Greetings!  This is Leg 5 of our #ptparadsummer2019 (catch up on Leg 4, Leg 3, Leg 2, and Leg 1).  In this leg of the story, we explore Agate Fossil Beds, Scotts Bluff National Monuments, and Fort Laramie National Historic Site on our way to Medicine-Bow National Forest outside of Laramie, Wyoming.

Day 8 – 05 July 2019 – Agate Fossil Beds National Monument to Scotts Bluff National Monument to Fort Laramie National Historic Site

Erin and I struggled to get moving and pack up Patty.  We endured through some pretty significant weather overnight and didn’t sleep too long.  Once we got everything packed, we drove the mile to Agate Fossil Beds National Monument from the campground.

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument

Like many little known National Park Service units, we didn’t plan enough time for our visit.  The Monument tells two stories:  first one of the largest paleontological finds in North America at the time and second the story of rancher and owner of Agate Springs Ranch, James H. Cook.

The visitor center provides an amazing collection of fossils and exhibits to describe what scientists believe happened and what these discoveries helped science understand.  The video in the visitor center was particularly helpful.  There are also a few short hikes to dig sites.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have time for the hikes.

The second part of the visitor center documents James H. Cook.  He owned the land where the Monument sits today.  Cook found some of the fossils and invited scientists to the ranch.  Cook also built a strong relationship with Native Americans.  Members from many tribes would set up encampments around the ranch.  The tribe members hunted, tanned hides, shared stories, and just generally enjoyed time with Cook and on the ranch.  This friendship led to tribe members providing many gifts to Cook and his family.  The collection is on display with fascinating stories about the pieces.  Cook advocated for the tribes for many years.  Tribes nominated Cook to be governor for a nearby reservation, but the government did not select him.  This portion of the Monument could almost be a NPS unit by itself.

The kids got their Junior Ranger badges and we had to get moving.  We wanted to stay and do more, but we had miles to make.  Everyone grabbed a snack from Patty and we headed for Scottsbluff National Monument.

Scotts Bluff National Monument

We drove an hour south to Scotts Bluff National Monument.  Unfortunately, we visited the monument at an inconvenient time.  The visitor center was under renovation, so there was a trailer in the parking lot serving as the temporary visitor center.  The NPS set up a small amount of exhibits in the temporary visitor center.  We did get to watch a video about the history and geology of the Bluff.

We hiked a portion of a trail for the kids’ Junior Ranger badges.  On the trail, some NPS Rangers had set up a display about life on the Oregon Trail.  The discussion fascinated the kids.  They couldn’t believe kids would pick up buffalo chips for a fire (the thing I remember them talking about the most) or all of the other hardships that families endured trying to find a better life out West.

There is a road to the top of the Bluff, but we had to unhook Patty per NPS rules (there is also a shuttle bus if you prefer).  After a quick unhitching, we drove the narrow and winding road to the top.

We spent a few minutes at the top.  The views were pretty amazing.  Yet another place we would spend more time at, if allocated.  There is too much to see in this country while these kids are small!

When we got to the bottom, I hooked up the truck while Mom and the kids went into the Visitor Center to get Junior Ranger badges.  The kids finished swearing in we made lunch back at Patty.  After some cold cuts and chips in our bellies, we pointed the rig towards Wyoming.

Fort Laramie National Historic Site

Fort Laramie National Historic Site is about an hour northwest of Scotts Bluff.  We pulled in around 4 pm.  Our plan was to make it to the National Forest outside Laramie, WY for the night, so time wasn’t on our side.

First we stopped at the visitor center and picked up the kids’ Junior Ranger books.  The exhibits in the visitor center painted a good picture of the purpose, use, and history of the Fort.  The Junior Ranger books follow the NPS’s guided tour, which was quite nice.  Both the tour and information on the grounds are quite thorough.  Also, the buildings are preserved quite well.

About 3/4 of the way through the tour, an ominous storm front started to blow in.  Though we stayed dry through the rest of the tour, we knew the storm was going to affect the rest of our travel day.  The kids got their badges and we loaded up into the truck for our last leg of the day.

Driving to Laramie, WY

We left Fort Laramie National Historic Site on US-26 and the storm was skirting along the highway.  The radar made it look like we would stay dry.  However, we got near Guernsey, WY and the wind speed increased significantly, it started to rain heavily, and it began hailing.  After a QUICK u-turn, we backtracked and jumped on US-85.  The route added some miles and we didn’t get to dump like we planned.  That seemed a fair trade instead of getting hammered by the storm.

With an extra hour added onto our trip, we arrived in Medicine-Bow National Forest close to 7:30 pm.  We were road-weary and hungry.  We had to fight a bit to navigate the USFS signage vs. the Motor Vehicle Use Map to make sure we found an acceptable forest road to dispersed camp.  After some frustration, we found home for the next few days.  Probably my favorite spot of the whole trip!

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I think that’s enough for this post.  We’ll pick up next time with a few days in Laramie, WY and finding snow in July!

 

-See you out there

Part-Time Paradise