Wyoming is so misunderstood.
I was born in Wyoming. I lived in that state until I started the seventh grade. I have countless friends and relatives still living there. It has a beauty that is like no other. Some of it is barren. You can see for miles and miles. There are antelope. Lots of antelope. There are beautiful mountains. The wind blows. And blows. And blows. I recently read that Cheyenne, not Chicago, is the real windiest city.
Why do I think Wyoming is misunderstood? Well, I decided to print out state maps for Thomas, because we still haven't done a "good" state study. I went to enchantedlearning.com because it is a great website. Well, much to my dismay, I found their Wyoming state map. I didn't like what I saw.
Enchanted Learning's Wyoming map
Go ahead, take a second and look at my beautiful Wyoming.
So if you don't know anything about Wyoming, what would you think by looking at this map? That the entire state has mountains!
Wrong.
Here's a physical map of Wyoming.
See the difference?
Yes, Wyoming has mountains -- beautiful Mountains. But it also has "flat" land. Not flat like Kansas, but the type of land you can see for miles and miles. Desolate, barren, antelope-filled, wind-swept prairie land.
I googled some photos of the Wyoming I know:
photo one Does this look like a mountain? There are miles and miles of this!
photo two Ditto
site three: This site has a great selection of photos showing great mountains and the barren lands.
I'm just very picky. I decided to not use Enchanted Learning's maps. Wyoming isn't all mountains. I don't want Thomas thinking that it is. Well, he wouldn't, he's driven through eastern Wyoming many, many times. But...if their Wyoming map is incorrect, I wonder how many other states are? I only know a handful of states. I've been to many, but not like I know Wyoming, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.
I didn't bother checking any of the other state maps.
My beloved Wyoming was misunderstood and I didn't care to go further.
4 comments:
My friend lived in Cheyenne for a while. Trapolin loved that they had a cowboy on their license plate.
Time to go through with the trip to Cody...*grin*
What better way to teach Thomas? We're thinking of going again next summer. This time we'll spend LOTS more time in the Big Horns!!!
Wyoming was my favorite state on our trip out west this summer. Loved it! First we came into the state at the Utah/CO intersection, north to about Rock Springs before traveling west to Utah. Later on we spent a week in Teton's and another in Yellowstone but then we traveled from Sheridan to Cody, and then east to Devil's Tower. What gorgeous country! Cody was GREAT, and I really loved the drives through the 'flat lands', and I would never, every call all of WY mountains.
Standards are always high when you are discussing and teaching something you love. I, when I lived in Chicago, was super protective of of Mississippi. Mississippi has gotten such a bad image about civil rights and prejudice. I, always, found Chicago to be more segregationist than the Mississippi I knew. I know your pain.
I visited Wyoming. It is indeed beautiful.
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