Free State Wyoming Forum
Prospective Free State Wyoming (FSW) Members and Interested Parties => Prospective Free State Wyoming (FSW) Members and Interested Parties => Topic started by: DreamingWest on January 25, 2010, 11:14:20 PM
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Hello, everyone!
I'm a freelance writer, mother, and housewife (not necessarily in that order) who is currently living in a teeny tiny hamlet in upstate New York, a few hours north of the Citadel City. Although the gun culture up here is fairly strong and hunting is an entrenched way of life, NY still has draconian handgun laws and of course you'd better not go anywhere near one of the cities with a firearm. You even need a permit to buy pepper spray in NYC, and you can only buy it from a licensed "dealer" at a pharmacy or department store.
I'm sure many of you already know all about it.
Hoplophobia aside, this state also has horrendously high taxes, ridiculous Nanny State legislation, and the various other trappings of quasi-socialistic fascism that make my skin crawl. Due to the nature of my husband's career, he has to travel frequently to either Los Angeles or NYC (Did I mention we moved to NY from LA? I'm no stranger to living in Hell.) so I've felt stuck. However, after a lot of discussion we've figured out that because of all the travel he already does, we could make our permanent home in beautiful Wyoming and he could open a small office in one of those two cities and we wouldn't see him any less than we already do.
So I'm contemplating moving to Wyoming, a state I've never even visited, alone, with a toddler. I have no family or friends there and won't know a soul. I'm planning to homeschool and I'll be on my own most of the time. And yet, I'm oddly okay with it all. The thought of living in a place where we're not outnumbered 500:1 by willing slaves and other coercive statists makes my heart sing. The truth is, although I currently live in the country, I feel very crowded, stepped on, and oppressed. Two days after we moved into this house, our new neighbors down the road rang the doorbell armed with pamphlets and fliers to try and convince us to register locally so we could vote for a certain town councilman. This man, if you can call him that, promised to institute strict zoning laws and grandfather them in so that my affluent neighbor and his friends would be able to remove "tacky gravel mining operations" (my neighbor's words) and small-time farmers. When I told the neighbor that I'd never voted in my entire life, but that I did once send a campaign donation to Ron Paul, he looked at me like I had horns. I suppose, to him, I do.
These are the rugged, individualists I'm surrounded by in rural New York.
My husband and I are planning to visit Wyoming on a fact-finding mission this summer. We hope to fly into the state, rent a car, and drive around for a week, checking out various places along the way. High on my list are Sundance (well, really all of Crook County) and Sheridan, but I'm hoping to see as much as possible before I commit.
Anyway, this is getting long but I just wanted to sort of introduce myself and say hello. I've read a few of Boston's books, including Molon Labe!, and agree with him that Wyoming can offer, if not true freedom, at least the most reasonable facsimile we can find on the planet today. I hope to see you all there sooner than later.
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Welcome! It's wonderful to hear from you! You sound like our kind of people. :)
Please do plan to visit me here in Newcastle. We'll call the clan, so you can meet others nearby. We're about 50 miles from Sundance, and you might have a much better chance of finding a place here compared to there. Worth looking anyway.
Please do read as much as you can here at the forum, but if you have questions feel free to ask. I'd be delighted to talk to you anytime in email or private message. I'm a widow, and moved here from California, alone, in '05. It was the best thing I ever did for myself. Can't wait to meet you!
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Thank you for the warm welcome, MamaLiberty! I'll definitely let you know when we're headed out that way. My husband isn't quite as passionate about this as I am, but he's intrigued by the idea of such a business-friendly climate and the wildness of Wyoming.
Since I can't say for certain that we're going to do this until we visit this summer, I won't be able to submit a statement of intent for at least a few months, but I'm already with you there in spirit. I can't wait! :)
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Yes! Welcome!
I live in Crook County near Devil's Tower. The first national monument. Lots of trees up here. Part of the Black Hills that spill over from SD.
Lots of wide open spaces out here. We have NO zoning laws in the county. No "land use". I have no CC&Rs on my land. Yeah, somebody might just start a "pig farm" or "auto wrecker" next door, but that's the chance I'll take. Those are the two boogey men of the statists, right?
No gun permits required here to open carry. No local gun laws. Banned by the state constitution as far as I know
Perhaps you'd like to plan to come to the summer get together in June? That would be great!
Mac
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June is our annual Jam here in Weston County out by Osage Wyo. about 20 mi. west of Newcastle. There are several of us here in Newcastle and we are usually willing to put people up for awhile and just chew the rag, have some coffee, beer or whatever you may prefer and get to know each other as well as possible. We welcome new folks such as you sound to be who have a freedom and liberty minded bent.
