May 5, 2013 - travel day. As we prepared to leave Loveland, Colorado, we noticed that we nearly drove off with our small slide out still out. Then, in town, a pickup turned in front of us and lost a propane tank in the middle of the 4-lane. We had to try to avoid it as it bounced and rolled to the side, miraculously missing all traffic. And, as if that weren't enough excitement, we found ourselves on the highway behind this truck!
So, let's get back to crossing Wyoming - the state on the last page in our giant road atlas. Officially it is known as "The Equality State" (first state to grant women's voting rights) and unofficially as "The Cowboy State” (because of the cowboy/bucking horse state emblem). We stopped in at the beautiful new Visitor's Center as we entered the state near the Capital city of Cheyenne. Great abstract art triangles marked the path to the building entrance along with new plantings of the state tree, the plains cottonwood. My favorite exhibit inside was a giant mammoth elephant bone sculpture that was very realistic and made to seem like it had been "discovered" in an archaeological dig. After gathering maps and travel guides, we got back on I-80 and headed West. I-80 - Lincoln Highway will mark it's 100th anniversary this year and is the first transcontinental highway. I snapped a photo of the Abraham Lincoln bronze sculpture that looks down on the highway. It is 13.5 feet tall and it is said that if it swiveled at the top that Abe could see the wonders of Wyoming in every direction. I could have used a swiveling head to see everything myself!
We crossed the Continental Divide with the Rockies and other mountain ranges in and out of our views. I snapped dozens of photos trying to capture the beautiful vistas and sheer vastness of our least populated state but I don't think they'll do it justice. I commented to Larry that the wide open spaces, mountains, giant rock formations, and a sky that seemed to go on forever made me aware of just how small we are in the grand scheme of things. I am constantly delighted by what I see and sometimes feel like a little kid!
Larry is napping as I write this post. We were on the road nearly 9 hours today with him doing all of the driving - he didn't protest when I insisted on him resting. We nearly completely crossed the state, east to west, traveling from Cheyenne to Evanston where we are comfortably set up in small RV Park for the night. It will be a sandwich and banana for dinner and we'll be back "out there" on the road tomorrow to cross into Utah and Idaho.
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