They are having a reenactment this weekend with many vendors selling lots of authentic hand made goods. I have a good conversation with a woman vendor who actually lives in South Dakota with a Box Elder, SD address, like mine. I end up buying a hand made leather bag decorated with porcupine quills. She told me how she goes out on country roads looking for road kill to get her quills, quite impressive.
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| This site is virtually unchanged from 1838 |
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| Since most shows were canceled this year, she stayed home and sewed. I liked her and felt obligated to purchase one small dragonfly beaded leather bag. |
Continuing on to Lander, I stop at the small town of Hudson which I found to be interesting. It had a fun looking bar, a great old Hotel and a few good murals and signs.
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| Old Sinclair Oil sign was fun |
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| The coffee shop window and mural were also fun |
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| Nice mural on Svilar's Steak House & Bar |
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| The Union Bar |
My final stop is the the city of Lander, much more to my liking, in fact it’s great. The downtown Main Street is lined with businesses and shops, there is a great museum, nice food markets, several restaurants and even a park with free camping.
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| Lander Mill |
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| Many substantial downtown buildings |
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| A town with a Nature Conservancy office has to be good |
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| A town where Kindness does matters is even better |
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| Live and Let Live are equally admired qualities |
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| The Grand Theater lost a letter on one side, but is still looking good |
I visited the Museum of the American West which had great exhibits of Indian Ledger drawings and the historic paintings of famed Shoshone Chief Washakie done by J.K. Ralston. These painting were originally done for display in the Hotel Noble in downtown Lander. They were stored for many years after the Hotel went out of business and thankfully were stored well. A fund raising event purchased the paintings for the museum which found them to be in good condition, but in need of preservation. They have now been reframed for protection, as a temporary fix, and are hung in a special gallery room in the museum. When funding is obtained, the paintings will then be professionally cleaned, restored and mounted in good archival frames. Sadly, no photographs were allowed in the gallery.
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| It's a treasure ! |
Lander calls itself the “Gateway to the Wind River Range. The Wind River Range is a mountainous area spanning the Continental Divide. Also, the Wind River Indian Reservation is just to the north.
As I wandered around town I saw many attractive and preppy young people with back packs walking around, I eventually found that hey attend the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) which is headquartered in Lander. Lander is a perfect site for the school as Lander is surrounded by a huge amount of BLM, State Trust and Forest Service Land open to recreational use. Also the Noble Hotel which NOLS has resurrected as its center has a great outdoors history.
I visit the Sinks Canyon State Park to see the “Sinks” where the middle fork of the Popo Agie River delves underground at the Sinks and then emerges to the surface a quarter of a mile away. The amazing thing is that the water takes two hours to travel that 1/4 mile, the theory is that the water travels through a maze of porous rocks to make the journey. There is actually not much to see at the "sinks", the "rise "is much more interesting with the view of the fish and wildlife below.
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| The Sinks Canyon State Park has a long history in habitation |
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| Deer in the the pond at the "Rise" |
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| Also lots of healthy trout |
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| A nice view downstream from the "Rise" |
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| Beautiful Canyon area |
The city of Lander, by the way, has an excellent city park that has free camping, no hookups, for tents and small RV’s. They also have a great Saturday farmers market.
On the road again heading for Rocks Springs, Wyoming.
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