If you do come at this time bring your gun, there is a range out to 600 yds. so far, maybe more by now, you never know what Rich has developed by now.
But really,,,,,,,,,,,get the hell outta there ASAP.
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Yes! Welcome!
I live in Crook County near Devil's Tower. The first national monument. Lots of trees up here. Part of the Black Hills that spill over from SD.
Lots of wide open spaces out here. We have NO zoning laws in the county. No "land use". I have no CC&Rs on my land. Yeah, somebody might just start a "pig farm" or "auto wrecker" next door, but that's the chance I'll take. Those are the two boogey men of the statists, right?
No gun permits required here to open carry. No local gun laws. Banned by the state constitution as far as I know
Perhaps you'd like to plan to come to the summer get together in June? That would be great!
Mac
Hello, Mac, and thank you for the welcome! The statists always have an excuse, don't they? But it always boils down to control. They screech about freedom and tolerance while stomping on the necks of people they don't want to tolerate. Ugh. Hey, if a pig farm or auto wrecker moves in next door, maybe you can start bartering for cheap pork or auto parts... >:D
Wyoming's gun freedom is one of its most appealing features, in my opinion. After all, what are rights without the ability to defend them? Self-defense is the right that matters most, because without it there is no guarantee of any of the others. Just my $0.02. Oh, by the way, did you all see this? Looks like freedom might be spreading (http://blog.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2010/01/colorado-south-dakota-firearms-freedom-act-introduced/). 8)
I don't know about the get-together in June--I'll read more about it. If I can arrange it, we'll be there. I'd love to finally meet some like minds! I probably don't have to tell you all how isolating it is to live in a slave state with a mindset like mine. I feel like an alien.
June is our annual Jam here in Weston County out by Osage Wyo. about 20 mi. west of Newcastle. There are several of us here in Newcastle and we are usually willing to put people up for awhile and just chew the rag, have some coffee, beer or whatever you may prefer and get to know each other as well as possible. We welcome new folks such as you sound to be who have a freedom and liberty minded bent.
If you do come at this time bring your gun, there is a range out to 600 yds. so far, maybe more by now, you never know what Rich has developed by now.
But really,,,,,,,,,,,get the hell outta there ASAP.
Hi, Jubal, and thanks for the information and welcome! I'll definitely see what I can do about June. And right now I'm going to sheepishly (no pun intended) admit that I'm a total gun newbie, so I have no idea what I would even do on a 600-yard range. However my birthday is coming up and I'm getting weekly shooting lessons and a new shotgun (and hopefully a rifle or two, eventually) to celebrate. No plans to get pistols here, because I absolutely refuse to jump through the registration/permit hoops, but at least I can learn how to safely and effectively use them until I can get to a place where I can have my own. Wish me luck!
Yeah, getting out of here is priority #1. I can't stand it here and I certainly don't want to raise my children in this cesspool. Don't get me wrong--the terrain is gorgeous and I love the weather here. But the rest of it is just...intolerable. It's time to move to where the grownups are. :D
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Everybodys gotta be a newbie at everything. Don't sweat it..........Just c'mon out, bring yer shootin iron. But mostly,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Get outta there.
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Terrain?? Wyoming has lotsa that
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We also have lots of "weather." Probably nicer than upstate New York too!
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DW,
I read that link about the Firearms Freedom Acts in other states.
There is currently a bill in the Wyoming house that will do just that!
I've contacted both my state rep and state senator about it. They BOTH have replied and BOTH will support it!
Mac
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DW,
I read that link about the Firearms Freedom Acts in other states.
There is currently a bill in the Wyoming house that will do just that!
I've contacted both my state rep and state senator about it. They BOTH have replied and BOTH will support it!
Mac
That's fantastic news, Mac! It's always so disheartening to hear about a great piece of legislation (and the only good legislation, in my opinion, is the kind that repeals or blocks worse legislation) getting shot down instead of passed. I'm glad Wyoming is headed toward sanity and away from statism. :)
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Welcome to FSW dreamingwest. I and my ladyfriend live in Laramie. She has a grown son and I have a 5 year old so we know about toddlers. You'd be more than welcome here to look around. Do you ski?
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Howdy dreamingwest, the June get together would be the best time to get together with the most FSW folks. I think you will find that you do not have to worry about being alone, without freinds. The people here will help you out in any way you need.
