On into Wyoming

From Bonneville Utah we crossed the great salt plains staying on I80 which in this state runs exactly east-west and is dead straight for almost 50 miles.  Out the window the white landscape with rocky mountains behind continued until we neared the Great Salt Lake.  In places along the road edge the salt was built up around the fence posts, it looked like snow.  Salt Lake City with all her temples (Mormon) sat against the mountains and being short on time we rounded it and carried on into Wyoming.  The rocks changed colour and became an orangey-red for some time while the small ranches in the valleys looked lush and green with hay making in full swing.  Halfway into the state, the landscape changed again and we viewed miles of unusual sculptured mounds, all with flat tops.   After a good night’s sleep we continued on across the Rocky Mountain range and crossed the Continental Divide in the middle of the state.  This Great Divide runs along the top of the Rockies from the Bering Sea up north down through the Andes in South America.  It basically divides the water run-off and decides whether it goes out west to the Pacific Ocean or east down to the Gulf of Mexico.  As we travelled further north, the roadsides were full of small sunflowers and the valleys opened up to reveal immense prairies with huge ranches.  Angus cattle & wild mule deer grazed in the sun but we didn’t see any houses or people for miles.  We passed a Roping School and a later on a Grizzly processing shop.  As we were on the trails taken by early pioneers, we stopped at Independence Rock, a landmark point that they all wanted to reach by Independence Day to ensure they could make it to their destination before first snow.  We spent the night at Douglas where the Wyoming State Fair was on; full of the best animals, produce, baking, quilts and cowboys.