Day Four...

July 9, 2010

We packed up our campsite and were surprised to find the site had wi-fi, but alas we had no power outlets, hence our delayed posts. We drove the quick hour to Fort Laramie in Wyoming and were pleasantly surprised at the efforts that were put in to restore the site to its original state. Hosts walked the grounds in pioneer and soldier apparel and filled us in on the details of what Fort Laramie was like during its heyday. We toured the cavalry barracks, the store room where pioneers stocked up on goods, the soldier saloon (where we enjoyed some sarsaparilla), “Old Bedlam” the building where the bachelor officers stayed (sort of like a more primitive frat house was our impression!), the captain’s quarters, the jailhouse, a garden where a laundress demonstrated washing soldiers’ uniforms as well as tending crops and lastly the visitors center. We popped in the center to watch a quick video about the fort and acquired more teaching supplies (and they even gave us a teachers’ discount!). Our next stop was Guernsey, WY where we saw preserved wagon ruts and imagined the thousands of wagons that traveled through. On our way to Cody, WY we stumbled upon Hell’s Half Acre. This stunningly beautiful canyon is where the Sioux used to herd buffalo toward in order to capture the animals once they had fallen over the cliffs. After soaking in the grand beauty of it, we got back on the road to head to our destination for the night.