I have a thread about traveling Wyoming , for those who have never been here. Might help?
http://www.fundamentalsoffreedom.com/fswforum/index.php?topic=1929.new#new
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Welcome to FSW dreamingwest. I and my ladyfriend live in Laramie. She has a grown son and I have a 5 year old so we know about toddlers. You'd be more than welcome here to look around. Do you ski?
Thanks, biathlon! I'm excited to meet other parents out there, especially since we plan to homeschool all the way.
I skied a lot as a kid (we usually went to Crested Butte and Breckenridge in CO) but I do get awful mountain sickness and have to spend the first couple days in the lodge, sipping cocoa by the fire and getting used to it. After that I'm golden though. My husband loves to ski, which has really helped me get him to even entertain the idea of this move. :)
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Howdy dreamingwest, the June get together would be the best time to get together with the most FSW folks. I think you will find that you do not have to worry about being alone, without freinds. The people here will help you out in any way you need.
I have a thread about traveling Wyoming , for those who have never been here. Might help?
http://www.fundamentalsoffreedom.com/fswforum/index.php?topic=1929.new#new
Hi, wyomiles--
I'm working on the June trip. Looks like we would want to fly into Billings and rent a car there, and then drive down into Wyoming for our tour of the state.
Thank you so much for posting that information; I've been looking for something like that! The Wyoming tourism sites have road trip itineraries but it's always good to get better information from someone local. I'm going to print the thread out and go over it with a highlighter later on. Thanks again!
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Your welcome, it has been a while since I looked at the wyotour so some of the links may be outdated. Be sure to ask any questions about specific areas. Also there may be FSW folks along the route whom you could meet with, during your trip, if you wanted to .
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Okay, well if you're offering to answer...
I was wondering about Story, Buffalo, Ranchester, Big Horn, and that general area. I really like what I've seen of Story and there are still affordable plots of acreage out there that appear to be completely free of zoning/HOA restrictions, which would be mandatory for us.
What is that area like? We need to be somewhat close to Billings as my husband would be flying in and out a lot, so I'm thinking we should stick to the areas around Sheridan, but I'm always open to new suggestions. Story is so pretty in pictures...living where I do now, I know I need to be where there are plenty of trees, green grass, maybe even water (if it's around). :D But is it very statist there? I don't want to live around people who would have scream and faint if they saw someone open carrying, for instance, since I might do that myself eventually. No sense in moving to Wyoming Lite.
The Black Hills area looks very pretty too, which is one reason it's so high on my list, but I have to admit I really like the look of those dramatic, snow-capped Rockies and all that goes with them.
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I believe that there are members of FSW who live in that area and I hope that they will speak up here as my opinion will be based on one or two trips through the area. The Bighorn mountains are indeed beautiful and there seems to be a lot of agricultural land on the Eastern slope of the bighorns. Generally this means that folks in the area will be open to the gun culture. I always try to tell people to plan a trip and spend a few days on the ground , talking to the locals. Sounds like you will be doing this.
Sorry I cannot give you a better opinion, Southwest Wyoming is the place I am most familiar with.
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Tell hubby lift tickets are on me cause I get 'em free from Ski Patrol. ;D
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I've heard some negatives about Sheridan. While it is apparently a pretty town, the "town improvers" seem to be a bit obnoxious there. You'd want to live outside the city limits, and be prepared to pay some county sales taxes for boondoggles.
I don't want to over-exaggerate this. Cody is the same way, yet no one complains if you park your bobcat on a trailer in a street in front of your house. Everything is relative, I suppose.
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Newcastle, Sundance and the area surrounding are in the Black hills and its only about an hour and a half to Rapid City which has a very modern airport.
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I believe that there are members of FSW who live in that area and I hope that they will speak up here as my opinion will be based on one or two trips through the area. The Bighorn mountains are indeed beautiful and there seems to be a lot of agricultural land on the Eastern slope of the bighorns. Generally this means that folks in the area will be open to the gun culture. I always try to tell people to plan a trip and spend a few days on the ground , talking to the locals. Sounds like you will be doing this.
Sorry I cannot give you a better opinion, Southwest Wyoming is the place I am most familiar with.
Sorry it's taken me so long to respond; I've been super busy with offline life. :)
Thanks for weighing in! I'm ready for all the opinions people are willing to give me. The openness to gun culture is one of my top priorities, even though I'm not (yet) a part of that culture. I hope that doesn't sound weird. I'm just really looking for self-sufficient types who mind their own business and don't go looking for Mommy State to take care of their every want and need. Gun culture and self-sufficiency seem to go hand in hand, especially in this modern world where private gun ownership is so feared and demonized.
