Heading south, off to the right is a mountain ridge and as I recall, it's called the Beartooth Mountain Range.? Off to the left are smooth hills, valleys, gulleys, few trees, and shrubs.? I think we saw one lone pronghorn a thousand yards off to the left.? Any map will tell you that you cross streams, and we did.? Looking across the land, you don't see the streams until you cross them, have no idea they're there, as the rising and rolling hills and sharply cut zigzags of loosely strewn rock conceal both streams and I imagine wildlife just as well as a forest full of trees.? The water of the streams has a unique color, not the dark blue of a big lake, but a blue-green that is hard to read.? The water we saw was often rippled, moving fast, and there was nothing to indicate depth by appearance.
Just outside Cody, there is a sign saying, "Cody Shooting Range".? ?I wanted to go back later and check it out but didn't.? Looking at the terrain, I imagine if you wanted to discover what your rifle would pattern at five miles, you could.? A few days later, when we left Cody on US Hwy 14-16-20, I was happy to see another sign, this one telling us there is a "Cody Archery Range". Judging from the road, I'd hazard that elevated practice is possible without the need of a platform, although I can't verify that, since the presence of a range is enough for me.
We stayed two nights in Cody at the Irma Hotel, built by Buffalo Bill way back when.
There is a restaurant-saloon attached to the Irma, named after William Cody's daughter, and the cherry wood bar, or shelving behind it, were a gift from the queen of England.? Tin ceiling, wood booths, tables in the middle, shoulder mounts of buffalo, mule deer, a moose as I recall, and paintings, one big enough that I'd need to remodel the house to make a wall big enough to hang it on.? Fifteen rooms of the Irma are remodeled Victorian style.? Our room was newer, front corner, and about fifty Harleys were parked outside the window.? The toilet had a flush box mounted on the wall six feet up with a chain and a wooden pull.? Yes, we took a picture, with the paper tape still attached to the wooden seat.
Every evening at 6, the Cody Gunfighters enact a shootout just off the porch of the Irma, in the street.? Characters that look like Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill and about 8 others entertained about 200 tourists from all over.?
Off to the west, there is a nightly rodeo for most of the summer, and worth seeing, including a five-year-old barrel racer who knew how to ride a Wyoming SUV, four legs, saddle, reins, loaded, with attitude.
Further west is the Buffalo Bill dam, the highest dam around, when built, way back when.? Worth seeing.? And another indication of how the terrain hides things.? While at the rodeo, I had no idea there was a stream almost within throwing distance that runs between two hills with a gap between, to the west of Cody.
In Cody, there is the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, a complex of museums that would take a week to enjoy thoroughly.? The firearms museum had somewhere around 3,000 items on display, tagged and explained, including the arms that defended the birth of our nation and every arm since then that has been used to define who we are, as well as the arms they have gone up against.? There is also a Japanese-made Garand, one of about 200, discontinued due to poor workmanship and I suspect a testament to the idea that sometimes it is easier to conquer than it is to rule.? A day isn't long enough to take it all in.
When we left Cody, we took US Hwy 14-16-20 east toward Greybull, my wife taking pictures every fifty feet of the scenery.? The road between Greybull and Burgess Junction, US 14, and the views to either side is breath taking.? My wife created an additional brake on the passenger side of our rental, somewhat primitive and Flintstones technology, but understandable.
Shell Canyon is a "scenic area ahead" with numerous and comical signs announcing it.? We had a memorable moment when my wife began shrieking after I headed off across the other lane toward a scenic area without announcing my intentions.? This was a watershed event in our life and I've since been instructed in the finer art of spousal relations and communications.
