Woman's birthday wish comes true

Some people dream big, especially for their birthday. A new car, an expensive pair of shoes or even a grand night on the town might be on the list.

For Winnie Guerdon, however, her birthday wish was simple.

A trip down the slide at the TePee Pool in Thermopolis.

Winnie and her husband Jim traveled from Bar Harbor, Maine for the special occasion, along with all her children and grandchildren from across the country.

Now a trip down the slide might not seem like much of a feat, but when you take into consideration that Winnie is a spry 90-years old, it makes it something to brag about.

She first came to Wyoming before the roads were even paved and camped at the Fountain of Youth north of town, and she's been a fan of the area ever since.

If you talk with her, she has nothing but glowing reviews for our little community.

"It has a certain feel to it," she said. "It's appealing and stands apart from other small towns. Everyone here is just wonderful. So warm and welcoming, from the businesses to the people you meet on the street, just wonderful.

"I am so glad there's not a WalMart here. I've seen so many small towns just disappear after WalMart comes."

She talked about Thermopolis all along their journey here.

"Every time we'd mention Thermopolis, people would automatically smile," she said. "No one had a bad thing to say about this town."

Ten years ago, when Winnie was just 80-years old, she and Jim came to Thermopolis and she celebrated that birthday with 11 trips down the slide at the TePee.

This year, with the help of two of her sons, Winnie climbed the three-story tower, waved at her family gathered below, and with a little push, headed down the slide to be caught by her husband and other sons at the bottom.

She completed several, laughing slides for her 90th birthday, fulfilling her birthday wish.