Summer Vacation: The Wyoming / Utah chapter

Destination: Rock Springs, WY.  Why there? That's how many hours I'm willing to ride in the truck! 

Stephen found us the cutest Air BnB cottage in Rock Springs. It was absolutely perfect, and in a great location for day trips.

The first day we went to the Rock Springs Historical Museum and the Community Fine Arts Center. The museum is in a building that housed the jail, courthouse, and firehouse and those sections have been preserved as exhibits.

Rock Springs is a coal mining town. Our cottage was in the older part of town near the train tracks. There are lots of cute little victorian style houses on small lots, a couple of small parks, large handsome sandstone buildings in the business area, and several murals.

I had a great conversation with the owner of the Pickin' Palace and got to play some nifty instruments including a micro bass and a banjo bass.

On our second full day at the cottage we drove the Flaming Gorge Scenic Loop which starts in nearby Green River and dips down into Utah, going over the Flaming Gorge Dam. We made many stops, including one for a picnic lunch at Antelope Flat Campground, and one at the Flaming Gorge Dam visitors center.

The campground is where we saw this beautiful mama and her chick.

 

 

 

 

Our next excursion was a continuation of the Ghost Town tour we began during the pandemic. The South Pass City State Historic Site is a living history museum on the weekends and offers a self-guided tour on weekdays. It is the best preserved Gold Rush ghost town and Gold Mill in the West. The Carissa Mine was subject to cycles of boom and bust starting in 1867. One point of interest is Esther Morris's cabin. Wyoming was the first state to give women the right to vote and hold office, and Esther served as Justice-of-the-Peace beginning in 1870. She was the first woman to hold public office in the United States.

 

 

On our last day in Rock Springs we walked around town, went to local businesses, and got dinner at the Farmers Market.

It was a great vacation with stunning scenery and tons to learn at various museums and historic sites. Stephen booked great places to stay and we even found some very good vegan food along the way.

Summer Vacation - the Colorado chapter

 Our road trip took us through New Mexico and Colorado to Wyoming, and a little bit into Utah. Here is the Colorado part of the trip.

First, a stop for lunch in Alamosa, CO. The olympic torch is a prop given to all the Alvarado teachers to use as a Flat Stanley on our summer adventures.

Next, a stop to stretch, walk around, and take photos of the beautiful scenery.

We stayed in Leadville, CO for a night on both ends of the trip to break up the driving time to Wyoming. Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the U.S. at just over 10,000 ft. A former mining town, it was settled during the gold rush. The day we arrived Leadville was hosting a 50 mile trail run and the next morning there was a 50 mile mountain bike race! I guess if you're an extreme athlete then running your race at an extreme elevation is a good thing? I went for a walk on the paved bike path and observed the start of the bike race.

On our second pass through Leadville we stayed at the historic Delaware Hotel. It was super cool! It did lack an elevator, and climbing to the third floor (very high ceilings make for long staircases) with all our luggage at that elevation felt a bit like mountain climbing. 

I walked around Leadville in the evening and the next morning. It would definitely be worth going back and staying a few days to see the museums and ride the train.

I sat in this cute little park after my morning walk, with a soy latte and vegan muffin, just enjoying the sunshine, letting Stephen sleep in before the long drive home. Mornings were 40 - 50 degrees, afternoons in the high 70's.