July 24-25: Laramie, Wyoming

July 24: As we progress westward the landscape changed to the drier prairie, less fields of crops and more ranch land with grazing cattle. The lush green is gone and the foliage is drier. The land is still flat, no sign of mountains yet.

We have noticed a few mesquite trees here and there, but the numbers have been increasing. Here we now see mostly mesquites.

We have reached Wyoming and see more pine trees. The trip today is a continual, but gradual climb.

The mountains are starting to appear. The scenery is what is typical in old west movies.

We stopped at the visitor center shortly after crossing the state line and picked up a map and tourist guide. We saw a picture of this monument to Abraham Lincoln and read about it, but are surprised when we can see it from the interstate. What an impressive sight. This monument is at the summit, highest point on the transcontinental I-80 at 8640' above sea level, about 15 miles east of Laramie. This monument was commissioned in 1959 to stand at the highest point of the Lincoln Highway. When I-80 was completed in 1969 the monument was moved to it's present location.

July 25: We are staying in Laramie for the next two nights (altitude 7200'). This prison housed may notorious outlaws in the 1800's and early 1900's. One of note is "Butch" Cassidy.

Look who the U.S. Marshal captured.

The processing room.

The kitchen.

The laundry with man-powered washing machines.

The prisoner housing, three tiers high.

And here is the newest prisoner. Wonder how long he'll have to serve.

Behind the prison is a frontier village. This is a very nice log cabin compared to those we have seen on this trip. Glass in the windows, two large bedrooms and nice furnishings.

The front porch with the man-powered washing machine and tubs. We saw washing machines like this one in the Route 66 Museum at the first part of the trip. There is a barn and other out buildings and several pieces of farming equipment.

Just inside the entrance in the main room of the house is the wash basin. This was probably located here so the family members could wash up after working out on the farm as soon as they entered the house.

The old west street.

The curator, Teresa, decides that the Bear can work off his sentence at the guest counter in the visitor center of the Territorial Prison Historical Site. So don't worry, he'll be coming home with us.

This monument is on the University of Wyoming campus. We didn't spend any time on the campus. After visiting the Territorial Prison Historical Site we had a snack in a beautiful park in the shade of a tree. The weather is comfortable, but we see storm clouds moving in.

We stop at the Chamber of Commerce to pick up a self guided tour map of the Historical are of Laramie then stop at Wendy's for lunch. We decide to go back to the trailer to rest and just in time. The storm moves in on a strong wind which rocks the trailer and drops rain for a while. After dinner we head over to the Ice Arena to see the Fly Ball event. The event starts tomorrow, but the local participants are practicing. This is an event for dogs and their people. The dogs work in teams of 4 on a relay basis. Each dog must run in a lane, clearing gates, hit a platform that releases a tennis ball. The ball is retrieved, the dog runs back in the lane to deliver the ball to it's handler. As soon as the dogs passes a point on it's return the next dog is released to perform the same fete.

We don't get to see the Historical Old Town due to the thunder storm, and when we get back to the trailer a second thunder storm blows through.

Tomorrow we head for Rock Springs.