Digging into my stores of photos I've never done anything with to bring you today's post! These pictures were taken last June, on one of our very first weekends living in Wyoming. Exploring your town always feels extra magical during your first month or two living there.
The city of Casper lies at the base of Casper Mountain--the only moderately large mountain for probably an hour in any direction. Casper mountain is beautiful, but it's not like there are an endless numbers of trails you can explore. There are maybe 5-6 good ones. The first time we drove up Casper mountain to go hiking, the only trails we could find didn't allow dogs. So we kept driving and driving, up to the top of the mountain, and then over into some fields of cows and what turned out to be "Muddy Mountain." It's a hidden mountain behind Casper that is popular with ATVers. There aren't really any "destination" type hikes, but there are lots of trails. On this day we picked one and walked until we hit a private property fence with a decent view.
Jack was just 3-4 months old at the time. He slept for most of the hike, and then we had to stop for a nursing break on our hike back to the car. Luckily we were the only ones on the trail, and we found a spot with a nice view of a pond.
On the same weekend we did the Muddy Mountain hike, we took Jack to his first rodeo. It was only my second rodeo. We all loved it! Casper hosts the College National Finals rodeo every year, and it all happens just a 5-minute drive from our house.
We didn't last long because it was loud and our baby's bedtime, but Jack was enamored. I think it would be cool to have Jack grow up doing a rodeo sport or two. Not bull riding, but maybe mutton tying or something with horses. I'm excited for rodeo season to start back up again this summer! The cowboy culture is real here in Wyoming. It's pretty cool.
