Wyoming seasons

In Wyoming we really have just three seasons, not four – fall, winter and construction season.

In Hot Springs County we do manage to sneak in another one, rockslide season.

Things have been heating up in the rockslide arena the last couple of weeks with a huge boulder dropping onto the highway from above one evening and then a good slide near the dam on Tuesday morning.

If you’ve lived in this area for any length of time, you’ve probably been through Wind River Canyon hundreds of times in all kinds of weather, but rockslide season can be the most dangerous, even worse than a winter blizzard.

Several years ago, after a plethora of spring rains, the canyon ended up closed due to a major rockslide. Crews worked around the clock to get things open again while keeping an eye out for additional slide activity.

Always keep your eyes on the cliffs ahead of you when traveling through the canyon as you never know, with the freeze/thaw principle, when a rock or multiple rocks may come tumbling down onto the roadway.

The best thing to do is to use caution every time you drive through. We’re all pretty comfortable with almost racing through the canyon, but especially this time of year, slow down and be aware there may be a boulder bigger than your car lying in the road around the next curve.

So slow down, enjoy the scenery and watch the canyon turn that brilliant green it always does over the next few months.