I have been thinking about moving to Wyoming. They’ve got drifting tumbleweeds and wide open spaces like Gene and Roy sang about back when the west was really wild. They’ve got mountain ranges with enticing names like Teton, Wind River, Bighorn, Medicine Bow and my favorite, Absaroka.

And they don’t have many people. It is the least populated state in the union. Even tiny Washington, DC, which is not a state, has more folks than Wyoming. I’m not being anti-social here. And I love people of every walk, temperament, background and leaning.

But I am tired of going downtown and circling around the block a couple of times looking for a parking space.

It happened to me yesterday. I went to get a haircut at Cooper’s and ended up having to park all the way over by Ace Hardware. By the time I walked the half mile back around to the barber shop...I’d completely forgotten what I had come for!

I bet they don’t have 45 minute waits to get seated in a restaurant in the Cowboy State. I’m tired of telling those nice young hostesses, “Ma’am, I’m older than dirt. If I have to wait that long, I could be dead before y’all get the food out to me!”

Think about the cool air they have in the summers in Wyoming. No more sweating through your shirt just walking to the mailbox. There are no hurricanes. Or alligator farms! And I believe “the skies are not cloudy all day” was written with Wyoming in mind.

I don’t necessarily want to live in those Wyoming Mountains, mind you. I’m no Jeremiah Johnson! But I could picture myself sitting on the front porch of a rambling log house 17 miles north of Jackson Hole, washing down salted peanuts with a diet Coke, as the sun slowly dipped behind the Tetons.

I might even buy a horse.

My first trip across Wyoming was in the summer of 1973. I was driving Mom out to Oregon to see her brother. It was a trip she’d been talking about for years. We were also hauling her sister, and another brother, her niece and two grandchildren she’d “invited” along. We looked like the Clampetts heading to California….except we didn’t have any oil money.

We stopped in Laramie for gas and sarsaparilla. Laramie is located in a big valley high up in the middle of the mountains. Talk about picturesque! As we pulled back on the interstate the big green sign informed us the next exit, Rawlings, was 93 miles away. Now that, dear hearts, is wide open spaces by any definition you choose to use!

Talk about an interesting drive, we didn’t see a cow, house, chicken, human being, covered wagon, oil well, ragamuffin, UFO, or a “see Rock City” sign the entire way! It was like being in a nothingness Twilight Zone. But I bet you there wouldn’t have been any waiting...if we could have found a Cracker Barrel!

It was a beautiful stretch of America. Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park was awe inspiring. I got out and took a picture when we crossed the Continental Divide. We also saw quite of bit of snow on the mountains. And we took this trip in late June...

This is not like I will be taking off to someplace I’ve never seen. Of course, I haven’t told Cathy we are moving yet...

But when she hears all the options, I don’t see how she can turn this deal down. She can live on the historic Powder River in northeast Wyoming. Or choose something close to the scenic Greene River in the opposite portion of the state.

Wheatland is the birthplace of the legendary Freckles Brown. It would be an honor to call that place home. Ucross has a current population of 25. We wouldn’t have any parking problems there. And we could always build that log house in sight of the Tetons.

Kaycee would be my first pick. If it was good enough for Chris LeDoux, I could certainly make it work. And the population, 267, is right in the acceptable range.

But listen, if you see Cathy, don’t say anything about this. It’s still in the planning stage. And I’ve got to catch her in a good mood.

And I do still have a couple of things to mull over here. How cold are the winters out there? How long do they last? Does it snow just on the top of the mountains? If Wyoming is as good as I think it is, WHY isn’t every one living there!

But all in all, this is the absolute opportunity of a lifetime. Cathy is going to love it….just as soon as I get up enough courage to mention it to her...

Respectfully,
Kes