We had such a nice time with Jay and Cherie last night that we met up with them again at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum in Lion’s Park. They rode up on their gleaming aluminum tandem bicycle in matching “Airstream blue” jerseys, and we pulled in with the Airstream behind us.

The museum captures the history of Frontier Days, which is a ten-day event that has been held in Cheyenne for over a century. The centerpiece of Frontier Days is a big rodeo, and the museum has an extensive collection of photos and memorabilia from the rodeo over the decades. It also features a very large collection of carriages and western art such as bronzes. Definitely a good stop if you’re in Cheyenne.

Keeping in our new philosophy of getting lost for a few days, we decided to wander just a bit off the beaten Interstate path, over to see Fort Laramie National Historic Site. That was well worth the 30-mile detour, especially with the books I’ve been reading about western history. Fort Laramie was central to many important events that happened in the mid-19th century, including the gold rush in the Black Hills, the Fetterman Massacre, Wounded Knee, and the events that surrounded the violent deaths of George Custer, Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, and many others.

Emma discovered there was a Junior Ranger program, and scurried around with Eleanor among the many restored buildings to collect the answers she needed for her twentieth Junior Ranger badge! That was probably the fastest badge she has ever earned, completed in under two hours.

Meanwhile, I ran into a couple from Washington, Randy and Maureen, whose 1977 Argosy 24 was parked right next to ours. That’s the same model and length of trailer we used to own. They gave me a bunch of tips on traveling in Washington and we agreed to try to meet up in a few weeks when we get there. Instant friends ““ that’s one of the many things I love about owning an Airstream and doing my job.

Tonight we decided to stop at Guernsey State Park ($12 non-resident rate, no hookups), just about 13 miles from Fort Laramie, on a lark. We knew absolutely nothing about the park, but it turned out to be a spectacular one. The entrance road winds for miles along the shores of a lake, dipping down among canyon walls and yielding fantastic views at almost every turn. Little campsites are sprinkled along the shore, but most are not level. After about 3-4 miles of twisting along the road (at 10 MPH, the maximum safe speed for a big trailer like ours), we settled on a very quiet spot in a cove. Nobody else is here.

The water is low right now, so it looks like the Bay of Fundy at low tide. We walked out onto the dry mud bottom and found chunks of jasper lying in the mud, and crawfish shells. The wind is blowing strong and steady up above the canyon, but down here in our little secluded campsite it just makes the trees sway and rustle a little. This is a great place.