Lander Brewfest!

Hi Blog!  Today was our first full day in Lander, Wyoming.  We learned from the folks running the Sleeping Bear RV Park (Dave and Chris) that this weekend Lander is holding its annual Brew Fest.  In conjunction with the Lander Brew Fest, two Wyoming rubgy teams -- the Jackson Moose and the Speedgoats of Central Wyoming (which includes Lander) will play in the Wind River Challenge to determine the area's best rugby ream.  Beer and Rugby - this is going to be a great day.  Since it is only two miles into town from our campground to the soccer field where all the acton is, we decided to walk.

Of course, no walk into a new town would be complete without stopping for a few tourist photos.  Here is Kathy standing by a bronze cowboy.  The Eagle Bronze Foundry began in Lander in 1986 and has produced over 650 monuments for clients in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan and the Middle East. Bronze is big business in Lander.

We also made a stop at the Fremont County Pioneer Museum and the Museum of the American West's  Pioneer Village, conveniently located right next door to each other.  The Pioneer Museum was filled with all kinds of artifacts from both the Native American and Pioneer experience.  The Pioneer Village is an outdoor venue containing numerous historic structures (cabins, stores, schools) that were relocated and restored in a village-like setting you can walk around in.  Many of buildings have been completely restored and furnished in the time-period.  Others are still works in progress.

One thing we took away from our museum visits was a greater understanding of the Shoshone Indians and especially Chief Washakie.  His prowess in battle, his efforts for peace, and his commitment to his people's welfare made him one of the most respected leaders in Native American history. In 1878 a U.S. army outpost located on the Shoshone reservation was renamed Fort Washakie, which was the only U.S military outpost to be named after a Native American. Upon his death in 1900, he became the only known Native American to be given a full military funeral.  In spite of all good work as a scout for the U.S. Army, the Government still rounded up his people and moved them to a reservation.  To acknowledge in some way the wrong that was done, the State of Wyoming donated a bronze statue of Washakie to the National Statuary Hall Collection.

As part of the Pioneer Museum's exhibit, Dave believes he has found our next RV - a Studebaker Sheep Wagon.

As you can see, it is very spacious inside.  Contains plenty of storage, lots of windows and a kitchen stove!  Variations of these sheep wagons are still made today.  Check them out at Idaho Sheep Camp.

Kathy decided that this old-time bar was more to her liking!

After a quick lunch at the Maverick Lounge, it was off to the beer fest and rugby match.  Here is the local Speedgoat Rugby Team's banner:

Here is a photo of the Jackson Moose (in green) scoring another try.  Unfortunately, the hometown Speedgoats (in black) were no match for the visitors from up north. However, our boys got to console themselves by walking across the field to the brew fest where they could drowned their sorrows with 70 beers from 20 different breweries!

Watching rugby in the blazing mountain sun can build up a powerful thirst.  As we entered the fest, we were giving a choice - pint glass or plastic cup.  We had to choose plastic since glass tends to break as we bounce down the road from campground to campground.

You couldn't have asked for a nicer day for an outdoor event.  Blue skies, cool breezes and snow capped peaks to look at while you waited for the brewer to pour you a cold one.  Did I mention there were no pour limits?  No little 2 ounce samples here my friends.  Folks were walking around with their pint glasses getting them filled as often as they liked.  You've just got to love the Wild West attitude.

Here is Kathy sporting her "Beer Me Up Scotty" t-shirt.  The folks in Wyoming are relatively new to the whole beer fest concept.  The only other beer shirts we saw were worn by the brewers marketing their beers.  There were no people dressed as monks.  No one was wearing the Homer Simpson beer hat.  We only saw one Hawaiian shirt in the crowd.  If you could even call it a crowd.  We only had to wait for maybe two or three people before getting served.  

We ended the day with a a BBQ and campfire back at our campground with the campground owners Dave and Chris.  By the way, Lander is on the short list of places we want to retire to.  We just haven't figure out what to do about the 112 inches of snow each winter.

Chat at you later.