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Young cowboy lassoes a calf
Gen, Charlie, Bob, Betty, Megan, Mark, Thurman,
& Kathleen
George Ziemens
Bison along I-70 west of Denver |
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We began our rendezvous with an evening at
the Little Moon Lake Supperclub, a steak house located
on the Nebraska/Wyoming border. The next day, we were up with
the sun (well, maybe the sun beat us) and were on the road
to "assist" with the branding duties at the Hageman
ranch just north of Ft. Laramie, Wyoming. Although the calves
outweighed Charlie by at least a hundred pounds, he proved
to be a capable calf wrestler. The rest of the roadtripping
gang kibitzed and took photographs of the branding and gorgeous
Western scenery. Thurman's
field report of the branding is online here. and click
here for a PowerPoint slide show. Bob
Schaller's field report is online here.
The next morning, archeologist and local historian
George Zeimens shared his perspectives about historical
preservation and some of the archaeological remains that are
currently being analyzed in southern Wyoming. Much of the
collection of projectile points and other artifacts displayed
in the Western History Center near Lingle, Wyoming, were collected
on Jim Hageman's ranch, where he also hosted the after-branding
party. Jim went with us as we visited the Ft.
Laramie National Historical Park. Ft. Laramie was an important
outpost for both Native & European Americans from the
1830s to 1860s. It was the center of the fur trade for the
region and was also a critical way-station for the short-lived
Pony Express. Before going our separate ways, we visited Register
Cliff and saw the remarkable ruts left by the wooden wagon
wheels from countless wagons traveling on the old Oregon Trail.
On our way back to Las Vegas, the Megan-Bob-Mark
trio drove to Estes Park, Colorado, to check out a couple
of the scenic drive routes in the Colorado
Front Range Scenic Byways guidebook. We also found
a couple of buffalo grazing alongside Interstate 70 just west
of Denver. As I write this, Gen is somewhere in southern Arizona
after driving around central Nevada for a couple of days before
she zooms back across the country to Quebec.
We had a memorable time at our
RoadTrip Rendezvous, and we're already looking forward
to the next one! If you have a suggestion as to where it might
be and what activities it might include, please
let us know.
Mark
Sedenquist
May 15, 2005
