One of the best parts about being single and free is that you can just be spontaneous and not worry. So on Friday when my friend Alicia suggested we drive to the Uinta County Fair (not to be confused with Uintah County- one is in Wyoming, the other is in Utah) to see Montgomery Gentry play, I said yes. So on Saturday we just took off for Evanston, WY (which was a surprise to both of us, who assumed we were headed to Vernal- Uintah) for some good old fashioned country girl fun.
The concert was great. Montgomery Gentry put on a dang good show. And the opening act, Bomshell, may not know how to spell very well, but I think we'll be hearing a lot more from them in the future. That would be my third concert this summer and I'm hoping there will be 2 more within the next few weeks!
Now, I've had very little exposure to Wyoming. I've had an online friend from WY and a college roommate from WY. And while neither of them fit the stereotype I have in my head of WY, this concert pretty much convinced me some stereotypes are true.
Case study #1
WOULD YOU LOOK AT THOSE BANGS??
Leather pants
Cowboy shirt
and one really long braid.
Somewhere along the way Ali asked if I had ever heard of the Flaming River Gorge. Except I swear she said, "Have you ever heard of Flaming George?" My response was, "WHO?" Which started a fit of laughter, as you can imagine. She corrected me and then said how she's always wanted to see this Flaming River Gorge park place and how it "wasn't far" from Evanston. Well... Sure. So we did just about the most spontaneous thing ever and stayed in a Super 8 Motel in Nowheresville, Wyoming and bought a change of necessities at WalMart. And just for the record, the people and clothes I saw in WalMart did not do much for debunking the stereotypes!
Now, for this park gorge place... Where do I start? I know a few of the blog readers are from that neck of the woods. And you're probably partial to the "beauty" of the area. Well, all I can say is, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. It made me more homesick for the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains than I ever thought possible.
Parts were pretty, and I did enjoy seeing the new-to-me terrain, but well, I couldn't shake the feeling that they really needed a really long garden hose to improve the area a bit.
Our driving and hiking took us along the "Geological Loop" and the "Wildlife Tour." Here's the wildlife we saw. No offense, but I've got more wildlife than that in my own backyard!
Again, my Wyoming stereotypes... I've always envisioned it as a bit backwards and out of date. And as far as the road system is concerned, I was right.
All in all, we had a great time. The spontaneity was worth it. And now I am the proud owner of Daisy Duke shorts and a pink camo t-shirt, courtesy of the Evanston, Wyoming WalMart. Who knows? Maybe next time I'll even buy a belt buckle!
I'm still jealous. Glad you had fun.
ReplyDeleteAs you should be.
ReplyDeleteThe solution to your jealousy problem is simple though- MOAB!w
but well, I couldn't shake the feeling that they really needed a really long garden hose to improve the area a bit.
ReplyDeleteYou are such an easterner. There's an awesome quote in Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire. He was working in Arches and a guy with Ohio plates said,"this place is pretty but it could use more water." Ed Abbey just said...if we had more water, this place would look like Ohio.
And you're probably partial to the "beauty" of the area. Well, all I can say is, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. It made me more homesick for the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains than I ever thought possible.
Seriously...the "beauty" of the Uintas? Comparing them to the blue ridge and the Smokies? Oy vey... I'm not offended as much as I'm bemused by this. Everybody compares new places with what they know. However, each of those "mountain" ranges are pretty in their own way.
Our driving and hiking took us along the "Geological Loop" and the "Wildlife Tour." Here's the wildlife we saw. No offense, but I've got more wildlife than that in my own backyard!
That's because the Cow Elk are right below timberline right now and the bulls are a little further up too. I'm a little surprised you didn't see any moose or even a deer. When I'm up there, I almost always see at least a moose. I've seen a bear, bobcat, moose, bear, sheep (not the domesticated kind) etc etc on that road. Too bad the wildlife didn't come out to you.
Did you even go below the dam?
I've spent a lot of time in Evanston. When we played basketball there in the '90s there sense of style was about 5 years behind what the kids at my school were wearing. pegged jeans in '93. Evanston did that and more. That being said, the town I grew up in has a lot more in common with Evanston and Rock Springs than it does with the Wasatch Front.
Whoa.
ReplyDeleteThat case study #1 is truly disturbing.
There really ought to be a federal fashion police. I nominate me for the job.