The Lower Shell School House is located in an isolated portion of Big Horn County, Wyoming on a bluff near Shell Creek. The schoolhouse was built in 1903, and was one of the first buildings in the area that did not use log construction. The school functioned as a church and Sunday school, and as a community meeting place. It was used as a school until the 1950s, and as a community meeting house until the 1970s. Greybull, Wyoming
The Lower Shell School House is located in an isolated portion of Big Horn County, Wyoming on a bluff near Shell Creek. The schoolhouse was built in 1903, and was one of the first buildings in the area that did not use log construction. The school functioned as a church and Sunday school and as a community meeting place. It was used as a school until the 1950s, and as a community meeting house until the 1970s. Greybull, Wyoming

We traveled from Big Timber, Montana, to Greybull, Wyoming, a few days ago. During the drive, we noticed the landscape changing to a dryer more desert-like environment but still with some valleys and irrigated farms or ranches.

Part of a thirty mile scenic route just east of Greybull, Wy. The road was gravel but in good shape this time of year and views were great with more colors then one would have imagined.
Part of a thirty-mile scenic route just east of Greybull, Wy. The road was gravel, but in good shape for this time of year and views were great with more color than one would have imagined.

We were very lucky to be close enough on Saturday to enjoy a late lunch with some Facebook friends we’d never met in person. It was great fun and we’ll make sure our paths will cross again. Like us, they are also originally from North Carolina, currently Florida “residents, “and they work for the same company we worked for last year.  They were working a park job in Cody, WY.

Pronghorns in the wild near Greybull, WY. Though not an antelope, it is often known colloquially in North America as the American antelope, prong buck, pronghorn antelope, or simply antelope because it closely resembles the true antelopes of the Old World and fills a similar ecological niche due to parallel evolution.[
Pronghorns in the wild near Greybull, WY. Though not an antelope, it is often known colloquially in North America as the American antelope, prong buck, pronghorn antelope, or simply antelope because it closely resembles the true antelopes of the Old World and fills a similar ecological niche due to parallel evolution.
Yesterday we did a little exploring along Hwy 14 and several miles of dirt roads seeing wonderful  landscapes, antelopes and dinosaur tracks.

More of the almost desert like landscape near the Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite, Greybull, WY
More of the almost desert-like landscape near the Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite, Greybull, WY

Tomorrow we continue the next leg of a slow journey eastward.

One of many dinosaur tracks at Red Gulch Trackside not far from Greybull, WY.
One of many dinosaur tracks at Red Gulch Tracksite not far from Greybull, WY.

7 Comments

  1. You have really captured the sense of the “great open space” in these images.

    • Thanks, Steve, I appreciate you saying that. The vastness of the landscape is so immense out here I’m often at a lost on how to convey that fact in photos. Nice to know there was some success with these. :-)

  2. Fascinating landscape and rock formations…I love those mounds in the distance. Definitely off the beaten path – my kind of place!

    • In the photos, part of the blue haze of the distant hills and mountains is smoke from distant wildfires. If was off the beaten path for sure and a really harsh environment. Great to visit but I have to admit there’s a little sigh of relief when getting back to a bit more civilization. :-)

  3. Yes, part of Wyoming does very arid and barren and for some almost impossible to see its beauty! I also agree you’ve done a great job of presenting what it’s like.

    • This area of Wyoming has a beauty which is very striking but is a harsh environment in general. Bonnie and I have often discussed that if we had a dependable small four-wheel drive vehicle with high ground clearance we’d probably spend a lot of time traveling the back roads and trails out here. As it is our large dually truck why rugged is not the right vehicle for such activity. I’m glad these photos seem to have captured a little of the impression I’d hoped for.

      Monte, we’d hope this year to have some time to spend in Colorado proper but it’s not worked out that way as we have needs to get back east a little sooner than first thought. There will be other trips west hopefully.