BTW # 41 post 51 draft

BTW #41   post51    Back to the West Journey     Tracks of the StoneBear

Tuesday July 31, 2012

Snowy Range Mtns, Wyoming 1 1st DRAFT Pix coming and they are good!

Medicine Bow Mtn

Left Laramie, Wyoming,... headed west on WY hwy 130west.... excited.... now heading out on the Snowy Mountain Range scenic byway.

You never drink twice from the same stream. 

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Immediately leaving Laramie drive through the plains, ... the vastness of the high chapparell. The plains are forever... vast what you can comprehend. Driving, ... you see the mountain ranges some 30 to 40 miles away... some with snow-cap. You continue driving into the west.

You drive incline... 6% grade road up into the mountains. Beautiful pines on the mountain ridges. Cuts in the road have phenomenal rock strata. You drive on... majestic mountain overlooks.... nobody else is out here. This is pristene mountain forest of the high chapparell and nobody is out here.

There are tall lodgepole pines that giveway to the shorter pinion pines ... from altitude. we're at 10,000+ elev now. The drive is thick with evergreen.... Road cuts. of rock strata cannot be described they are so distinct.

Ascending... up now at 11,000'+. ... thin cool crisp air. blue sky! A real blue that is pure. ... you breathin and you gain a pound. It's that good!

Drive on through ascending mountain sub - alpine pastures... nobody else is on the road out here. WTF!!! ?Where is everybody???? This is one of the greatest drives on the west and only pass someboy every now and then. A couple of 4X4s with their pull behing trailes with 4 wheelers. ...and just us.

on past the Continental Divide....

And come to Medicine Bow Mountain.... Snowy Lake Range... this is it!!!

Up at 12,000'+ and it's cold. 44* and the wind is blowing 25+. ... gusts to 35. this is the real raw elements of the Snowy Range.

Come to Snow range.... drive throutgh the camp... trees cut down from pine beetles. Let's pass on this.

Back downto the lake and a noon picnic samich overlooking the high lakes of the snowy range.

Beautiful mountain lake,... steep white rock mountain behind. Snowpak in places. The upper lake is maybe 50' higher... about the same elev as the picnic table.... snowpack on the banks there. it's 36* here and a jacket at the table feels good. Wind 15+.

This is only the beginning of the Snowy Range.... it getts better!!!

This is a scenic byway.... designated... but it's got to be one of the most beautiful drives in America! This is phenomenal to see this!

Standby.... next post coming.

You never drink twice from the same stream. 

StoneBearTracks Copyright MMXV ALL blog posts and photographs  ALL Rights reserved