Leaving Laramie

When our time in Laramie got extended, we still found places to explore while waiting for the motorhome's new windshield to ship.  Laramie, home to the University of Wyoming, is a modern town even though the historic downtown gave one the feel of an old western community.  We visited the University's beautiful campus with its many crafted stone facade buildings as well as their Geological Museum.  At this Museum we viewed many fossils and casts of fossils.  Most of these fossils were all found somewhere in Wyoming. 

The Geology Museum entrance, 'Nip' the skull of a Columbian Mammoth discovered south of Rawlins during a heavy equipment dig and 'Big Al' a fossil cast of an allosaurus found near the town of Shell, WY.

Chris Navarro's 'Wyoming Cowboy' statue in front of the University of Wyoming's Gateway Center.

 I did not know that the first woman to vote in a public election in the United States before the 19th Amendment (that was ratified in 1920) lived..and voted in Laramie, Wyoming. Louisa Swain cast her historic vote in 1870.  That's right, the Territory of Wyoming gave women 21 and older (who were US citizens or seeking citizenship) the right to vote and hold a public office. 

Louisa Swain here standing, top right: the bust of Martha Symons Boies, the world's first woman bailiff and lower right: the bust of Eliza Stewart, the first woman subpoenaed to serve on a jury.

Laramie's first Farmers Market of the season was a highlight for us too.  We found some fresh veggies but mostly cherries, several tents selling fresh baked goods and sweets, artisan crafts and of course the food trucks.

We purchased some delicious fresh Rainier cherries, fresh baked bread and freshly made salsa plus some grass-fed beef from the Grace Creek Ranch of Jelm, WY.

Finally the motorhome windshield was on the shipping truck from Elkhart, Indiana to Rawlins, Wyoming.  Once the tracking number displayed it was in Denver and en-route to Rawlins, we relocated to Western Hills RV Park in Rawlins.  The installer removed our old windshield and placed in the new one. 

 

We believe it was this rock chip that started the crack progression.  This windshield was the original one to the motorhome.  It was 18 years old, had crossed the country many times with us as well as with the previous owners..plus a drive to Alaska and back.  It was a good windshield.

 

 

More later 

from Sheridan, Wyoming.