More information on the North Platte River.

More information about the North Platte River.

I was able to zoom in on mountain peaks off in the distance to the west.

If I read the topographic maps correctly, I think this is Laramie Peak (10,275 feet).

Laramie Peak is the most prominent peak in the Laramie Mountains.

Zooming in on Laramie Peak.

Laramie Peak is about 38 miles west of where I am standing at this moment.

Zooming in on Laramie Peak (10,275 feet).

I continued onward and stopped at the Dwyer Junction Rest Area at the Route 26 intersection with I-25.

The snow cover was significantly more at this point.

Marker at the Dwyer Junction Rest Area that describes Wyoming's agriculture.

With the Dwyer Junction Rest Area being closer to the Laramie Mountains, I had a great view of Laramie Peak.

Laramie Peak (10,275 feet).

Zooming in on Laramie Peak.

I left the Dywer Junction Rest Area heading north on I-25 toward Douglas, Wyoming. This 48-mile stay on I-25 was not only my only interstate segment for this day, it was also the first time I had been on an interstate since yesterday afternoon. Once in Douglas, I made my way to State Route 59 for the final 115-mile leg of the trip to Gillette.

Here is where the true meaning of "wide open spaces" became clear. Wyoming is not only physically quite large, (the 10th largest US State by area), it is also the least populated state in the country, (around 575,000 people). Population centers are spread out and aren't really "populated" like I'm used to. This makes for A LOT of wonderful nothingness !

I took the photos above and below on Route 59 near the town of Bill, Wyoming, (yes, "Bill" is the name of the town !). The town of Bill got its name after a doctor settled here during the WWI era, and his wife noticed that there were a number of people in town with the name "Bill." Makes sense, I guess. A century later, the only census figures I can find all list the town's official population at 11. It's uncertain how many of those residents are named "Bill."

Wide open spaces were everywhere ! I especially liked the combination of blue sky and the sun shining on the fields combined with dark shadows.

Wyoming Route 59 near Bill, Wyoming.

Great scenery along Wyoming Route 59 near Bill, Wyoming.

Wide open spaces near Bill, Wyoming.

About 30 minutes later, I passed through the town of Wright, Wyoming. Wright is more of a traditional small town that has hotels, gas stations, restaurants, and 1,900 residents. With the moon rising in the east and the sun setting in the west, I pulled over just north of Wright to snap a few pics of the beautiful scenery. The rising moon was clearly visible to the east.

It looks like this is someone's access to their ranch.

Looking east from Route 59 north of Wright, Wyoming.

The nearly full moon was clearly visible in the sky.

I put my 35x optical zoom lens to work and zoomed in on the moon.

Zooming in on the moon.

Adding digital zoom makes the picture slightly unstable, but you get the idea.

Zooming in on the moon.

This is the picture I was looking for !

Great colors off to the east !

I don't know the names of the hills I was looking at. But they looked great at this time of day.

Great colors off to the east !

Turning to the west, I saw some equally beautiful color from the sunset.

Zooming in on the oil well off in the distance made for a great shot !

The city of Gillette, Wyoming would arrive not too long after this picture was taken. The Z4 had made it to Gillette without incident. Today's journey added 435 more miles to the odometer bringing the running total to 1,739 miles in three days time.