We have spent the past two days exploring our corner of Wyoming around our base of Douglas. Yesterday we headed to Ft Laramie and the town of Guernsey.
We packed a picnic lunch for Ft Laramie and enjoyed their picnic area before heading into the actual fort. While walking to the Visitor’s Center we were stopped by some young men who were conducting a survey of visitors to the fort. Among other questions, one they asked was “how long do you plan on spending at this National Historic Site?” We estimated two hours and walked on in.
Five hours later we had observed a black powder cannon demonstration, a ranger talk about the fort as a major player in the fur trade, completed a Junior Ranger badge, walked the entire grounds with an audio tour, and stopped at the historic bar for a bottle of birch beer and a checker game. Whoops! Guess we are bad estimators!
Fort Laramie was great and the rangers made it even better. I highly recommend everyone stops at some time to learn the history of this fort and the part it played in early American history.
Next stop, Guernsey and some historic wagon ruts from the western pioneers. There are areas where you can see the scars in the earth worn by thousands of wagons traversing the same trail.
Today we headed the other direction and visited Casper and the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center. This hands-on museum was full of information and fun exhibits to help you feel what it was like to be a pioneer. Yet again we stayed longer than planned and had a late picnic lunch on the banks of the North Platte river in Casper, rather than our final stop because it was still 45 minutes away. My stomach was not interested in waiting longer!
Final stop for the day was the Ayres Natural Bridge. This bridge is one of only three natural bridges in the US with water underneath them. The LePrele Creek flows beneath it and we enjoyed cooling off on this 100 degree day by wading in the water. I also loved watching the Cliff Swallows who made their nests against the arch, going to and fro to feed their babies.
Fabulous experiences!