For many years, Wyoming was the largest coal producing state, and it may still be despite reductions due to the quantity of natural gas available. Many power generating plants have switched to cleaner burning gas made plentiful by fracking. This trend is expected to continue. Of course, Wyoming has plenty of oil and gas fields under production.
On my way to Thermopolis, I passed a coal strip mine that appeared to be inactive, with large piles of debris left behind. There were also many semi-circular "walls" made of boulders presumably removed from the mine. The purpose of these creations eludes me. I suppose a thousand years from now, people will speculate how they were made by aliens from outer space.
Thermopolis is a neat little town of about 3000 people that exists primarily because of its hot springs, but it also provides support to local ranchers. The name is Greek for "hot city", which is what many locals call it, while others use the abbreviated "Thermop". I had driven through it once about 15 years ago, but didn't stop. This visit will be different.
The primary attraction in Thermopolis is Hot Springs State Park, which contains most of the town's springs. Admission is free, and you can soak in a state-run hot spring without charge, unless you want to rent a bathing suit for $1. No thank you.
When the flow from the inter-connected springs began to decrease, several of them were closed off to concentrate the flow and maintain Big Spring, known as the world's largest. It puts out more than 3 million gallons per day, far less than it once did. It empties directly into the Big Horn River as it flows through the park. A suspension bridge over the river is a popular spot for tourists.
Spirit Hole is an inactive spring, but I don't know if it was one the park closed or if it quit naturally.
The park has huge acreage, part of which is home to a small herd of bison. There are said to be around 25 bison in the herd, but I saw only six or seven.
South of town, Wind River Canyon is another major draw. About fifteen miles long, the canyon is the eastern boundary of the Wind River Indian Reservation, home to the Shoshone and Arapahoe tribes. I had forgotten just how spectacular this canyon is, but the 2500 foot walls reminded me. Some of the rock exposed in the canyon is reportedly more than 2.9 billion years old.
There are several tunnels on the highway, and others used by the railroad.
At the south end of the canyon, a dam forms a reservoir named for a man named Boysen. A state park around the lake offers camping, fishing and boating. The lake is twenty miles long with a 75 mile long shore line. I found several loons swimming near the dam.
At the north end of the canyon, a place the Indians called "Wedding of the waters", the Wind River becomes the Big Horn River. Why the name changes is a mystery to me.
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