Thermopolis, WY, July 8, 2014

Under the mineral dome is a stone tepee built in 1909 to vent steam from the mineral water that was piped throughout the park. As water flowed over the structure, it deposited minerals that hardened as the water cooled, creating travertine similar to the terraces around the springs of the park.

Thermopolis, WY is the largest town in Hot Springs County, with a population of 3009. That will give you an idea of the area in which it's located. Thermopolis has the world's largest mineral hot springs at Hot Springs State Park. The springs are open to the public for free as part on an 1896 treaty signed with the Shoshone and Arapahoe Indian tribes.

Our first foray of the day was to this state park. We took the boardwalk trail by the springs across a swing bridge by the Big Horn River. It was a gorgeous day, with bright blue skies, and light breezes.

After touring the springs (roughly reminiscent of Mammoth Hot Springs at Yellowstone), we decided to take a drive to Wind River Canyon south of town. The river is called the Wind River on the Shoshone reservation, and at the boundary of the reservation, it becomes the Big  Horn river, at a

Wind River Canyon

place called the Wedding of the Waters. It is surprising, and Ray had noticed that, as you travel south, you have the impression that you are traveling down hill, but the river is flowing against you, which makes it appear to flow uphill. This is a beautiful area.

After lunch, we drove to Legend Rock, an important petroglyph site that features hundreds of individual petroglyphs spread across the rock. Many of these petroglyphs are 6000-11000 years old. This area seems very remote, but it is actually only about 20 miles from Thermopolis. The remarkable thing is that these petroglyphs were not far from the path from which they can be viewed. We really enjoyed this visit.

On the way back to town, we had seen signs for a town called Hamilton Dome. We wondered what it looked like, and what the people who lived there could possibly do in such a remote area. So we took the side road an followed it to what is now an abandoned town,  hosting an oil field.

By then, it was time for dinner. We went to a restaurant in Thermopolis that had been recommended to us. The food (when it finally came) was fine, but our waitress forgot to put our order in, and we waited forever for our order to arrive. When it finally came, they brought me the wrong meal. Ray was half done his meal by the time the right meal arrived. The owner comped our meals, including ginormous pieces of german chocolate and carrot cake.

Final note:WiFi at our motel is abysmal.