To Torrington and Beyond!

Okay, maybe just to Torrington.

Yesterday I had to go tend to a Basset Hound by the name of Moses in Torrington who is in his third home that we know of. His newest owner adopted him just shy of two months ago and he had started to exhibit some of his previously undesirable behaviors. To her credit, his new owner wanted to work with him despite some of his more aggressive displays. So, I hit the road early Sunday morning for the exciting trip to Torrington.

Truly, once you get off the interstate and head East you move from just plain boring prairie land into some more rocky and beautiful land that kind of skirts the southern edge of the Black Hills area. It can be quiet beautiful. At the Gurnsey exit you have the rest stop that overlooks Laramie Peak

And I know your thinking, a picture of the bathrooms?

But I think these nifty little buildings need a shout out for their really kinda of cool engineering. They are a marvel in passive heating and cooling. Their glass solar catchers are south facing and help warm the building and their water supply in the early morning hours, then their shutters close in the heat of the later day to keep them from overheating and at night their sun warmed earthen block construction retains the days warmth. They're really quite neat. And yes, that's my nifty little white soul. I love that little car.

From the turn off you start hitting the more agriculturally active area as you approach Torrington.

And it seemed that every time I saw a great picture opportunity and got safely stopped, a train would come through. I even had the perfect Great Horned Owl picture arranged with one of the biggest owl's I have ever seen when the train blew it's horn and caused the raptor to fly. I was very disappointed. Lesson learned, 1100 on a Sunday seems to be a busy railway time through the area.

Between the interstate and Torrington are a couple of interesting little communities. You know the kind. Those little places that pop up in rural areas that though seem to look down on tourists, still look to capture some of their dollars. That's how you get places like the Fort Laramie animal park...

That's right, you see a llama, a buffalo and a couple of emu's backed by a trailer park and a Winnebago. But hey, it made me stop and get pictures, right?

After three hours working with Moses and his adopted family where they all did wonderfully, I had to race the sun home.

I was reminded once again how much I do love the area just south of Glendo. It's a series of high rocky ridges that break up the wind just enough to let scrub pine thrive. Wouldn't that just look picturesque with a little sheep and wool mill operation in among it? Well, I guess it already looks picturesque without my additions.

If only I had the money. Why can't Publisher's Clearing House knock on my door with their one million dollars every year for life?!? I actually already have a building picked out in a little island community where the dogs and I could run a pretty little yarn shop. Hey, dreams are healthy, and a delusion is a kind of dream so let me have mine.

By the time I got home to the dogs and Bob I was beat. I ended up crashing before 8 and sleeping for almost 11 hours. I seem to still be recovering from this winters illness.

I hope you all had a great weekend and this week at work treats you well.

Oh, and what's Wyoming without some cows?