Does this wind EVER stop?

Doesn't seem like it. I'd like to be going out and about taking photos, but the wind just makes it too unpleasant. Shortly...shortly...

My Scrabble Books Took Precedence

Hello, all my faithful readers out there in computer land.

I've missed several days of posting and I apologize for it. I've been working on two Scrabble books (Eve Le QiNu's Flashwords) which help people to learn the 2 and 3 letter Scrabble words.

I won't provide links here since this is an apology not a sales pitch - but if you do like to play Scrabble, go to the Kindle Store (or the Nook Store) and type in Eve Le QiNu and my two books will be brought up. (Eve Le QiNu is an anagram.... see if you can unscramble it. Bear in mind my publishing name is Magic Mirror Press)

Anyway, I finished volume 2 yesterday, and today I'm chilling out...so regular posting resumes tomorrow.

Thanks again for your patience.

US 85: Sand Creek Massacre Trail

Three artistic views of the Sand Creek Massacre Trail sign.

The Sand Creek Massacre (also known as the Chivington Massacre, the Battle of Sand Creek or the Massacre of Cheyenne Indians) was an atrocity in the Indian Wars of the United States that occurred on November 29, 1864, when a 700-man force of Colorado Territory militia attacked and destroyed a village of friendly Cheyenne and Arapaho encamped in southeastern Colorado Territory, killing and mutilating an estimated 70–163 Indians, about two-thirds of whom were women and children. The location has been designated a National Historic Site and is administered by the National Park Service.

Sand Creek today
Sand Creek, July 1985

The site, on Big Sandy Creek in Kiowa County, is now preserved by the National Park Service. The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site was dedicated on April 28, 2007, almost 142 years after the massacre.[43]

The Sand Creek Massacre Trail in Wyoming follows the paths of the Northern Arapaho and Cheyenne in the years after the massacre.[44] It traces them to their supposed wintering on the Wind River Indian Reservation near Riverton in central Wyoming, where the Arapaho remain today. The trail passes through Cheyenne, Laramie, Casper, and Riverton en route to Ethete in Fremont County on the reservation. In recent years, Arapaho youth have taken to running the length of the trail as endurance tests to bring healing to their nation. Alexa Roberts, superintendent of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, has said that the trail represents a living portion of the history of the two tribes.

More info about the actual event can be found at Wikipedia. Here, I'm just concerned with what's viewable on US 85 and why.

Along US 85/Greeley Highway

Once you pass the Empty brown back of the sign (you'd think it'd at least say, thanks for visiting Colorado!) and the two lottery selling businesses on the state line into Wyoming, and that other unmentionable business, you will come on your right hand side to the Welcome to Wyoming sign, which is situated in a little pull out.

Next to the Welcome to Wyoming sign is the Wyoming Department of Transportation sign, in blue, giving an emergency phone number. [Just past the Welcome to Wyoming Sign is a sign for the Sand Creek Massacre Trail, and I'll explain that in my next post.]




As you enter Wyoming, the first county encountered is Laramie County, which is part of the Laramie County Conservation District.

As you stand in this byway admiring the signs, also on your left you will see a couple of microwave towers. Or at least towers with fiddly little dishes on them that I assume are microwave towers.



Look to your left, across the road, and you'll see a wind farm.





And finally, as you get back in your car to carry on, you'll pass a sign on your right that says Cheyenne, 9 miles.

US 85: Borderline Lotto

On the same exit road that hosts the Den, but up further, is the Borderline Lotto. According to the sign, it has a restaurant, but it doesn't really. They do serve liquor, however.

This location sells lottery and scratch offs.

US 85: The Den

I hate to give publicity to a place like this, but for the sake of completeness I must do it.

If you pass by the Stateline Oasis, the next road on your left leads to two businesses. The first is the Den, a "gentleman's" club (i.e., a strip joint.)

Now, just before you get to this Den, you'll see on your left a natural gas facility.
Another thing I share for completeness sake.

US 85: Stateline Oasis (lottery and OTB)

As you pass the big brown sign on your left, going from Colorado into Wyoming on US 85, the first business on your left is the Stateline Oasis. This is a competitor to the adjacent Borderline Lotto, which was there first. Stateline Oasis had been open for only about a week when I moved here a year ago.

