The Road To Laramie

Yesterday in the wee hours of the morning, as we were heading through Wyoming, we came across signs on the interstate telling us the road was closed at Laramie. It had been slow going for a while, with the slick spots and blowing snow, and it was only a matter of time before a road closure was in our future. We decided to stop ten miles east of Laramie, in Buford, because there's always the chance there will be no truck parking at the actual stopping place.

We pulled into the Lincoln Rest Area atop the I-80 summit, a place I've been wanting to go for years. We've passed here many times but have never had the time to stop. It's just a regular rest area, but I love that it has this giant monument with Abraham Lincoln's head on it, which is perched just above the interstate - you can see it when traveling in both directions, and at night it's illuminated.

RoadsideAmerica.com says Lincoln's head was built by Wyoming's Parks Commission to honor Lincoln's 150th birthday. The bronze head weighs over two tons and is 13.5 feet tall. It's perched atop a 30-foot granite pedestal. It was sculpted by Robert Russin, a University of Wyoming art professor and a Lincoln fan. In fact, when he died in 2007, his ashes were interred in the hollow monument. I don't know if that's cool, or creepy.

I took these photos the morning after. I love when the fresh snow covers absolutely everything. For instance - look at this bush, the fence, and the blades of grass in front of it - all powdercoated to perfection. Look at this close up - each individual snow covered branch, untouched by anything but nature.

And this picture - it's so "Wyoming" to me, a snow covered, rickety wood fence.

The road was beautiful once they opened it back up. There didn't seem to be that much snowfall, as indicated by the amount that was plowed to each side, so the closure must have been primarily due to blowing snow. There are areas along the route that were said to have had zero visibility because of it.

It was smooth sailing the rest of the way with pretty scenery, clear skies and open road. We should be in Sacramento by morning.


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