November 22: Casper, Wyoming . . .
Read MoreWe continued on our journey toward Casper, Wyoming. Following Route 259 south eventually brought us to Interstate 25, which took us into Casper. Heather wanted me to see the Casper Airport. Coming from the sprawling congested mess that is Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, Casper is much more inviting and calm. Visitors to the Casper airport are greeted by a large bison statue and a poem.
Casper's airport started life as a military air base in 1942 training heavy bomber crews. After the war, the base was converted for civilian operation and turned into the Natrona County Municipal Airport replacing the older Wardell Field airport a few miles to the east.
The runways of Wardell Field still exist. Local rancher and landowner Ronnie Nunn purchased the Wardell Field property in 1954 and created the Bar Nunn Ranch Subdivision in 1958. In 1982, subdivision residents voted to incorporate and become a municipality. The town of Bar Nunn, Wyoming was constructed around the old runways that serve as the town's streets.The confusion with antelope is understandable. Pronghorn have a deer-like body and resemble antelope. And the literal translation of its Latin scientific name "Antilocapra americana" is "American goat-antelope." However, a pronghorn is neither a goat or an antelope despite the fact that they are often referred to as an "American Antelope."