The two RV Gypsies parked
their RV at Buffalo KOA, 87 Highway 16 East, Buffalo, Wyoming. They
did not take any photos because it was a typical KOA park with dirt
roads - plus a small pool, playground, laundry, propane service, store,
dog walk area, etc. - all of which the two RV Gypsies did not use. However,
TV came in okay because all pull-throughs had cable, and the campground
Wi-Fi was OK at the site of the two RV Gypsies. Check-out time was noon.
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Then the two RV Gypsies drove
their toad to downtown Buffalo and they met Frank and Ruth Reed who
are also full-time RVers. The Reed's have been to many of the same places
in the USA and Canada that the two RV Gypsies have been to. Frank also
has served in the U.S. military. They were also staying at the Buffalo
KOA, so they invited the two RV Gypsies over to see their RV later.
Check out the fabulous outside of their RV. Karen and Lee certainly
hope that they meet Frank and Ruth again on their travels. |
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Below: The Vessels that Frank
Reed served on or worked on while in the military are painted on one
side of their RV. The two RV Gypsies really hope that they will meet
up with Frank Reed and his wife some other time on the road. |
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Downtown Buffalo, Wyoming |
Buffalo is
a city in Johnson County, Wyoming. In recent years, the town has boomed
economically due to methane production from the coal bed methane extraction
method used in the Powder River Basin and surrounding areas. Buffalo,
Wyoming is nestled in the foothills of the beautiful Big Horn
Mountains. The Cloud Peak Scenic Byway is a safe and easy drive between
two of America’s most popular national treasures. |
Crazy Woman Square. The
two RV Gypsies saw a man and dog on a beautiful 3-wheel motorcycle and
he agreed to let Karen photograph him, his bike, and dog. What a great
way to travel! |
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Below: A nice
mural on a building, but it was hard to photograph the entire length. |
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Sculpture titled - "Living
On The Edge" |
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Main Street was
built on what was once a trail that curved down a slight hill, forded
Clear Creek, and then angled up the grade to the other side. The first
freight wagons, with their teams of oxen, horses and buggies made this
trail where the first buildings of Buffalo were erected.
Fact or fiction as the town named after the buffalo that roamed the
area or after the town of Buffalo, New York. The bridge in the heart
of Buffalo, which bisects Main Street, was written up in "Ripley’s
Believe-it-or-Not" as the only bridge in the world where a U-turn
was legal. The law has now been changed.
There are many shops on Main Street, including the Occidental
Hotel which was made famous by Owen Wister in his novel "THE
VIRGINIAN." This hotel is where the "Virginian got his man."
The hotel, the Johnson County Court House, and the Carnegie Wing of
the Museum are all listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
All of downtown Buffalo Wyoming is now listed by the U.S. Department
of the Interior as a part of their National Register of Historic Districts. |
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Below: The Historic Occidental
Hotel
Buffalo's main street has
more than a dozen historic buildings, including the Occidental Hotel
where Owen Wister's Virginian finally "got his man."
It is one of the most famous landmark hotels in Buffalo, Wyoming. Travel
back into the Real Old West! This award-winning restoration
of a famous Old West Wyoming Hotel offers authentic historic accommodations
with all the modern comforts added... an elegant 1908 Historic Saloon...
and Fine Dining in The Virginian Restaurant... a quaint breakfast spot
called the Busy Bee... all at the foot of the beautiful Big Horn Mountains.
For more than 50 years, True West Magazine has been a leading
authority on everything to do with the Old West. And it named The Occidental
Hotel as The Best Hotel In The West for 2007 ... and then did
it again for 2008! |
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Below: A partial
photo of the amazing ceiling in the Occidental Hotel and a very old
horse bicycle. |
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Below; An old telephone on the wall in
The Occidental Hotel |
Lee Duquette in a barber shop chair
- does he need a haircut? |
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Below: Inside the Occidental Hotel, there is an entrance to
The Virginian Restaurant |
Below: A Sign outside |
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Below: The two RV Gypsies
took a ride in their toad to see what they could find outside of downtown
Buffalo and they came to a dirt road that they drove on to see Healy
Reservoir and some pronghorns. |
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Below: One side of the street
had the Reservoir and the other side had mountains, so Lee took a panorama
of each side of the street. |
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Pronghorns by Healy Reservoir |
 The
pronghorn is not an antelope, but it is often known
colloquially in North America as the prong buck, pronghorn
antelope, or simply antelope, as it closely resembles the true
antelopes of the Old World. It is the only surviving member of the family
Antilocapridae. About five species existed when humans entered North
America and all but one species are now extinct.
Adult males are 4 feet 3 inches to 4 feet 10 inches long from nose
to tail, stand 32 to 41 inches high at the shoulder, and weigh 88 to140
pounds. The females are the same height as males but weigh 75 to 10
pounds. The feet have just two hooves, with no dewclaws. Males have
a prominent pair of horns on the top of the head. Females have smaller
horns, ranging from 1to 6 inches and sometimes barely visible; they
are straight and very rarely pronged.
Unlike deer, pronghorns possess a gallbladder. It can run exceptionally
fast, being built for maximum predator evasion through running, and
is generally accepted to be the fastest land mammal in the Western Hemisphere.
It can run 35 mph for 4 miles, 42 mph for 1 mile; and 55 mph for 1/2
mile. It is often cited as the second-fastest land animal, second only
to the cheetah. It can, however, sustain high speeds longer than cheetahs. |
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Below: Leaving Healy Reservoir
and continuing down the road into Clearmont, Wyoming, the two RV Gypsies
saw more pronghorns, deer, and prairie dogs. |
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Continue
viewing the two RV Gypsies' adventures in Wyoming in the order they
occurred - 
If
you have already seen all of the 7 sites in Wyoming, please continue
on in order of travel to