Buffalo, Wyoming (6/28-7/5)

Local folklore says that in 1880, people in a new town on the banks of Clear Creek were struggling to figure out what to call it. One night, in the bar of the Occidental Hotel, a group of frontier citizens decided that all present should write a proposed name on a piece of paper. ... As luck would have it, Will Hart, from Buffalo, NY put the name of his hometown in the hat and his slip was drawn.  And that's what gave a name to Buffalo, Wyoming, population 4,700. Truth or fiction...we'll never know. 

The stop in Buffalo, WY was not a planned "tourist" stop, but a waypoint to relax a bit on our drive further West.  Back when I was planning, I remember it being difficult to find a week stretch at a nice campground that encompassed the Fourth of July holiday weekend.  Turns out we rolled right in to a little slice of Americana for Independence Day.

We were very pleased with our semi-private campsite for the week.  Mike had an afternoon shady spot for his hammock and a lovely grassy area for us to enjoy. The only issue we noticed right away was the Cottonwood/Aspen cottonballs that floated like snow through the air.  Quickly everything we owned was covered in white fluff. Love the great outdoors.

A roadside sign near the campground indicated "Wildlife Loop".  We took the paved road, which turned into a dirt road that meandered around Lake De Smet.  There were expansive views of grasslands a few mule deer sightings but that was about it.  

Mule deer hiding in plain sight in the grasslands

We also saw an advertisement for ATV/UTV rental store just outside of town.  I had read several reviews of their tours of Crazy Woman Canyon and the Big Horn Mountains.  We drove out to their store to check it out.  Unfortunately they were not doing tours at this time, but would rent a UTV and trailer for you to use in the mountain trails.  Raylene at Ultimate Outdoors was super helpful and we scheduled a rental for later in the week.  

I had read that Mountain Meadow Wool gave self-guided tours of their spinning mill.  The mill showed a very informative video of the sheep ranching and shearing operation that occurs in the grasslands of Wyoming.  You then were able to view the various processes they use to turn the sheep wool into yarns and final products. A very enjoyable hour stop.  Located next door to the wool mill was the local livestock auction house...more on that later.

Production floor

Raw wool to be dyed.

Brightly dyed wool on spools

We hit pay dirt that afternoon as we stopped in the Buffalo Visitors Center.  The woman at the counter was absolutely the most helpful person we encountered and her suggestions and information filled up our days in Buffalo with interesting and enjoyable activities. 

We took the Jeep on the drive through Crazy Woman Canyon and opted to use the UTV for the drive up to Sheep Mountain in the Big Horns on Thursday.  The canyon drive was full of natural beauty from beginning to the end.  The drive follows Crazy Woman Creek throughout rocks and forested areas.  We had a sunny afternoon and it was hot so we were happy to have the air conditioning in the Jeep on this ride. 

Headed toward the canyon

No turning back now

We drove to Sheridan, the big city, to take care of some errands and made it back in time for the local livestock auction in the afternoon.  The sites, sounds and smells brought back some memories from my childhood attending similar auctions with my dad.  We stayed for a few presentations of cattle.  I think this was Mike's first livestock auction, probably his last. 

The local fairgrounds was hosting its midweek Longmire Rodeo.  Longmire is a Netflix show that is loosely based on Buffalo, WY and its author Craig Johnson is from the area and quite a local celebrity and philanthropist.  I suspect this is a big claim to fame for such a small town. The rodeo was a 12 event affair that was mostly local cowboys and cowgirls with a range of ages.  It was a lovely evening and an entertaining local event.

Bronc and bull riding gates

Our full day exploring the Big Horn mountains on a UTV was awesome.  We trailered the rig to the Elgin Park trailhead and took several hours to reach Sheep Mountain at ~11,000 ft.  We took a different route of trails back and it was very rocky and slow going at times.  We made it back in one piece, but my kidneys may never be the same. 

Narrow bridge crossing

Our lunch stop near Merle Creek

At the top of Sheep Mountain lookout

There was a fun little Amish store called Yoder's outside of town.  That stop provided us with a homemade blackberry pie that helped us get through the very hot holiday weekend.  There was also a lovely bike/hike trail that led to downtown Buffalo right near our campground.  We enjoyed the creek and scenery along the way. 

Due to high fire danger, fireworks were banned in the county we were in.  We watched some of the celebrations on television instead.  Not the same, but seeing these wide expanses of grasslands and forests, you totally understand the fire restrictions. 

We very much enjoyed our rustic Buffalo, Wyoming stop.  We saw many campers come and go in our park for only 1 or 2 nights on their way to or from Yellowstone or the Black Hills.  We found plenty to do for our several days there, I think some folks are missing out.