We got up around 7:00 a.m. this morning, the last day of our trip. Everything was fresh and cool. The heat wave ended yesterday with a nice rainy session in the afternoon. As a matter of fact, we just made it back to the parking lot from hiking the Little Devil's Tower when it really started to pour. P P P P
I've always enjoyed "being on the road". I like driving vacations as opposed to those where we fly somewhere. I like the scenery. I enjoy being able to stop when we feel like doing so. That's how we ended up in Lost Springs, Wyoming. Population 1.
It was time for some lunch. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, potato chips, chocolate pudding and milk. The sign at Lost Springs advertised a Town Park, so we pulled off the highway, across the railroad tracks and parked next to the picnic shelter.
It was simple and clean. There were only about four buildings in this smallest of towns. They were old but well maintained and painted a crisp white. The grass in the Town Park had been recently mowed and from the large building next to the park came the sound of power tools.
Within a few minutes of our sitting down we met two of the workmen who came outside for a little break. I think mostly they were curious about our little trailer and we introduced them to it. We then talked for awhile about the area. One of them had lived around Lost Springs all of his life. He gave us some historical highlights of interest and told us that the governor of Wyoming was coming to Lost Springs next week with some other officials for something or other (we never found out exactly what). We thought that was pretty cool.
The large building turned out to be the community center and the workmen were refinishing the old wood floor in preparation for the governor's visit. There was a wooden stage with a roll down picture curtain and hangers up along the walls where you could hang up chairs.
Apparently, it had once been a roller skating rink and then a dance hall. One of the guys showed me an area on the floor with many cigarette burns. They were on the spot where guys or gals used to stand during a dance and smoke. The workmen said they were going to leave them there - it showed part of the history of this old structure. 
We found out that the one resident was a lady who owned everything including the bar across the street. Apparently, when it was open, it was pretty nice. They told us that if we had any questions about Lost Springs, she was the person who would know the answers as she had been there for many, many years. Afterwards, as we drove away, we realized that we had just had a special little trip gift. One that you don't find at the national park. It was definitely a slice of American life that most of us do not know.
The rest of our drive back to "civilization" was similar to our driving experience a few days before when starting our vacation- head winds and hills. One traveler we met said that no matter what direction you turn in Wyoming, there is a head wind. I think he was right.
......and that's all for the travelogue.
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