The view at right is just a sample of what we saw. I quess Wyoming has got to be one of the two most photogenic states we've been in. Northern California has to be the other.

We left New Mexico the morning of Sept. 13. We spent the first night out in Colorado but arrived late enough that we didn't do much more than eat and sleep.

The next day found us in heavy Denver traffic and rain in Wyoming. Driving in Denver with a trailer is not what I would call fun. Sucks, actually. When we reached Wyoming, it started raining and didn't let up till we were almost in Casper. At least we saw some nice rainbows.

Finally we arrived in Casper, our first Wy stop. We stayed two nights in Casper. The first day we took a scenic loop through Snowy Range Pass. We were told that it is usually cold and windy with snow in September quite possible. It couldn't have been more different! We wore T-shirts and shorts at 11,000 feet plus. The effects of the wind were very evident though. At the tree line the trees only had branches growing from one side of the trunk; the downwind side. Sure wouldn't want to be there in mid January!

Day two we spent visiting downtown Casper, the Tate Museum at Casper College, Fort Casper and Werner museum. A good day in Casper even if it was a little windy and Jim had to 'work'.

On the 17th we moved to Buffalo on the east side of the Big Horn mountains. I really like this town. It has a great park with a creek running through it (a river by New Mexico standards). The creek also runs through the downtown area. It's small town all the way and my favorite town in Wyoming.

We stayed three nights in Buffalo. The next day we went to Devil's Tower and the Thunder Basin Grasslands. It was raining again so the first half of the day (the Devil's Tower part) was too inclement to get out and explore much. We just kept driving on into South Dakota where we had lunch and then on to the grasslands. I didn't expect much from the grasslands but ended up considering it one of the high points of our trip. The cloudy sky made for some fabulous scenery and we saw a lot of deer and pronghorns. What we didn't get was the perfect deer picture. More about that later.

The last day in Buffalo we walked up Clear Creek from our camp about four miles into the mountains. What a great day. We found all kinds of stuff in addition to the scenery. There is an old hydro electric plant next to the creek that was fascinating. Too bad about all the graffitti. We met a really nice guy out walking his dog along the creek. He said there's a movement to restore the plant. I hope they're successful.

Leaving Buffalo was tough for me. The only nice thing about it was that I got my first real look at the Big Horn mountains. I've been dirt roading and camping for 35 years and I've seen a few mountains, but I've never seen any as pretty as the Big Horns. There're not craggy and majestic like those on the western end of the state or in Colorado, but I'll take meadows and streams over cliffs anytime. Off to Cody!

Cody is a fun town if you love museums. The first day we were in Cody, I had to work a bit so we didn't get out till the afternoon. We went up to the Buffalo Bill Dam and had a visit. It was cold and, finally, clear as a bell.

The next day, the 22nd, we left with the intention of going to Yellowstone, but ended up going north on highway 296 all the way to Montana and back. Wow! What a ride. I'm not much for heights, so in places it was a little tough on my nerves, but it was worth it. We went as far as Red Lodge and then came back down to Wyoming. Since we got back early enough in the day to go a little more we decided to head back to the Big Horns, this time on highway 16. Remember that we had been trying to get a good deer pic but every time we were either too far away or they would run away and all we got were rump pictures. Well, after riding all over the Big Horns, we finally got 'em up close and personal. Ah, well, deer 7, J & L 0.

We had intended to stay in Cody only one or two nights, but there's so much to do in the area that we ended up staying several days. This day, the 23rd, we spent at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. It's 5 different museums in one building and there's so much to see that just one day didn't really do it justice. If you visit, plan on at least two and maybe even three days.

On our last day in Cody we finally made it to Yellowstone. OK, ok, I'll give it to you. No matter how touristy it is, it is still a must see every time you get the chance. At Steamboat Geyser we wandered around and down a path where we kept hearing an elk calling. We were thinking, "Oh, boy. Maybe we'll get to see it". As we were approaching a "T" in the path a woman was hunkered down on the path looking down the intersection we were approaching. She signalled us to come ahead and all of a sudden yelled, "Run, run!". We looked down the intersecting path as we ran past it and there's a very upset bull elk chasing us about 10 feet away! Come on feets, don't fail us now! Fortunately, he gave up the chase before he caught us, but it was close. As we left the area we saw that the rangers had put up a sign warning everyone. Later, we managed to make it to Old Faithful and got some good pics of it and a more cooperative elk. The last time we visited Yellowstone, the forest was still black from the big fire (1988?). We were very pleased to see that it is coming back just fine, thank you.

Next day, 25th, was another moving day, this time from Cody to Dubois. When we left Cody, we weren't quite sure where we would stay, but we dicided enroute that Dubois would be just the right spot. Good decision. After arriving and setting up in the prettiest park of our trip, we had time to go for a quick ride up into the local mountains. We found some really great views and some equally fine homes.

Day thirteen found us on the way to the Grand Tetons. They had a controlled burn going on so we didn't stay long at all. We turned south and then came back down along the Hoback river. It made for a long day, but every inch was worth it. Had dinner in the small town of Lander at a Mexican restaurant called "El Sol de Mexico". Folks, this is as good a Mexican meal as I've had in 35 years of southwestern living and dining. Go there. I don't care if it's 3000 miles away; go there.

The last day in Wyoming, the 27th, we started for home along the western end of Colorado. We went through Flaming Gorge and then down to Grand Junction where we spent the night. No one warned me about this road! I'm still new to the trailering stuff and I'm telling you that SR 139 was designed and build by sadists. Narrow and winding, it clings to the side of vertical mountain terrain that would cause a goat to whine. It's so bad that as you're coming down there are signs counting off the number of switchbacks left till you're safely back on flat ground. We made it but not without some serious nerves. I'll never worry about mountain roads again, though. Couldn't get any worse and still be called a road.

We got home on the 28th. Tired, but really happy with some great pics and memories. Thanks to all the nice folks on wy.general for tips on where to visit and what to see.

And thank you for visiting my page. Hope you enjoyed seeing it as much as I enjoyed building it.