Day 2 of the McLemore Grand National Park Tour 2011

Greetings from Wild and Woolly Sheridan, Wyoming!

Since we drove 3 hours further than planned yesterday, we had a little time to enjoy some historical stops along our journey today. As I indicated in my post for Day 1, we are following the combined Oregon/Mormon/California trail through Nebraska and Wyoming. I found some great little booklets published by the NPS that trace the trails from Independence and through Wyoming and beyond. Before we left the Super 8 today we picked a couple of places to stop to view remnants of the migration of thousands across the west.

Just outside of Guernsey, Wyoming there is a place called Register Rock. Near Register Rock is a walking trail that takes you past some very prominent wagon swales or ruts that have been preserved by the state of Wyoming. The swales are deep ruts carved into the limestone hillsides, the reminder of the difficulty and enormity of the great westward migration. Here's a photo of the deepest rut:

A mile down the road is Register Rock, a limestone outcropping at the head of the flatland river bed of the Platte River. Pioneers carved their name in the soft limestone as a record of their trek west. Of course, others have added their names to the wall, a section has been preserved bearing the inscriptions that date back to the 1840s. While we were there we met a a family from Hiawatha, KS traveling with two Corgis and a border collie ( I threw that in for Erin). We also said hello to a family from Germany. Being the history fanatic that we are, it was a fascinating stop for both of us. Now, here's a photo of Ken standing in a little arch at Register Rock:

The rest of the drive was beautiful. The little flicker of the geologist that Mrs. Jones created back in 4th grade thought the limestone hills were fascinating. Then the countryside turned into rolling green hills followed by flat, ugly plateau leading into Casper, WY. My dad's cousin Jim lived in Casper for several years and although I don't remember anything about Casper, I did spend time reliving memories that I have of Jim and his very interesting, unusual life.

Just outside Casper the clouds began to blacken and threaten. Being the Kansans that we are, we immediately pulled out my handy iphone to check the radar. There was a "Significant Weather Alert" for the area but we scooted just east of the storm. Then, as we approached Sheridan, there were more clouds, more checking of the radar and another weather alert. Again, we just missed the storm, thank goodness.

Last Sunday, I got on a tear and decided to change our reservations here in Sheridan to a less expensive hotel. I found a listing for the Mill Inn, a motel that is part of a closed flour mill and that is on the historic register. It sounded interesting and was about $30 less than the Holiday Inn. Well, it is interesting. It's clean, it's relatively cheap (although Ken still thinks every room should cost $49) but I am not a happy camper right now. We are on an inside hallway on the second floor. Our room is a "suite" which means that we have a couch, two uncomfortable chairs and a tv on the lower level and then two steps up in what I am calling a mini-loft, is the bed and bath. I know I am picky about where I stay so I think I will employ the Motel 6 mentality that every room looks the same in the dark.

Oh, I have to share a note about our dinner. There are not many restaurant choices in Sheridan. After consulting with Trip Advisor I chose the only Mexican restaurant in town. I had my tooth all set for chips and a margarita. We drove down the street only to find that Los Agave closed at 5 tonight and won't open again until Sunday. We ended up at Ole's (short for Olaf) Pizza. I should've known that Norwegians wouldn't make good spaghetti and pizza. It was passable but dinner, like the Mill Inn, was a bit of a disappointment.

Now we are back in our suite, just finished watching "The Cowboys" and just started "Cahill. U.S. Marshall" both with John Wayne. Ho hum.

Well, tomorrow is another day. Stay tuned for Day 3 of the McLemore Grand National Park Tour as we proceed to the 125th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Little Big Horn.

We'll leave the lights on for you.