Wonderful Wyoming

As I have mentioned before, I was lucky enough to be born and raised in wonderful Wyoming. Living here for half my life is what has allowed me to have such a strong appreciation for nature. I grew up in Cheyenne, so in a city, but having the ability to travel a couple miles out of town and be at the foothills of beautiful mountains and vast grasslands was an irreplaceable experience. 

This past summer I was able to go back to Wyoming for the first time in years. The excitement I felt to experience that kind of nature again was indescribable. As we drove into the mountains, it was almost as if Wyoming knew I had returned, and wanted to give us a special treat, so it gave us some moose! 

Moose sitting at the foot of the mountain

What a privilage this was to see. I used to see moose and buffalo quite a bit growing up, but when you are driving through the foothills, they are somewhat hard to spot. You can always tell there is something exciting going on when you drive around a corner and see a huge line of cars stopped in the middle of the road. I think there is something enjoyable to people about witnessing animals in their natural habitat, especially unique and often unseen animals such as moose. 

As we continued to go through the mountains, we stopped at a scenic overlook where I was able to take these photos: 

The first thing I noticed was how untouched everything appeared. While I know there is the usual human taint on this land from the amount of visitors it receives, it still appeared so free of the human touch. There was no trash, no clutter, no nothing; just nature. The water was so clear it acted as a mirror for the mountains, and the trees were so green it felt as if there was a filter covering all of the plants.  

Looking back on this, it reminds me of the conversation we had in class about whether national parks should be accessible or preserved. This remains such a tricky question for me because I want everything about this land to remain untouched, but I was given the privilage to go see it because of its accessibility. It is a hard and controversial line to draw, and one that I am not sure we will ever truly be able to confidently do. One thing I do know, though, is that I believe everyone deserves the chance, at least just once, to see the beauty Wyoming has to offer. 

View from my family's home in Saratoga, WY

This photo above shows the view from my aunt and uncles backyard in a small mountain town in Wyoming. One of the most fascinating things about living here is that you are entirely submerging yourself in nature. As we were visiting that night, a moose walked right across the neighbors backyard, as if it was theirs (because it is!). Everyone who lives here in this town understands that they are living in the nature, rather than the nature living in their residential area. They respect the nature and the animals, which is why it remains so beautiful. I believe the entire world could learn from this mindset, and if we do, the world will be a more beautiful place.