Springtime in the Rockies

Visitor Center coyote count: 1.

Visitor Center unhappy goose count: 12.

Visitor Center pronghorn antelope count: 23.

Springtime in the Rockies is interesting. For one thing, animals are on the move. Either they are moving from winter range to their summer range, or they’re starting to stir from hibernation, or they’re expanding their hunting territory. This is a great time to “make like the animals” and swing by a Wyoming visitor center.

The most typical time to visit Wyoming is winter, if you like the snowy sports, or summer for some serious mountain views and historical touring. But spring – which goes well into May here – offers a rare opportunity to experience both the winter and the summer in one trip.

The last couple of weeks have alternated between big snow storms and sunny days with 50 degree temperatures. This morning a beautiful goose was coming in for a landing on our pond as I arrived at work. His wings spread majestically. He caught an updraft, tilted, and gracefully touched down on the water. Unfortunately for him, today the water was frozen and he lost all grace as he slid out of control across the ice and splatted through the slush near the middle of the pond.

Learn from this goose and be prepared for the unpredictability of spring. Finding room in your suitcase for shorts, sweaters and a parka can be a challenge, but if you are comfortable you will be able to enjoy all our state has to offer.

There’s still plenty of snow in the high country to appeal to winter enthusiasts. Ski slopes and other winter activities are open through late March or the middle of April. And, if you are up in the Jackson area, the Elk Refuge is an area in transition as the elk and bison herds head out and an endless variety of birds move in to take advantage of the fertile valley and sheltered marshes.

In March, plants in Wyoming are often fooled by the warm days and start to grow. Locals across the state can be seen out in their yards, begging their tulips and lilies – with their little heads peeping out of the snow – to go back underground for another month. Hearty wildflowers will boldly make themselves known at the lower elevations near early or mid-April. The brilliant splashes of color will spread across every hillside, valley and prairie through June. If you want flowers for you garden, this also happens to be a great time to get a deal at Wyoming greenhouses where cabin fevered gardeners have planted too much too soon and are eager to sell to someone from a milder climate.

With the flowers come the birds. Wyoming is the summer range for countless birds from humming birds to blue jays, from magpies to eagles. And the birds that aren’t headed to Wyoming usually stop for a week or two on their way north. The entire state offers prime bird watching opportunities.

Also migrating north in the springtime is rodeo! Our Wyoming cowboys have been competing in the southern states for a couple months but as the weather warms up they will move back toward their home state and the events we have here. Specialized rodeo events such as roping contests, cutting competitions and barrel racing can be found almost every weekend from now until summer.

Just in case you zig in shorts and the weather zags with a blizzard, Wyoming has plenty of indoor events to offer. Spring signals the final events for orchestral groups and playhouses which usually means their best performances. It is also the beginning of our fundraiser season which includes a number of balls, auctions, and festivals – almost all of which come complete with a steak dinner.

The coyote has wandered off, the antelope are sunning in the field and the geese are calling from the now-liquid pond. Are they calling you?

Become One With Your Inner Monkey

Wyoming Travel & Tourism recently released a new website design. While going through the site one tangent led to another and soon the staff came upon this website, featuring a very entertaining jingle: http://www.thermopolis-hi.com. Some of us love this song. Not everyone does. But there is no doubt that the song is quirky. And so is Thermopolis.

The town is located around the world’s largest mineral hot springs of which public use was granted by the Shoshone and Arapahoe in 1896. Not content to soak like macaques in the snow, the people of “Thermop” added swimming pools and a water slide that are open all year. The bravery of sliding down the twists and turns of this slide battles for prestige with the bravery of climbing to the top of the slide in January. Brr! And, maybe after witnessing someone else’s bravery, you may actually be content to become one with your inner monkey…there are many options for indoor and outdoor soaking or taking a steam.

Much of Thermop’s public art is made by nature. Mineral heavy water has made colorful formations all around town as those minerals settle and get attached. The town sometimes helps these formations along by setting up a pipe that drizzles water, eventually forming huge pillars of mineral such as the Teepee Fountain. One word of advice: it may be a fountain, but don’t drink the water. Okay, drink the water – but only if you want to entertain the people around you.

There’s plenty to drink in Thermopolis and food to go with it. The town offers an abundance of local eateries and familiar chains for any taste. No matter where you go, you are sure to run into some friendly locals. Find out more here: http://www.thermopolis.com

Also local, perhaps not a friendly, is the giant herd of buffalo that lives in the hills above town. Don’t head up this hill in a hurry – this herd takes a lot of pleasure in stopping cars and taking a good look at the people inside. You might also see deer, antelope, coyote and a number of smaller creatures that roam the area.

Check out the bigger creatures that used to roam here when you visit the Wyoming Dinosaur Center. The center has overlooks for watching the fossil preparation, an extensive museum, a gift shop and hands on activities for adults and children. Find out more about the center here: http://www.wyodino.org.

If your love of history doesn’t go quite so far back, check out one of the town’s many museums to learn about Wyoming’s pioneers. Or borrow a key from the chamber of commerce (that’s right, they’ll give you the key) and head out to Legend Rock to view petroglyphs. These particular drawings are unusual because they have remained above ground, making them hard to date and allowing a number of cultures that have passed through the area to contribute to the collection. See, even the rocks are quirky!

When you’re thinking about a trip to somewhere unusual, give some serious thought to Thermopolis, Wyoming. The town truly is one of a kind.