Aug 12, 2012 - 100th Wyoming State Fair, Douglas

Sunday, we packed up a picnic lunch and went to Douglas to visit the fair. First we had to find water. From the time we went to the Rockies to this day we were running out of water. We were not bathing and bought two gallons of water for drinking. It was rough. We were able to fill up with propane and diesel but water was no where to be found. Paul talked to his roommates and was able to get us some water out of their spigot. We went from the 8th to 12th on one tank of water. We don't want to do that again. After which, we climbed into...

Jul 13, 2012 - Douglas, WY

Drove about 170 miles today to Douglas, WY. It was hot, well over 90, mostly uphill and the RV had overheating problems. We are back on the I-25 and will go to Cheyenne, WY tomorrow. Not going to unhook today so we can get an early start tomorrow. Have the AC on and are going to stay inside all day.

May 4, 2012 - Douglas, WY

It is a relaxing day in Douglas. Douglas is the home of the Jackalope. It is one of the top one-hundred small towns in America. I do not know who voted but Douglas gets my vote. We hunt again for the World’s Largest Jackalope. It is not here! Into the Chamber of Commerce Building I go. The jackalope is being “spruced up” for the summer. The woman working here does not want me to go away unhappy. She insists that we have a “photo op” outside. We tour the trains at here. It only takes a few minutes. A couple of blocks away we find the “old”...

May 3, 2012 - To Douglas, WY

We stumble our way across the country. All works out well! I know I have a full day planned. We enter Wyoming on Route 26. This is Old Yellowstone Road. We find Fort Laramie National Historic Site. I get my stamps. From the pictures I have seen, I expect this to be a quick Photo Op of a fort. It is not. There is a lot to see here. We walk the grounds. I know we do not have to make Casper today so we take our time and enjoy what we are seeing. It is a good stop! In Guernsey, we find the Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site. I do not want to...

Aug 22, 2010 - Lunch in Douglas, WY 2:30 PM MST

Prior to getting to Douglas, WY we passed a big power plant. My guess is that this power plant sends power back to Casper and Cheyenne, as well as all the towns in between! We took a 45 minute lunch break around Douglas, Wyoming. It is 97 degrees out and very dry. We’ve noticed that Wyoming seems to have very windy breezes in the beginning of the day which later on calm down and the air is still.

Aug 17, 2010 - National Grasslands

Or another name for coal mining and oil wells... We spent the day driving a little over 100 miles through the National Grasslands over dusty gravel roads. We met maybe three vehicles the entire day. Just as we entered the area we came across these trains full of coal. A gentleman from Great Britain was spending the day taking pictures of them - not sure why. He said there were 15 coal mines in the area. We saw several - guess they are leased - in the Grasslands along with numerous oil wells and followed or crossed several pipelines. Saw...

Jul 23, 2010 - Tetons and drive to Douglas

Nice day today and beautiful weather. We got out a little bit later around 8:30 but our timing was good. We took the Moose-Wilson road again and this time we saw a Mama moose and her calf. From there we took the east road to Moran Junction. We stopped at the creek along the way which was a mile off the main road taking a dirt road. It was a nice trail where we saw ducks swimming. I was hoping to see a beaver or eagle but no luck. We did see a herd of elk at one of our other pullouts. We ate lunch at the beautiful Jackson Lodge. It was...

Sep 5, 2009 - Douglas WY

Today I drove 537 miles, Great Falls, MT to Douglas, WY, according to Chloe’s great memory, 8 hours and 45 minutes driving time. Antelope, white tail deer, mule deer, hawks, ducks, geese, Whooping cranes, and prairie dogs were everywhere. Antelope were in the field next to the campground. Highlight of the day was the lady at the campground, referring to me as a ‘young man’. I stopped at The Battle of the Little Big Horn National Monument, a place that I had always wanted to visit. The country side was very dry and brown. The place was...

Jun 13, 2008 - Grand Teton NP to Douglas, WY

Thursday night we ate dinner with precious Kate at the Snake River Grill. In the elegant, cozy dining room we enjoyed asparagus soup, oxtail ravioli, sweetbreads w/arugula, and Alaskan salmon. Then we delved into the fabulous deserts, Maker’s crème brûlée and brownie sundae w/caramel, walnuts, brandied cherries and bananas. Oh my. We came out of the restaurant to discover a welcome sight, blue skies, the gorgeous setting sun, and the rising moon. I made Chap continue to drive south through the valley until the light faded behind the...

Jun 4, 2008 - Stormy Days Are Here Again!

Wednesday – We bugged out of camp at 8:15 a.m. with an overcast sky and a cool 55 degrees. Drove through Castle Rock – the town actually has a rock that looks like a castle on the hill. Crossed Gulch Road, Plum Creek, Happy Canyon, Dry Creek (aptly named) – passed through Denver (with construction, of course) and stopped for lunch at Ft. Collins. Passed by Horsetooth Lake. Saw lots of cattle, horses, sheep, goats, and hay fields. There are NO trees and mostly grasslands with a few antelope roaming or sleeping on the ground. We crossed over...

Sep 19, 2007 - cowboys and antlers

We left Yellowstone Wednesday a.m. - a bit of rain during the night and morning - but nothing serious. Again, the rain kept it from being too cold. We saw a bit of snow/ice stuff on the sides of the road at the higher (8000 feet) elevations. Winter is coming to the mountains! We left the park through the southeast entrance - a route we'd never gone. Wow - Wyoming is beautiful in that area. Gorgeous canyons. A marker said that the canyon walls were granite from the pre-cambrian era...over 600 billion years old! Wait! Can that be? Isn't the...

Sep 15, 2007 - Roots

One of the quests on our current trip was to visit Douglas, Wyoming where my father was born; and where I had never been. I didn't know much about the family history. We visited the local museum, where we found that my great grandfather had come to Douglas in 1880, where he owned and operated the LaBonte Creek stage station about 10 miles south of Douglas. this station had been established on the Oregon Trail at the crossing of LaBonte Creek near its confluence with the North Platte River. It was a station on the Pony Express Route, a...