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| Oil Rig |
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| Bad Roads! |
After the all beauty of South Dakota, Wyoming was a bit of a disappointment to me. We used it primarily as a pass through on our way to California and will return to see Yellowstone and Devil's Tower when we visit the states to the north. Still, I was hoping for beautiful scenery on our drive. There was some very pretty scenery but, overall, the landscape is a bit desolate looking...mostly dedicated to oil and mining.
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| At an I-80 exit...we stopped for gas |
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| Endless Highway... |
Our first stop was just an overnight in Casper, Wyoming. We stayed a Casper East RV Park. It's right in the city, with an awkward entrance, lots of gravel and little to no grass or shade. The pull thru was barely long enough to hold both our fifth wheel and truck without unhitching, but we made it. The roads are quite wide and forgiving if your truck or car sticks out a bit. It served our purposes and we would stop there again if need be.
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| Some of the Pretty Spots |
We hit Rawlins next and decided to stop for a couple of days to rest and do laundry. RV World Campground is right off the highway, reasonably priced, has a decent laundry and very nice staff, who hand out dog treats and Andre Mints on your arrival. The pull thru sites are gravel and very close together but, again, met our needs. We saw the super moon, got the laundry done and visited a prison.
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| Super Moon |
There isn't much in Rawlins, but their main attraction is the Wyoming Frontier Prison and we decided to visit. The old wild west prison opened in 1901 and was in use until 1981. It started out with no electricity, no running water and little heat and housed both men and women until 1909. Butch Cassidy was one of its inmates. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Life in those times was harsh and could be cruel. We saw cells, dungeons, solitary confinement, a gallows and a gas chamber. We also saw beautiful paintings on the cafeteria walls, done by an inmate who was disabled and not able to participate in the usual prison work. An oasis of beauty in an otherwise grey and grizzly environment.
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| More Endless Highway... |
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| The Middle of Nowhere... |
We left Rawlins and had a one night stopover in Fort Bridger RV Camp in Fort Bridger, Wyoming. It's a very small campground, hard to find...we drove past it twice. Sites are grass and reasonably level. Most are back-ins, but they did have a long pull thru for us. It is quiet and peaceful...if you don't count the police banging on someone's door that evening...with mostly long term campers, and they have cable. It would have been okay for a one night stop had it not been for the mosquitoes. There were hundreds, ready to attack the minute you stepped into the grass. We left there itching like crazy! We'll try somewhere else next time.
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| Crossing the Continental Divide |
We crossed the Continental Divide while driving through Wyoming...elevation 7120 feet above sea level. It felt like we were above the clouds...and we were above some of them! Unfortunately, the high altitude affected me and I have been short of breath the whole time we have been in these high altitudes.
Looking forward to getting back to sea level!
Wyoming Frontier Prison
Click to Enlarge
Notice the smiley faces painted on the wall...
Cafeteria paintings done by a prisoner...
Gallows (left) and Gas Chamber (right)
From there, it was on to Utah.
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