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-thrus had cable, and the campground Wi-Fi was OK at the site of the two RV Gypsies. Check-out time was noon. |
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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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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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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Inside the Occidental Hotel, there is an entrance to
The Virginian Restaurant |
Sign outside |
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The two RV Gypsies took a ride 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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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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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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