The route passes through, over, around, and back again on the Big Horn Mountains, the road engineers outdoing themselves, providing the traveler with a multitude of perspective of each scenic area though I'm still not sure which way one should face when viewing the area. While stopped I turned in all directions trying to determine which way I should be facing, snapping pictures the whole time, and after a period of study, I'm confident I'll be able to come back and say what it was, whether it was that sheer wall of rock rising and falling a jagged thousand feet or more off to the left, or that Ponderosa pine covered valley and hill off to the right, or that whitewater rapids and waterfall a couple hundred feet down below disappearing around a tall hallway of cut rock and shadows.
Coming down the eastern side of the Bighorns, we had a close encounter with what I believe was a mule deer.? Her ears were bigger than the whitetail I'm familiar with, but like the deer here, the encounter happened when a semi, the only one in all of Wyoming, was coming the other way.? So of course, all three of us had to meet at what may have been a scenic area, neither one of us being able to ponder what direction we should be facing as we were all busy trying to avoid bumping into each other, congestion, Wyoming-style.? As I made a graceful maneuver past the mulie, the mulie responded in kind by gracefully avoiding the front bumper of the semi, a Kodak moment.? This is life.
US 14 connects with I-90 north of Sheridan and we headed east on 90, passing through Sheridan, Buffalo, mountain views to the right and smooth hills rising and falling for miles to the left.? ?Traffic was light, 75 was the posted speed, one of the few times I drove below the limit--there's so much to look at--and we stayed on 90 through to Gillette, where we started to devote time to the other reason for our trip--scouting Wyoming for a potential relocation.
But not on an empty stomach.? We stopped at a Perkins, lunchtime, and at a table nearby, a couple ladies, actually one, was talking about water.? And government.? And regulations.? And changing standards.? And housing.? And buying a house.? She'd had an offer three years ago on a house, and within hours, there were three offers behind her offer, and five minutes before a possible closing, another offer came in, higher than her offer, and she had to find another house.? The restaurant was hopping, and by all accounts, so is Gillette.
Outside, I bought a day-old newspaper that says it's the "Wednesday Evening, June 28, 2006" edition of The Gillette News-Record.? One headline reads, "Gillette ready to relax rules on RVs."? Sub-titled "They're not allowed now in mobile home lots, but that could change to ease restrictions during a housing shortage."? ?Sounds hopeful.? I'm a second-generation carpenter, self-employed since July 10, 1989, and I'm tired of Michigan telling me how to go about my business.? Finding work may not be a problem for me in Gillette, finding a place to stay to begin to grow may be a problem, may not be a problem.? The classified section has 2 ads for roommates wanted.? Another has a 2001 camper for rent, a 26-footer, w/utilities included.? Another ad has four displays for mobile home spaces.? Ad section #025 has a 3-br, 2 bath, 2500 square foot mobile home w/22x30 attached garage, nice yard, and storage shed for $1000 a month.? There's a clean 3-br in Antelope Valley, no pets, for $800 a month, and there are several ads by larger outfits.? There's at least 14 homes listed for sale, one with wheels, and another 14-15 ads for mobile homes for sale with one request for a mobile home wanted to rent included.
The jobs available are varied and plentiful enough that most would find a lead worth pursuing.? I parked in front of a store offering Western wear and I used the cell phone while the wife explored shopping potential.? Several ads for construction-related work. The phone of one roofing company ad was answered by a person who said they didn't have to lay anyone off last winter and that they are looking for help often.? Pay is "DOE" short for depending on experience.
When I was younger and so much smarter than I am today, I traveled far, with what I owned packed in a car.? Finding work was always easy.? Head out, find where they're building, follow a loaded lumber truck if necessary, stop at job sites, walk up, and introduce yourself, nail-apron in hand.? Although some looked at me like I had ill intentions toward their breakfast cereal, or they possibly questioned my slender build, others looked at my worn nail apron and offered me opportunity.? Since then, I've married, my senses have dulled due to the obvious carrying capacity of my wife, and relocating will be a chore, a labor that seems lightened by the possibility of finding work, at least in Gillette.? I suspect that by now I'd have my first week under my belt and I'd be exploring the area this weekend and looking forward to my second week, if I was younger and smarter than I am today.
