Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Cheyenne, Wyoming

After 151 grueling miles across the northern plains, we rolled into AB Camping and RV Park in Cheyenne, Wyoming on Sunday June 2. Our stay in Rawlins had been short, just one night, but sweet because the famous Wyoming wind didn't blow 30-40 miles an hour as it seemingly usually does!

AB is an older and smaller park on the south side of town, but it suits our needs just fine for the short time we're here.




We disconnected the car and went into town to see what we could see. Our first stop was at the Cheyenne Railroad Depot Museum. Unfortunately the museum was closed on a Sunday afternoon, but we were able to check out one of Cheyenne's famous "must-see" things....The Boots.











There are twenty-five of these boots scattered about town, each eight feet tall and decorated by a local artist. It's a scavenger hunt to try to find them, and I must admit we weren't totally successful, but we did see many of them!

The Historic Governors Mansion was open on Sunday, and a lovely volunteer lady gave us a tour. She admitted that she had forgotten a few things about the mansion since she celebrated her "eighty-something" birthday!




Built in 1904, the mansion was home to 19 Wyoming first families, including the first female governor in the United States, Nellie Taylor Ross. Did you know that Wyoming was the first state in the country, and perhaps the first government in the world, to give women full voting rights and equality? Yup....1870, when Louisa Ann Swain of Laramie became the first women to cast a vote in a general election. Wyoming pledged to refuse statehood without womens suffrage in 1890.

We wanted to visit the State Capitol, but it is closed for extensive renovation. We did manage to snap a couple of photos through the fences.




7XL SIGN

Monday found us at the Terry Bison Preserve just a few miles south of Cheyenne. In fact, the 25,000 acre ranch straddles the Wyoming-Colorado border. The entire ranch is devoted to the raising of bison, or raising hay for them, or sheltering them in inclement weather, and has the registered brand 7XL. Story goes that when the cowboys got liquored up the day before roundup during branding season they didn't have to have both eyes open to get the brand right...it read the same upside down! A short ride on a small train took us out to the nearest herd. These guys knew we were coming! Each bench in the open train car had a five gallon bucket full of bison treats. Ah ha!




There were several calves darting about....but staying close to Mom.




Donna thought she was going to loose s fingernail when this lady came up to take a treat!



There were a couple of big boys in an adjacent field, but they didn't seem to be interested in the meager treats we had. Probably just  as well!




In the afternoon, we visited the State Museum, which is located adjacent to the currently closed State House. We began our tour with an exhibit of Thomas C. Molesworth furniture. Mr. Molesworth pioneered a style of furniture that blended romantic views of the Wild West with Craftsman simplicity. Made from hand-peeled fir logs and burls and using native american weavings, his work can be seen in many expensive homes furnished in the 1930's.



The museum tells the story of the state in detail, but one thing that interested us particularly was Old Number 99.



Old 99 was built in New England in 1893, specifically for touring Yellowstone Park. After 1916, when wagons were banned from the park in favor of the automobile, 99 found its way to the front of the train station in Laramie, Wyoming. Other than cloth items, it is entirely original.

Then we found another boot in front of the museum...



Tuesday found us with just a couple of things to do. We returned to the Railroad Depot Museum, but were not impressed, and soon left. Our second stop was the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens. A lovely small arboretum, it displays a number of tropical plants.

And a boot...



Aptly growing around a fanciful elephant, myriads of "Elephant Ears" grow.



Bright splashes of color dot the conservatory.



And interesting flowering plants that we've never seen before.



Banana trees are flourishing next to the tropical aviary.




We still had a few hours left in the day, so we decided to drive south thirty-something miles to visit Fort Collins, Colorado, population 165,000 at last count. Home to Colorado State University, this large and spread-out town would take weeks to explore. Vowing to return, we headed southeast to Greeley, Colorado. Named after Horace Greeley, the editor of the New York Tribune, who came to Colorado in 1859 in the Pikes Peak Gold Rush. Greeley, of course, popularized the phrase "Go West, young man".

We circled downtown a couple of times, then took US85 north back to Cheyenne, avoiding thunderstorms and rain just by a little bit.

Our last night in Cheyenne was capped by a scrumptious dinner at the Wyoming Rib and Chop House in downtown Cheyenne. We ordered Fried Green Tomatoes to start, then Donna ordered a small filet. When it arrived, it wasn't done quite to her satisfaction, so back it went, and the chef brought another and asked her to cut into it to check it out while he waited. It was perfect! Great service! the New York steak I ordered could not have been better. We highly recommend this restaurant if you're ever in Cheyenne!

Having filled up ourselves with great Wyoming food, and both the motorhome and the car with inexpensive Wyoming diesel fuel, we're ready to hit the road again. On we go!


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