This was the first day that didn't feel vacation-like, mainly because of the stressssssss of trying to get to Cheyenne at a decent hour. But hey, that's OK.
The drive was about 750 miles. And doesn't have a lot in it. I did stop in a town called Little America because I was DYING for some vegetables and the only thing I really wanted was some cucumber. I stopped at possibly the only restaurant in creation that doesn't have cucumbers. What else.
Oh, I passed through Laramie on the way here. Laramie is where Matthew Shepard was beat up, strung up a fence post and left to die by two men because he was gay in 1998. I actually didn't want to stop there, but I was absolutely low on gas and had no choice. It smells like Santa Fe, with the faint scent of burning wood in the air.
Then, I was driving through Medicine Bow national forest, elevation 8,060 feet above sea level, and I got a nosebleed! That never happens to me, but it wasn't surprising--I'd been having issues with the elevation all day.
The driving was a little scary--there were random ice slicks on the road, even though the weather was clear--but everybody's wearing cowboy boots and this hotel (the historic Plains Hotel in downtown Cheyenne) has a charming, if slightly un-p.c. obsession with Native American likenesses that kind of thrills me. The hotel was built in 1911 and restored in 2003 and is totally charming.
Cheyenne is the "Magic City of the Plains," because when the local people in the area heard that the Union Pacific railroad was coming through, they slapped the city together quickly, hoping the railroad would bring them prosperity. It's the largest city in Wyoming and has about 10,000 more people in it than live in Holbrook. Weird. Anyway, it means there are plenty of places to park downtown, which is cool.
It's a total Union Pacific town and in the distance as I went to sleep last night, I could hear freight trains rumbling through. Made me feel good about bringng the train conductor's hat with me.
I've got to get on the road to Amarillo, but I'll post some more thoughts about Idaho and Wyoming later on, including the revelation that Idaho drivers are Idahorrible and the fact that it was about 15 degrees here last night.
Day 13:
Boise, ID - Cheyenne, WY
Mileage: 750
Total Mileage (adjusted--I messed up somewhere): 5,370
Idaho Heritage Inn, Boise, ID. With the geothermal shower.
I didn't even know there were mountains around Boise until the morning.
You can't really see it, but this car's license plate says Alaska.
I love historical markers.
I drove over this.
The Snake River.
And this guy.
I call this one, "No Direction Home."
Ogden is where there is a monument to the golden spike, or "Promontory Point," where the Union Pacific railroad met the Central Pacific railroad, completing the first transcontinental railroad in 1869. Also, I am a dweeb for knowing and getting excited about this.
UTAH!
More Utah.
Seriously, I kept thinking every time I saw a sign like this, that Cheyenne was getting furhter away.
Wyyyyyyomin'.
My hotel. P.S. This town closes at 10 p.m.
From my hotel room--totally charming, no?
Well, seen her up in old Cheyenne
Turned my head and away she ran
From Denver Town to Wichita
Last I heard she's in Arkansas.
Bob Dylan - Gypsy Lou
1 comment:
So who is coming back to Holbrook, will it be a CowGirl or CityGirl? This trip may give you some good ideas as to where you may want to live in the future (not that there is any future because time is an illusion), or will you come back saying, "there's no place like home, there's no place like home".
Great photos again and you snapped yourself a great pix of yourself in the car. Too bad you're not having a good time. Wagons East!
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