Wyoming. Awesome and incredibly beautiful. Who knew?
You can drive for hours-and-hours on endless stretches of highway without seeing another soul. Towns are few and far between . . . and so small, you pass through most of them in the blink of an eye.
What you do see are bighorn sheep, buffalo, elk, moose, and bear on the roads in Shoshone National Forest and Yellowstone . . . cattle grazing on rolling land miles from the nearest town . . . cowboys in Cody, not just wannabes in boots and ten-gallon hats; but real, honest-to-goodness Marlboro men who ride broncs and the open range and live on remote homesteads and dude ranches in the shadow of the mighty Rockies.
Buffalo Bill Reservoir, Cody, WY.
Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, winding through the far mountainous northwest region, is spectacular beyond description . . . even photos don’t do it justice. It has to be experienced—seen and felt—first-hand to fully appreciate its stunning beauty.
In the Big Horn Mountains, we drove 9,000 feet to the snowy summit. Amidst gently falling flakes, the air was crisp and clean . . . and silent. All you could hear was the babble of water flowing gently in a mountain stream. It was as if we were the only two people in the world.
The landscape of Wyoming is as diverse as anything you can imagine. Rolling, grassy plains. Dry prairies dotted with shrub-steppe, sagebrush, and ephemeral wetland. Rocky, jagged formations rising from the earth. Bluffs, buttes, mesas, and mountain ranges. Thick forests and open range. Colors blend one into the other in every imaginable shade of green—emerald, chartreuse, silver-gray sage, vibrant teal, turquoise, and deep forest green—with a backdrop of dusty sand, red earth, and snow-capped mountains against a wide, never-ending, ever-changing sky.
My lasting impression of Wyoming is that of a vast, open, unspoiled land with few people, abundant wildlife, stunning views, and a definite western flavor.
The Landscape of Wyoming
Heading down a lonely stretch of highway.
American bison grazing among sagebrush and shrub-streppe.
Washakie Wilderness and North Fork of the Shoshone River in Shoshone National Forest.
Landscape painted in every shade of green—emerald, chartreuse, deep turquoise, and forest green.
Bluffs, buttes, mesas, and a lot of sagebrush.
Rolling foothills of the Absaroka Mountains in northwest Wyoming.
Wind River Scenic Byway (US 20) winding its way through Wind River Canyon.
American bison resting in Yellowstone National Park.
Fire damage on NE Entrance Road in Yellowstone National Park.
Somewhere on I-25 between Glendo and East Glenrock, WY.
Where the deer and the antelope roam.
Approaching the first of three tunnels through Rattlesnake Mountain.
A pallet of soft green is offset by deep red earth and snow-covered mountains on the
picturesque Chief Joseph Scenic Byway.
Living in the shadow of the mountains. Do you see the house?
Buffalo grazing on the open range among sagebrush and shrub-streppe.
Placid water of the Buffalo Bill Reservoir.
Granite rock in the Big Horn Mountains.
Same day, an hour or so later . . . snow in the Big Horn Mountains at 9,000 feet.
I just went through each section of Our Empty Nest. Beautiful writing, photos, and ideas. You must spend a lot of time working on it. I enjoyed the photos of Wyoming. My brother and wife just moved to a house in the woods somewhere between Cheyenne and Laramie. The scene outside their back window/deck looks like many of your photos. Stay happy, Georgia
Thanks for your kind words about Our Empty Nest. I try to keep it updated. I have more on Wyoming I haven’t published yet. It is a beautiful state, but I’m not sure I could live there. Other than near a city, there is nothing for miles and miles . . . and I mean nothing. Bless your brother and wife. I imagine their backyard view is breathtaking. That’s what I remember most about the state — the breathtaking views and standing high on a ridge in the Absaroka Mountains looking out over the land with nothing but mountains and forests as far as the eye can see in all directions.
My husband is biking in Jackson Hole at this very moment. I visited WY ten yrs ago…you are right, the landscape changes at every turn…esp in Yellowstone. You have a lovely site here.
We didn’t go to Jackson Hole, but I wish we did. I would love to see it and the Tetons. One more trip to Wyoming for a couple of days would suit me just fine.
This makes me want to go to Wyoming this summer! We would take our camper, and I’m gonna google sites to see what’s out there for us. Yellowstone here we come! Great post! Thanks!