Cheyenne to Park City

The Rise and Shine in Cheyenne is held at Cheyenne Depot downtown.  Once the Union Pacific Depot, it is now a museum restored to its former beauty, one of the last of the grand 19th Century depots.

We leave Cheyenne and begin climbing higher and higher into the Wasatch Mountain Range, soon reaching an elevation of 8,620 - cool breezes up here on these high plains.  We see snow-capped peaks off to the south - the Snowy Range Mountains.

Our Surprise and Delight is a stop at the Wyoming Territorial Prison, constructed in 1872 and one of the oldest buildings in Wyoming. It operated as a federal penitentiary from 1872 to 1890, and  then as a state prison. 

The original prison did not have a stockade around it,  and I was surprised to learn that its escape rate at the outset was an amazing 25%.  That is lax security!  It did manage to hold one famous prisoner - Butch Cassidy, surprisingly boyish-looking, but not the kind of man you would want to cross.

Then we are climbing again, south and west on I-80, the same route that the Mormons took to Salt Lake City over this mountain pass into Utah.  I notice sage-colored brush everywhere - yes, of course:  sagebrush!  Out in the middle of nowhere is the Sinclair Oil Refinery.  And the Union Pacific Railroad seems to be running continuously out here, to and from the refinery, some of the longest freight trains I think I have ever seen.

Buttes and mesas are a constant presence now.  Windmills are turning rapidly in the strong cross-winds.  We pass though some small towns, and stop for lunch at the tiny Cloverleaf Cafe (thanks to Tripadvisor) in Rawlins - formica tables, diner-type stools, mismatched forks - and have the special of the day, chicken tacos; nothing special, but some interesting people-watching!  There are some Native Americans in here, and some regulars, too, passing the time of day with the owner and his wife. 

Finally we start climbing even higher into the Wasatch Range, these beautiful aspens (which I have never seen before) along the roadside now, eventually giving way to conifers, and then just rock, as we reach 10,000 feet, higher than I have ever been before. 

We come upon a jewel of a mountain lake near the top of the pass and stop to stretch our legs, and we both notice a little shortness of breath at this altitude.

We come down the long pass into the outskirts of Park City and have dinner at the State Road Tavern in the Dejoria Center, part of High Star Ranch, where the evening event is behind held.  A long, spectacular drive across these mountains!