The Fourth of July, 2024

The Fourth of July, 2024, was nothing short of Shell Shock. Oh my, my was I surprised. Nothing but banging the drum. Let me tell you:

The Road Trip

up to Wyoming began the weekend. That was a last minute surprise. My niece had called in route. Said she could pick me up if I wanted to go with them to her sister’s for the Fourth. My other niece lives in the middle of nowhere (aka flyover country) with her husband. Traveling with us (I said “why not?”) was my grand niece and sister-in-law, her grandmother.

 

As we road we took turns telling Amazon-girl what song we wanted her to play. Bang that drum. As we talked about this and that. A lot of which was remembrances of the days of old. Mine, and of the settling of the American West. (Nothing has changed much since the 1870’s.)

 

 

 

The Parade

on the Fourth, blew my mind. The whole town turned out. It lasted a couple of hours, and my was there a lot of drum banging! Additionally, horses, trucks, tractors, and tumbling girls. 🙂

The B.B.Q

followed. Beer, burgers, salmon, salads, salsa–all my favorites. Moreover, more talking with friends and family.

But hold on – there’s more!

 

 

The Fireworks

in this neck of the woods were like nothing I’d ever seen before. There were no rules. No fire marshals, firetrucks standing by, police policing, or park rangers ranging.

We sat on a ridge above a river. Below, across the river was a subdivision in a forest. Beyond that is the Wind River Range and then the Continental Divide. Floating above were scattered, wispy clouds and a setting sun. Behind us were more homes.

THUMP, WHOOSH, CRACK, BOOM! – the show began. It went for hours. The explosions and “bombs bursting in air” surrounded us. Yes, the rockets were fired from everywhere! I was told many people, the homeowners, spend thousands of dollars on equipment and fireworks. No license or permit needed. Anyone can play.

Shell Shock

was what it was. I was blown away. I thought, So this is what freedom looks and feels like. Ordinary people celebrating America’s history and legacy – with no restrictions or government oversight. Hmmm?

In conclusion

It was the most fun I’ve had in a long, long time. Banging the drum, for sure.

The next day was also great. We went on a river float, had dinner in a classic western restaurant, and ended the day with a backyard camp fire.

Saturday, we drove home to Colorado and Kansas. Through the Great Divide Basin, an incredible geographic anomaly wherein the Continental Divide splits and circles the terrain.

 

No water makes it out of the Basin. Because it can’t, which is weird. Split Rock is a formation that represents this strange geographic feature. A joke on us? I don’t know.

How was your Fourth of July? Independence Day.