Vedauwoo - Is it on your list of places to go?

(Post #3 in the Why I Love Laramie series)

One of the nearest places to go for some foresty pine-smelling air is Vedauwoo. Spelling it is way harder than saying it - "vee duh voo". The word comes from an angelicized version of an Arapaho Indian word that means earthborn. You can see how all the giant boulders look like they were, indeed, thrown up from, or born from the earth. It is only about 18 miles east of Laramie just north of and accessible from Interstate I-80.

A word of warning to the fair hearted though - it is not for small children if you hope to relax by the campfire while the kids roam and play. There are rocks and boulders everywhere so plan on spending most of your time following the kids around preventing them from falling off the rocks they WILL climb on. I'd like to say - "Don't worry, it gets easier when they get older,"- but it doesn't. They just climb higher.

Vedauwoo is very popular for technical climbers who come from all over with their ropes, caribeeners, helmets and other gadgety stuff to climb up the vertical granite faces most of us just like to look at. However, don't despair, there are plenty of of other things to divert the children's attention - wildflowers, beaverponds, mosquitos (I didn't say they were all good), pinecones, chipmunk sitings, hiking trails and, of course, the marshmallows you will bring for roasting!