What could we—Grammy and Gramps—do for a few days with our grand-daughters that would be unique? At ages 9 and 11, they have had a lot of wonderful vacation experiences, but I thought they needed something that would push them outside their city-girl comfort zones.
How about a fun-filled weekend in Wyoming? Through the magic of the Internet, I was able to come up with a whole list of things that I knew they had never done before . . . . .
Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center on Interstate 25
(Photo courtesy of Trip Advisor)
First stop, about 90 minutes after we left our Denver-area home, was the Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center in Cheyenne. I had told the girls this would be a rest-stop unlike any they had been to before as it is more of a Wyoming history museum than merely a place for a bathroom break. This was just the first on a list of firsts for the trip.
Next on the “getting there is half the fun” part of the trip was our drive over the Snowy Range Scenic Byway, which traverses the majestic mountains between Centennial and Saratoga. Hold onto your hat and your grand kids as the wind can sometimes reach epic proportions at the summit.
Along the Snowy Range Scenic Byway
© Deborah Erickson
The Hotel Wolf in Saratoga, Wyoming
© Deborah Erickson
Our two city girls are used to accommodations that range from nice hotels with the requisite swimming pool to la-de-da resorts in Colorado mountain towns. Time to change that practice, so I booked us a bedroom/sitting room suite at the 1893 Hotel Wolf in Saratoga. They were a bit skeptical about staying in a place that had no pool, no air conditioning and no elevator, but from the moment we walked through the front door, they were delighted with steep stairs that creaked a bit, lace curtains that fluttered at open windows, and period furniture that spoke to a different era.
Guestroom at the Hotel Wolf
© Deborah Erickson
The prospect of a swim at Saratoga’s Hobo Hot Springs pool certainly raised a couple of city girl eyebrows. They were none to excited about swimming with hobos, but soon realized that would not be the case and that a dip in pools of naturally heated water was quite unlike anything back home. Top that off with a relaxing sit in the nearby North Platte River where the thermal water mixes with the cool river water, and they were quite thrilled!
Hobo Hot Springs Pool
(Photo courtesy of the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce)
The primary reason for this Wyoming weekend was to attend the events at the annual Woodchopper’s Jamboree and Rodeo in Encampment, a short 18-mile drive south of Saratoga. Always held on Father’s Day weekend, it boasts a full slate of fun family activities, one of which is the melodrama. The show was filled with boisterous fun, especially when one of the can-can girls planted a big red lipsticky kiss on Gramp’s cheek! The city girls liked all the audience participation . . . . . ”Boo!” “Hiss!” “Sigh!”. . . . . and now they know what a melodrama is.
A small-town parade is always fun!
© Deborah Erickson
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On Saturday, to kick off the Jamboree events, a parade traveled from Encampment to Riverside, just a few blocks down the road. Another first as the city girls had never seen a small-town parade! A horse group, fire trucks, tractors, and decorated flatbed trailers pulled by trucks rolled down the highway. Almost every parade entry threw out handfuls of candy and fortunately, ever-prepared Grammy had plastic bags so the city girls made a sweet haul.
Woodchoppers chopping wood!
(Photo courtesy of travelwyoming.com)
Next on the agenda was the weekend’s headline event, the Woodchoppers Jamboree and Rodeo in Encampment. There are spectator bleachers around the wood chopping area and at 10:30, sort of, the events began. Men and women wielded chainsaws and huge one- and two-man hand saws as they sliced through logs of various diameters. Axe throwing and pole climbing were also on the list of competitions. Observing these wood-chopping events was a first for all of us, not just the city girls.
A close-up view of the rodeo for the city girls
© Deborah Erickson
Our two city girls have been attending Denver’s National Western Stock Show and Rodeo since they were little kids, but this home-grown Wyoming rodeo was a first. Local cowboys and cowgirls vied for prize money and the honor of winning their specialty event, or sometimes several events, while spectators cheered them on.
Ride ’em, cowboy!
© Deborah Erickson
The Indian Bathtubs
© Deborah Erickson
Before wrapping up our Wyoming weekend, we headed down the road to Riverside (population 54) for a pleasant hike to the Indian Bathtubs. The trail leads to the naturally occurring “tubs” in the granite where local Indians once bathed if the Great Spirit saw fit to fill the depressions with water. The tubs are often dry in the summer, but the city girls got to see something else a bit unusual.
Encampment has a wonderful outdoor museum, complete with a two-story outhouse and lots of buildings from days gone by. A museum docent volunteered to take the city girls to the top of the fire lookout tower, which they proclaimed to be at least 500 feet high. In actuality, the Slash Ridge Fire Tower is a lofty 60 feet. Now the city girls can add climbing a fire tower to their list of unique activities.
Be careful when you use the two-story outhouse!
© Deborah Erickson
Climbing up the very tall fire lookout tower
© Deborah Erickson
The weekend was a rousing success as evidenced by the city girls’ smiles, willingness to enjoy new and different activities, and lack of sisterly bickering. Sometimes it pays to step out of the comfortable box of travel predictability and experience new things. Just ask a city girl!
The city girls in Wyoming
© Deborah Erickson
IF YOU GO—
For visitor information about SARATOGA, RIVERSIDE & ENCAMPMENT
For information about the SOUTHEAST WYOMING WELCOME CENTER
For information about the SNOWY RANGE SCENIC BYWAY
For information about the WOODCHOPPER’S JAMBOREE AND RODEO
