Against the wind....

The prairie from our campground, a photo by Olivia Linkel on Flickr.

We left Lincoln at 6:50 central time and headed west on I-80. The temperature was about 65 and remained there or cooler for the rest of the day. One of the things that I think most people don’t think about when they come west is the constant breeze. There is no way to get away from the wind on the “prairie”. This happened last year as well. Today there was a front moving through and the wind was constantly on us for the drive across Nebraska. For most of the drive, Scott had the steering wheel angled to the right to keep the camper straight against the winds blowing 25 – 35 mph. We changed over from summer to winter clothes today as well because of the wind. It just seems to blow right into your bones.
It was another long driving day. We stopped to pick up a few things at Walmart, just as an excuse to stretch our legs around lunchtime. The kids did a good job staying busy. Luke started a new book and I read aloud from the Kane series – The Red Pyramid.
We arrived in Cheyenne around 2:15 mountain time and our first stop was the capitol building. It is a very pretty building built in 1888 and we went inside to get out of the wind and take the self guided tour. This was the first capitol building we have been in that did not require any kind of security check. I was shocked because I have gotten so used to the metal detectors and license checks we have experienced before. This was also the first capitol where you could fully explore the house and senate chambers. Most of them only allow you to step in and take a peak whereas this one allowed you full access to the balconies. The two things that stood out the most for me were the beautiful Tiffany style stained glass ceilings and the 3000 pound bison (3rd largest recorded in the books) that was stuffed and on display. Luke was amazed by that statue and said “his nose is as big as my head”.
We left the capitol and headed over to the Cheyenne Depot museum. The building was spectacular and has been restored to its grandeur from the hay days of the Union Pacific railroad. The area reminded me a lot of the restored riverfront and train museum in Sacramento. We tried on some of the period clothes before returning to the FunV about 4:45 to relax and throw a pizza in the oven. We had dinner and then walked the 4 blocks over to Gunslingers Square where the Cheyenne Gunslingers do some trick shots and put on a little show. They have been doing this for 28 years. It was kind of hokie but the kids really enjoyed it. Next we headed to The Wrangler, a western store, where the kids tried on cowboy hats and then were shocked that I wouldn’t buy them $40+ hats.
We were ready for some down time so we drove 10 minutes to the campground. Scott and the kids took their showers, had some dessert and watched a movie while I uploaded pictures. They went to bed around 10 mountain time and quickly fell right to sleep. The wind has finally let up some but the temperature is already down to 51 and our heater is running.
We are headed to Fossil Butte National Monument as our lunch time stop and then finally to Jackson, WY. I am trying to get all of the pictures so far onto FLICKR tonight for those that care to take a look.