we went on assignment to Wyoming this
summer and our stories took us on a road
trip through the state's southeast
park-to-park region our first stop was
Laramie the University of Wyoming mural
project has turned the entire city into
a beautiful art installation you can
call an 800 number to learn about each
of the 50-plus murals Wyoming's
nicknamed the Equality state because it
was the first state to grant women the
right to vote
Louisa Swain was the first woman to cast
a vote in the United States in 1880
Wyoming is also home to the first female
governor and mayor before we hit the
road we fueled up at Coal Creek Coffee
one of the only coffee shops in downtown
Laramie Coal Creek copies philosophy is
based on their belief that history
culture and integrity are essential
ingredients success in business and in
life from Laramie we headed north to
Casper it's a three-hour drive so rather
than take the standard route we added an
extra 45 minutes to our trip to check
out the views from state route 130 it's
considered one the most beautiful drives
in the entire state and it definitely
lives up to the hype
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in Casper we met up with Judy and Dennis
Shepard their son Matthew was murdered
20 years ago in Laramie Wyoming his
murder brought international attention
to hate crimes and LGBTQ rights in the
aftermath of Matthew's death
Judy dedicated her life to fighting and
lobbying for hate crime laws and
legislation after we said goodbye to
Dennis and Judy we were going to stop in
Glen Rock a pathology museum home to the
numerous Wyoming dinosaurs such as
Triceratops and t-rex
then we found out about an even more
intriguing feature just a few miles away
in Douglas it's called the Jackalope and
it's a real good boost to this town
because this is the original home of the
jackal okay our last stop was in the
state's capital Cheyenne home it to the
granddaddy of them all Frontier Days
Rodeo if you've never been to a rodeo
before who has to go bull riding is one
of the most exciting sports to watch
live but did you know that a lot of
these riders don't have health insurance
we also talked to both fighter Cody
Webster bullfighters are the men behind
the scenes but their job is one of the
most important ones in the rodeo
the role for us guys my job is basically
the protectable Rider at all cost you
know if you do your job any correct at
all you're gonna get bumps you're gonna
get bruises you're gonna get sore feet
up
but there's more different ear days than
just the rodeo there's a carnival and
all kinds of events including the chuck
wagon cook-off and at night the rodeo
turns into a live music venue where some
of today's hottest country artists
performed including chase Rhys Michael
ray and the legend himself Charlie
Daniels Wyoming is a large state with a
small population it's the tenth largest
state by landmass both only six people
per square mile the only state with less
people than Wyoming is Alaska but in the
midst of what some would call the
definition of middle of nowhere her
breathtaking views town squares that
transport you back in time and some of
the most interesting people and places
you have to see for yourself
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