A Drive Through the Snowies

One rare day last summer, My Cowboy had off for a half day. It was a gorgeous Saturday, and we decided to go on a drive. We love the mountains around here, but thanks to a busy work schedule, My Cowboy rarely gets off before dark, so we don't get alot of time to explore. Well, anyways, we piled in the Suburban, and headed out.

The X-Bar sits between two main roads, one leading to Colorado, and one leading to the Snowy Range Mountains, and the Ski Resort, about 15 miles northwest of us.  So we took the gravel road north to connect to the main road heading towards the Snowy's. About 15-17 miles from our house, we start to climb...

 When we got to the top of the pass, we stopped at the scenic overlook. I would have been content to stay in the warm Suburban, because the air up on top was rather chilly, to say the least. But I did make myself climb out and go up with them...

 With the free telescope, we could almost see our ranch. Well, not quite. Our ranch was hidden behind the mountain.

 That mountain in the middle-righthand side is Sheep - The same mountain that is directly behind our house. See how much higher we are than it is?

 There is a glacier on this mountain. Seriously.

 This is a typical awful driving photo. But I had to put it up to show the stunning green color of the water. It looks like a jewel. It has to be freezing cold.

 And the 'Wyoming wildlife' seemed to be a joke only I have understood. I guess I have twisted humor.

 These little mountain streams and boggy areas are my favorite part of the mountains. And the smell of the pines. I love the scent of pines.

 We seen this cattle-trailer flipped on a curve. That happens once in a while. Poor cattle. Think what a shock it is to be thrown onto their side and their buddies, going 50mph, or whatever.

 The X-Bar had a load of cattle flip like this once, in similar country, and despite hours of hard riding, they never could find all the cattle. So if you are driving through the Snowy Range, and see some wild black cattle, they are probably ours. :)

 We stopped at this cafe/hotel on the way home. Its all log, and rustic. Its a very cute place. Bigger than you would think. And they have the best burgers I have ever tasted. Each one is handmade fresh. Mmmm! I could eat one right now.

 And then there is the 'Wild Horse Ranch' several miles from our place. It really advertises the 'wild horses' as its way of attracting buyers. (its selling 40-acre lots. Country subdivisions, we call em.)  I don't know how wild they are, but I guess they technically are wild horses. They come onto the X-Bar once in a while.

So, that was our drive. It was a beautiful way to end the summer. It was the last drive we took in 2010. Once the snows hit, I have no interest in driving mountain roads. If you come visit us, we can take you on the same drive! :)