Thursday, July 2, 2009

Cheyenne, The Magic City of the Plains


Here we are, driving through hundreds of miles of flat prairie, punctuated occasionally by grazing herds of cattle. The sun is hot, the roads are nearly empty, and the towns are scarce. Then, the sign we have been looking for: Entering Wyoming. And then, the town that has been our destination, a delicious piece of our past and a romantic destination.

Romantic destination? Cheyenne???

Absolutely! The romance of the West is so much a part of our culture, and the dreams of so many little would-be cowboys and cowgirls of the 1950s. The pioneering spirit, fiercely independent American spirit, urge to be wild and free – all wrapped up in big blue skies, hot sun, and cool breezes.

This is our third trip back in nine years – also just our third trip back in 37 years – a long-kept desire that has materialized as Garry’s old Air Force group, the Geodetic Survey Squadron, has been reuniting, and inspired many of us to once again go west.

Cheyenne stays true to its pioneer past and its cowboy/cowgirl traditions. It is so much fun to stroll its dusty streets. The picture you see is of our coach driver and the mother-daughter equine duo that brought us around town.

In truth, Cheyenne’s streets are a lot less dusty than they usually are. Locals tell us that they never saw so much green. Fields that are normally parched and brown by late June are lush and green in a season that brought rain for 20 days out of 22.

Our visit brought mostly sunny skies. Even when it was raining. Our reward at the end of the pot of gold: a huge, magnificent double rainbow.


No comments:

Post a Comment