Wyoming Winter Wind

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Today, I will let pictures do most of the writing, while I ramble a bit.  Try to read between their lines to find a constant wind with gusts that raise clouds of fallen snow, and high above us lowlanders, the Wind River Mountains standing silent, watching over valley creatures as they try to stay warm. 

 

As I approached Pinedale, Wyoming, last Tuesday, the appearance of a country I was to inhabit rose in the distance from last August, but not the snow, not the heater full-on in the jeep. 

 "I feel affinity towards anything wintry." – Bon Callahan  

 

What words ran through the ancient native’s mind when he stared at this mountain?  His view is still my view, my feet where his stood. 

 

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it serves my nose
keeps it from freezing
face mask
 
winter wind
breath of the mountains

 

When I walked into the store where you go to check into the motel, I recognized Tasha, one of the owners.  She took time to talk with me and seemed calm compared to how she was in summer.  My comfort seemed a matter of real solicitude for her.

  

I guess there are half as many people now, and even the cleaning lady, who was hard to deal with in summer, took time to ask how I was doing. 

When I went back to Tasha with a burned-out light bulb, she fetched me a new one with a smile and an apology.  Not always so in summer.  I think you get the idea.  Tourists come in summer and sometimes they are not considerate.  It rubs off on the locals.  Winter changes all that.  There is a nearby ski area, but it’s not doing much business.

 

I am now ensconced in a comfortable room.  Some old snow all around, but much milder than normal, they say.  By placing around me my books and other possessions, I have formed for myself a home. 

 

From my window looking out on the snowy flatland, and beyond it to some fine bold hills.  Beyond them, I see the Wind River Mountains, which I came here in August to admire and become involved with.  I cannot see them to full advantage from here.  I tried once to enter them, but got my jeep stuck in deep snow.   

  

“I remember the designs of ice on the windows, back in my midwest era, and ice lining leftover leaves on trees, which make a high-pitched chime when the wind picks up.  Record that, too, please.” —Liz  Goetz

 “I can tell by your email that you are already happier and more excited about life.  It's amazing how the tone of the email resonates differently.  This makes me happy.” —a friend 

 

"How beautiful the world was
when one looked at it without searching,
just looked, simply and innocently."
       -Herman Hesse

 I think we can still do that: look on the world without excess complication, simply and innocently, not trying to understand too much.  

 

More mellow, serene, quiet, is how I describe it here, compared to Southern California.

 I pity the fears that prevent some of us from sharing such delightful sensations.

  

Please see maps prepared by Michael Angerman showing the places the places I stayed.

Map for the summer trip of 2020:  Michael's Map 

Map for the winter trip of 2021:   Google Map for Winter 2021