As for Rt 189 from Jackson to the Interstate, it's miles of sagebrush with a rare irrigated field full of Pronghorn Antelope.
Oh, and THESE -
This is a US highway for cryin' out loud. And you can't miss the sign because it's accompanied by a cattle guard that rattles your teeth when you hit it at 60mph - the speed limit on most highways is 65 or 70. On the Interstates it's 80. We didn't measure it, but it seemed like we drove 20 miles and we'd come to another gate AND SIGN. Which means, "Open Range" didn't end. We just passed onto another ranch.
At the intersection of Rt 189 and Rt 30 are the towns of Kimmerer, population 2656 and Diamondville, population 737. Why there are two towns adjacent to each other with hundreds of square miles of nothing around we don't know. Just that there is fierce rivalry between them. It certainly looked like a great place to do nothing for a few days. I mean, come on - Trip Advisor's "Top Ten Things To Do In Kemmerer" only lists 8 things.
I guess we are genetically unable to "do nothing", even for a few days.
Kimmerer is at the center of the largest Fish Fossil site in the world. There is a National Monument, Fossil Butte, which is dedicated to preserving the fossil bed within the park. There is a wonderful Visitor's Center with friendly knowledgeable staff. Apparently something strange happened here millions of years ago and fossils, incredibly detailed fossils of entire fish and turtles and plants were formed.
Like a fossil of a fish EATING ANOTHER FISH. Nothing I have been taught about how fossils are made account for "snapshot in time" things like this.
One of the things Trip Advisor did recommended was Fossil Butte National Monument. Four of the remaining seven were commercial fossil digs or fossil shops.
Most of the shops were closed for the season and we did not go on a dig. But the Visitor's Center gave us our fill.
This is a computer controlled microscope that the scientists use to remove material surrounding the fossil. They consider this research very important because such complete fossils allow them to closely compare the fossils to fish of today and learn about the evolution of a species.
The thing I noticed first is that the multi hundred thousand dollar microscope has an 89 cent eraser attached to it to keep it from scratching the glass through it works.
We didn't get to see him at work, but we did see a video that explained how he removed the rock and still left such intricate details as fins and gills. He starts with a tiny Dremel like tool and finishes with an incredibly small "sand blaster" that uses dolomite powder as the abrasive.
This is the fish he was working on the day we visited.
Some others he is working on.
An 8' long crocodile.
A sampling of their collection.
A 5' long turtle and some smaller cousins.
Kemmerer has one grocery store about the size of a small Krogers. Locals told us they usually drive 50 miles to Evanston, WY where there is a Walmart for regular stuff. Or they go 132 miles to Salt Lake City, UT for special purchases. Except of course for much of the winter when the roads in that direction are closed. But they wouldn't consider moving anyplace else. There was a huge moose head hanging in the laundromat. The owner said that was her daughter's first moose. It wasn't a REAL big deal, but it was her first one so they had it mounted. She was thirteen when she shot it.
The town's other claim to fame is that J. C. Penney started here with his first store. It is still operating. His first home is an Historic Landmark. We spent the better part of an afternoon touring it and learning about the home and Mr. Penney's career from a transplanted eastern named Robin and her dog, Coco.
Here is a quote from the Wyoming Historical Society.
"The J.C. Penney House in downtown Kemmerer, now a museum, was added in 1976 to the National Register of Historic Places. Although visitors only need about an hour to explore this site, it is well worth their time. It is well kept, and the curator is generous with her time as well as knowledgeable about the region’s history. The museum is located at 722 JC Penny Drive, Kemmerer, WY."
At the beginning of the 20th Century this region was a major source of coal. a dozen or so mines and over 20.000 people in the area. Until JC Penney opened his "Golden Rule' store, the only choice workers had were the company stores. I remember my dad talking about these in the east and how they only paid in company script. Fortunately for Mr. Penney, out here they paid in cash so people could buy stuff from him. But he had to be extremely competitive because the company stores sold on credit (cue,, Sixteen Tons" and he did not. The company stores markup was outrageous. So he set a fixed markup of 25% across the board. Even regular retail marks up 50%. "Success" isn't a good enough word. He opened that first store in 1902. 10 years later he had 34 stores.
"Ask the locals" had been my rule for 50 years. The folks at the Laundromat said the Mexican restaurant was very good and reasonable. They said that it's authentic, owned by a real Mexican family. It's called, "El Jalicience" but apparently the locals gave up on THAT years ago. Every one calls it, "LJ's". All the locals we asked said the same thing. LJ's was their first choice. Then they would almost apologetically mention, "Bootleggers" saying something like, "Good food, I guess but very expensive." we noticed that only the locals said that. Robin and all the other transplants we asked enthusiastically named Bootleggers first and only. Great, I mean REALLY great steaks and good chicken and pasta dishes too. We hadn't eaten out in a week, so we decided to splurge.
Carol ordered the Chicken Parmesan.
I really splurged and ordered the 22oz rib eye.
These are on HUGE plates, folks. Look at the silverware in the picture of Carol's Chicken Parmesan for reference.
Not quite "Ruth's Chris" but very close and at half their price it was a really good meal.
As for size, Carol and I SHARED each of our doggie bags so we ate six meals for the price of two.
I mentioned Pronghorns early. This is what we saw in the backyard of our campground host's house when we pulled in.
Tomorrow we head to Park City, UT. Just one night. But I'll get to visit with Bonnie Kelley. Please click here to learn about her and what she did for me. And why I'm so excited to have Carol and her finally meet.
