Two-fer Tuesday

I’m not sure what these are, but there were lots of them in the meadows. Is it just me or is anyone else getting a Dr. Seuss Thing One and Thing Two vibe here? I do know it’s not Covid hair!

Monday walk…for the horses

In Wyoming, much of the walking is done by the horses, which means we can go much farther than if we were walking on our own. On this day we took a series of trails, some of which we’d ridden on in other years. But this year we continued on, the trail and then road taking us closer to the mountains of the high country before curling back around toward home.

Eventually the road, suitable for four-wheel drive vehicles and motorcycles, came to Lamburger Rock. If it’s climbing you’re after, this is a spot for you. We, however, just enjoyed the view. I always take my phone with me in a fanny pack so that I can take photos. No phone reception unless you get quite high.

Willow Creek flows rapidly and I imagine it’s quite cold even mid-summer.

Monday walk…walk, ride, or drive?

While in Wyoming, my preferred method of transportation is on the back of a horse. But I do a reasonable amount of walking. Today’s walk was broken up by bits of driving as the various parts some at some distance from the cabin. Mind you, on these roads driving speed isn’t always very different from walking, especially when driving a non-four-wheel drive vehicle!

These butterflies were everywhere this summer. I had a bit of fun with editing in this first shot.

Some distance from our cabin is Park Lake reservoir. One summer during a recent drought, the water level was so low that you could ride or walk well into it. Thankfully this year it was filled with water, a haven for fishermen and people who love water sports. Or you just might want to spend some time admiring the view as my daughters and I did.

Friday flowers…wildflowers

Even though I arrived on the Bighorns in mid-July, there was still a plethora of wonderful wildflowers.

Thursday doors…Yo, dude!

Not far from our cabin in Wyoming is Spear-O-Wigwam, listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Begun in 1923 as a dude ranch (a place for people to experience a “civilized” taste of the western lifestyle), it closed in that capacity in 2011, but happily recently reopened under local ownership. And it has a famous door… or at least a door used by a famous writer.

One of its log guest cabins is known as the “Hemingway Cabin”, where Ernest Hemingway stayed in 1928 with his wife Pauline while writing A Farewell to Arms. For a fascinating look at both the ranch’s history and the connection to Hemingway, click here.

But this IS a Thursday Door post, so I suppose you want to see the door…and of course there is one (otherwise how would “Papa” have gotten inside)?

Wordless Wednesday…wonderful Wyoming

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #104: summer

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”
― John Muir, The Mountains of California

“Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Lens-Artists Challenge #100: The Long and Winding Road

Some days everything seems clear, even when the road ahead might appear long and far away.

“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Other days, you can’t really tell where you’re headed and feel as though you’re descending into darkness.

“Life is not always perfect. Like a road, it has many bends, ups and down, but that’s its beauty.”
― Amit Ray, World Peace: The Voice of a Mountain Bird

Sepia

for One Word Sunday

Framing Wyoming: walk with me

It’s Monday, time for another walk with Jo and other friends, but on this walk, we can easily frame a few choice bits of Wyoming for Amy and the photographers of the Lens Artists group (as well as all the walkers.) Tie your laces and let’s go! But first, take a look out the window. You never know what you’ll see.