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| At the Colorado/Wyoming border |
As longtime visitors to this blog may remember, I am an unashamed Americophile. Even the reviled NYC rapper D.J.Trump hasn't changed that. In my life I have visited twenty states and until The Plague came along I was incubating the idea of another visit to "the land of the free". Specifically, I was hoping to undertake a road trip through two of the less visited states - Wyoming and Montana.
When this horrible thing is done I hope my new USA dream will come true. But who knows what international travel will be like when we finally get to "the other side"?
Wyoming is a great big state in the middle of the country. Its total land area is about the same as The British Isles - including Ireland. And yet its population is roughly the same as the city of Sheffield here in Yorkshire - a mere 578,759. It has the lowest population of any state in the union. Wyoming is a land of wide open spaces. Semi-desert in places, much of the western part of the state is dominated by Yellowstone National Park.
Maybe we would have gone this summer or possibly in September. Maybe we would have flown into Denver and headed north after courteously visiting my virtual sister Donna and her Big Bear hubby. I would have put the car radio on and annoyed Shirley by finding a typical C&W station to help the miles go by. It would have been like driving in a movie.
We'd visit Cheyenne and Casper, Thermopolis and Yellowstone Lake and Cody and Greybull. We'd see mountains and remote ranches and big skies and bison and we'd stay in independent motels or cabins - some of them with their own kitchens. And maybe we would meet a guy called Hank or Brad wearing a red MAGA baseball cap and he would have never heard of England and when I said that he spoke English he would insist that he spoke American! And I would not dare to say a thing about the reviled NYC rapper D.J.Trump just in case Hank or Brad was carrying a lethal weapon.
In place of a real life trip I have instead visited Wyoming courtesy of Google Streetview. There was no need to pay for airfares or car hire or accommodation. I went there free of charge. Along the way I snapped a load of pictures and I have selected a few of them to share with you. Welcome to Wyoming.
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| Bison near Thermopolis |
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| Historic Greybull Hotel, Greybull |
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| St Mary's Cathedral, Cheyenne |
Montana woman here. You would be very welcome to visit. We love British accents.
ReplyDeleteEngland calling! Hello Montana! Which county do you live in? I will visit courtesy of Streetview Aiways.
DeleteBe careful of those guys with guns. They don't discuss things much! They've got only one opinion and it's not the same as yours.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should wear a MAGA baseball cap too. Thanks for the advice Uncle Red.
DeleteI grew up in Montana. Had forgotten about cattle guards till I saw your picture (substitute for gates--the rails are over a ditch so the cattle can't walk across. Not so easy--but possible--for a young person to walk across. I am not sure I'd like to try the one shown. I'm amazed Google has been there.
ReplyDeleteThat long road I travelled on was a dirt track in many places. It is indeed amazing where Streetview will sometimes take you. Thanks for calling by Sally S!
DeleteGoogle is great for virtual visits. I hope you get to take your trip at some point.
ReplyDeleteI would like to visit your home town via Streetview Airways but you are sensibly quite secretive about your location. I would also be secretive if I was an international drug baron.
DeleteSemi-desert? Looks like a proper desert to me. Impressive! I love wide open spaces, which is why my favourite place in Scarborough has always been the headland with the ruins of Scarborough castle on top.
ReplyDeleteSometimes when I take a closer look at a place via Google, I wonder how current the satellite maps and street view pictures are. In some places, I know there are now buildings where the map doesn't show any, or the other way round.
I agree. Some of the imagery is quite aged but I still love to ride in that Streetview vehicle and see paces I might never go.
DeleteWhat's the difference between a buffalo and a bison?
ReplyDeleteYou wash your hands in a bison!
I would love to visit Pennsylvania and see the Amish.
I have seen Amish people in eastern Ohio Northsider. Please go here: https://beefgravy.blogspot.com/2009/03/ohio.html
DeleteThanks. Just read it. Amazing people.
DeletePerhaps you could ride a horse called Clint and pretend to be John Wayne?
ReplyDeleteI don't need to pretend JayCee. I AM John Wayne.
DeleteNo problem social distancing there, unless bison can catch it.
