Ah, springtime
in Wyoming; you gotta love it.
In recent
weeks, we have dodged storms in Cheyenne, Laramie and Rawlins and endured them
in Lander and Jackson.
One day, you can be wearing shorts and a tee shirt, the next
you are bundled up against a harsh wind and heavy wet snow.
Because Nancy
and I are retired, we are fortunate we can leave a day early or stay an extra
day, as a way to avoid these spring storms. We did that in both of these trips.
After playing
golf in shorts with my brother Pat in Denver, we blasted north to Cheyenne in
spitting snow and managed to get through Laramie, Rawlins and Muddy Gap before
getting pounded by heavy snow. Our last
40 miles from an amazing geologic formation called Beaver Rim to Lander was a
bear.
Digging out
from a foot of snow did not take long in Lander, though; soon the lawns were
greening up under that glorious spring sun.
Then it was
time to make a Jackson Hole trip, which is one of the most beautiful drives in
the world. The new highway from Dubois to Moran Junction was one of the most expensive
in Wyoming’s history and it looks and feels that way, too. Not only is it
scenic; it is also a route that abounds
with wildlife including bighorn sheep, moose, elk, deer, antelope and other
critters.
Because of the
gloomy forecast, we left a day early and took our time. I roamed around the various Shoshone Tribal
buildings in Fort Washakie checking on images of Chief Washakie, as we have a
colorized version of his pre-1900 portrait coming out in our next book. Lots of
images of him and all showed him in different colored outfits – no help there.
In Dubois, had
a tasty lunch at the Nostalgia Café and then visited with the folks at the museum
along with one of the busiest people in that town, John Angst. John is a
transplanted Minnesotan who has adapted well to the Wyoming lifestyle.
On to Jackson for
a couple of nights at Steve Meadows’ remodeled 49er Inn.
It was
off-season, which means one of two things when you go out to eat – either the
place is closed or they are offering a two-for-one special!
It was snowing
hard most of the time. The ski areas were closed, as were the Mangy Moose, The
Blue Lion and the Brewpub.
Had a
succulent dinner at the Rendezvous Bistro at half price while visiting with a
dinner group that included Liz Brimmer and Rob Wallace. Rob had just moved to
Jackson. Also enjoyed long-time friend
Nancy Guthrie, a retired district judge.
While in
Jackson, I showed my wife one of the most amazing housing projects in all of
Wyoming. At the base of Snow King
Mountain is a huge gaping tunnel opening.
We drove up through it and emerged on to a big ledge with super-expensive
condos overlooking the town of Jackson and peering at the Tetons in the
distance. Wow! Not sure the contractors were happy to see me
there but Nancy was sure impressed.
This
in-between season is a great time to be in Jackson if you can avoid spring
blizzards and find places open. It snowed on us for a day and a half but when
we left, the sun was out and the Tetons literally sparkled in the morning sunlight
as we drove back to Fremont County.
Despite the
bright sun, Jackson, as a community, was gloomy as it was mourning the loss of
three local men who had died in the crash of a small airplane. They were
employees of a Lander-based solar and wind company called Creative
Energies.
They were
flying with a 70-year old pilot, who owned a ranch back in the mountains. They
were working on an elaborate plan to provide the ranch with electricity from
renewable sources.
No one knows
what happened but swirling winds probably wreaked havoc as the pilot was trying
to take off, one observer said. What a terrible
loss.
Sometimes I
marvel at how different a place like Jackson can be when compared to places
like Cheyenne and Laramie. They are all in Wyoming but are over 400 miles apart
and certainly seem different, when it comes to overall lifestyle.
And yet, this
time of year both are bedeviled by wet snowstorms, crazy winds and the chance
to experience four seasons over just about any four-day period.
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