Out West Trip: Day 33 (Thermopolis, WY to Devil’s Tower, WY)

Today’s highlights:
Swimming in the World’s Largest Swimming Pool. Eating at the Utter Cafe in Buffalo, WY. Watching “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” in the shadow of Devil’s Tower.

buffalo pool - 23 jun 2011

I woke early to attend my conference call, but could not connect, so I went back to sleep for a while. Camille got up early and took a shower, then we worked on packing up. After coffee and hot chocolate, we headed out of Thermopolis. The road was steep and full of switchbacks as we headed up over the pass. The creeks and rivers were swollen with water. In Buffalo, WY, we stopped at the World’s Largest Municipal, Concrete, Outdoor Pool. The girls shared the pool with about a dozen other people. After a short swim and a number of jumps off the diving board, they got dressed and we headed into the downtown to have lunch at the Utter Cafe.

utter cafe - 23 jun 2011

After lunch, we got on the highway east towards Devil’s Tower. The girls did not want to take the short walk around the big rock, but did want to wander amongst the prairie dogs in Prairie Dog Town. Our KOA was right at the gate to the National Monument and had a great view of the tower. We swam for a while, then the girls had ice cream. We did laundry while watching “Close Encounters” there in the shadow of the tower. Unfortunately, the weather turned bad while we were watching the movie on the deck, so we didn’t get to see the end.

devil's tower - 23 jun 2011

Trip Stats:
Roadside Attractions: World’s Largest Pool. (Total: 26)
States: Wyoming. (Total: 14 – GA, AL, MS, LA, TX, NM, AZ, UT, CO, CA, NV, WY, ID, MT)
State Plates Spotted: None. (Total: 51 – includes DC)
Miles: 271 (Total: 7644)
Gallons of gas bought: 26. (Total: 452.1)
Poptops Spotted: 2 (Total: 50)
National Park Stamps: Devil’s Tower (Total: 15)
Miles walked: 1 (Total: 73)
Dollars saved with NP pass: 10 (Total: 205)
Continental Divide Crossings: None.Total: 8)
Time Zone Changes: None. (Total: 9 – EDT, CDT, MST, MDT, CDT, MDT, MST, PDT, MST, PDT, MST, MDT)
Security checkpoints: None. (Total: Border. Petrified Forest. Agriculture. Dam Security. WY Hwy Patrol.)