Saratoga & Encampment Wyoming - part 5

Photos by: Tim Bindner

Left to our own devices, we headed to two small towns in Wyoming, and the drive and visit was spectacular. We began with a 1 hour drive to Saratoga, Wyoming.

We left our hotel after fueling up on cinnamon rolls we purchased at J’s Prairie Rose Diner. If you are in Laramie, this place has the best food. I could write a blog just in this place alone.

Leaving our hotel, we headed up Highway 130 (Snowy Range Pass) and stopped at Silver Lake. We pulled off the road, took a few pictures and then we saw off in the distance Mark driving his truck with a camper in tow. I waved as they drove by and we continued down to our path toward Saratoga.

We eventually passed Mark and continued along Highway 130, where we saw signs for Brush Creek Ranch. One sign, then another, then another for Bruch Creek Ranch. Curious, Marcie looked up the ranch and discovered this was over 30,000 acres of a working ranch. It contains horses, cows and goats and they have over 100 miles of fence lines to take care of. 100 miles! There is lodging, a restaurant and a SPA all on property. You can read more about it here.

We eventually arrived at the intersection of Highway 130 and Highway 230. Turning right, and drove north for Saratoga. We stopped and ate, got gas at a place called Kum & go, drove around the small town, then headed south toward a smaller town named Encampment. Heading south, we stopped at a small grocery store called Valley Foods IGA. Nothing special other than we saw 20 or 30-year-old lanky young man with long blond hair underneath his white cowboy hat, belt buckle the size of my fist, white button-down shirt, jeans and of course cowboy boots. The check-out girl also had a large belt buckle attached to her belt which held up her jeans. She had her hair back in a ponytail, but no hat.

We paid for our supplies and followed the cowboy out to the parking lot. Might I saw I was surprised to see him climb into an older model Toyota Forerunner. Disappointed (as the lot was full of pickup trucks) we pulled back out on Highway 130 and took the peaceful drive to Encampment.

To get to Encampment, we drove through Riverside, Wyoming. Riverside has a population of 27 people. Our time in Riverside lasted about 60 seconds. As we entered and left Riverside, we then entered Encampment. Our sole purpose was to visit Grand Encampment Museum. After passing the Post Office we turned onto a gravel road that lead through a trailer park. In the middle was the Museum.

You can read more about it on the link above. We took the tour, walked in and out of old buildings, and listened to our 14-year-old tour guide as she explained the history of the buildings. We saw at the beginning of the tour a two-level outhouse, with a separated men’s and women’s side. There was a ladder to the second level and, curiously, we were told why it had two levels. When the outhouse was in use, the first floor was mainly the primary spot for people to do their business. However, when the snow came, and the drifts got so high it blocked the first level, the patrons would use the ladder or walk up the snowdrift to the second level. Another interesting fact is the outhouse is all gravity fed, so a warning was given if you use the first level to make sure no one is above you.

We finished the tour and began the hour trip back to the hotel. As we again passed the multiple Brush Creek Ranch signs, and headed back up into the mountains and over Snowy Ridge Pass. We stopped at West Marie Lake, where we walked around a bit and took more pictures before returning to our adopted home of Centennial.

We made a stop at the Country Junction store for what became a daily ritual of getting homemade ice cream before heading back to the hotel to rest. We ended the day with a delightful meal and some more driving the roads of the area.

Until next time,

Tim (Kilmer)