Today we got to see a very different capitol. The Wyoming Capitol looks like most other Capitol buildings on the outside. But it is very different from what you would expect.
Not many states celebrate their cowboy history like Wyoming does.
The inside of the capitol is very different as well. Instead of gold and marble and ornate carvings, they have hardwoods and painted walls. It most likely saved them lots of money. However, they chose this style for another reason. They wanted the capitol to belong to the people. They even refer to it as the People’s House.
Another surprise within the capitol is the documentation of women’s rights in Wyoming. Who knew that a bunch of cowboys in the 1800’s would make Wyoming the first state to write a constitution that granted women the right to vote? This is the room where the framers of the Wyoming Constitution included the wording from the territorial documents that did just that.
The rotunda is elegant, but not as adorned as most other states.
The four statues below symbolize the virtues of Wyoming: truth, justice, courage and hope. They are displayed just below the rotunda dome.
Here is a larger view of the artwork and detail around the dome.
There are three levels in the capitol. Here is a view of one wing of the three floors.
The Senate Chamber is very understated when compared to most capitols. It is still a very impressive room.
The House Chamber is a little more decorated, in part because of the natural light that brightens up the room.
This is one of four safes that are within the capitol. During the renovation of the capitol, they discovered many original paintings as they removed the many layers of paint. The most surprising paintings they found were the ones on the safe doors.
We enjoyed our guided tour of the Wyoming Capitol. The People’s House serves Wyoming very well.
Here is an interesting view of the capitol that was suggested by our tour guide.
In the afternoon, we headed to Rocky Mountain National Park. As we approached the park, we noticed that the creeks and rivers were filled with snow melt that created a lot of white water.
Around every bend and turn we saw more rushing water.
Sometimes it looked like the water would come right up to the road. Fortunately, the water stayed within its banks.
We had an entry pass for Rocky Mountain National Park. That did not mean we got to skip waiting in line. In anticipation of a line, we bought salads for lunch so we could eat while we were waiting. We did not have to rush our lunch!
Unlike our blizzard blocked attempt to see Rocky Mountain National Park in the 1970s, we had blue skies and perfect weather today.
The mountains dominate the skyline in every direction.
With views like this, you can see why these mountains are called the Rockies.
Our first stop was at Bear Lake. It is a beautiful mountain lake with spectacular views.
We also took a walk around Sprague Lake. The first mountains we saw were not as rocky as Bear Lake. But the lake was clear and gave us great mountain views and reflections.
The hiking path was very nice.
Part way around the lake, we again had rocky mountains to view. You really cannot go far in the park without seeing these huge mountains.
A close up of the same view shows an interesting snow covered mountain.
An even closer view shows a glacier at the top of the mountain.
Sprague Lake also gave us our first glimpse of a moose. Moose are not native to Colorado. Someone imported them from the northeast United States about 50 years ago. They have filled the park and surrounding area in the last 50 years.
We also saw some ducks at Sprague Lake.
On our way to our hotel, we saw some additional fast moving streams around the park
The creeks and rivers are everywhere you look.
You do not need to be in the park to see the mountains here. They are everywhere.
Our first day in the Rocky Mountain National Park was amazing.