Before we walked into Perkins, I used the cell phone to call Jared, one of two that had communicated with me prior to departure.? It was right around noon, on the 29th, and Jared was home, took a moment to realize who was calling, and I felt slightly less anonymous in the rush that is Gillette.? Anyway, I wanted to touch base with someone from the site and Jared seemed the most willing to oblige.? Thank you, Jared.? He answered a few questions I had and provided some direction for our next move.? We left Gillette and headed east on 90.
Shortly after crossing the Campbell and Crook County line, we arrived in Moorcroft, where the daughter of the sister of a co-worker of my wife lives in an RV parked in the yard of another friend, there for awhile, living in the RV until they find suitable housing.? Prior to departure, I'd learned of others from here who are there, mostly names that are related to other people I know here, most in construction-related work, although the people in Moorcroft and Pinedale have other occupations.
We went back to tourist-mode for a trip from Moorcroft up to Devil's Tower, a truly impressive site, visible for miles, probably 13 miles before you get there.? I did talk to a ranger or park service employee.? Most of the trees in the area are Ponderosa pine and there are a lot of them, along with an oak that does produce acorns. That's deer habitat to me, an avid hunter.? The porcupines chew up the bottoms of the pines.? This area of Wyoming has green ground cover, greener than out west, near Cody.? There are numerous crop circles along the drive, as well as occasional crop squares.? I asked the park service employee about CWD, or chronic wasting disease, and as I recall, he professed a lack of knowledge about the local area related to the disease, although he may have confirmed that no one, really, can say scientifically how the disease is transmitted.? A year or two ago, I was looking at come computer modeling software related to deer population info, and the designer of that software said that he thought someone in Colorado was going to publish an article in a scientific journal that would offer proof.? The disease affects deer populations, has ramifications even where the disease is not found, like miles away here in the U.P.? Politics goes hand-in-hand with the matter, and any government agency with natural resources as its tool, has found in CWD enough problem to justify expense and being.? Job security and potential grows with the disease.?
When we left the Tower, we headed south on a different route, US 14, to Sundance, in Crook County, home of Jared, jail site of the Sundance Kid, located near Sundance Mountain, a big chunk of ground that rises above the terrain, and like Devil's Tower, it has played a part in Indian culture.
This area of Wyoming is where I'd like to be if my wife and I make the move.? Sundance is a town with a population of around 1,000, says the sign.? Three, four, or five hotels, if you include a Best Western closer to I-90, the town rests just north of the interstate and the mountain with other hills rising to the north of it, hills covered with Ponderosa pine and other vegetation small and large, clustered and open, hidden and obvious.? There is a grocery supermarket, though I don't believe it is a chain, at least one small quickie mart, possibly a chain or not, and several restaurants, other businesses, including several real estate shops, only one builder in town, and one game warden who wasn't home when I called from the National Forest Service office on the east end of town.? There is also a public pool, my wife told me, apparently reading the information somewhere in our hotel room on a brochure.? My wife wanted to take a picture of a sign proclaiming Sundance the home of the Bulldogs, apparently the high school mascot.? She went to Hancock High School, another home of some local Bulldogs.
We visited briefly with one real estate agency.? The first one had a sign on the door, "gone to the bank and the post office, back in 15".? There are several subdivisions that are growing up around Sundance.? One, Sundance West, as I recall, has one lot left out of many, about 9 acres situated on an open rise with a view of Sundance Mountain, for around $70-75,000, firm, with city water and I believe sewer, the city water, for sure, was an accomplishment that the real estate agency was amazed that the developer, apparently from Casper, was able to accomplish.
This subdivision was larger in area than any subdivision I worked in while in Florida.? Not a 40-acre plot, more like a several hundred-acre plot, and most of the lots are undeveloped.
