Small Town Fourth Of July

First things first, I finally broke the 1,000 mile mark and also made it into a new state! (Wyoming). It's always exciting to see that "welcome" sign and know that I've passed another milestone in my journey. After crossing the state line I arrived in Cokeville, WY and was told I could camp in the town park, right near the railroad tracks. No sprinklers this time! I then went to the Country Shopper and met the owner, Paul, who treated me to his special "Mega Burger", a one-pound monster that was the best hamburger I've had in a very long time. The next morning, July 4th, most of the town gathered in the same park and had a pancake breakfast (see photo). This was really a taste of small-town America. Many of the folks there worked for the railroad and didn't even skip a beat in the conversation as huge freight trains rumbled by blowing their whistles at the town crossing. After breakfast I made my way to Kemmerer, home of J.C. Penny and the site of his very first department store (it's still there and still operating). Along the way there I passed a few rather large fireworks stands. These feature an amazing variety of ways to blow things up, make pretty lights and generally watch a lot of money go up in smoke very quickly ;-) I saw one display which consisted of nine 3" tubes (the largest which can legally be sold to the public and the smallest size used by professionals). These tubes shoot off about 10 seconds apart and, I'm told, produce an amazing display. The cost for this 90 seconds of fun? $99.99!!! This didn't deter the good folks of Kemmerer, however, since, when night fell, it seemed the whole town lit up with individual fireworks displays on every street. I walked up to a high hill in town and was able to look over the place and see it all in one huge spectacle. Don't think Hollywood could have captured it better than that view! Now, on through more of Wyoming for the next week or so.