The terrain in this Wyoming Country is a vast expanse of diverse landscapes.
In parts of this state one is regaled by the high peaks and Forrest that the travel brochures expound to attract tourists to the state and are well worth the trip.
But for the most of the state it can be said that Wyoming is a series of plains mixed with high mountain dessert country.
One of the outstanding features of the state is that towns are usually 100 plus miles from one another.
Residents of this state know that the biggest concentrations of people are found in the economic centers of its larger towns, and that there are many small communities that lay claim to most of the rest of the population who number fewer souls than there are antelope on the prairies that surround those communities.
Then there are the folks that make their living on the wide spread ranches that in many incidences encompass B.L.M. lands and make it possible to operate livestock operations.
On many of these ranches there is also the existence of large oil fields and a handful of large coal mining operations.
The ranchers, oil field workers and coal miners are a fairly hardy lot who soon come to understand the unique working climate of this state.
They come to understand that in this country the wind has the biggest chance of killing you and the rest will either freeze you, drown you, or have you standing in mud up to your ass and wiping dirt out of your eyes at the same time, or will bite, burn or sting you.
Then there is the existence of natural phenomena that is right out your own back door that the country hides from all except the ones that seek its hidden treasure.
FREMONT CANYON is one such treasure. It is thirty miles from My home town of Casper and Eons apart from the world surrounding it. It runs the river course between Alcova and Pathfinder reservoirs.
Thus the names of, John Fremont ( explorer) and pathfinder ( his historical moniker) come to mind.
It is almost a land that time has forgotten.
It is a land of deep basins where reservoirs hide, sage brush and cedar and huge tumbles of rock, razor back bluffs, a land of red canyons who's walls drop suddenly hundreds of feet straight down and the unwary die if they are fooled by what they see at eye level. All of a sudden the ground is gone and the rocks and river wait below to claim their lives.
It seems, as if this was a place that after the creator finished the rest of the world, he just dumped the remainder of his working materials, Its a paradise for the insane rock climber and is the home of such species as the Antelope, Deer, Elk, fox and coyote. The land of the bald eagle, Hawk, osprey, Rainbow and brown trout, and of course the ever present rattle snake.
Alcova lake lays straight through the ancient migration route of the rattle snake so they must swim that reservoir twice yearly and swimmers beware!
I took a ride out there last Friday when it was still frigid out so the cold blooded critters dont move so fast.
I held one down and took it's picture, I can tell you it didn't improve its disposition!
They are stronger than one might guess but i had on heavy leather boots and bull hide chaps.
This is high mountain desert country at it's finest.
Welcome to the State of Wyoming Y”all!
I have some photos to show you of this very beautiful but deadly treasure.
I will have to do it lots of five pictures.
I hope you look closley and enjoy?
(HINT) If you hold your cursur on the thumbnail it will give you an explination of the picture your looking at.