The Stateline Oasis started doing Off Track Betting a couple of months ago as I write this (Jan). They also do the Powerball and Megamillions Lottery, the Lotto, and scratch offs.

The folks there are friendly, there's a big guard dog and a teeny tiny guard dog. There are tables for people to sit at while they do their scratch offs. On the left as you enter is the room with the Off Track betting screens.

US 85 From Colorado Into Cheyenne

I will be taking photos and listing businesses and other locations along Highway 85 (Greeley Highway) through Cheyenne.

US 85 enters Wyoming from Colorado 8 miles (13 km) south of Cheyenne. In Cheyenne it joins with Business Route 87, and a mile later with Interstate 180 until it meets with U.S. Route 30. The segment with I-180 is the only fully at-grade interstate route in the U.S.

At exit 12, it joins with I-25 and U.S. Route 87 in a concurrency for 5 miles (8.0 km) until US 85 leaves at exit 17 and travels northeast towards Meriden. From there it heads north to Torrington, where it meets with U.S. Route 26 and concurrencies for 10 miles (16 km) until Lingle, and 47 miles (76 km) later it meets U.S. Route 20 and U.S. Route 18 at Lusk. It shares the next 47 miles (76 km) with US 18 and 33 miles (53 km) later meets U.S. Route 16 near Newcastle. From here it is 29 miles (47 km) until it enters South Dakota in the Black Hills.

As you enter Wyoming from Colorado on US 85, the first thing you'll see on the left is a blank brown sign.

If you were to look at the sign from the other direction - as it might be if you turned into the parking lot of the Stateline Oasis Lottery seller and Off Track betting parlor, you'd see that it looked like the above photo.

(When I first moved to Wyoming a year ago, this sign had various colors for each letter of the word colorful. A few months ago they took that one down and put up this one, with each letter a plain white. Never have known why they decided to do that.)

Retro News: Wyoming Asks National Lab to REview Coal Plant

This article appeared on page A7 of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle on Wed, Dec 21, 2011.

"The Wyoming Business Council has asked the Idaho National Laboratory to review a private company's plan to build a coal-to-gasoline plant in Carbon County.

DKRW Advanced Fuels - based in Texas - has asked Wyoming to purchase up to $300 million in industrial development bonds to help finance the $2 billion project. The company intends to build the plant near Medicine Bow.

Construction could begin sometime in 2012 and be finished by 2015. It would use a proprietary process to transform coal mined underground at the site into 10,600 barrels of gasoline a day to serve the Denver market. The technology is licensed from energy industry giants Exxon and General Electric and has been used at industrial sites around the world.

So, where is Medicine Bow?
From Wikipedia
Medicine Bow is a town in Carbon County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 304 at the 2010 census.

Geography
Medicine Bow is located at 41°53′52″N 106°12′10″W / 41.89778°N 106.20278°W / 41.89778; -106.20278 (41.897668, -106.202796)[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.0 km²), all of it land.

History
Medicine Bow, like many other towns across southern Wyoming, was established as a result of the construction of the transcontinental railroad in 1868. The railroad located a tie boom on the nearby Medicine Bow River and built a depot, water stop, and coal-loading facility. Later, livestock loading-pens were built and Medicine Bow became an important livestock shipping center. The first load of cattle shipped to the Union Stockyards in Omaha came from the Medicine Bow area. The town grew up around the railroad facilities.

In the middle 1880s, Philadelphia lawyer Owen Wister stopped in town and wrote a description in his journal. He later used the historic setting of Medicine Bow as a backdrop for his novel The Virginian, which is considered to be the first novel of the "Western" Genre. In the early 1900s Medicine Bow was one of the automobile stops on Old Lincoln Highway (Junction of Hwys 30/287 and 487). August Grimm built the Virginian Hotel to accommodate travelers. In the early 1970s, the town suffered as a result of the opening of Interstate Highway 80 that bypassed the town, some 35 miles to the south. The town experienced an economic boom in the middle 1970s when uranium mines opened north of town and coal mines west of town expanded production.

The original Union Pacific Depot burned in the early 20th century, but it was replaced. In 1978, ownership of the building was transferred to the City of Medicine Bow and the town museum was started in the structure. Two years earlier, as a bicentennial project, local civic groups helped relocate the Owen Wister Cabin, built by the Wister family in the Grand Tetons in northwestern Wyoming, to a site next to the depot.

