The owner of
the campground suggested some places to visit, one of which was Veedauwoo – an
area of unusual rock formations for viewing and climbing – it’s in a National
Forest about 15 miles east of Laramie and about 1.4 billion years old. I don’t know about the climbing
but they were pretty and I can’t see how some of them stay put.
They look a lot bigger when Bev stands under one that has fallen - the dogs enjoyed the exercise.
The
highlight of the trip was discovering these three guys as we were ready to
leave – I’d just seen the antler tops down over the hill and since they were
not moving I assumed it was a statue or something. But I decided I’d better get out of the car
and have a look and sure glad I did.
They were
within 30 feet of a campsite and when Bev went to look at them, the guy had gotten
out of the tent and we got to see one of the moose charge him – fortunately he
could duck behind a nearby tree. I thought moose only lived in boggy areas.
Since we were
so close, we decided to drive over to Laramie which was at the bottom of a five
mile grade with an elevation drop from 8650’ to 7200’ and a temperature rise of
9*. We drove around town a little and
thru the University of Wyoming - it was overcast and dreary so our shots aren’t
too great.
This is the Ivinson Mansion and it is one off Laramie’s major
historic gems, completed in 1893, at a cost of approximately $40,000, it was
the finest home in Laramie.
The
university buildings are built predominately from two types of sandstone
mimicking the original building from 1886.
Finally on
the way back, we were in the right place to get some shots of these guys
heading east into Cheyenne (I’m a railfan) – it’s a double track and they were
both going in the same direction. The
second one had one lead and one pusher locomotive. Sorry about the lens smudge.
Photos
can be enlarged by clicking on them.
9/11/12
event date
This is the
first time I’ve had to cross a cattle grate on an interstate ramp.
Have a great
day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.
Larry
I would die of fright if I was charged by a moose. Don't let anything happen to your girls Larry.
ReplyDeleteThose are some rock formations. Hard to imagine something being a billion years old. Makes you wonder how they know.
Sam
I've been to Veedauwoo.. it definitely is a sight!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it just fabulous to see moose! And they're ornery. They'll charge at the drop of a hat. The Moose in Rocky Mountain National Park are all on the west side. They claim to have 7 on the east side so when we're in Estes Park, I'm always looking for them.
ReplyDeleteAwesome moose and part of the country too!
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine the shock of exiting my tent to find a moose headed my direction! Yikes!
ReplyDeleteWow, I would totally love this trip!
ReplyDeleteI took the kids to Veedauwoo last year; it was fun. (That was the place with the sign banning overnight stays nailed up on the outhouse.) The cattle grates are there because people can pay the NPS to graze their cattle there for the season, although I doubt that many do. Did you find any snow there, or was it all gone by then? It was pretty freaky walking through 6" deep snow in mid-May, but then, the University does say that it's a tradition that it snows on graduation day.
ReplyDeleteLarry, some nifty country you've been cruising through. Love those rock formations. I'm surprised to see Moose that far 'south'. I've seen them in similar areas in Montana and in Yellowstone. They do prefer marshy areas... Travel Safely and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
ReplyDeleteGlad you got see some wild life such as the buffalo in the other post and the elk in this post. They are stunning! I love all of this so much!
ReplyDeleteOn to your next destination post!
Nope, these look more like moose than elk . . . but they're related somehow! LOL!
ReplyDeleteBev "rocks" ;) :) :p
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a moose in real life, that must have been so cool!