Over four days on the weekend of Sept 15-18, 2005, I drove about a thousand miles across the empty state of Wyoming, to do business in Yellowstone Park and meet up with the Ferrari Owners Cult of Utah in Jackson.

There were virtually no highway patrol troopers on duty in Wyoming during this trip, thanks to some kind of statewide law enforcement convention that was going on in Casper, starting the evening that I left.

In fact, I saw only one Highway Patrol Trooper, the entire thousand miles (and that was at sunset on the 15th, while I was standing still at the Sinclair station at Sweetwater Junction with my hood popped to let the heat out of the engine compartment after a particularly high speed run at over double the posted speed limit on an empty stretch of road).

Here's a photo of the emptiness north of Rawlins and Muddy Gap: With a road surface too irregular to securely go beyond 110-120 (which is fine, since that's the perfect cruising speed in the 550).

The first night, I stayed in Cody.

And the next morning I cruised over the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway...

Then, after a visit with Yellowstone Park HQ staff in Mammoth (discussing my art and upcoming book)
I shot down to Jackson Hole (in "less than four hours", including this pause for a last photo in the Park).

Once in Jackson, I hooked up with the
Ferrari Owners Club, Utah chapter car rally in Jackson Hole.

Link to the 2004 FOC/Utah Jackson Hole/ Yellowstone drive.

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Pictures and movies from my trip, in sequence:
Leaving Laramie, Thursday afternoon:

On Interstate 80 with onboard video and truckers everywhere:

Sinclair, Wyoming refinery (producing primarily for UP Railroad's use):

Sinclair station at Sweetwater Junction:

The wide open country at Sweetwater Junction:

Gassing up (with Shell of course) at $3.11/gallon in Thermopolis:
Overnight in Cody ($38):

At top of Chief Joseph Scenic Highway:

Road construction at Montana state line, going into Cooke City:

Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park:

Tourists from California, fishing near Mammoth:

Yellowstone Park Headquarters at Mammoth:



I was told it would take four hours to get to Jackson from Mammoth...

I made it THROUGH Jackson and arrived at the motel in 3hours,10minutes
(the secret is keeping speed on 25mph advisory corners and nailing the straights,
when there's no traffic or critters. You don't want to roar through a national park and endanger animals and/or ruin the enjoyment or threaten the safety of families who are simply out having a good time.)

Saturday drive with Ferrari Owners Club/ Utah chapter:



The yellow shark in an Armani suit cools its heels outside Alberto and Paola's wonderful home in Jackson Hole,
while the pilota (that's Italian for driver, Mabel) is inside, enjoying fine art and a delicious glass of white wine!
Exquisito!

Sunset in the Jackson town square. About to eat before the all-night, 400 mile drive back to Laramie
Home, Sunday at 5:30am, covered with dirt from road construction in Bondurant:

Sunday afternoon, she's all cleaned up...

and ready for the next adventure, Two weeks later, September 27, 2005: Rocky Mountain National Park!

Movies:

First run for the 550's new exhaust system!

Whiffing the vapors of Yellowstone!

Thanks for stopping by!
I'll enjoy hearing your comments!
I also have other Ferrari 550 pages, with movies and music.
Just email me
or Call/ Fax: (307) 742-7117

Copyright Notice

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Footnote:
I don't like the Wyoming Highway Patrol, commanded by Sam Powell:

- Not after having my furniture at a rental property taken by a WHP trooper (2005) who said I "should have thought about it" as I came after him for the third time to get it back.

- Not after after having been tail-gated and harassed by another WHP pig (within weeks of the above)

-and PARTICULARLY not after having been physically assaulted at my 20th HS reunion by the current WHP commander (July, 1991) when WHP Colonel Sam Powell lifted me BY THE EAR from a seat, "belonging" to the wife of another WHP cop, with whom I was talking after dinner!

Based on the above, I have NO respect for WHP cops, ALL of whom I now regard as armed assholes, able to harass under the color of authority, who demonstrate driving that conveys that they are arrogant driving threats to public safety and who are ultimately arrogantly-trained assholes, willing to violate the law and also citizen civil rights (ie Trooper Peach, 2005) and who will probably lie under oath to protect their actions and training culture from civilian oversight.
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