My God, these winds have been brutal!
If you are going to live in Wyoming, sooner or later you have to make peace with the wind.
Because the wind is going to live with you whether you like it or not. It was here first.
Visitors often ask what Wyoming’s weather is like. Lately, I have been telling them we have four seasons: July, August, winter and wind. And the wind lasts longer than the other three combined.
Wyoming has long been known as the windiest state in America. Folks who move here from calmer climates learn about that fact pretty quickly. Usually, it happens the first time they try to open a car door during a stiff Wyoming gust. If you are not careful, that door will fly open like it was launched from a catapult.
The wind has a way of humbling you.
Welcome To Wyoming
When I first came to Wyoming 56 years ago, I thought I understood wind. After all, I had experienced a few breezes (and tornadoes) in other parts of the country. But, on one March day, I stepped outside and discovered what real wind felt like. It was blowing 86 mph with gusts over 100.
I could barely stand upright. The snow was traveling sideways. Fence wires hummed, power lines sang, and garbage cans rolled down the highway like extras from an old western movie.
Back in 1970, Lander was considered one of the 10 least windy places in America. But not on this day! That was when I realized something important. In Wyoming, the wind is not just weather. It is part of the personality of the place.
Over time, Wyoming folks develop a few practical survival skills.
You learn to park facing into the wind whenever possible. You keep a tight grip on your baseball hat. Forget cowboy hats in this weather. And you never fling open a pickup door without holding onto it with both hands.
Those Poor Truckers
Nobody understands this better than truck drivers traveling Interstate 80. The stretch between Rawlins and Laramie has a reputation as one of the windiest highways anywhere. When the gusts really get going, highway officials start shutting down traffic to light trailers and empty semis because those big rigs can tip over like dominoes.
Author John Waggener wrote the book “Snow Chi Minh Trail” about Interstate 80. Today, he says he might write a sequel called “Wind Chi Minh Trail” about that stretch of windy road.
Anyone who has spent time in Wyoming can probably name a few famous windy spots. A short list would include:
• Arlington and Elk Mountain along Interstate 80, where the wind seems to blow nonstop.
• Willow Hill north of Rawlins, where truckers often gear down and brace themselves for the next gust. This is an area called Separation Flats.
• South Pass, where the wind sweeps across the historic Oregon Trail country.
• Cheyenne, during legislative sessions. Blows you away.
• Casper, which has seen its share of legendary Wyoming windstorms.
• Wheatland and Chugwater, the north-south corridor of Interstate 25 is deadly.
• Jackson, Antelope Flats north of Jackson can lull you into a desperate position.
Can Wind Be Good?
But Wyoming wind is not always the enemy. Sometimes it is actually your friend.
The wind sweeps away storms and clears the air in a way few other places can match. After a windy day, Wyoming often rewards you with skies so blue they almost do not seem real. The air becomes crystal clear and the mountains look close enough to reach out and touch.
Some of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen came after a day when the wind blew like crazy. The sky lights up with layers of red, orange and purple that seem to stretch forever across the horizon.
Over the years, I have heard plenty of good wind stories from friends around the state.
Former long-time Casperite Bill Schilling was in the middle of a political campaign in 1994 when he was told a tree had toppled onto his house because of high winds. Yes, he paused his campaign long enough to get it removed.
Our friends the Owen Sweeney family lost their home in Lander to fire during this windy time. Once started it was impossible to stop with hurricane force winds.
One rancher told me he once watched a metal stock tank roll across a pasture like a giant steel tumbleweed. Another friend swears he saw a backyard trampoline lift off during a windstorm and land two blocks away.
Longtime Wyoming residents also develop what some people call the “Wyoming lean.”
When the wind is blowing hard, you naturally lean forward as you walk just to keep your balance. Every now and then the wind suddenly stops and you find yourself still leaning forward like someone pushing against an invisible wall.
Tourists sometimes notice this and wonder what is wrong with the locals. Nothing is wrong. We are just used to living with the wind.
Despite all the gusts, people who live in Wyoming would not trade it for anywhere else. Maybe the wind reminds us that nature is still in charge out here. Maybe it helps keep the crowds away. After all, not everyone wants to live where the weather can rearrange your lawn furniture overnight.
But those of us who call Wyoming home tend to see it differently. We love the wide-open spaces, the mountains and the independence that comes with living in a place that still feels wild.
Bill can be reached at bill@cowboystatedaily.com
