Last week I took off on a Western adventure courtesy of work to Wyoming--the Cowboy State. Did you know that Wyoming has less than 500,000 residents statewide? Yet is the 9th largest state? Big sky country. I was only in Cheyenne and Laramie in the southeastern corner of the state, but it has given me quite a taste of something unique that I want more of.
Monday afternoon I arrived in Cheyenne in one of the smallest airports I'd ever seen. Smaller than the Columbus, GA, airport! After picking up the rental car I drove downtown to the historic Plains Hotel where I had opted to stay. I have never seen photos of Cheyenne and didn't really do my homework before leaving so I was surprised when it took me five minutes to drive from the airport to the hotel. And I was in the heart of downtown Cheyenne. Once in my room it took me a couple of hours, and an empty stomach, to get me back out of the hotel and across the street to the local brew pub, Shadows, for dinner and beer. It is located in the historic Union Pacific Depot which made it even better. After watching the Giants beat the Jets (boo! but Manning got the snot knocked out of him!) I went to bed.
Tuesday's agenda was to meet with the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Officer and her staff in the morning and then the cultural resources manager at F.E. Warren Air Force Base before driving to Laramie that afternoon. I just didn't have enough time in Cheyenne! If you go you have to check out the Wyoming State Museum and its awesome gift shop. I could have spent an hour in that place. Instead I got five minutes. Before lunch I found the place that I wish I had stayed at: the Nagle Warren Mansion Bed and Breakfast. The owner let us come in and take a look around (it helps that the SHPO was with me). We took a quick tour of the first floor and I was in awe. If I ever find myself in Cheyenne again for work I will be staying here. The SHPO and I then had a quick lunch at Pizzeria Venti before I hightailed it F.E. Warren AFB.
Work takes me to some interesting places. And F.E. Warren AFB has to be one of them. First established as an Army Calvary post to protect the Union Pacific Railroad in the 1880s, it was turned over to the Department of the Air Force in the 1950s. If you are familiar with Army vs. Air Force installation construction and design to tour F.E. Warren AFB is mind boggling as you know you are on an Air Force base but your mind is screaming Army post. And it turns out that my father spent a summer on F.E. Warren in the 1950s with friends of the family. He was hazy on the dates so I don't know if it was during Army or Air Force control. But I saw the house he stayed in, Quarters 8! It was occupied so I couldn't go in, but the house right next door was unoccupied and there was a door open....of course I explored! Check out my photos of F.E. Warren AFB here.
Southeastern Wyoming is known as the high plains. And F.E. Warren AFB is a perfect place to see what this actually means. Big and flat. Mountains in the distance. And wind turbines. Wyoming gets a lot of wind. So it kind of figures I would have seen a wind farm from the airplane, seen the three that are on F.E. Warren AFB, and then passed the Happy Jack Windpower site on my way to Laramie, which is where the rest of my adventure takes place.........
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Ending the summer....
I can't believe that it has been eight weeks since we picked up the boys. A time has flown by. This was helped by our trip to Disney, a quick trip to San Francisco for work, and the last three weeks recovering from a back strain. If you remember from the previous post I strained by back on July 25th and spent two days at home and then went back to work. I ended up working half days for the remainder of the week and then did the stupidest thing I could possible do: took a day trip to Richmond on the July 31 with the family to see the exhibit Tiffany: Color and Light on Louis Comfort Tiffany and the Maymont.
I was on my feet for the majority of the day. The exhibit was really cool and the mansion had a three story Tiffany window. Wicked cool. However on Sunday I was pretty much on the couch. Monday I worked until about 3:30 PM before I couldn’t take anymore. And then came Tuesday morning of August 3rd.
I was able to get into the car to take the boys to day camp. But it was a struggle to get out of the car when I got back home. Then I sat at the table to eat breakfast and then I couldn’t get out of the chair. I was stuck. Thank god my friend Stacey was in town and there to help me up. I was suppose to go to Lilith Fair with Stacey, Molly, Mom, and one of Molly’s friends. But after the struggle to get out of a chair I knew I couldn’t go and sit on the lawn of Merriweather Post Pavilion all day. I called Molly to let her know I couldn’t go, I called and made an appointment with a doctor at DeWitt Army Medical Center, I called James to tell him he would have to come and get me, and I sent Stacey off to spend the day with near strangers. When it came time to get me off the couch and in the truck it took James and I about 15 minutes to complete a task that normally takes one.
To shorten the story (to late) the doctor told me that I had an extreme back strain and that I was to stay in bed or on the couch for an entire week. Seven days. And this time I knew I would follow through with the doctor’s orders. It is amazing what doing nothing for an entire week can do in terms of healing a back strain. My sister helped out by taking the boys to day camp and then cleaning up the house. And then my mom came up for four days while James took the boys to New York to visit his parents.
When he returned he brought his niece Makayla for a visit. By this time I could move about without much difficulty but took it easy with no heavy lifting or exercise. We piled into Lola and headed down to my parents house for a few days to enjoy hot Hampton Roads weather, the pool, and good conversation.
Yesterday we took Makayla and the boys into the city to see some sights. They weren’t really interested but we walked from my office building to the Washington Monument, took in the really tall structure and then hopped in a cab to take us to dinner.
James caught up early this morning to take Makayla to PA where he met up with his sister and then fought his way back through traffic to return two hours behind schedule. Tomorrow James drops me off at the airport for my trip to Wyoming for work and he then will take the boys back to Maryland.
Amazing how time flies…….but we made it through the summer in almost one piece.
I was on my feet for the majority of the day. The exhibit was really cool and the mansion had a three story Tiffany window. Wicked cool. However on Sunday I was pretty much on the couch. Monday I worked until about 3:30 PM before I couldn’t take anymore. And then came Tuesday morning of August 3rd.
I was able to get into the car to take the boys to day camp. But it was a struggle to get out of the car when I got back home. Then I sat at the table to eat breakfast and then I couldn’t get out of the chair. I was stuck. Thank god my friend Stacey was in town and there to help me up. I was suppose to go to Lilith Fair with Stacey, Molly, Mom, and one of Molly’s friends. But after the struggle to get out of a chair I knew I couldn’t go and sit on the lawn of Merriweather Post Pavilion all day. I called Molly to let her know I couldn’t go, I called and made an appointment with a doctor at DeWitt Army Medical Center, I called James to tell him he would have to come and get me, and I sent Stacey off to spend the day with near strangers. When it came time to get me off the couch and in the truck it took James and I about 15 minutes to complete a task that normally takes one.
To shorten the story (to late) the doctor told me that I had an extreme back strain and that I was to stay in bed or on the couch for an entire week. Seven days. And this time I knew I would follow through with the doctor’s orders. It is amazing what doing nothing for an entire week can do in terms of healing a back strain. My sister helped out by taking the boys to day camp and then cleaning up the house. And then my mom came up for four days while James took the boys to New York to visit his parents.
When he returned he brought his niece Makayla for a visit. By this time I could move about without much difficulty but took it easy with no heavy lifting or exercise. We piled into Lola and headed down to my parents house for a few days to enjoy hot Hampton Roads weather, the pool, and good conversation.
Yesterday we took Makayla and the boys into the city to see some sights. They weren’t really interested but we walked from my office building to the Washington Monument, took in the really tall structure and then hopped in a cab to take us to dinner.
James caught up early this morning to take Makayla to PA where he met up with his sister and then fought his way back through traffic to return two hours behind schedule. Tomorrow James drops me off at the airport for my trip to Wyoming for work and he then will take the boys back to Maryland.
Amazing how time flies…….but we made it through the summer in almost one piece.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)