On the agenda for today was a trip to Casper, Wyoming via the road less traveled, (which is most of them in this state). Our route would take us south out of Gillette on State Route 59, (the same route I used to get to Gillette). But we would turn left onto State Route 387 in Wright, Wyoming heading west toward the town of Midwest. Our journey south on Route 59 from Gillette took us past a large gathering of bison.

We were passing by the Durham Bison Ranch in Wright, Wyoming.

The Durham Bison Ranch is HUGE, as in 3,000 bison on 55,000 acres ! That's almost 86 square miles ! By comparison, my hometown of Altoona, Pennsylvania and its roughly 44,000 residents occupies around 10 square miles. Logan Township where I lived, which surrounds the city of Altoona, is roughly 47 square miles.

The Durham Bison Ranch is one of the largest in the US and offers tours in the summer months. That would be awesome !

This gathering looked like a group of calves.

I learned that there is a difference between "bison" and "buffalo" despite the fact that the two terms are used interchangeably. Buffalo are native to parts of Asia and Africa. Bison are from North America and Europe. This means the song closely associated with the American West, "Home on the Range" is, technically, incorrect.

Across the road from the bison calves was a herd of elk.

The elk were back from the roadway quite a bit. So I put my 35x zoom lens to work.

Herd of elk across from the bison calves.

We continued south on Route 59 and spotted more bison, this time on the opposite side of the road as the calves.

Another difference between bison and buffalo is that bison have a hump at the shoulders.

Bison also have a beard whereas buffalo do not.

Durham Bison Ranch, Wright, Wyoming.

Durham Bison Ranch, Wright, Wyoming.

We continued onward to Wright, Wyoming and turned right onto State Route 387. Our next stop was the town of Midwest, Wyoming. I was pulling into a convenience store for a fuel stop when Heather directed my attention to a nearby "cattle drive."

I pulled over to the edge of the convenience store parking lot, grabbed the camera, and started shooting.

Heather tells me that this is a common practice. Ranchers often need to move cattle from one section of pasture to another. And on some occasions, the most efficient way to do this is to "drive" them through town.

This cattle drive also featured a couple of deer.

The deer appeared to act as crossing guards alerting the traffic to the passing herd of cattle.

The deer made the traffic stop as the cattle crossed the street.

The deer then let the vehicle traffic pass when all was clear.

I've heard the term "cattle drive" in the past. But this is the first time I've ever seen it in action.

Heather also tells me that if we hung around for a while, we would eventually spot riders on horseback within the cattle drive as well.

Cattle drive in Midwest, Wyoming.

From Midwest, Wyoming, we headed south on State Route 259 on our way to Casper. Route 259 passes by the Salt Creek Oil Field, as well as some amazing scenery. As is typical with me, we didn't make it more than a few miles before I stopped for pics.

I pointed the camera and starting zooming and shooting.

These vertical sheer rock faces are known as Rimrock.

Zooming in on the rimrock.

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

Gap in between two rimrock formations.

To the south of the previous formations is a separate rimrock formation that, if I read the topographic map correctly, is called Castle Rock (5,350 feet).

Zooming in on the base of Castle Rock (5,350 feet).

Castle Rock (5,350 feet), Natrona County, Wyoming.

Zooming in on the formations south of Castle Rock.

Zooming in on the formations south of Castle Rock.

Formations south of Castle Rock.

We pulled over further down the road where two historical markers have been erected for the Salt Creek Oil Field.

The first marker describes the history of the Salt Creek Oil Field and its century of oil production.

The second marker describes the scandal surrounding the nearby Teapot Dome Oilfield. This scandal involved everything we've come to expect from modern politics: corruption, briberies, congressional hearings, jail sentences, etc.

The ridge behind the historical markers is known as Little Pine Ridge.

Little Pine Ridge.

Zooming in on Little Pine Ridge.

Zooming in on Little Pine Ridge and nearby rimrocks.

Zooming in on Little Pine Ridge and nearby rimrocks.

I tried to zoom in further, but the camera focused on the nearby grass, which actually made for a good picture, one of my favorites actually.

My second attempt focused on the background.

The view to the west looks out over the Salt Creek Oil Field.

I zoomed in on an unnamed summit off in the distance to the west.