Wyoming gave us quite a greeting: the weather was changing every five minutes. Winds, dust, rain, clouds, sun, hot, cold, and repeat. And mix-it-up, repeat. I really got to know Cheyenne well as I raced from one end of town to another — just missing the sun, waiting & then getting one of two shots in before it would start raining. It was just crazy and time-consuming. But I’m glad I stuck around and got things done right. I have about a week to do my Wyoming list which doesn’t seem all that thick compared to the one from Colorado. But I’m sure there will be traffic, weather, mountains, & distances that will get in the way.
The day started with finishing up in Colorado. There, it was pretty miserable and grey. But I had no time to wait it out — just had to shoot what I could with the weather I had and will have to make it up one day with sunny shots.
Let’s start with some stuff from Greeley, CO where the day began:
This one was lit last night — but I shamefully did not shoot it. A beautiful turquoise. I was just. so. tired:
The store below this sign is now unrelated. I assume the sign advertised for a photography studio:
This used car lot has a variation of the “bulb stick” — the red angled metal projects towards the street — now mostly holes where the bulbs would have been:
Now on to Wyoming — starting with Pine Bluffs:
I always visit this abandoned truck stop when I’m there. Nothing has changed in forever. The Valentine diner (not shown) is still there — quite a mess inside.
Today was a good day to stop at this place: Mel Gould’s Buryville in Cheyenne. All the whirlagigs were spinning like mad in the wind. More about this place here:
http://detourarttravels.blogspot.com/2009/09/mel-goulds-buryville-in-cheyenne-wy.html
I know I posted a hellish map the other night from Denver. For contrast, here’s a much more manageable one for Cheyenne. I’m happy to be in smaller cities for a while. Must remember to schedule bigger cities first if I have a choice efficiently so that I have the energy for them. Better to taper down the insanity as the trip progresses:
On to Cheyenne. An interesting building — looks like maybe a restaurant before it was a liquor store? Strange alignment of the roof with the walls — I suspect a lot of altering took place:
Another oddball — with nicely done faux castle paint job:
From Wyoming Adventure Mini Golf — a simulation of Devil’s Tower National Monument:
And a whole bunch of fun signs from Cheyenne:
A former drive-in restaurant — still there on a used car dealer’s lot:
At a closed liquor store —
Now a fireworks stand on the lot. I don’t know the original business for this lightning bolt sign:
Sorry to see that a lot of the neon for the Lincoln Popcorn Palace (yes, it’s official icky name) was not working. Maybe there was a recent hail storm or something:
OK — westward at the crack of dawn in the morning — on to more southern Wyoming. The forecast is for all day sun. We’ve still got 15 more days left on this journey. The dogs and I have settled into a groove now. But 15 days will certainly be enough!