diving in Saratoga

The weather driving through Wyoming was spectacular. The afternoon storms brought heavy, dark clouds, lightning, thunder, pelting rain, and rainbows that started on one side of the sky and ended far across the landscape.  It made for beautiful photos, but a long day in Butter since we kept stopping to watch the electric sky. 

We ended the drive at another hot springs in Saratoga, WY.  Now this is luxury – waking up to a pancake breakfast before a nice swim in the hot springs, driving through every color the land has to offer, and winding up in hot springs again. There are two pools of water, both quite large, and one is quite hot. They are owned by the city, gifted to Saratoga by the state with the requirement that they remain completely free and open to anyone.  The pools are even open 24 hours, never closing, not a single day of the year.

But, wait, there’s more.  First, we had the privilege of soaking with the town mayor, who was in the smaller pool when we arrived.  Having grown up in Saratoga, and having lived in WY all of his life, he was a wealth of knowledge. He suggested some camping spots in the national forest, told us the history of agriculture in WY, described the corporatization of food and farms in the state (hardly any small farms exist at this point, which is probably why I couldn’t find any local beef even though they’re a major beef-producing state), and discussed his views on fires, logging, and other social issues pertinent to their small town.

Second, on our late-night drive to Medicine Bow National Forest, we passed a closed grocery market and decided to take a quick peek in their dumpsters. We pulled out heaps of fresh produce, including three pounds of carrots, a pound of cabbage, a basket of tomatoes, several plums, a head of broccoli, a red pepper, and an onion.  We left so much more behind, including at least 10 pounds of potatoes (we have so many from our last dive) and at least another 6 or 7 pounds of cabbage.  I think I’ll write to the mayor about food waste in his town.  I’m sure there are hungry people in Saratoga.