Pinedale, WY (5/20 thru 25/2021)

Some years ago, I met a man from Pinedale who raved about what a wonderful place it is. Tucked into a broad valley between the Wind River Range and the Wyoming Range, this town of about 2000 people, he told me, had so much to do for anyone who loves the outdoors. I've been wanting to visit ever since, so now I have finally made it. Unfortunately, I came in a year where Winter overstayed its welcome. During my time here, I've experienced high wind, rain, snow and cold, then more of the same. On a brighter note, most of the rough weather occurred during the time of the PGA Championship, so I felt no remorse about staying indoors and watching one of my favorites, Phil Mickelson, become the oldest major champion in history. The day I arrived in Pinedale, I drove to Fremont Lake just outside of town. I was hoping for a nice sunset, of course, but that didn't happen. In fact, it didn't happen during the entire week I was there. This was the best I could do.

As soon as the golf tournament was over, I went to one of the many wildlife reserves in the area. I was hoping to see a moose, but no such luck. My visit ended rather quickly as more weather was moving in.

Imagine my surprise as I drove back into town and spotted a moose lying in the edge of a town park.

The next day, I drove to another refuge, which also happened to contain several lakes. Not a big deal, since there are 1300 lakes within the valley. It was good to see a herd of wild mustangs grazing in the refuge, plus a bald eagle perched on a large boulder. Later I came across a pond full of ducks, mostly lesser scaups.

Returning to town, I came across another moose grazing in a small park located in a residential neighborhood. Interesting how he gets on his knees in order to reach the grass. The best looking moose was the statue outside the Chinese restaurant. I never ate there, so I don't know if there's any significance. Pine Creek runs right through town and is the centerpiece of yet another park. This is where I saw the third moose and a young buck mule deer.

One park has statues of pronghorns, but they can't compare to the real thing.

Boulder Lake is another mountain lake that I visited. I'm sure you've noticed the stormy skies in most of the photos.