After a brief stop in Boulder, we headed west. On a recommendation from friend and colleague Tobi Anderson, who grew up in Wyoming, we booked a few nights in Little America, WY (population 68). I had said I wanted “Americana and kitsch”, so that was the target! It’s also near an amazing natural area just over the border in Utah called “Flaming Gorge”. Our appointments for travel vaccines in Boulder were in the afternoon, so getting on the road around 3 pm I knew we couldn’t make it the full 375 miles to Little America. So we added an impromptu stop in Laramie, WY.
Thai lesson
What a great decision! We got into our hotel in time for a late dinner and on the recommendation of the lovely folks at the Fairfield Inn in Laramie (the only Marriott in town) we had dinner at a lovely Thai restaurant named Anong’s. Our family is Thai food mad and Liam declared it the best Thai he’s ever had! Our waitress raised an eyebrow when Liam and I ordered a level 3 spicy curry each. I explained that we were in training for real Thai food on our trip and that we were spending about 3 weeks in Thailand. She was newly arrived in Wyoming and from Chiang Mai, so was excited to hear about the details of our trip, especially the 3 day trek into the hills near Chiang Mai to stay with the Karen hill tribes there. She taught us three Thai phrases by writing them out phonetically: “Kob kun ka” (Thank you); “Sa-wad-dee” (Hello) and “La-khon” (Good-bye). Who would have thought our first Thai lesson would be in Laramie, WY?!
Big Dipper
We then grabbed some great ice cream at The Big Dipper, which also fulfilled my need for Americana. They had the most unique antique cooler (pictured right) and had the feel of a 50’s soda shop, while still seeming really hip. The flavors were really fun too. Declan had cotton candy (blue with sprinkles) and Liam had tangerine with Skittles. There was also 80s music playing, which I’m sure didn’t influence my opinion of coolness at all.
AR Sandbox – UW Geological Museum
The next morning we managed to squeeze in a really worthwhile (and free) visit to the University of Wyoming’s Geological Museum. This place is a real gem, they have some amazing fossils including an Apatosaurus, Allosaurus and T-Rex and Triceratops skulls. The biggest highlight for us though was the Augmented Reality Sandbox. They even rent them out to local teachers and provide instructions on how to build one yourself. We spent at least 45 minutes playing in the sand, making new lakes and mountains and making it rain by holding our hands out to shadow the geography.
Coming from Evanston, home of Northwestern University, I found that Laramie had that special vibe that all college towns possess. I highly recommend stopping here if you ever get the chance!