Home » 2007 Cross Country Road Trip

Vedauwoo Glens, WY

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 - 9:00am by Lolo
387 miles and 6.5 hours from our last stop - 1 night stay

Travelogue

Lazy Daze in Vedauwoo Glens CampgroundLazy Daze in Vedauwoo Glens CampgroundThis was it. We had officially left our last planned fun stop and were now in pure driving mode. Anything good from this point on would just be gravy on top of a truly wonderful trip.

As we plugged along Route 80, I turned to my trusty to try to find someplace interesting to stay for the night. I came across a description for Vedauwoo Glen in Wyoming that seemed to fit what we were looking for: “a wonderland of huge chucks of pink granite” and only 1 mile off Route 80.

The campground was really quite lovely, set against the pink granite rock formations that the guide book had foretold. Unfortunately, as we pulled in, the clouds were building and the wind was picking up big time. A storm was definitely brewing. Also, we were at an atltitude of 8,000 feet so it was quite cool.

When I look back at this stop, I realize how well we had gotten into the groove of traveling together and how well we had achieved family harmony. Rather than mind the bad weather, I think we all found it rather cozy, and each of us settled in to do our own thing. Herb and the boys were busy loading photographs from their digital cameras onto their laptops and editing them and I was nestled with a good book.

Vedauwoo Glens sunsetVedauwoo Glens sunsetAfter an hour or two, the rain slowed down a bit so Andrew decided to go out for a run. Every once in awhile we would look out the window and see him run by off in the distance. At one point the rain stopped completely, so Tommy and I went out and clambered around on the rock formations just behind our site.

As evening approached I realized that Andrew had been gone for quite awhile and that the rain had started again. I kept looking out the window to see if I could see him, but all I saw was a white pickup truck going back and forth off in the distance where I normally would catch a glimpse of Andrew. Now I’m not usually a paranoid person, but I started worrying that someone—perhaps that white pickup truck—had taken Andrew. Herb and Tommy thought I was being ridiculous.

Obviously, they were going to be of no help, so I put on my jacket and started walking out towards the road in search of Andrew. I came across two women and asked them if they had seen a boy running in the rain. Not wanting to seem like a paranoid lunatic, I told them that I was looking for him to come home for dinner. They told me that they had seen him run by just recently.

Much relieved, I returned to the RV and informed Herb and Tom that Andrew was okay. They barely looked up from their laptops. Apparently, they don’t understand a mother’s hormonal need to protect her young.

A few minutes later, a very wet Andrew returned and said that some ladies told him that his dinner was ready. A bit embarrassingly, I told him how they might possibly know that. To make it worse, I also had to tell him that, in fact, his dinner actually wasn’t ready. I had just made that up. I think he appreciated how much I care about him, even if I did act a little crazy..

Description

Vedauwoo Glen is a popular rock climbing and camping area in the Medicine Bow National Forest of southwestern Wyoming, located just north of I80, about 17 miles east of Laramie and 30 miles west of Cheyenne. It is a secluded oasis of pink granite rock formations with dense pine forests and aspen groves surrounded by miles and miles of treeless plains. At an altitude of 8,000 feet, this is “high country” and very windy. Things to do include rock climbing, bouldering, trail running, and biking. There is a small campground with 50 semi-primitive sites just a stone’s throw away from I80.

Vedauwoo Glens location map in "high definition"

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