ReplyDeletePopulation density of Wyoming - 6 people per square mile. Britain - 710 people per square mile.
DeleteAnd when you get to Wyoming, you can visit me and my hubby. It's only another 1500 km north. I know that sounds ridiculous but we do drive long distances around here. Driving to Vancouver is 1000km and can be done in a day. It's not a nice day and you feel like crap when you get out of the car but it's possible.
ReplyDeleteWe were thinking of driving to the Yukon next summer, now who knows, and that's a 2000km trip. I told my husband we would have to get a trailer and take it slow.
Nice to see that you're keeping yourself busy.
Streetview is an amazing facility. You can travel to Yukon from your armchair. Save yourself a lot of money.
DeleteWhy would you want to visit Wyoming and Montana when you could come visit the Carolinas instead? 🤸♀️
ReplyDeleteI don't know. I guess that I am weird. Also I have heard that there are fierce parrots in The Carolinas.
DeleteI haven't thought about cattle guards in forever. There was one on our lane in Texas just before the third of four houses. We lived in the first house and the lane was unpaved, just plain old dirt that was overlaid every couple of years with gravel by a county employee with a grader. Brings back memories.
ReplyDeleteAlso, every time you have mentioned The Plague in the past week it has startled me because, although I am not narcissistic in any way (yeah, right), I thought you were referring to me.
You have done it enough times now that I am beginning to understand that you are not referring to me...necessarily.
I have been to Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Sorry for any confusion or unintended offence caused Sir Robert. However, my legal advisory team point out that you do not have exclusive use of the term "plague". Perhaps it would be simpler to change your blog title to "Rhymes With Vague" or "Doesn't Rhyme With Potato". Fond regards, Damnable Pudding
DeleteHave you been to Utah? There are some amazing natural formations there. Perhaps I will do some virtual traveling today. Thanks for the good idea.
ReplyDeleteNever made it to Utah though my daughter did. Enjoy your armchair travels Ms.Moon. Check that you have travel insurance before you go.
DeleteDick Cheney came from Wyoming. Food for thought.
ReplyDeleteI think Hank or Brad would probably insist that THEY spoke English -- but that you spoke some fancy furren (foreign) language.
I've always wanted to see Devil's Tower, in the northeast corner of Wyoming. Dave's sister lives just across the state line in South Dakota. I've been trying to talk him into a visit for years!
Dick Cheney, food for thought? No way José! Food for buzzards! I had not heard of Devil's Tower before. You sent me scurrying off to Wikipedia. Wow! What a thing!
DeleteCheyenne. When I was touring California we had a CD of Garth Brooks when he was in Detroit and recorded Fresh Horses. One of the songs was The Beaches of Cheyenne. Oddly I was playing it recently (I'm not just Radio 3) as I was going through old CDs on my phone.
ReplyDeleteGarth Brooks? I had you down as Sergei Rachmaninoff kind of guy! By the way Cheyenne is a very long way from either The Pacific or The Atlantic. A very long walk to the beach.
DeleteYP, my music tastes are very catholic. However, you are correct to the extent that 95% of my listening is 'classical' and essentially Romantic and Post-Romantic.
DeleteI love traveling by Google Streetview and do it often. Travel the world without leaving your home. Yes, many here are carrying weapons now since most states have concealed carry laws. We do not own a gun and I don't want one but I grew up with guns. I know more people that do have guns than don't. Luckily most people are safe and sensible about them but I still question the practice.
ReplyDeleteHere in England I am not aware of a single person who owns a gun though Shirley's father - who was a farmer - had one to dispatch pests like pigeons.
DeleteLooooong expanses of amazing scenery, but you must remember to glance at the gas needle whenever you see a filling station and always carry water, several gallons. It a long ways between everything... Happy trails
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice Dee. Sounds like you know what you are talking about.
DeleteI have no real desire to visit the USA, but if I did, those are the sorts of places that would attract me, far more than NY or California or Florida etc. Just like Spain, the costas are tedious but the great interior (where no-one goes) is fascinating.
ReplyDeleteThis chimes with some of my thinking. I like to go to places that are off the beaten track.
Delete