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Tell hubby lift tickets are on me cause I get 'em free from Ski Patrol. ;D
biathlon, that is so gracious of you! Thank you so much. If you're serious, maybe we can figure out some kind of barter exchange. :D
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I've heard some negatives about Sheridan. While it is apparently a pretty town, the "town improvers" seem to be a bit obnoxious there. You'd want to live outside the city limits, and be prepared to pay some county sales taxes for boondoggles.
We'd be outside of city limits no matter where we go. I don't want to be "in town" and subject to town ordinances and laws. I learned that lesson the hard way when we chose this house. We're in the sticks but still within town limits, and the consequences have been frustrating, to say the least... We're also hoping to (eventually) build or modify a house/homestead that's self-sufficient and completely off the grid, so being outside of the city limits is far preferable for a number of reasons.
I don't want to over-exaggerate this. Cody is the same way, yet no one complains if you park your bobcat on a trailer in a street in front of your house. Everything is relative, I suppose.
Well, just so you know, I'm not dead-set on Sheridan or any of the surrounding towns. I mean, I've never even been there! I'm just going by what I've read and seen online--not the most reliable way to scout out an area. We'll know a lot more after our trip out there this summer. Thanks for your candor!
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Newcastle, Sundance and the area surrounding are in the Black hills and its only about an hour and a half to Rapid City which has a very modern airport.
This is really good to know, jubal. If the airport in RC is comparable to the one in Billings, then that opens up a lot more of the state to us. Though I have to admit I'm really aiming for mountains more than prairie. I'm originally from a prairie state myself and while it's very beautiful, I'd like to try the mountains for a change. :)
Thank you so much for your kind responses, everyone! I hope to meet you this summer and thank you in person. With any luck we'll be out there for the gathering in June. :)
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I look forward to meeting you in June!!!
~TG
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Welcome!
I spent my first 18 years in Chautauqua County New York. New York is the least-free state (basically because New York City has so much political influence, even though I lived 500 miles from NYC). Even moving to California after that was a step UP in amount of freedoms, and that's saying a lot, because California is basically the American genesis of nanny statism.
My wife and I moved from Los Angeles to Casper seven months ago. We love it, and it was the best decision we could have ever made!
MWD
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Though I have to admit I'm really aiming for mountains more than prairie. I'm originally from a prairie state myself and while it's very beautiful, I'd like to try the mountains for a change. :)
Well, the Black Hills are actually mountains. Not the tallest in the world, but very beautiful. Where I live here south of Newcastle, I have the wide open prairie on the south and west, with the Black Hills to the north and east. I can change the view any time I want by going to a different window! LOL
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Thanks, TexasGirl! I hope to see you in a few months. Half my family is Texan and I have a strong affinity for that state. 8)
Hi, MWD. It really is stifling here. You don't realize how bad it is until you leave for a few weeks...and then you can almost feel the statism settle in on your shoulders as you drive back into the tristate area...
Maybe that's a little dramatic, but I really feel like a "subject" here, and not a freewoman. Can't wait to get out! Glad to hear you and your family made it out to WY in one piece. I'd love any advice you could give on the subject of going from the gulag to the open range. ;D
Now, ML, I didn't mean to insult your beautiful Black Hills! They are definitely mountains and just lovely from what I've seen in pictures. I'm really hoping we can find a spot with good views, so it's reassuring to hear that it's possible out there. I hear Wyoming has some pretty scenery...must have read that somewhere. ;)
Getting out there this summer and touring the state by car is going to be such an adventure! I'm so excited to finally see these places I've only read about so far. ~W~
In other news, my husband took shooting lessons for the first time last weekend. He loved it so much that he's planning to go back in a week or two for a longer session with the instructor. And he's started asking to borrow my copy of Boston's Gun Bible so often that I'm going to surprise him with his own. (It's really a tremendous book, Boston, as I'm sure you already know--so easy to get into even if you're completely new to guns like we are.) I'm encouraging this new hobby of his with every ounce of energy I have. A man should know about and love his guns, IMHO.
Thanks again for the encouragement and advice, everybody! I really appreciate it. :-*
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Waving Hello from Fort Worth Texas to let you know I really identify with your post, DreamingWest! Although I will always have a special spot in my heart for Texas, hubby Bill and I have known for quite a while it was time for us to move on......for many of the same reasons you state. We are surrounded by people who still have Obama bumper stickers, and are outnumbered by illegals and crime we just cannot believe.
