Our 50 State Challenge
Inspired by my brother Michaels book “Born Again America” Don and I decided we wanted to see all 50 of our countries beautiful states, with the challenge being we needed to spend one night in every state.
Wyoming, was my parents first home after getting married and where Dons mother and my oldest brother Jay were born, so it had a special significance to both of us.
I was amazed at the different terrains as we drove through the state, from endless fields to magnificent mountains (and we only made it through part of the state.) I was also surprised by the very windy and chilly weather.
In Cheyenne The Capitol building was closed for renovations but the fence and construction site did not hide the beauty of this historical building. Downtown was small, but had several nice restaurants and a cool brewery (see our favorite places Wyoming below.).
The most impressive part of our visit though was Devils Tower, a huge cement rock that rises out of the ground, there are pathways to walk around the area and a campground right at the base for those who want to stay.
This land mark was featured in Close Encounters, but we did not have and extraterrestrial sitings on this trip. In 1906 it was also the first location to be designated as a National Park by Teddy Roosevelt.
One day in not enough time to explore this magnificent state, so there will defiantly be a repeat visit in our future.
Our Favorite Places in Wyoming
The Historic Plains Hotel
1600 Central Ave Cheyenne WY
Plains Hotel in downtown Cheyenne not fancy, the rooms definitely could use some serious updating. The king size bed was actually two twin beds put next together, so if you rolled into the middle of the bed you found yourself falling down the middle. The AC was a small window unit and there were stains on the carpet and the faucets in the shower were coming out of the wall. There is one small elevator that 2 people with luggage could barely squeeze into.
With those things said this is a historic hotel, the lobby is beautiful and if you want a true downtown Cheyenne experience this is the place to stay, as there are no other hotels in the downtown area.
From our room you got a distant view of the state Capitol, the front desk staff was nice, though not all together helpful nor knowledgeable of the area. There are several fun little restaurants and bars in walking distance of the hotel (check out Sandfords or Accompis).
They had a nice restaurant that served delicious and very filling breakfasts for a pretty good price.
We got a good nights sleep and the price was really good, so I would probably go back for the experience plus my father told me that is where my mom worked when they lived there so it was a sentimental stay.
Accomplice Beer Company
15 West 15th St Cheyenne WY
If you like beer you will love this place. You get a card that you can use to get several small samples or just a couple beers. Your charged by the ounce, so it’s a great way to sample several types of beer. Limited food menu, we had the sliders with chips and kale salad. All delicious. Inside and outside seating, it was a fun place.
Sanfords
115 E 17th St Cheyenne WY
Located in downtown Cheyenne a fun little place with eclectic decor that included Route 66 signs, license plates, sports memorabilia and old record albums on the walls. The large menu offered a variety of foods from burgers to steaks.
Boasting an impressive beer selection with everything from domestic to local crafts. We chose the Snake River Zonker Stout, a delicious dark beer that was the perfect compliment to our lunch.
For an appetizer we tried the fried pickles that were served with ranch dressing and peanut butter, amazingly the peanut butter mixed with the fried pickles was a pretty good combination.
We shared a delicious patty melt for our main course, the burger was cooked to perfection and the sweet potato fries were the perfect side. The kitchen even split it for us on 2 separate plates saving us from the awkwardness of who gets the most fries or larger cut.
The music was classic 60s to 80s not so loud you could not carry on a conversation. There is live music on Friday nights and we were treated to a sound check of Beatles and Yes songs performed by local artist Ken Wooster. Imagine that, live music on a Friday afternoon for lunch.
Thomas our waiter was great and helped us to choose from the extensive menu.
What a great find on our road trip across the Great Plains.
The Capitol Building was under construction when we went to visit. Its a small building with a park in front. Very limited parking outside.
I would have loved to have see Wyoming in the days when my parents lived here. I recently found a letter she had written to her Aunt describing the long drives through endless flat roads and extreme wind, that part has not changed at all. The hotel she worked at still remains and of course the air base that my father was stationed at and my mother in law was born at was still there.
Don and I made our own memories in this very remote, beautiful state and enjoyed our far too short stay.
Pink Hat Gypsy 