Restaurant Disclaimer

Before I go any further into restaurants, here is the disclaimer.

I am picky. I grew up with two parents who cook "gourmet," although their definitions of that are very different, and one, at least, would be offended by the designation (the trials of having parents!). I prefer to eat fresh food, and organic, if possible. I like to cook, and love to bake, and am sometimes (regularly) good at it.

I eat out ALL the time. Way too often, really.

This might let you know why I tend to be somewhat negative about restaurants.

Dinosaurs

Wyoming is a state for dinosaurs. If you want to see evidence of their existence, come here. National Geographic had a "top ten" list sometime this last year compiled by a dinosaur expert. Wyoming was one his picks for places to find dinosaur artifacts. 50 different kinds of dinosaurs have been discovered in Wyoming, and skeletons from here are in museums all over the world.

If you like dinosaurs, try some of these spots:

The Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis. They have a museum with mounted dinosaur skeletons and you can tour actual dig sites. Besides, Thermop is a great town to spend some time in.

Red Gulch Dinosaur Track Site: when you leave Thermopolis, drive north into the Big Horn Basin through Worland to Greybull and then turn east on US 14 towards Shell. Along the route you'll find a turn for the track site. It is a couple miles south on a dirt road. This is a fabulous spot for kids and adults alike. Out in the high desert, where there used to be a tropical sea, there are actual dinosaur footprints where there used to be a beach. There is nothing in the world like dinosaur tracks! There are interpretive signs, and a picnic area.

Western Wyoming Community College has a large dinosaur exhibit.

The University of Wyoming Geology Museum, in Laramie on the University campus, houses skeletons of dinosaurs and other early mammals, including large aquatic mammals.

On US highway 30 between Rock River and Medicine Bow, there is a site called Como Bluff. It is on the north side of the road. There is a queer little cabin/museum, the Dinosaur Fossile Cabin Museum, which is only open in the summer. It is made entirely of dinosaur bone fragments. It is private property, so be careful, but you can see and read a little.

An interesting piece of related trivia: Wyoming is apparently one of only two states to have both a state dinosaur (the Triceratops) and a state fossil (a small fish called Knightia). See if your state has a state fossil here.

Rock Springs 1

I have mixed feelings about Rock Springs (RS), which is why I have put a "1" in there because I am sure I will be coming back to it.

The thing about RS is that I am never quite comfortable here. The town has had a relatively large transient population ever since its conception. The mining for trona is booming here and so there are a lot of people in town who aren't staying for long. The economy, like much of Wyo, is boom and bust depending on minerals, oil, and demand. Right now, Sweetwater County is booming and RS, the bigger town in the county, is where all these extra people live. There is only one other town of any size and that is Green River, but they don't have the infrastructure RS does.

RS does have a cute downtown, rather historic. It does not bustle--most of the shopping in town takes place down by the freeway. In the library is the Community Fine Arts Center which shows artwork by local artists and artists with some sort of history in RS. They have a great collection of work by high school students, as well.

What RS does not have is food. Food choices are very standard chains mostly, with one exception--Bitter Creek Brewery (604 Broadway). Very good beers, and good food, if a bit expensive. Nice atmosphere. Definitely my favorite place to eat in town.

RS also has a very neat store called Local Color Art & Gift Gallery at 513 Bridger Ave. Located in a historic building, there are three floors of arts made locally. Lots of pottery, some nature photography and a lot more. Worth checking out.

The Holiday Inn has been refurbished and is very nice to stay in. The Comfort Inn, across the street, is going Quality. I don't know if that will change this but! they used to have a huge breakfast offering, and a free happy hour in the evening with beer and wine.

Rawlins...

Rawlins is a growing town. You can learn more about Rawlins, home of the Old Penitentiary, from the Chamber website. Lore I have picked up says that the State Pen used to have an excellent store which sold stuff made by the prisoners, but, alas, said store is no more (not enough space).

Rawlins is at a crossroads--I80 runs right through it, and the turn to go to Casper or Lander/Riverton leaves from here. It isn't a particularly pretty town on the surface, but don't be deceived. There's a lot of energy.

There's a new Comfort Inn and it's shiny and comfortable, with a "deluxe" breakfast. The Lodge at Rawlins has recently become the Quality Inn--this is since August, when we were last here. Rumor has it that they are losing population, but another rumor says they issued a LOT of drivers licenses recently. So who knows. Anyway.

We went to go for dinner, me eagerly anticipating dinner at Anong's Thai, the only Thai restaurant in this part of Wyoming (one of only 4 known to me in the state--two in Jackson, and one which barely deserves mention in Lander). It was closed--but luckily that's temporary, so you'll still be able to try it when you come through. It is located downtown at 210 5th Street. This little restaurant is a breath of fresh air in this town. It is painted a deep red and has elegant, modern furniture. The food is also fabulous.

Since it was closed, we went to the Aspen House (318 5th Street) instead. Food is good, if expensive. They serve a mix of steaks and Chinese/Singaporean inspired food. I had a chicken stir fry which was full of vegetables--shitakes, snow peas, broccoli, carrots (that's just a few), and lots of chicken. The sauce was a bit much though. Brown Chinese, a bit strong and too much of it. My dining partner had a Singapore Blackened Beef, which I did not try, but it was huge chunks of beef in a black sauce--very dramatic and elegant. He said it was good.

We were both disappointed to see that the Blake House, which opened earlier this year, has already closed. That was good, and the people who owned it seemed very community minded. Rumor has it they couldn't find consistent help.

Other than food, Rawlins has a very cool Concerts in the Park series in the summertime. Thursday nights in the park. They serve up a mix of jazz, folk, local and other music, free to anyone wanting to come. Local restaurants and groups offer food for sale as fundraisers. They also do a fundraiser every week for a local non-profit.

You should also stop by the Depot, downtown. It has been restored nicely.

First Post

Less than a week and I already have two blogs! This is silly. However. This blog is going to be intermittent only, and has a specific purpose. I travel, you see, for my job. Somewhere I would like to see someone write something positive about traveling in Wyoming, and a place to record all the wonderful things to see here. So I am creating it. I did a search recently and found that most people comment on how empty it is. Here's an example. Although he isn't really wrong. Wyoming has a lot of empty space, which is one of its charms in my book. This blog has pictures of some parts of Wyoming--you have to search it for the Wyoming pictures, because they are old.

Remind me to talk about dinosaurs sometime soon. Wyoming has amazing dinosaur history and resources.

So check back periodically and learn more about Wyoming!