WY oh WY

About a year ago, I saw a plate from Wyoming on my way home from work.  I drove around the block with the hopes of getting a picture of the plate only to find that it had left when I finally circled back around.  One way streets can be quite frustrating in this situation.

The University's Logo
featuring Steamboat and Stub

I'd be lying if I said I still didn't keep a wishful eye out when I pass that same area every Monday through Friday.  Well, finally my patience and persistence paid off.  To my surprise, I stumbled upon the plate again just the other day.  My eye zeroed in on it and instantly recognized the cowboy on the bucking bronco on the left side of the plate - a symbol synonymous with the state of Wyoming.  In fact, the famous bucking bronco even has a name, "Steamboat," and the rider is widely believed, particularly in the town of Lander, to be Landerite Albert Jermome "Stub" Farlow, according to Cheyenne's official tourism page.  "Steamboat" got his name based on his snort, which was purported to sound more like a steamboat whistle than a horse.  Not only does "Steamboat" grace the license plates of his great home state, but the famous bronco also has become the logo for the University of Wyoming.   As excited as I was to stumble upon this jewel, I unfortunately had to pass the plate without getting a picture or leaving my postcard on the car since I was already running late to teach my Friday yoga class.  Again, those one way streets can make a seemingly simple task of going around the block a much more involved process.

Steamboat and Stub

After the long Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, I was surprised by my luck once again as I drove home through the streets of New Brunswick.  There the plate was yet again, in roughly the same spot as before. But my luck stopped there - this time I was running late to yoga (to take a class instead of teaching it) and made the split second decision to move onward, as much as it pained me to do so.  Then a bit of "New Jersey" hit me.  My goal of traveling approximately six miles to the yoga studio took me over the 45 minutes I had alloted to get there.  Traffic was horrendous and back roads proved even worse with accidents that stopped traffic for miles.  My head was reeling in frustration...mad to miss the class, but more importantly, to miss the opportunity of making a connection with this visiting Wyomingite.  It truly begged the question, WY oh WY?

Wyoming is the least most populated state in the country - beating out Alaska, even with its remote location and harsh climate.  Based strictly on population and distance, seeing a Wyoming plate is just as rare as stumbling upon an Alaska plate.   Traveling from Pine Bluffs, a town in Wyoming that sits on the Nebraska boarder, to New Brunswick, NJ is approximately 1,687 miles and would take an estimated TWENTY FIVE hours to drive straight through. No small feat there.

The biggest take away from this whole experience is to stop if and when I see this plate again.  I can only hope that this out of towner is here for a while still.  With a minimum of 1,687 miles to drive back, I hope this Wyomingite has an interesting story of why they are here, and more importantly, will be willing to share the story with the blog.