Driving Wyoming

Driving is dreary.  Hour after hour, mile after mile.  We weren’t looking forward to the day.  But with the heat getting to us, we packed our gear, left early the next morning, and drove east through the beautiful expansive stretches of Wyoming.  What began our journey, like rock cut from a quarry, transitioned into never-ending rolling hills dotted with cattle and pronghorn antelope.

Here are a few highlights:

Green River, Wyoming and the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area – A hotspot for boating enthusiasts, anglers, and paddle boarders, we rolled up in our painted hippy van, all eyes glued on us, craving a little lunch.  Not one picnic table in site, we parked the van to crowd out the mid-day sun.  Henry was not in the mood to talk, still bruised from leaving the kids and pool in Salt Lake or simply tired from the constant transition.  Nevertheless, we tried to bring a little lunch together.  Henry suggested rice crackers and mustard which made me so incredibly guilty for not having more substance to offer.  We did, however, find fresh carrots, pickles, kippered herring, crackers, and raspberries.  A hodge-podge meal, but it worked.  And so did the silence.

Audible.com and Learning Ally provide great audio books – Henry’s highlight – Wings of Fire.  An entertaining series, there were young dragons helping each other complete tasks with cliff hangers at every chapter.  Unfortunately, they became reminiscent of fiery young novels, either killing or flirting, which had me ready for a new series.  On our queue, The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place Series‎

Open space/Open mind – The best thing about these long drives is the ability to think without interruption. Mind space – without pressure, without interruption, without influence – it’s the sweet spot of my trip, and I highly recommend it IF you can handle the back breaking, hip wrenching task of driving – ugh!

In one day, we made it from Salt Lake City to Laramie, WY, the college town of the University of Wyoming, and a great place for Henry to start his studies.