Blog #3: There's Not a Lot in Wyoming

There's not a lot in Wyoming - I say this with love. Having family in Wyoming and living with people originally from Wyoming, it's kind of a mutual understanding to say that there's not a lot in Wyoming when there really is. Sometimes the drives through Wyoming can be long and not very appealing to the eye, but there are some hidden treasures hiding deep within the state.

Over Fall Break this upcoming October, I'll be going with one of my roommates to  Cheyenne, Wyoming, to spend the break in her hometown with her family. I've passed through Cheyenne  a couple of times before, but only long enough to enjoy a meal or two with her family and others. I'm hopping over this break that I'll have a lot of opportunities to take photos of Cheyenne and the surrounding area as well. However, this may be a little difficult as there doesn't seem to be a lot in Wyoming (for lack of better or more precise phrasing).

While I don't know the area as well as my roommate does, I'm hopeful that she'll be able to show me around and introduce me to some prime photography spots. One spot that I already came across is Curt Gowdy State Park, 24 miles west of Cheyenne. The park itself is fairly young, having been established in 1971. The website for the park (http://wyoparks.state.wy.us/index.php/about-curt-gowdy) didn't have a lot of examples of potential photographs one can take while visiting the park, but they did indicate that the wildlife viewing is never disappointing. On their website, they indicated that "native ground squirrels, mule deer, elk, yellow-bellied marmots, and chipmunks abound [the] area," and it is also "a prime area for bird watchers."

I don't plan on pursuing a hobby in bird watching, nor do I know if I'm quite ready to tackle photographing wildlife, but I hope the landscape in the park is somewhat similar to what they show on their website. It would be nice to photograph an area that's unfamiliar to me, but also an area that has yet to be pursued by photographers - at least, that doesn't appear to have been pursued by photographers yet.

One of two photos Curt Gowdy State Park shares on their website of the park.
Photo taken from http://wyoparks.state.wy.us/index.php/places-to-go/curt-gowdy

One of two photos Curt Gowdy State Park shares on their website of the park.
Photo taken from http://wyoparks.state.wy.us/index.php/places-to-go/curt-gowdy