It's day 435...it's also July 14 2020...and we are in Green River Wyoming

It's day 435...it's also July 14 2020...and we are in Green River Wyoming

July....in this part of the country.....doesn't mess around when it comes to the heat....our little shaded retreat in Elk Springs wasn't cuttin it anymore.....and with temps nearing triple digits again....it was time to hit Craig Colorado for some supplies....then back out past Maybell where we'd head north....and up......If a guys gonna find his way towards Montana from Craig Colorado....., there’s this little place called Wyoming he’s gotta trek across...for a bit...so we did.

Highway 318....a pretty awesome two lane road would take us through Sunbeam Colorado, and Browns Park National Wildlife Reserve and then..... the Gates of Ladore…(insert video).....we'd spend our fair share of time trekking along dirt roads....winding our way down into....and then back up out of a pretty incredible camping site....and after all this driving done today....we'd have no idea that we were still circling that Dinosaur National Monument....really driving home how massive that place is....and all you can find within it.

We'd also find our way to a little white school house....The Browns Park School house....seemingling in the middle of nowhere.....the playground outside and the well kept structure.....providing all sorts of evidence that it is still in use today.....a little more reading would tell us that that this little school house would begin life in 1911...serving the children of the nearby ranchers....., the little one room school house continuing it's duties until 1947.

After the school closed, the building continued to be used for community events, and in 1970, it became part of the newly established Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge. The building underwent restoration in the early 2000s and now serves as an important community center for rural residents in the area...it was at this time that the structure was renamed the Ladore Community Center.

And this wildlife refuge itself.... established in 1956, provides sanctuary for migratory birds, conserves endangered species, and offers recreational opportunities. It's a beautiful area with a rich history, including Native American petroglyphs, trapper rendezvous points, and even connections to outlaws like Butch Cassidy.....

Plenty of local folklore around here about the days when Butch Cassidy, along with his gang ....the "Wild Bunch," had used this area as a hideout. The remote....and rugged terrain made it perfect for dodging law enforcement. It also didn't hurt that local ranchers...in their struggles against wealthy landowners and powerful cattle barrons...often sympathized with the outlaws....providing support and safe haven for Cassidy and his gang. There are even stories of Cassidy and his men hosting lavish celebrations in the area....on local ranches....treating the hardworking ranchers massive feasts...which only further endeared the gang to the locals.

We'd spend a couple hours parked alongside that school house....great spot for some lunch....and wondering just how far away one of those feasts might have taken place.....and how many times Butch Cassidy might have raced up this road on horseback....or even...in laters years....his Stanley Runabout....the fasted steam powered automobile available in the 1890's.....enabling he and his gang to dissappear into the mountains at a mind boggling 35 miles per hour...(insert Video).....I'd a probably opted for the horse....given that I doubt any of these dirt roads we're trekkin across were even here at the time.....

After lunch we left our little school house visit...back out to pavement.....and skirted across the the North Eastern Corner of Utah along Flaming Gorge and into Wyoming.

The drive into the Rock Springs and Green River area of Wyoming was a long climb up to just over 6000 feet high. The increase in elevation brought cooler temps and things only got better when we found the “Wild Horse Loop.”

An adventurous trek up another 1000 feet or so into the White Mountains where there are hundreds of wild horses roaming freely. The loop is known in the area as a self guided tour along 24 miles of dirt road in which you can view hundreds of wild horses. Being on public lands, it is also a pretty cool spot for some boondocking…especially when you find the perfect spot to pull out onto a bluff bringing the Green River and Rock Springs area into full view. We spent a couple days here enjoying the brisk winds, 50 degree nights and 80 degree days. But Try as we may…we never did spot any of those wild horses…guess they were pretty good at avoiding Dougie and I.....and thank goodness YouTube gave us plenty of proof....they were here.....somewhere.......

Our spot on the bluff allowed for watching the lights of the city twinkle each night…far enough away that we could hear nothing…but see everything.

Enjoying long walks during the day.....hanging out on that bluff.....ya know...waiting for them horses to graze by.....and into another evening of star gazing....before diving in....for tons of fun learning of the history of the area......

And there's plenty of it.....Green River.....and it's population of 11 thousand today....began life as a railroad town in 1867. .....and around the same time....Rock Springs ....population today some 25 thousand....would gain it's spot on the map here as a coal mining town.....and oil would enter the picture as well in the following years.

And just like so many other communities out this way.....would make it's way out of the 1800's and through the turn of the century as lawless as they come.....and more stories than you can count when it comes to proving it. How the area would become known as the Home of 56 Nationalities.....and the conflict that would come as struggling miners would attempt a strike....in an effort to be paid fairly....and provided better working conditions....only to have their jobs snapped up by desparate immigrants....trying to feed their families....leading to bloody battles on the dirt streets of both towns.....or the quieter times....when a drunk Irishman would stumble into a saloon....assault the saloon keeper he had just offended....only to find himself drug into the streets by an angry mob and strung up just minutes later....the town folk making it clear.....that anything from horse theivery.... to offending the local barkeep would be swiftly dealt with. No need to clog up the local court system....oh wait....there wasn't a local court system....so ..... nevermind.....And bank robberies.....same applied I guess....but ya had to catch em first.....and good ol' Butch Cassidy's name comes up here too.....seems the area was a popular target....likely given that he and his gang would easily dissappear into those Gates of Ladore Mountains after the hit.

As rough and tumble as it once was.......the law.....would eventually make it's way ..... even way out here......and begin to bring the area to what it is today. A diverse community that today celebrates that diversity....and the ancestors from all walks of life ..... and nearly every corner of the globe....that had a hand in building what we see today....

It looks like folks around here....enjoy mild summers…and they deserve it! The area is known for it’s bone chilling cold and harsh weather during the winter months when it drops below freezing in late October and many years does not come out of deep freeze until the following May. Thankfully for us we came through at just the right time.

The gusty breezes were pretty continuous throughout our stay.....and may have rulled out any shot at an evening campfire.....but didn't stop us from spending hours.....days for that matter.....just soaking it all in.....and imagining a little more....about this American West.

We'll pack up tomorrow.....head back down to asphalt......no idea what direction we'll take...

But I wonder what we'll learn there