Wild, Wooly, and Windy

The name of the game was MILEAGE today. We traveled about 600 miles through Wyoming and Colorado. It was a long drive, but we never got bored. We drove through semi-arid grasslands, rocky desert plains, and grassy rangeland.
Here's some pasture with lots of sagebrush, a mesa in the background:

 I'll have you know that these extraordinary pictures were taken from the passenger seat while mom drove 70 mph down the highway.
A butte in the distance:

Mom likes to call this technique of photographing "drive by shooting." (I'm told this technique was perfected by David Buchanan. But can he do it at 70 mph?!)

 We were very excited to see more windmills in Wyoming. I still think they are incredible. We also saw quite a few oil wells. Ironic juxtaposition. We couldn't remember what the well pumps were called.

(from Google)

According to Google: pump jack, jack pump, thirsty bird and my personal favorite: nodding donkey.
A wind farm:

 After a long morning drive, we stopped in Laramie, WY for lunch. We drove downtown and parked the car in front of a cute wool shop. We decided to check it out. Jenny does a lot of the dying and weaving herself. She had lots of beautiful yarn, even some from Laramie sheep and llamas. I was inspired. I am going to start knitting again. And I can't go back on my word because we spent a lot of money on wool. Mom picked out some kashmir and Laramie alpaca. I got some hand-dyed, hand-spun "slub" yarn and Laramie llama. We're staying warm this winter. And classy.
Jenny the weaver also recommended a good lunch spot: the Coal Creek cafe. The sign on the door said: "Home to malcontents, revolutionaries, and do-gooders of all types..." We got soups and sandwiches and iced tea. It was really delicious.
Then we hit the road again. We passed more rangeland and some four-legged creatures.
Pronghorns:

 Horses:

And then we entered Colorado. We could see the Rockies to the west. We drove through lots of flat farmland. We saw corn fields, pumpkin patchs, windmills...Mom realized that she has an affinity for cloud formations. Or maybe she's just easily amused?
And now we're in Limon, Colorado. We were pretty warn out from the drive and just wanted to get an easy dinner to eat in the room. We got Fritos and sour cream. A wholesome choice: dairy and grain. We're supporting the local corn economy.
You know, a trip like this is a rare gem. It's not often that you can spend this kind of quality time with your mom. In fact, I've learned a lot about my mom tonight. As we sat on the floor eating our grand meal, mom said, "At least this is better than Oreos" and started laughing. I asked what was so funny. She then confessed that when my sister and I were small children, she brought us home after a long day at work and was so tired, that she gave us Oreos for dinner. She said she still feels guilty for that. I just want to say that after hearing that story, I love her even more.
Tomorrow, we will be driving through Kansas. I expect to see lots of corn fields, but I will not be supporting the local economy. I am through with Fritos.

Peace!