JoDo Chasing Rainbows
Exploring the US and Canada from our RV
Yellowstone – the first few weeks
I cannot believe that we are finally here. While the most of the U.S. is enjoying spring, we are still in the winter. There is snow everywhere. The temperatures are challenging for our RV. We have figured how to keep all our systems working properly above the mid-20 degrees. There were a few nights in the teens where we woke up to frozen pipes. Luckily, nothing burst.
It seems that there is no real forecast for the park either. We are on the east side at a fairly high elevation. It seems that the east side is 5 to 8 degrees warmer than our side of the park. I have taken to keeping a sweat shirt, rain jacket and winter coat handy since the weather changes on a dime.
The park has changed so much since we got here on May 1. Baby bison are being born; bears are waking up and roaming and snow is starting to melt. We are watching rivers swell and birds bathing in the melting snow. Every morning I want to pinch myself that this is my home for the next 4 1/2 months.
We have started our job in the campground. We have learned the system and survived our first day. Here are some photos of our first two weeks.
Southern Wyoming
Going North has been quite an adventure. We have been told that there is only two seasons in northern Colorado and Wyoming – winter and summer. Spring and Fall are when winter and summer fight to see which will dominate the weather. We have had days that have not gone above 32 degrees and the next day it’s 80 degrees. Not sure who the winner will be but I am hoping it will be summer.
We are at the F.E. Warren Crow Creek FamCamp in Cheyenne, WY. This base has an odd energy. We don’t know what it is. It currently serves as an Air Force Base. Their mission is ICBM missiles. This is the oldest in continuous use base in the US. It started off as an Army fort. There are many historic building around the base. It was fun to walk around and read the original use for the building. The newer construction is built in the same manner as the historic base so it is very scenic. I went looking to see if Buffalo Soldiers had every been present at this base. There were. The 9th and 10th Calvary and the 24th Infantry served at this base. We found some of the barracks where the 9th Calvary were assigned.
Fun fact about this AFB is that it has the largest urban herb of pronghorns in the US. When the base was fenced in, the pronghorns were there to stay. There was so many of them. The day I wanted to take pictures they all disappeared. I walk for quite a distance to get these pictures.
We also drove over to Laramie. Why Laramie? Did you want to see the University of Wyoming? No, I needed to see Laramie because Donna is hooked on the western show Laramie. It ran from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. I think she has had me watch every episode at least twice. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I wanted to see the mountain they talked about to get to Cheyenne. It is a nice college town.
Wyoming is the 10th largest State for landmass but the total population is approximately 498,000 people. This is least populous state in the US. Before moving to Texas I lived in metro Atlanta. The MSA population for Atlanta is approximately 5,949,000. Wyoming is one big wide open space. I swear I saw more cattle, sheep and pronghorns than I saw people. Don’t sleep on this state though. It is spectacularly beautiful. My pictures don’t do it justice. You have got to come an experience for yourself.
Even with the low population there is lots of fun stuff to do. Just on our drive to Laramie we got to see the Ames Monument. This folly of narcissism is a site to behold. The Ames brothers help build the transcontinental railroad. The monument was erected to remind folks of who built the railroad. Well the railroad was moved and the town was abandoned. All that is left is the monument.
Also, there is a tree that is growing out of a rock. This is has been a tourist attraction since the first folks came to Wyoming. Best yet is the Lincoln Highway. This highway was conceived in 1912 and dedicated in 1913. It was a private highway that ran from New York to California. It was created to get people to buy and use cars. We got to see some of the parts that run through Wyoming.
Have you been to Wyoming? What is your favorite part?