Get Along Little Doggie!

Wednesday, July 7

What an easy start this morning! No camping stuff to pack up or anything! We are glad that we did the extra driving last night. I wrote in the hand-written journal we are keeping that we left Devils Tower and literally drove off into the sunset. We have been enjoying the extra hours of light out here in the middle of the country. Sunset was in full swing just past 9:30 and there were still colors on the horizon at 10:30. This morning we got packed up and in the car and off by about 8:30. We are heading to a ranch in Dubois, WY, which is nestled between the Rocky Mountains and the Owl Creek Mountains. First we had to drive through Bighorn National Forest. This was Rich’s first experience with big western mountains. There were some that were snow capped, although we did not drive though those. We did have our eyes peeled for moose and bighorn sheep. We saw a heard of something off in the distance that didn’t look like horses but might have been more pronghorns. We tried to use the zoom on the video camera to help us but it didn’t work well. We are regretting very much that we didn’t think to pack binoculars. We are also keeping our eyes out for a store where we might be able to get some. Anyway, the mountains were stunning, especially as we drove out of them and they became big rock cliffs with skinny little pine trees growing straight up and down on the sides of them.

Coming down through the mountains and into the canyon we were thinking of Aunt Cindy as there were many signs about the eras of the rock formations. We saw signs for pre-Cambrian rocks! We think she would have had a fantastic time driving through there with us!

Suddenly, we came to a corner and there was an SUV with someone waving an orange flag out the window as a caution sign. Sure enough, another few feet and we were in the middle of a cattle drive. A large herd of cows and calves was rushing down the street and being driven by cowboys (and a cowgirl!). Like the car in front of us, we pulled over to the side to let them pass. Otis was beside himself. He started out growling and barking but soon realized that there were too many of them and they were BIG. He settled for watching them alertly as they passed right next to the car. He then watched out the window for about thirty minutes before falling asleep again. Shortly after that, we found ourselves on the moon. Ok, maybe not really, but it was sort of desert-y looking and there were large mounds that looked like rock formations of some kind all around. There was also heavy drilling of some kind going on all around. I am disappointed that we didn’t end up getting a picture of that area because it is now the third distinctive landscape we have seen in Wyoming. Soon we will be arriving at Picture Rock Ranch and we are so looking forward to seeing it!