Wyoming by niels827 on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

With the exception of Colorado (and California and Illinois, where I've lived), I've probably seen more of Wyoming than any other state. It's a true road trip haven. Its borders greet you with the iconic state symbol of a cowboy riding a horse, and its landscape is dotted with mountains, plains, forests, geysers, and wildlife ranging from deer and elk to horses and, most notably, bison; the Wyoming state animal. Everything I had seen was so beautiful, it looked fake; almost like a painting. Wyoming's remoteness and arcane nature further contribute to its intrigue, which is marred almost solely by its backwards conservative politics.

Although Wyoming is the tenth-largest state, it has the fewest people, with only about 582,000. To put it into perspective, that's just over half the population of the city I live in. The most-populous city is Cheyenne, also the capital, with only 63,000 people. When I visited Cheyenne, it was so desolate and quiet, I stood in the middle of the city's main street for 10 minutes taking photographs of the Wyoming capitol building without a single car or pedestrian coming anywhere near me. Maybe it was because it was Memorial Day. Maybe it was because it's Wyoming. Meeting someone from Wyoming is indeed rare. Nevertheless, a close friend of mine lived there for years, and my mother was born in the southern Wyoming town of Rock Springs.

Wyoming has many, many towns and a couple tiny cities, but almost nobody lives in any of them. Having been to many, they each have something to remember:

Cody: Best museum I've ever been to.
Thermopolis: Most fat people I've ever seen in one place.
Worland: Absolutely nothing to do.
Wheatland: Hey, a grocery store!
Casper: Best buttered dinner rolls I've ever had.
Jackson: The most gorgeous Western town anywhere.
Greybull: This place exists?
Shoshoni: Can we pull over? I have to use the bathroom.

Many have heard of Yellowstone National Park's geysers and thermal pools, but only seeing is believing. These pools of water are literally hot enough that many of them boil, and almost all have steam. This is because of heat and pressure building up underneath the ground, for Yellowstone actually lies on top of a massive volcano. In one part of the park lies the Grand Prismatic Spring. This massive thermal pool has a pedestrian bridge that runs next to it, allowing visitors to become attacked with warm, humid steam while feeling the cool mountain air at the same time. The steam is so thick, you can't see an inch in front of you. There is truly nothing else like it. That alone was worth the trip. What I wouldn't give just to visit here right now with my girlfriend and take my mind off life...

For most people, Wyoming is too remote and quiet to live in. This is cowboy country. And though I could never live in a place like that, I wouldn't have it any other way, for more residents would only detract from its natural beauty. And while much of the state is covered in low rolling hills and plains, it's the Teton Range of the Rocky Mountains and the many parks, forests, plateaus, and rivers concentrated in the northwest corner in and around Yellowstone that make Wyoming, without question, one of the most beautiful and unforgettable places in the world.

Forever West.

Photos taken May 2014