Amanda Cabot's Blog

 

This month I thought I'd stay close to home, at least for my blog posts, and so I'm featuring Backyard Birds.

This Swainson's Hawk was a frequent visitor one summer, perhaps because there was a lot of food for him in the form of ground squirrels and baby bunnies. But one day instead of taking a bath in the birdbath, he washed his food. What was it? A slice of bread. You can imagine what happened when that went into the water.

 

Since the hero of "The Sagebrush Bride" is the post trader, more commonly called the sutler, I thought you might like to see the exterior of the sutler's store. It's hardly an architectural wonder, but the stone construction made it warmer than a log cabin.

This concludes this month's exploration of Fort Laramie. What's coming in September? I haven't decided, but I hope you'll return for another glimpse into the state I call home.

 

Rank has its privilege.

I'm sure you've heard that, but if you had any doubts, compare this elegant dining room with the rather Spartan mess hall in the cavalry barracks that was the subject of last week's Wednesday in Wyoming post. 

As you undoubtedly guessed, this is how the highest ranking officers lived at Fort Laramie. 

 

Continuing our tour of Fort Laramie in honor of "The Sagebrush Bride," I thought you might enjoy seeing where the enlisted men ate.

This is the mess hall in the cavalry barracks, one of the buildings that has been restored. One of my questions when I saw it was whether the stove was adequate to heat the whole room or whether the men who were seated at the ends of the room were cold during those long, very cold Wyoming winters.

 

Since "The Sagebrush Bride," which is set at Fort Laramie, was just released, this month's Wednesday in Wyoming posts will feature the fort.

This building is not the most famous -- Old Bedlam, the bachelor officers' quarters, holds that distinction -- but it's equally important, because this was the cavalry barracks. 

You'll note that there's  a covered wagon to the left of the barracks, a reminder that Fort Laramie was a key stop on the Oregon Trail. 

What you don't see is a stockade fence or, fo...

 One of the most common questions I'm asked is how a book's cover was developed. The answer varies with the book.

For The Sagebrush Bride, an ebook short set at Fort Laramie, I had two requirements: I wanted it to have the same look as Brides of the Old West, and as was the case with that book, I wanted the photo to be one my husband had taken. 

You remember Brides of the Old West, don't you? In case you haven't looked at it recently, here's the cover.

There were so many things I liked about this c...

 

For sheer scenic beauty, it's hard to beat Lake Marie in the Snowy Range. 

If you were only looking at a map, you might think that the mountains were given that name because they're covered with snow during most of the year. Not so. It's the rocks that led settlers to call them snowy. 

 

Have you heard of Sinks Canyon? It's the spot in western Wyoming where the Popo Agie River goes underground for a while. Even if it didn't sink into the ground, I'd find the bubbling water and the autumnal color of the bushes beautiful.

And then there's the river's name. Do you know how to pronounce Popo Agie? I was surprised to learn that it's po-po-je. 

If you'd like more information about Sinks Canyon here's a link.

 

A series of posts about water in Wyoming wouldn't be complete without one of the Laramie River at Fort Laramie.

Even though the trees weren't there when the pioneers traveled the Oregon Trail, I can imagine what it looked like then and how grateful they were to reach the fort. Not only was there fresh water, but the sutler's store had supplies they'd need for the remainder of the journey west.

 

Like the Flaming Gorge reservoir that I featured in last week's post, the Glendo reservoir was created by a dam. 

Located in the eastern part of the state, easily accessible from I25, Glendo State Park attracts people who want to camp, hike, mountain bike, fish or simply relax in a peaceful setting.

I chose this picture because in addition to showing the reservoir and the dam that created it, it has Laramie Peak in the background. You may recall that Laramie Peak was one of the landmarks on the O...