853. Laramie, Albany County (WY06)

Once again, good show, Albany County! You know I’m a bit of a sucker for something rough-hewn like this! The funny thing was that I initially thought it was a WPA courthouse, but something didn’t seem quite right. Then I saw the cornerstone and realized it was too old for the WPA, so I failed that exam. Turns out that it’s art deco, which the rough-hewn nature disguised. But that wasn’t actually the thing that caught my eye …

Wait. What? I have literally never seen this at a courthouse before! Redeveloping the property? Are you serious? I have been to some of the country’s biggest and most important cities, and no matter how they have grown or changed, certain things remain, and courthouses are one of them! Sure, I’ve seen a few that have been retired so newer, more functional courthouses can be built. No doubt some have been relocated after being destroyed by natural disasters or accidents. But who sells their courthouse—one of the most historic central buildings in any city—and its grounds for property redevelopment? I’ve even called the City of Laramie Planning Office to learn something about it, but I’ve only gotten transferred to voicemails. Is property that big of an issue in Laramie? Is the city that hoppin’ that they need something new on this spot? It boggles my mind that anyone would even consider it, and I would write them a sternly worded letter or even show up to a meeting to speak out against it if (a) I didn’t live nine hundred miles away and (b) I thought they’d give a rat’s behind about anything I have to say. Let’s face it: I am a tourist. But that doesn’t mean I’m wrong.

So, I started looking at a list of caches for the county and noticed that the second-most favorited cache was a large trackable hotel in the middle of the city, about half a mile from the courthouse. Large, huh? In the middle of town? Really? Yes, really! I’ve seen a lot of caches that call themselves large but are really a big small or possibly a small regular. This one delivered. Obviously, it involves a fake rock, but not the type we’re normally used to dealing with. I’d considered getting one of these before, but I don’t have an especially good place to hide it. I’m sure if I rack my brain, I can think of something sufficiently urban, though.

With one of my three final goals completed, I looked at the other two. Getting an EarthCache looked to be a no-go. The closest EarthCache was far enough out of my way that I opted against it. But a cache with Wyoming in the name? I happened to stumble across one! I was close to the campus of the University of Wyoming and found an LPC dedicated to White Hall, the tallest building in Wyoming. It’s only twelve stories tall (I’ve worked on higher floors than that), but that’s not surprising to me, knowing that the entire state of Wyoming only has two escalators. Building up is not so much a thing here. I also noticed two other caches that would have allowed me to add Pennsylvania and Georgia to my name list, but they were also too far out of the way for my needs. Two out of three would have to suffice. Or would it? I began my trip back to Denver, adding a minor detour into Laramie County. On the way to Cheyenne, I stopped at a truck pullout with an EarthCache. I took some time to read about a special sediment formation that lent to the existence of the plains of the area, making it easier to lay roads and rail in the region instead of having to traverse mountainous crap all the time. With that, the trifecta was complete.

With that done, my last drive of the trip began. I passed through Cheyenne and Fort Collins. I made a minor detour into Boulder on what I thought was a mission to return a trackable home, only to find that it had only just left the nest. I eventually arrived in Denver with plenty of time to get my flight home. I had a little time to kill, so I finished the Adventure Labs in the airport, but I didn’t do the Virtual there because I fell asleep at my gate while waiting for the flight, and when I awoke, I didn’t have time to go do it before boarding. I guess I’ll just have to go back for it sometime. I flew home and soon relished the comfort of my own bed.

My aunt and her husband did a lot of traveling. I saw photos of them in Portland, San Diego, and Las Vegas that I had never seen before. She also loved to drive. That’s why she did ninety percent of it on their trips. I don’t know if she knew about my Great Project, but I think she would have approved. I know that some of my family didn’t like that I used her funeral as a reason to take a road trip. I think she would have approved of that, too. Had she heard them, she would have stared over her glasses at them disapprovingly, as teachers like her are apt to do. She would stare them down until they were silent and then turn to me, a nod toward the door signaling her assent for me to go. I never went on a road trip with her. She certainly wouldn’t have traveled the way I do, but I think we both would have enjoyed it. And that’s all I have to say about that.