Once north of Fort Collins, a mostly empty landscape greeted us.
Isolated plant
Farm
Out-of-place residence – a long way from any stores, gas stations, medical facilities, etc.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, rock formations appeareed on both sides of the road for a short distance.
Just shy of the state line, a symbol of this part of the country stood on a high hill to our east.
Then we were in
Eight miles further on, just south of Cheyenne, we rejoined I-80 westbound.
Old and new forms of energy
Pronghorn Antelpoes
Road work – off and on for over 150 miles
If there is a decaying building Debbie will spot it
Igneous and sandstone rock formations side-by-side
Distant Mountains
Snow fencing lines the south side of I-80 along many exposed sections
Approaching the Wyoming Visitor's Center
We crossed the highest elevation on I-80 – which runs coast to coast
A large bust of Abraham Lincoln dominates the Visitor Center – constructed at this spot was part of the original Lincoln Highway
Bust stands: 13½ feet tall on a 35 foot pedestal
Made from: 10 tons of clay
The head cast in 30 pieces and bolted together
The base is hollow with a concrete pillar, ladders and lightning
Throughout the Visitor's Center, there were many exhibits, making it one of the more interesting we've seen
Female Pronghorn Antelope
Male Pronghorn Antelope
Wyoming has, with clear justification, claimed it is the "Equality State" as women in the state were the first in the nation to vote, serve on juries and hold public office.
On the grounds of the Visistor's Cener were several items of interest.
George Adams Wyman was the first person to make a transcontinental crossing of the United States by motor vehicle. In 1903, Wyman rode his 1902 California Motorcycle Company 200cc, 1.25 horsepower 1902 “California” motorcycle motor bicycle from San Francisco to New York City in 51 days, finishing 20 days before Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson, the first person to cross the continent by automobile.
After making repairs to his motorcycle in Laramie, he headed east along the road over Sherman Summit, the site of the Visitor’s Center. While resting at the summit he carved this inscription in the base of the flagpole, “G.A. Wyman, June 4, 1903, 11:30 a.m. – First Motorcyclists to cross the Rockies, going from San Francisco to New York.” Later, while riding along Happy Jack Road approaching Cheyenne, he was caught in a thunderstorm. His bike got hopelessly stuck in the mud, and a local rancher came to his rescue with a team of horses.
Lincoln Highway Monument
Unknown Marker
Obviously, what goes up must eventually go down. After leaving the Visitor's Center we were on a long downgrade
Picturesque chirch just off an exit ramp
After dropping nearly 2,000' in elevation we reached a broad plain with snowcapped mountains in the distance.
Then Debbie spotted what we believe was smoke from the Beaver Creek fires not too far to our south. During a later rest area stop, we definitely smelled smoke!
We were intrigued by the "white" area in the distance.
Finally, it was clear that it was probably a salt deposit created by evaporating water.
Horses and cows grazing together
Whatever type of black cattle they were, their young were almost pure white
Wind socks can be extremely beneficial when on unprotected stretches of highway
Dust near our campgournd
Our home for the evening
