Laramie and Snow in July! (Leg 6, Summer Vacation)

October 20, 2019 P-TParaD Comments 0 Comment

Welcome to Leg 6 of our #ptparadsummer2019 (catch up on Leg 5, Leg 4, Leg 3, Leg 2, and Leg 1). In this leg of the trip we explore Laramie, WY and the beautiful area around it.

Day 8 – 05 July 2019 (Part 2) – Boondocking Spot in Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest

At the end of the Leg 5 post we were settling into our spot in Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest outside of Laramie, WY. As I was looking through photos for 06 July, I realized I missed some shots from 05 July after we set up Patty. This spot was my favorite spot the whole trip, so I wanted to share them.

The forest road in wasn’t too tough to negotiate until the very end. There were lots of big rocks lining the road and lots of big bumps.

This rock became a fun challenge to climb while we were around Patty

Writing postcards to friends and family. We picked up a few postcards at each of our stops and had mass writing sessions every few days

Day 9 – 06 July 2019 – Understanding Why Laramie is called Laradise

The kids woke us up and went back to playing well together while I got breakfast ready. They like each other some times!

The kids woke up quietly and let the parents sleep in a bit. They played quietly until they got hungry for breakfast.

After breakfast the kids played a bit outside. They rode their bikes up and down the forest road. They tried to get some kids from another rig up the forest road to come out and climb “the rock” or ride bikes, but their sale pitch was a bit off. At mid-morning we loaded up into the truck and drove down to Laramie.

Downtown Laramie

Downtown Laramie is quaint. I’m sure in the winter the quaintness is replaced by 17 feet of snow, but in the summer it is a great downtown.

Our first stop was to my friend Rebecca Walsh’s shop, Laramie’s Basecamp. Basecamp is an all season outdoor store and outfitter. Rebecca is also the founder of Hike Like a Woman. She is an incredible outdoor enthusiast.

Rebecca’s vision to help you get outdoors is evident in the shop. She’s great and the store is great. We spent a few minutes hanging with her and her boys. We made plans to meet Rebecca and family for dinner. A couple of customers came in, so we left her to her work.

Snowy Mountain Scenic Byway

Leaving Laramie for the mountains. The “Snowys” are just coming into view.

The Snowy Mountain Scenic Byway is a portion of WY-130, which runs west from Laramie towards Saratoga, WY. The byway is also inside the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. The drive is incredibly pretty. There are many switchbacks, pull-offs, and viewpoints on the drive.

The snow was melting slower than usual this year. There was a significant amount above 10000 feet. Many trails and National Forest recreation areas were closed because they were covered in feet of snow still.

On recommendation from Rebecca, we brought some garbage bags to go sledding. An actual sled would have performed better, but the kids had fun sledding in July. Sledding was certainly not in the plan on our summer vacation! We really enjoyed the Snowys, but we just scratched the surface of what they have to offer. We’ll have to come back when there isn’t three feet of snow on the ground still.

They had a lot of fun until their hands got too cold.

Back to Patty

We spend about two hours total on the byway. We planned to visit the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site, but the kids looked a little ragged from nine days on the road. So instead, we drove back to Patty for a slow afternoon. The kids played around. They rode bikes, climbed boulders, and enjoyed some quiet time in nature.

I don’t remember what game they were playing, but they played it for an hour

Dinner

We drove back to Laramie to have dinner at Rebecca’s house. The kids enjoyed playing while the adults enjoyed catching up on the last ten years. Rebecca’s husband just started a fire and a strong storm blew in. It wouldn’t be a #ptparadsummer2019 post without rain, right?

We received an incredible amount of rain quickly and a good dose of hail. The hail got quite large for awhile, maybe quarter sized. It was wild for a few minutes.

Some of this hail was pretty big. Fortunately the truck wasn’t damaged.

Minutes later the sun was out and a rainbow appeared.

After the rain stopped, we stoked the fire back to life and started up the s’mores, with slightly wet chairs. We stayed another hour or so having fun. The sun was falling on the horizon and we didn’t want to get back to Patty in the dark. So we said our farewells, promised to return to this wonderful city, and headed back to Patty.

A lot has changed since we last hung out. Kids, gray hair, and so much more. It was a delight to visit the Walsh family.

Back at Patty for the Night

Back at our spot in the National Forest, it rained some. Fortunately nothing too significant. The storms were still in the area and made for an incredible sunset.

I really understand why Laramie is called Laradise. I could get used to the scenery and summer temperatures.

This short trip to Laradise was great. We really enjoyed Laramie and Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, but we also got to catch up with the Walsh clan.

Next time we head to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. Thanks for reading.

-See you out there

Part-Time Paradise