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Published: September 22nd 2009
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Today is Sunday. The weather did change and is now cooler and very overcast. A cool front was predicted to arrive sometime later in the day so the weather was changeable. We met Chuck and Joanne about 10:30am and headed out again for the day. Chuck was driving so Frank was able to sit back and be a passenger and enjoy the sites. We started with Castle Gardens today. The name of the area comes from the outcropping of sandstone which the wind has eroded into shapes resembling the turrets and towers of castle. It is the location of authentic Indian petroglyphs which have been preserved at this unique site. Petroglyphs, carvings in stone, were used by past cultures as ways to record history and share stories. The area holds a treasure of Native American rock art, or petroglyphs. The Castle Gardens petroglyph site has been designated on the National Register of Historic Places. We wandered amongst the rocks, over terrain that had been walked upon by the Native Americans. It was incredibly quiet and peaceful. The temp was 65 degrees and the sun was attempting to shine. There were a few patches of blue in the sky.
From Castle Gardens
we headed to Thermopolis. Thermopolis is home to numerous natural hot springs, in which mineral-laden waters are heated by geothermal processes. It claims the world's largest mineral hot spring as part of Hot Springs State Park. The springs are open to the public for free as part of an 1896 treaty signed with the Shoshone and Arapaho Indian tribes. The Big Springs at the site put out just under 2.7 million gallons of water a day. The colour of the springs is due to the 25 species of algae that thrive in the hot water. It surfaces at about 129 degrees and cools to about 104 at the bathing pools. We wandered through the park to see the springs and then Frank, Chuck and Joanne bathed in the warm waters for a short time and I went off to take some photos. The photography and the bathing were cut short after about 15 minutes due to a thunderstorm that passed through. The nasty weather was catching up with us. There was lots to photograph in the park, the springs themselves of course but also including a the fascinating little "Smokey Row Cemetery", bison, mule deer and a man made travitine
Manmade Travitine Mound
This mound was started just over 100 years ago (a combo of lime and gypsum) mound that is made from the hot springs and has been building for over 100 years.
Our return trip to Riverton included a trip through the incredibly beautiful Wind River Canyon. I keep thinking that I've seen the most beautiful of the canyons out here but each one seems to top what I'd seen before. This one was simply breathtaking. By now the weather had really turned quite nasty and torrential rain and strong wind seemed at times to push us through the canyon. It was quite intermittent and seemed to come in bands so it didn't detract from the beauty of the trip through the canyon.
By the time we neared Riverton the rain had stopped but the wind remained and it was chilly to say the least. We made a stop at the Raspberry Delight Farm where Joanne works, picked up some raspberries and saw where this family run operations takes place. It is well named because if you are a raspberry lover as I am then you would be delighted with the variety of products available. I purchased some Raspberry Chipolte and some jam. Can't wait to try the Chipolte which is evidently one of their best selling products.
From there is was back to Chuck and Joanne's home for smoothies, and some visiting time.
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