The Second Long Day: Wyoming-South Dakota

 

Waterfall in the Casper Rotary Park

Here's the truth. The first three days of our trip are the hardest. . . about 8 hours each, with stops for hiking, and picnics, of course. We are not the young things we once were, and these days are harder on our bodies than they once were. 

On the other hand, we do see some wonderful places. I have to credit John, here. He generally plans the hikes. . . deviations off the interstates, often to state or municipal parks, that give us green, exercise and help us see our surroundings. This is a shot from the Rotary Park just outside of Casper. It was really amazing for a city park. Large, and tree'd. . . this waterfall was a prominent feature. It was a little too hot to hike the more exposed trails for old us, and for an old black dog. At one point I touched Jasper's fur, and said to John "He's hot to the touch. We have to get him out of this sun!" We did have a lovely picnic at a private site by a stream. A welcome respite from driving.

Wyoming landscape

We do see everything from the dull to the sublime while driving, though. Through some of the landscape in Western and Central Wyoming, the land is just flat (sometimes rolling) desert. But then one passes through an area of strange, beautiful and bizarre landforms. Pointed green hills, rounded rock towers hunched like trolls, columns of  layered rocks. . . all sorts of unexpected land forms. It actually makes me wonder how the geology and climate made this place.

But really, it was the clouds in Wyoming that kept inspiring wonder. Again, it is hard to get an image that does justice. But if I had seen a painting of the same thing my eyes were seeing, I would have thought they were caricatures of clouds. Too "cloud-like" to be real.

Wyoming land forms

As we drove toward Eastern Wyoming, the landscape started to change quite dramatically. The hills were greener, and trees started appearing on the hillsides. The terrain was quite rolling, and as we drove toward our lodging, the hillsides shared space with agricultural land. As always, I crave the green, so it was a welcome development!

Clouds

Eastern Wyoming greens