Tour de Cheyenne

We awoke to a view of freshly fallen snow. There was about four inches of the stuff on the ground, and it was turning slushy. Looked like Portland snow.

Note to travelers: Cheyenne water is swish, don't swallow. Karen drank tap water with a pill and discovered this.

I guess the pool won't be open today.

We took a couple of tours this morning. The first one was to the current Governor's mansion on the outskirts of Cheyenne. This was built in 1976 and is a one story home constructed of stone and cedar indigenous to the area. Lots of artwork and sculpture and very Wyomingish inside. Nice place altogether.

Then we went to a neighborhood near the Capitol to see the historic Governor's mansion. Nice old place. Newly renovated and well kept. Built in 1904 and used by the Governors until 1976 when the new one was completed.

Next we were given a guided tour of the Capitol by a lovely lady named Susan. She had only been working there since October but knew virtually everything there was to know about the Capitol, Cheyenne, and most of Wyoming. It's amazing to think that the population of Wyoming is less than the population of the Portland Metro area.

The goldleafing on the dome was redone in September of 2009 and when the sun briefly shone thru the clouds it was beautiful.

This is a view of the interior of the dome.

This is a bronze statue of Chief Washakie of the Shoshone. A very important person in Wyoming history. His clothing was so intricate that it looked like cloth.

This was one of two identical grand staircases leading to the second floor. Cherry wood from Ohio.

This is a stuffed buffalo (sorry...bison) that is supposed to be one of the largest recorded. He was becoming a little unruly so the State euthanized him and put him in this corner.

After the tours we jumped back in the car, because we missed the highway so much, and headed on down towards Denver. Stopped in Loveland and had a great early dinner. Got through Denver's rush hour fairly easy and are now safely tucked away in our room in Limon, Colorado.

Tomorrow we once again challenge Mother Nature. This time She is throwing tornadoes at us as we cross Kansas. I hope we don't have to click our heels and say, "There's no place like home, there's no place like home."

Til we meet again, I remain your "Wyoming history" correspondent.