Homeward Bound Part 1
We left Jackson Hole yesterday morning. It's about a 24 drive from Nashville (with no stops which makes it about 32 hours for our family) which makes it seem closer to home. I love Wyoming . . . it is chock full of beauty and history.
We left the northwest corner of the state yesterday morning and after winding through the mountains surrounding the Jackson area, we went almost due south in a wide valley between two distant mountain ranges. I ran into a family at a gas station in this remote area. The daughter will be a sophomore at Vanderbilt . . . small world. Soon afterward, we passed the Big Sandy River where the Oregon Trail had crossed at this point 150 years ago. This was an area where mountain men once engaged in the fur trade and where they would gather together. The local communities are aware and proud of this heritage. We continued heading southward and after passing through the southwest portion of the state, we headed due east.
Where were the mountains? I knew the rockies continued north from Colorado, but it looked like we were on the great plains for miles and miles with an occasional small mountain rising in the distance. The fact was that although it appeared to be rolling prairie, we were over 7,500 feet in elevation the whole time. In fact, after we drove through Laramie, we ascended to over 8,500 feet, but it didn't feel as if we were in the mountains. Interesting that the Oregon Trail travelers and mountain men had discovered this route and found a great pass through the rugged mountains.
Soon we began descending to Cheyenne in the southeast corner of the state. We wanted to find the same Mexican restaurant in the downtown area that we had discovered 7 years ago. When we entered into Cheyenne, we were amazed to see what looked like a heavy covering of snow on the sides of the road and throughout town. The west is a mysterious and amazing place.
We also noticed that the town was hopping on this Wednesday night which was much different than our memory of a sleepy cow town. After parking in a downtown garage, we noticed that the snow was actually small hail. The ominous, dark clouds that we saw on the eastern horizon as we entered town had packed a punch.
There was also some type of festival going on downtown as we could see people and hear the live music. We found a Mexican restaurant that may have been the same one we ate at the time before. It was near the downtown train station where the festivities were going on this Wednesday night. After dinner, we walked over to check out the live music. It's a shame that these types of gatherings don't happen in Franklin. Stephanie was commenting how great such an event would be in downtown Franklin.
After enduring a little rain, we decided to get back to our cars while we were still relatively dry.
It is interesting to note how we have now driven the perimeter of Wyoming. On our first visit, we entered the southeast quadrant and drove north where we gradually veered off into S Dakota. On this trip, we drove from S Dakota through the NE corner and on into Montana. From Red Lodge, MT, we entered the state from the north and drove due west to the NW corner of the state in Yellowstone. From Yellowstone, we headed due South into Jackson, and then From Jackson, we began our travels home yesterday.
After dinner, we drove a couple more hours east and into Nebraska for the night.....
We left the northwest corner of the state yesterday morning and after winding through the mountains surrounding the Jackson area, we went almost due south in a wide valley between two distant mountain ranges. I ran into a family at a gas station in this remote area. The daughter will be a sophomore at Vanderbilt . . . small world. Soon afterward, we passed the Big Sandy River where the Oregon Trail had crossed at this point 150 years ago. This was an area where mountain men once engaged in the fur trade and where they would gather together. The local communities are aware and proud of this heritage. We continued heading southward and after passing through the southwest portion of the state, we headed due east.
Where were the mountains? I knew the rockies continued north from Colorado, but it looked like we were on the great plains for miles and miles with an occasional small mountain rising in the distance. The fact was that although it appeared to be rolling prairie, we were over 7,500 feet in elevation the whole time. In fact, after we drove through Laramie, we ascended to over 8,500 feet, but it didn't feel as if we were in the mountains. Interesting that the Oregon Trail travelers and mountain men had discovered this route and found a great pass through the rugged mountains.
Soon we began descending to Cheyenne in the southeast corner of the state. We wanted to find the same Mexican restaurant in the downtown area that we had discovered 7 years ago. When we entered into Cheyenne, we were amazed to see what looked like a heavy covering of snow on the sides of the road and throughout town. The west is a mysterious and amazing place.
We also noticed that the town was hopping on this Wednesday night which was much different than our memory of a sleepy cow town. After parking in a downtown garage, we noticed that the snow was actually small hail. The ominous, dark clouds that we saw on the eastern horizon as we entered town had packed a punch.
There was also some type of festival going on downtown as we could see people and hear the live music. We found a Mexican restaurant that may have been the same one we ate at the time before. It was near the downtown train station where the festivities were going on this Wednesday night. After dinner, we walked over to check out the live music. It's a shame that these types of gatherings don't happen in Franklin. Stephanie was commenting how great such an event would be in downtown Franklin.
After enduring a little rain, we decided to get back to our cars while we were still relatively dry.
It is interesting to note how we have now driven the perimeter of Wyoming. On our first visit, we entered the southeast quadrant and drove north where we gradually veered off into S Dakota. On this trip, we drove from S Dakota through the NE corner and on into Montana. From Red Lodge, MT, we entered the state from the north and drove due west to the NW corner of the state in Yellowstone. From Yellowstone, we headed due South into Jackson, and then From Jackson, we began our travels home yesterday.
After dinner, we drove a couple more hours east and into Nebraska for the night.....
Comments
Post a Comment