Day 9: Casper, WY to Cody, WY

Total Miles Driven - 2,410

Today’s Miles - 215

Thursday, June 2nd

Today has been my most relaxed driving day of the trip. I slept in this morning. Had a hardy breakfast at the hotel. Participated in a video work meeting. Then, I drove a short 215-miles in perfect weather closer to Yellowstone National Park. The drive was like being in an old John Wayne Western movie. The kind I use to watch with my Papa when I was a kid with the cowboys, rocky outcrops, reservations, and grassy plains. Needless to say, I thought of him a lot today.

I am inspired by Wyoming’s scenery. It’s breathtaking. I am also inspired by the people of the Cowboy State. They are rugged, self-sufficient, and “rough around the edges” (spoken from a true Wyomingite I met). But, they are also inquisitive and friendly with a small-town feel. It has been such a contrast from Manhattan (a single county) where the population is 1.8 million people in 23 square miles. Compare that to Wyoming (an entire state) where the population is 582,000 people in 98,000 square miles! But you know what? I feel very at home in a small town with hard workers.