David L. Roberts (b. Lusk, Wyoming, 1954) founded the Medicine Bow Post newspaper in 1977, editing and publishing the newspaper until the early 1990s. Medicine Bow is one of the windiest places in America.

South of town, the first experimental giant wind turbines in Wyoming were built under contract from the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation in the early 1980s. Utility-operated wind farms provide electricity from windy points near Medicine Bow. In December 2007, plans were announced for construction of a large coal gasification plant to be built southwest of town. Completion date is estimated for 2014 as of April 2011 construction will begin on the concrete pad. Expected temporary works to the town is 1500, when the plant is complete they will need 450 workers to operate the plant. The town recently celebrated its 100th anniversary of incorporation June 26, 2009.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 304 people, 130 households, and 83 families residing in the town. The population density was 79.3 people per square mile (30.6/km²). There were 184 housing units at an average density of 53.2 per square mile (20.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.81% White, 1.09% Native American, 0.36% Asian, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.73% of the population.

There were 129 households out of which 18.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.60.

In the town the population was spread out with 18.6% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 13.9% from 25 to 44, 38.0% from 45 to 64, and 24.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $35,156. Males had a median income of $41,250 versus $20,536 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,420. About 10.3% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under the age of eighteen and 17.5% of those sixty five or over.

Education
Public education in the town of Medicine Bow is provided by Carbon County School District #2. Zoned campuses include Medicine Bow Elementary School (grades K-6) and H.E.M. Junior/Senior High School [1] (grades 7-12).

Free Entrees at Panda Express, Jan 10, 2012 only

The big air-panda was new today. There was also someone in a Panda suit, whom you can see in a couple of photos, going into the restaurant. He'd been standing outside the restaurant waving at folks, but by the time I got my camera out, was going inside.





You've got about 5 hours left TODAY to get a free plate of food at the new Panda Express located right by the Walmart. They are giving away a plate with two entrees, and a free drink, from 11 am to 8 pm.

FE Warren AFB: Operation Warmheart

I'm looking at a Dec 15, 2011 issue of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. It was obviously a bit of news aimed at stimulating Christmas donations, but this is a year-round organization.

It's an organization that works just for the folks at Warren AFB, but every AFB will have this also - or something similar.

Now, if you're in Wyoming, or just want to contribute to Operation Warmheart regardless of where you're located:

What: Operation Warmheart, a program at FE Warren Air Force Base that provides financial grants to needy Air Force families to buy food and other necessities during emergency situations.

When: Year Round Program

Where: At the time of this writing, Senior Master Sergeant Shawn Swidecki was in charge. shawn.swidecki@warren.af.mil.

There are no overhead costs, all donations support the fund directly.

http://blogs.wyomingnews.com/blogs/everyonegives/2011/12/15/operation-warmheart-helps-air-force-families/

Put these on your calendar for next Christmas

On December 21, 2011, Wednesday, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle had a few "top of the page" adverts for Christmas events on pg D3.

I am going to take the liberty to assume they would occur every year around Christmas, so I'll list them here. If you've got your 2012 desk (or desktop) calendar all ready, why not add these in? They might take place on a different day, or the actual event may be different but the venue would be the same. (And if you haven't started a calendar yet for 2012, now is the time!)

CELEBRITY WAITER DINNER
There was a Celebrity Waiter Dinner, a fundraiser for Safehouse - Sexual Assault Services "where waiters dress as celebrities and entice the guests at their tables to "tip" them for their services. $50 per son." This event didn't actually take place until JAN 6, 2012. At: Holiday Inn, 204 W. Fox Farm Road.
www.wyomingsafehouse.org
634-8655

TINSEL THROUGH TIME
The last chance to see Tinsel Through Time - a free exhibit of Christmas trees with historic trimmings, at the Wyoming Historic Governor's Mansion, 300 E 21st St. 777-7878. The day the exhibit ended was Dec 24. The exhibit had been open from Wed-Fri, 9 aam to 5 pm

Retro News: Cheyenne Botanical Gardens

A letter in the Dec 7 issue of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle (pg B10) stated:

"As a long time fan and supporter of the Cheyenne Botanical Gardens, I feel the city Council and the sixth-penny sales tax committee have an obligation to put the renovation/expansion of the gardens on the sixth-penny ballot next year.

