Curt Gowdy State Park

We have visited Curt Gowdy State Park several times now and have fallen in love with it. For those who have been to Oklahoma, down to the Wichita Wildlife Refuge it is very similar, the rock formations are granite and the arid low shrubbery including cactus are very similar. We took the hike to the hidden falls and on this hike you saw beautiful views of the reservoir to open fields to rocky outcroppings and as you get closer to the creek the growth of all the plants including wild rose that was blooming during our first visit. As you near the falls, the humidity changes and you see ferns growing everywhere! There is nothing quite like the smell of pines and damp earth on a hike!

The kids were real troopers! I didn't expect to make it all the way to the falls, but they did! And the reward of playing in the freezing water was well worth it!

After the hike we went back by the visitor center. These fish are in the cement around the visitor center.

The kids were not too tired to play on the playground!

On our second trip to Curt Gowdy we brought Bryan and we where more prepared! We also took different trails to get us to the hidden falls. 

Smiling Rock

This second visit the cacti where in full bloom!

Our third trip was just the kids and I again. I was going to take them somewhere new... but we ended up at the Falls again. The water had gone down, couldn't even see the falls from the rocks. The kids enjoyed making dams in the stream. It was over cast and made for a nice day!

We can't wait to explore more!

These Boots Where Made for Talking.

These are 8 foot tall boots! Each of these boots tell a story, and there are over 30 all over Cheyenne! There is an audio tour with 18 of them, where you hear from the artist about the boot. The project theme for the boots is "If this boot could talk, what story would it tell?" We've been trying to find them all. Here is our finds so far.

The botanical Gardens boot is a mosaic called Journey of the Soul. The artists inspiration was the Summer sky. This was her first mosaic piece and it is beautiful. The kids LOVE to go to the Botanical Gardens so this is one of their favorites. 

This boot is in Holiday Park and it is called, Outlaws of Wyoming. I bet you can guess what it depicts! 

At the train Depot there are several boots, 6 to be exact!

This one depicts Exeter's Pony Express. This boot is not part of the audio tour but it is one of my favorites. I love the map on the toe.

Milestones: Chamber 100th Anniversary. This depicts the last 100 years of the Chamber of Commerce influence on Cheyenne. 

This boot is called Governors of Wyoming, all of their names and date served are on the boot. The artist is an avid quilter which influenced her design of quilt block which hold the authentic signatures of the Governors. This is a beautiful boot!

The kids liked the fish and animals on this boot it is called Don't Feed the Animals. It depicts wildlife from Wyoming. 

Downtown Cheyenne. Depicts the Western history of the old west to the current west. 

Where the Deer and Antelope Play. The artist was inspired by the song Home Home on the Range. She says in the audio tour she sang it to herself while painting, thinking about the alternate life the deer and antelope must have at night playing games! She also wanted to add the green grass that when blown by the wind looks like waves during the spring. Wyoming has big beautiful moons and bright brilliant stars so she wanted to included those as well. 

The Library has a boot, the Book Boot. The boot is covered in books and characters from books. On the back is a pawn. On the second floor of the library there is a life size chess board!

The state museum has a boot also called Licensed to Boot. This one was put together by the Carey Junior High Art Club. The students painted the upper part and they received donations of license plates which they cut and made the lower part to look like snake skin! 

Religion's a Kick located by St. Mary's Catholic School

Happy Birthday Cheyenne! by the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce

8-Second Steps -  to the Big Time located at ANB Bank. The artist wanted to depict the life long steps it takes to make it to the Big Time Bull Riding. 

Wyoming Women 1st to Vote. In Dec of 1869 Wyoming was the first state to allow Women to vote! This boot depicts just that.

Gamblers Boot, You can imagine the gambler who would be wearing the boot just by looking at it! This one is located by the Old Frontier Museum. 

That is the 15 we have stopped to see so far, but there are so many more we will try to find!