July 19 Casper Wyoming and the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center

     After a 300 mile drive on the 18th, we arrived in Casper, Wyoming, late afternoon, intending to stay two nights in order to catch up on work and do some laundry. Our research had turned up some positive reviews on the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center, operated by the Bureau of Land Management and we thought we’d stop there for an hour or two to fill out the day. Well, the laundry got done early, so, about 11:00 am, we headed over to the Interpretive Center to see what it was all about. We ended up not leaving until 4:00 pm, partly because of the excellent job the BLM has done in presenting the realities of the daily tedium and hardships faced by the emigrants pursuing dreams or religious fantasies along the Oregon, California and Mormon trails, and partly because of an art exhibition featuring the work of Native American (Shoshone and Arapaho) High School students from the Wind River reservation.

   We bought a pottery totem (cylindrical vase depicting the spirit of the owl) and each wished for another, but could not agree. We also were taken by two ten foot totems created by Cleve Bell, the art teacher who was the moving force and taskmaster for the exhibition. Enough so, that we e-mailed photos to L&D, who are in the process of negotiating a possible purchase for their living room (we couldn’t think of a place that would accommodate them at our home or they would be there).

     The center’s exhibits include a simulated fording of the North Platte River in an oxen-drawn, covered wagon and generally trace the history of the emigration from the 1840s through the 1860s. It’s worth 2-3 hours of anyone’s time. 

     And, when you’re finished, Brattis Meat Market is only five minutes away. Three generations of family butchers have specialized in providing the Casper area with the finest meats available. Our RV kitchen is sufficient to support our foodie addictions, and tonight we will enjoy the fruits of our extravagance as we consume perfectly trimmed, rosemary-herbed, loin lamb chops grilled on our Weber.