Wyoming made the mistake of giving away its best far too early. The first two days we were greeted with Yellowstone Park and the Tetons, two of the most incredible sights in America. The varied and bizarre landscape of Yellowstone was something I'd never seen before. Hot springs and geysers scattered the cauldron, the name given to a large area of volcanic activity. You could find out more about the geography of this place by talking to my Dad, who was very jealous of where I was staying. The next day we rode into Jackson Hole and got an up close view of the Teton Mountains. Whenever I think of mountains, I think of jagged, snow covered peaks that shoot out of the surrounding landscape. The Tetons are just that. The rival the Alps in terms of rugged beauty. After exploring the town, we had a fabulous day off that I've described in another post below. Unfortunately, the incredible sights pretty much ended after that. The one other point of interest was on the way to Dubois when we crossed over the Continental Divide at our highest point of the summer of just over 9,000 feet.
I really have to explain just how empty the rest of Wyoming is. One evening in the bustling town of Shoshoni, we stopped in a restaurant and talked with locals about the next day's ride to Casper. Casper, the second largest city in Wyoming, population 50,000. All three groups of people we talked with said this was the loneliest 100 mile stretch of highway in America. "Come on," we said, "There's gotta be something good to see along the way." One man replied, "Yeah, I'm sure there's a bend in the road at some point." Yeehaw. The landscape on this particular day was nothing more than a desert with shrubs, rocks, and dust. My paceline played the game "Find that tree" where the first person to spot an actual tree won. The first winner was at mile 20. Next winner, mile 60. No more winners until mile 100 in Casper. We also passed a place called Hells Half Acre. This is where all the outdoor scenes for the movie Starship Troopers was filmed. If you ever want to see a landscape that is suitable for a fictional movie about a God-forsaken alien planet filled with giant, killer bugs, Wyoming can hook you up. Wyoming is given 3 electoral votes. I'm pretty sure that's being a little generous. Now if you're reading this and you're from the aforementioned 100 mile stretch and I'm offending you, I apologize. However, I could see for at least 10 miles on each side of the road so I'm guessing the total number of people that live in this 2,000 square mile area is maybe 11, so I'm not that worried.
I must add that while Wyoming is a little barren and cows outnumber the people 5:1 (I saw it on a bumper sticker so it must be true) the people are fantastic. Everyone we talked to was welcoming and kind. After visiting a few small town bars, it's clear they definitely know how to have a good time. And man can they cook. We had several dinners sponsored by the Wyoming Cattlewoman's Association. These women are from all over the state and promote beef to those passing through. On several occasions, I had to fight the urge to propose to the chef after I ate some delicious beef brisket, pulled beef sandwiches, and more. Best I've ever had.
So if you ever visit the west I would recommend stopping by Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Shoshoni, Dubois, and Wheatland might not make your list but there's something to be said for small town America and the ranches of Wyoming.
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