Out here in Laramie, Wyoming. Yes, Kernan does get around.
If you ever want to drop out of society and get lost, this is the place to be. The whole time here didn’t see one written word about A-Rod. The Barry Bonds saga was on page five of the sports section.
The local sports carry the day.
And that’s a good thing.
Why go to Wyoming?
Why not?
Went for a walk along a river and spotted a mule deer and a beaver. Got caught in a snowstorm on a mountain top at the aptly named Snowy Mountain Lodge, where the honeymoon cabin costs only $65 a night.
Perfect, if only my wife were on the trip.
Got to hear the University of Wyoming fight song Cowboy Joe in a restaurant called Altitude. The night before the game the Western Thunder Band goes bar-hopping to please the locals. Now that’s a good tradition. Go Pokes!
When they sing the National Anthem at War Memorial Stadium, they really sing it. Everyone stands up, puts their hat over their hearts and the guy next to us did a better job that most singers you hear at Major League Ballparks.
Love their beef here. Had three straight nights of prime rib. Remember Curt Gowdy, the old American Sportsman broadcaster. He’s got a state forest named after him, just turn off at Happy Jack Road.
Not too shabby.
On the trip from Cheyenne to Laramie, you might not see another car passing you for quite a while. The people are respectful and relaxed. The wind blows, but that’s okay and the weather can change in an instant. That keeps things interesting.
The local sportswriting legend here is Bob Hammond, a classy guy, who could have played in the majors, he was that good in baseball, but because of an illness at home, he had to go to work, the family needed the money.
Hasn’t stopped working since for the Laramie Boomerang, is that a great name for a newspaper or what?
Bob has seen 11 different Wyoming football coaches and eight different men’s basketball coaches pass his way on the University of Wyoming beat since getting started in the early 60s.
Still loves his job and his state. There is a lot to love.