In 2008, Laramie County voters approved $750,000 to develop the architectural drawings for the renovation/expansion of the gardens. [They paid $750,000 just to have plans drawn up????? How much an hour do architects make????]

From Wikipedia.

The Cheyenne Botanic Gardens (9 acres, 3.6 ha) are located in Lions Park in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with an associated High Plains Arboretum located five miles (8 km) northwest of Cheyenne at an elevation of 6,200 feet (1,900 m).

The gardens began as a vision in 1977 to build a non-profit, solar heated greenhouse. Today, the 6,800 square foot (630 m²) conservatory consists of three greenhouses. The first is filled with tropical plants, herb and cacti gardens, and a waterfall pond filled with Koi fish. The second is used primarily for growing vegetables, with beds of lettuce, onions, cabbages, broccoli, carrots, etc. The third is focused on propagation of bedding plants and flowers for the botanic garden grounds and all flowers for the Cheyenne park system. Outside are many gardens featuring perennials, annuals, wildflowers, roses, herbs, and cacti.

The Cheyenne Botanic Gardens has one of the highest volunteer-to-staff ratios of any botanical garden: Over 90% of the physical labor is provided by senior, youth and handicapped volunteers. Applied horticultural therapy is a part of everyday activity at the botanic garden.

The conservatory is 100% solar heated and 50 percent of the conservatory's electricity is also powered by the sun. They are the United States Intermountain West's oldest and one of the largest public demonstration sites for renewable energy.

The Cheyenne Botanic Gardens functions as a traditional public botanic garden, municipal nursery and community garden. Inside their conservatory there are tropical plants, water falls, herbs, cacti and food crops. In spring you will find over 50,000 bedding plants being grown for their grounds as well as for flower displays in Cheyenne parks and parkways.

The grounds have many special garden landscapes including a rose garden, herb garden, Peace garden, water garden, cacti display, annuals and perennials, shade loving plant display, xeriscape and native plants. There is also a wetland display and gardens that depict plants that were important in southeast Wyoming over the past three centuries (called the Rotary Century Plazas). It also has a labyrinth known as the "Garden Labyrinth", which is a wheelchair accessible, original designed labyrinth dedicated to the former Wyoming first lady, Bobby Hathaway.

In 2009, after 3 years of fundraising and one year of construction, the Paul Smith Children's Village opened to the public. The almost $2 million dollars raised to construct the garden came through the fundraising efforts of the Friends of the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens foundation and did not involve the use of tax revenues or other public funds.

It was named after the late Paul Smith (no relation to the founding director Shane Smith), who was the proprietor of a once notable hotel, The Hitching Post Inn. Paul Smith was a long-time supporter of the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and local philanthropist. The theme of the Paul Smith Children's Garden is sustainability past, present and future and features a farmer's windmill, solar well pump, Archimedes screw, electric generating vertical axis wind turbine, pond, secret garden, tipis, greenhouse, geodesic domes, vegetable gardens, arts area, water works, pond and the solar heated and powered Lowe's Discovery Classroom/Laboratory (donated by the Lowe's Home Improvement Foundation).

Herbert Schaal, a highly awarded landscape architect with AECOM, provided the design for the Children's Village. This design has garnered 2 awards from the Colorado Chapter of the American Association of Landscape architects. The site for the Children's Village is centered in what used to be a city parks shop. This site included a large native stone garage (now the classroom/laboratory) and rock wall which now surrounds the Children's Village. The garage and wall were constructed in the early 1930s as part of the Works Progress Administration (a depression era job training program).

This Botanic Garden has received numerous awards related mostly to the innovative way that they do things relating to volunteers and renewable energy. These awards have come from three different United States Presidents: Reagan, Bush (senior) and Clinton. In addition, the founding director, Shane Smith , of the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens was awarded a Loeb Fellowship from Harvard and the Community Hero award from former Wyoming Governor Jim Geringer.

Shane Smith, is the founding and current director. He planted the first seed in 1977 and has guided the project since. Smith is also author of the book "Greenhouse Gardener's Companion" and also works as a greenhouse consultant. Smith has lectured and consulted on the subjects of greenhouse gardening, community greening, horticulture therapy and community based botanic gardens in over 27 states and 3 countries. Smith also does a regular radio programs in Cheyenne, WY.