A couple of years ago when we began to research desirable places to which we could move, Wyoming kept coming to mind and we began researching everything we could find. Like you, I had never been there, so we began making trips to "check it out." Bill and I both fell in love with the State and all it offers to freedom-loving folks. It didn't take us long to determine we would eventually move there; it took several more trips to feel like we had explored many locations so we could make an informed decision.
The Big Horn Basin area felt right for us when we first visited it, and after driving to lots of other places Clark (30 miles North of Cody) still felt the most like "home." Last October we finally bought just under ten acres in Clark and will be moving there in June. The real estate market being what it is, we don't want to take a bath on our Texas home, so we're having an oversized garage with office area built first while we live in our 5th wheel RV trailer. Whenever this place does sell we're adding on the rest of the house. Not the way we would like to have done it, but better than waiting around here one more long, lot and humid summer!
Just like you said, we know no one in Wyoming (our friends here think we have gone over the edge) but feel so strongly that is where we are supposed to be we cannot wait to get there and begin making new friends. We have children and grandchildren here, and while most folks our age wouldn't consider moving anywhere unless it was even further South, we know Wyoming is where we want to spend the remainder of our lives.
I applaud your decision to drive around this summer to do just what Bill and I did. I have no doubt you will feel as drawn to make your home there as we did, and I look forward to meeting you one of these days when we are both official Wyomingites!
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The Clark area is nice...including its nearby neighbor...The Beartooth.
(http://www.jalynphotography.com/images/Beartooth%20Highway%20View.jpg)
Your housing plan is just about what we've come up with...but we are waiting to see what develops with real estate before getting the property to build on.
MANUMIT
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Welcome, Ann the Artist!!! I do hope you are planning on coming to the annual camp-out here in Weston county. Take a look at this to get more information. http://www.fundamentalsoffreedom.com/fswforum/index.php?board=59.0
I moved here from Southern California in '05, leaving my whole family and 7 grandchildren... and I wouldn't go back for anything. Now, after all this time, my two grown sons (with 2 of the grandchildren) are coming to stay by this summer.
Once they see how free and happy you are, maybe some of your family will join you. :)
I look forward to meeting you!
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Thanks for the gorgeous photo Manumit! Those mountains really called to us and that picture says it all!
Yes MamaLiberty, we do plan on coming to the camp-out. It didn't work out for us when we were there last year ... too much to see in the short amount of time we had to look for land. This year we will be in Washington State for our oldest granddaughter's high school graduation, then we plan to head back to Wyoming in time to take advantage of this opportunity to meet you and many other FSW folks! Thanks for the invitation!
Ann
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Hi, Ann! I'm so glad you and your husband have found your own little slice of paradise out there. I hope to meet you at the campout!
I know what you mean about people thinking you're crazy for moving to Wyoming...
My dearest friend, who is very loving and sweet but a total statist, innocently exclaimed, "Wyoming? Do you have any idea how red and square that place is? And I'm not just talking about the shape!" She and I have never discussed politics (I actively avoid it with friends and family) and I think she's in for a bit of a surprise when I finally bother to explain myself. :D
Anyway, we're really excited about going out there and seeing the beautiful state and hopefully meeting some like-minded people. We decided to drive out instead of fly, as we both enjoy road trips and I absolutely refuse to check myself into the gulag of the modern airport. Full body X-rays? Not happening.
MANUMIT, what a gorgeous picture! Those are the sorts of mountains I hope to have in my backyard out there. Beautiful.
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Welcome DW. Just catching up on threads as I don't get here all the time. Like you, I live in the East (sort of - Ohio). Like you I'm seriously considering moving to Wyoming. Like you, my family thinks I'm batty. And like you, I'm interested in the Bighorn/Sheridan/Story/Buffalo area, though I'm also checking out some other parts of the state. I am coming to the combo Dirttime/Expo event and plan to be in Wyoming for pretty much the entire month of June checking out relocation sites.
I've found a very informative book I will recommend to you. It doesn't cover 'free' issues but does cover the state itself very well, IMHO.
Moon Wyoming (Moon Handbooks)
http://www.amazon.com/Moon-Wyoming-Handbooks-Don-Pitcher/dp/1566919533/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270870834&sr=1-3 (http://www.amazon.com/Moon-Wyoming-Handbooks-Don-Pitcher/dp/1566919533/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270870834&sr=1-3)
Lol, sounds like a leftist book and as a matter of fact I've heard the Moon Handbook on Idaho was indeed written by a slightly leftist wacko, but my (slightly older edition) of the Moon Wyoming is extremely informative and rather wonderful. Check it out for a lot of good information. Mine gets read constantly....in that smallish room in my house... ;D