A lonely bald eagle near Kaycee, a long pile-up of semi-trailer trucks on Interstate 80 near Rock Springs, dry roads all around Rawlins and high winds between Douglas and Wheatland.

         These were just a few of the adventures during a recent road trip around the state.

         It started on the last day of the most beautiful autumn most of us have ever experienced in Wyoming.  On Sunday, Nov. 9, I listened to the Bronco game while heading over South Pass to Rock Springs to stay ahead of a big snowstorm bearing down on Lander. The Rock Springs chamber asked me to talk during their annual monthly luncheon and it made sense to drive over the night before. During my talk, a blizzard hit Sweetwater County with a vengeance.

         Our next stop was a talk to the Geo Wives in Casper and, again, it did not make any sense to go over South Pass through Lander since that area got 8 inches of snow and winds were blasting the pass.

         On Interstate 80 on our way out of Rock Springs, here were four semi-trailer trucks smashed into each other, followed by a mile of stalled vehicles, followed by three more smashed trucks, followed by another mile of stalled vehicles and then more smashed trucks. This thing stretched eight miles. Sure glad all I was doing was fighting black ice in my eastbound lane

         We were able to go about 30 mph for 30 miles and I thought we might end up in Rawlins for the night, but the roads cleared and off we went at the official 80 mph speed limit.

         In Casper, we stayed at the newly remodeled Ramkota Inn and, wow that is quite a facelift.  Compliments to Renee Penton Jones and Karin East onsite and Dave Sweet and the rest of the Ramkota crowd for investing serious money in a Wyoming facility.

         Casper was the coldest place in North America at -27 so we stayed there an extra day!

         Then it was on to Cheyenne.  We chatted with Tom Saunders at Converse County Bank in Douglas and found out the boom in his town is real.

         He told how the RV parks are full of oil field workers and even the State Fairgrounds was at capacity with the trailers.  When the fair came around, the city and county worked out an arrangement where all the RVs could be moved for that big week and then could move back when the fair was over.  Good planning.     He said 15 big oilrigs were working around the area. Helga Bull and Patty Morrell at the chamber echoed the same story.

         In Wheatland, growth is more modest.  LeVay “Blinkie” Byers, who operates the Interstate Gas Shell Station, said they have “steady” activity but are missing the boom happening to Douglas to the north and Cheyenne to the south.

         In Cheyenne, the annual Wyoming Business Forum put on by Bill Schilling and his excellent crew was great. 

         Then we were anxious to get home.  It took just four hours to get from Cheyenne to Lander on dry highways. And that included stops in Laramie and Rawlins.  Amazing what that official 80 mph speed limit can provide if you drive safely and just keep on going.

         Then it was off to Sheridan Sunday for a fund-raiser at Kim Love’s Frackelton’s Restaurant.  Again, we left a day early (a sign of my cautious old age), and encountered black ice and one huge ghostly buck deer crossing Interstate 25 just north of Buffalo.

         Picked up the latest copy of the Durant Courant, the official Longmire newspaper at the Buffalo Bulletin office.  I imagine there has been an “extra” printed announcing the fourth season of the popular TV show coming back. 

         Back in Sheridan, Love said the economy is “humming.” The town looks prosperous.  Old friends Karen and Torrey Moody at the Mill Inn put us in the “honeymoon” suite, which included a red heart-shaped Jacuzzi tub.  Hmm.  I honestly think it has been 48 years between our stays in honeymoon suites.

         Saw local phenom photographer Tim Doolin in Sheridan.  Understand he recently created and donated proceeds from a calendar of his photos to benefit a sick friend.  Nice guy.

         While driving around Sheridan, we saw a trainload of jet passenger plane fuselages go by – amazing.

         We rolled back into Lander Tuesday, Nov. 18. Whew, nine days of winter weather driving was completed . . . at least until the next Wyoming book tour.