The master plan and many of the designs for the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens were created by landscape architect, Herb Schaal, of the firm EDAW. Schaal is one of the most award winning landscape architects in the United States and his work tends to focus on public botanical gardens and arboreta. He is also well known for his designs of public children's gardens. Schaal designed the Children's Village at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens which will open in 2009. This design has won two awards and focuses on both sustainability and gardening. Schaal also created the master plan for the High Plains Arboretum.

A moon arch located between the Peace Garden and the Garden Labyrinth is dedicated to the late Edwina Wiederspahn, wife of former Laramie County Coroner and Community College trustee Arling Wiederspahn (1916-2007).

It is rare that a public botanic garden is found in such a small city like Cheyenne, WY(population approximately 60,000). It usually requires a community of at least a half of a million people to support such a venture. The Cheyenne Botanic Gadens has been able to exist because of its utilization of free labor with its large volunteer force, free heat (solar heated greenhouse), free electricity (photovoltaic solar electricity). Last but not least is the effective non-profit private foundation, "The Friends of the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens Foundation." This foundation amazingly raises virtually all the funds privately for the development of its grounds in a public/private partnership with the City of Cheyenne.

Admission is free, with donations accepted. The gardens are open 365 days a year during daylight hours. Conservatory hours are weekdays 8:00-4:30, Saturdays 11:00-3:30, Closed Sundays. The grounds are open from dawn to dusk. For more information, visit: www.botanic.org. The operating hours of the Paul Smith Children's Village change seasonally, see www.botanic.org for its current hours.

The High Plains Arboretum
The High Plains Arboretum operates as part of the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and is located at the former High Plains Horticulture Research Station. This station was established on March 19, 1928, when Congress authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the Central Great Plains Field Station at or near Cheyenne. In 1930, the site officially became the Cheyenne Horticulture Field Station, and was directed to cottonwood shelter concentrate on fruits, vegetables, windbreaks and ornamental plants. The goal was to find plants that would make the High Plains of the United States more habitable.

This station still exists in its original location on a 2,140 acre (870 ha) plot leased from the City of Cheyenne for 199 years at $1 per year. The site also has many historic buildings that include a greenhouse, a number of quaint wood framed houses which are still used for staff housing, laboratories, storage areas and office space. Maintenance of the site is now provided by the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and the Cheyenne Urban Forestry which are both under the Cheyenne Parks and Recreation Department.

As a Horticulture Station By 1962 they had had tested:

* 1,300 varieties of woody ornamental plants including over 100 different types of hedge materials
* 200 species of trees and shrubs for dry land wind breaks with over 250 cooperative plantings in various parts of the region served by the station.
* 2000 fruit cultivars
* 8,000 vegetable cultivars

The work of the Cheyenne Horticultural Field Station came to an end in 1974 when the mission and name was changed by the USDA. From 1975 to 2008 the Arboretum's trees and shrubs relied mainly on natural precipitation, and many have perished. Since 1975 the arboretum has lost over 50% of the plants inventoried, and many more were in severe decline. Late in the summer of 2000, a group of interested participants gathered to begin an effort to "preserve, restore and enhance" the arboretum. This group is now a sub-committee of the Friends of the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens.
High Plains Arboretum

They were motivated because there are still many of the trees and shrubs still exist that were once part of the Horticulture Station's landscape and research. The site is still quite stunning and in some places you can find a small dense forest. The result of the work of the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and the Friends of the High Plains Arboretum resulted in allowing the USDA to modify its lease with the City of Cheyenne for the return of the 62-acre (250,000 m2) portion to be returned to City operation through guidance of the City of Cheyenne Parks and Recreation's Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and the Friends of the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and the Division of Urban Forestry.

The Cheyenne Botanic Gardens High Plains Arboretum has a 20 year master-plan developed by noted landscape architect, Herbert Schaal, with the goal of creating a public arboretum that works to preserve, restore and enhance the 62-acre (250,000 m2) portion of the station that includes the original remaining research plant testing sites.

The High Plains Arboretum is in the beginning stages of development and arrangements can be made to view the site through the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens.

The new year brings new promises

Photos and reviews of places will start being posted here on a regular basis...

starting tomorrow.

; )

Promise!