I headed northeast, through Togwotee Pass, southeastward through Dubois, Lander, and Rawlins to Interstate 80, just west of Laramie, WY. I had the Wind River Range to my right until Lander. I stopped at a prairie museum, which had a great collection of stone artifacts - my heart sang. There were great outcroppings of red rock formations along the way (see above). Just west of Laramie, in the Medicine Bow Mtns., I camped at a state park and slept among the rock people, that surrounded the camps. I expected to see a Mountain Lion; didn't even hear one. The next morning light had a pink cast, being reflected off the families of rock. I stopped at a pawn shop the next day and admired his rock collection. The shop keeper asked, "Are you a rockie?" I said yes to what I think he meant to be a rock enthusiast. He told me explicit directions of where to find what he called pebble agate. I acted like I knew what that was, to prove my rockie status. My friend in Sheridan had shown me a boulder in her garden by that name. As I drove east looking for the summit of Beaver Ridge (there were so many ridges how would I know) and a sign that would read something like Canadasis. This was after many, many miles of driving through desolate, sage covered dirt cattle ranges. I began to think I'd been hoodwinked (where'd that saying come from?), when, sure enough there to my left was a wooden sign pointing to Cadice Lake. I was to look for a "stream" that ran under the road. Well, the road was dirt, the stream was a gutter, the lake was a nearly dried up water hole, and the agates that were supposed to be lining the road, right there, seemed invisible. I picked up what I thought might be nearly formed agates. They didn't look at all like pebbles. But, I saw more antelope and horses; and I made it back to the main road without being stampeded by cattle, bitten by a rattler, or lassooed by a cowgirl.
I'd really intended to visit the University of Wyoming archeological museum in Laramie the next day, but I got on the road by 6 a.m. and into Laramie way too early to wait around. So, Eastward I continued.
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