One builder in Sundance, and judging by what I learned from the real estate agency, potential is there.? Often, around here anyway, one builder builds a home in a location and usually gets a crack at any home built nearby.? Word of mouth is good advertising, but a well constructed home is even better. A potential customer could drive the gravel road of Sundance West as it winds around the hills and gulleys and at times see many of the homes already there, at other times only see a few, the others hidden by the varied terrain, clusters of trees and long grass, where we saw Mama Turkey and one young and where numerous deer fed near the treeline.
Nearby, seemingly not a part of Sundance, is a cluster of homes on small lots called "Vista West," as I recall.? What Sundance West lacks in developed properties, Vista West makes up for.? Vista West is also on the road to Warren Peak, a short drive from Sundance where on a clear day it's said you can see 4 states and the Big Horn Mountains to the west.? You can also see numerous deer on the drive up, no semis that I recall, although several dirt haulers were busy below passing through Sundance West.
Up at the top of Warren Peak, I called Jared again, again around noon, this time on Friday, the 30th of June.? He seemed less surprised to hear from me, he invited us down from the mountain, where we could see a promising looking land, and we discovered that we had been within yards earlier while we visited with the real estate agency.? Jared can attest to our lack of technological savvy.? He had offered his knowledge to transfer the contents of our photo card so we'd have more capacity.? I thought we had about 20 shots left.? Turned out we had about 98 shots left.? Even now, after all that, the camera tells me we have 78 left, this after taking about a hundred shots since visiting with Jared.? Go figure.? ?He also had a list of 5 or 6 properties available in Sundance, possible first stops or steps toward something bigger and better, or not, depending on perspective.
I didn't get answers to all of my questions in Sundance.? The game warden wasn't home, though I have a number and an address and he should be able to provide additional information regarding the rules for hunting and fishing in the area.? I do know that you have to establish residency for a year before eligible.? I don't know if you'd be able to buy an out-of-state license even though you may have moved there to reside.? I suspect pervious perceived "problems" and political solutions, aided and abetted by those who find solutions to problems, real or imagined, by inhibiting the activity of others.? This is life.
Regardless, seems like living in or around Sundance would be a short trip to land that is accessible--national forest--if nothing else, and one possibility is better than none, and I suspect further investigation and questions would provide answers, just as continued travel and observation of the land provides sights like hidden streams that aren't at first seen.? ?The two ladies at the National Forest Service office provided a handful of written information.
It was a short trip, there was plenty to see, more that could have been seen, but a rewarding first trip.? My wife has 10 or 15 days in September open.? She's wondering where we should go, second-guessing a planned trip to Las Vegas.? I know where I want to return to and I don't think it would take a lot to make it so.
We left Wyoming on I-90, heading to Rapid City, from which we departed on Saturday, the 1st of July.? Prior to leaving we drove around that area, up the hill to Mount Rushmore, where I turned around once I saw the faces carved in stone, time was short, and to that other rock carving, in progress, Crazy Horse, where I talked briefly with an old Indian selling his books in the building holding Indian artifacts and the like.?
I asked him what does it cost, one of his books I held, called "Mitakuye Oyasin" or "we are all related" in English.? He pointed to a piece of paper on the table.? $10.? I gave him a Hamilton and he signed the book, A.C. Ross, Ehanamani (Walks Among).? Shake my hand, he said, and I did.? We talked briefly.? What is your name?? Walt.? Walt, where are you from?? Michigan, I replied.? Where?? The Upper Peninsula.? I spent my honeymoon in Escanaba, he said.? An Indian word, probably, I don't know what it means. Probably something to do with water.? I thanked him.? He turned to the others passing through.?
Perhaps the next time my wife and I pass through Wyoming there will be others from the Free State Wyoming movement who will be available to meet us.? Jared has been there for a little over a month, there from Washington; he was one of two, who replied directly and by PM, though he offered a contact number without being asked.? So we made contact.? ?Jared shook my hand; he shook my wife's hand.? My name is Walt.? My wife's name is Bonnie.? Thank you.
