New Horizons

 I don't think we're in Iowa anymore, Toto.

Having visited Wyoming prior to moving here, I felt I knew what to expect.  But this state just keeps surprising me.  To make sure this was where we wanted to move, we took a long weekend trip here last fall, and I joined multiple Facebook groups about life here, and for those who were thinking of making the move.  Hubby was all in from the start, but my little planning brain needed to gather as much information as possible before the move actually happened.  

The first thing I kept seeing on all the message boards, was anyone wanting to move here should visit in winter.  Over and over, there were cautionary tales of brutal winters, and the long, cold months could weed out the best of them.  So, when we arrived here at the beginning of December, I was convinced we'd be snowbound and end up eating the birds and squirrels in the yard just to survive.

While Iowa has been slammed with blizzards and snowfall, we've gotten a few inches of snow here and there.  And it's BEAUTIFUL snow.  Sometimes it comes with wind, but hell, Iowa was windy what seemed like ALL the time, which I suppose is why the entire state seems to be nothing but wind turbines now.  The big difference here?  Altitude and sun.  Yup, altitude, which was one of the things that surprised me.  Elevation in our city is just over 6000 feet.  Higher than Denver.  And though I knew that before we actually moved, living in it is where it's been surprising.  That sun is SO WARM.  Just this morning, after about 3-4 inches of snow yesterday, our temps started the day at about 5 degrees, and though it's now only 30, the sun is so bright and warm, the snow is melting, and a light jacket almost felt like too much.  And whereas Iowa winters can see days and days without sun, (I seem to remember one particularly brutal stretch of several weeks) the sun shines here the majority of the time.  

I'm no newbie to harsh winters, and I know we will get ours here at some point.  But any bad weather just doesn't seem to last very long, and that warm sunshine hug is always right around the corner.  Now granted, the flip side of that is our city seems to go with that warming, melting trend and NOT plow any snow.  I have only seen a plow ONCE since living here, and it was dropping sand.  And if I'm going to be honest, it actually could have just been a sand truck, because I can't say I noticed a blade in front of it.  That makes for some VERY interesting driving, especially if you get a childish thrill out of tearing around in fresh snow, but coming from a state with endless salt stains all over the road (and your car and clothes) I have to say I almost prefer these roads.  As long as I don't need to travel out of town, because now I completely understand the barricades I always saw on the interstate.  Yes, they shut down, and for good reason.  Out there in the open, the roads can be BRUTAL.

Wildlife.  Take a drive in any direction and you'll see wildlife.  This is also open range country, so those ranches raising cattle do not have them penned into a small space to squeeze as much cropland as possible out of their acres.  It's spread out, with happy cows.  How do I know they're happy?  I've eaten them, and it made me smile.  I've been told the pronghorn had suffered a large kill due to disease in recent years, so there's not as many, but I see those happy little butts running every time I leave town.  Just south of us, we have a MASSIVE buffalo ranch, and though it would be much cooler to see them roaming free, I'll take it until we can take a weekend trip up to Yellowstone.  And don't even get me started on the prairie dogs.  Those chirping little rodents are adorable, but when I seem them just a hop away from someone's house, I wonder how fun THAT must be...NOT.  It definitely makes me glad to be living in the middle of the city.   I can't wait for spring so we can venture into the back roads even more, as the surrounding areas have coyote, elk, occasionally a wandering moose, mink, and all kinds of birds and animals native to the west.  AND most importantly, NO PIGS. Or their smell.

Mountains.  I can read a map.  I know, being in the southeast corner of the state meant a large amount of wide open areas.  In fact, I did initially think it was going to be similar to the flat landscape of Eastern Colorado.  And it is, to an extent.  BUT, wander to any elevated part of the city and look west or south, and you'll see hints of mountains, especially on a clear day.  Because you know, mountains are big.  So you can see them from quite a distance.  Of course, it's not huge monoliths blocking out the sun...you have to take a drive to see that.  But the drive is no longer 15+ hours.  45 minutes southwest and we're in Estes Park, Colorado.  Take a day trip north and you're at Devil's Tower.   Take one south and there's Pikes Peak.  Take a weekend trip and we can be anywhere from Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Moab.  Just a wee bit further and you're in Canada, Zion, Glacier NP.   And even closer are state forests and recreational areas all around us.

Rocks.  That's how I knew I had found my home.  I've always been a wee bit obsessed with rocks.  I'd pick up any interesting ones, building a rock garden at my home in Iowa, and collecting them in dishes in the house.  Sometimes, I was worse than a little kid shoving them in my pockets.  But then I moved here, and it's a rock lovers dream.  There are large rock formations everywhere.  Maybe it's that feeling of seeing something that you know has been untouched by humans, but it feels sacred.   It brings a sense of calm and peace, and I'm absolutely in love with my surroundings.  

Sunrises.  Yes, we have great sunsets too, but the sunrises.  Oh lordy, I haven't even taken an early morning drive outside of the city to watch one yet.  But watching the sky light up every morning hasn't gotten old yet.  We have sunrises I'm used to, of just the typical lighting up of the sky.  But then there's the colorful ones.  Where the sky looks like it's on fire, or what I call the cotton candy sunrises.  They're breathtaking, and my hubby loves sending me the ones he sees when he goes to work early in the morning.  I have even made sure to make a perfect early morning coffee spot in one of the rooms of the house, because it has a perfect sunrise viewing window.  I don't think it will ever get old.

This state is stunning.  We haven't even made it to the far corners to see the sights all the tourists flock to.  Just our little corner of it has a beauty I was not expecting.  And though I heard all the endless talk of farmers feeding the country, blah blah blah, there's something to be said for clear air and the beauty of a land where the wide open spaces don't include any commerce.  Did seeing this is the least populated state in the nation factor in to the decision to move here?  Yes.  But little did I know what that actually meant until I arrived.  And there's a recurring theme joked (maybe not joked) about...does Wyoming exist?  Well, let me just say, for the sake of keeping those wide open spaces open, NO, it does not.