Coming to WY in June '09 - help!

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The last time I was in WY was about 30 years ago - what a BEAUTIFUL state!

At that time we arrived in Cheyenne, and went to Grand Teton& Yellowstone NP, saw Devil's Tower and Mt. Rushmore, and I ate my first buffalo burger! I have VERY, VERY fond memories of the trip.

I want to expose my son to the greatness of the West, so we are planning a trip next June to the following places, and I would greatly appreciate alternate destinationsuggestions and OC advice:

Day 1 - Fly intoRapid City, IA (late in day)

Day 2 - Mt Rushmore (hiking?)

Day 3 - Deadwood (see bison?)

Day 4 - Devil's Tower (hiking?)

Day 5 - Sheridan

Day 6 - Cody

Day 7, 8 & 9 - Yellowstone (besides Old Faithful & the Falls - activity suggestions?)

Day 10 & 11 - Grand Teton (maybe a raft trip - other activity suggestions?)

Day 12 - Jackson

Day 13 - fly out of Jackson

There are two things I would love to do, but I'm not sure if there is the time: 1) see the Little Big Horn Battlefield, and 2) get to Casper for the Trail Museum and Guernsey to see the wagon wheel tracks (are there other places to see them?).

I would *greatly* appreciate suggestions/alternative destinations, andanything you think Ishould know about OCing in WY.

I've read over the past year's worth of WYthreads, and it sure seems like an OC paradise outside of Cheyenne and Jackson, but would appreciate advice otherwise.

If it can be arranged, I would love to meet one or more of you WY OCers.

Thank very muchfor any help and advice offered.

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BB62 wrote:

Fly into Rapid City, IA (late in day)

Day 7, 8 & 9 - Yellowstone (besides Old Faithful & the Falls - activity suggestions?)

Day 10 & 11 - Grand Teton (maybe a raft trip - other activity suggestions?)


Day 13 - fly out of Jackson

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Assuming that you are planning on OC while you are traveling, you should be extremely careful with the flying since that is under the control of the very anti-OC TSA. Yellowstone and Grand Teton are very anti-OC, being anti-possession.
T'was me, I'd drive. If you are already aware of all of this, enjoy

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I live in Jackson, so I can tell you what i know from my experiences here.

the thing about the parks is that they either need to be cased and unloaded, or if you don't have a case it must be broken down.

If you're coming to Jackson you should really check out the Bar J chuckwagon. they serve you a "cowboy dinner" and entertain with music and stuff, a really funny show. I OC'd there without a problem. The rest of Jackson is fine, except for one store (stone drug). Other then that, no one has ever had a problem with my OC'ing.

If I'm still here in June (college and stuff), I'll let you know.

hope this helps a bit

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mdguy90 wrote:

I live in Jackson, so I can tell you what i know from my experiences here.

the thing about the parks is that they either need to be cased and unloaded, or if you don't have a case it must be broken down.

If you're coming to Jackson you should really check out the Bar J chuckwagon. they serve you a "cowboy dinner" and entertain with music and stuff, a really funny show. I OC'd there without a problem. The rest of Jackson is fine, except for one store (stone drug). Other then that, no one has ever had a problem with my OC'ing.

If I'm still here in June (college and stuff), I'll let you know.

hope this helps a bit

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The last time I was in Jackson, there were rumors going around that there was going to be a Walgreen's built across the creek from the Dollar Tree. Was that true? If so, maybe Stone's will become more OC friendly, if they survive.

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Well there is a construction site being built, not near dollar tree though. I don't think its a walgreens. I've only been living here since July, so I don't quite know all the news

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mdguy90 wrote:

Well there is a construction site being built, not near dollar tree though. I don't think its a walgreens. I've only been living here since July, so I don't quite know all the news

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That was my best thought.
I always thought it was strange for a gunshop to have a no-guns sticker on the door, and Stone's had a lot of other rather strange policies for an endangered enterprise.

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mdguy90 wrote:

I live in Jackson, so I can tell you what i know from my experiences here.

the thing about the parks is that they either need to be cased and unloaded, or if you don't have a case it must be broken down.

If you're coming to Jackson you should really check out the Bar J chuckwagon. they serve you a "cowboy dinner" and entertain with music and stuff, a really funny show. I OC'd there without a problem. The rest of Jackson is fine, except for one store (stone drug). Other then that, no one has ever had a problem with my OC'ing.

If I'm still here in June (college and stuff), I'll let you know.

hope this helps a bit

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Hey! Thanks for the N.P. information, and the offer - I may take you up on it, depending on how things are going.

Do you or anyone else have suggestions (or alternate stopping points) of things to see in WY?

Thanks again.

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Just a little SouthWest of Lusk is the grave of a prostitute on an old unpaved road. When I lived in Cheyenne, I took the motorcycle for a ride one day and visited the sight. I think it is still there...

BTW, I never really had any problems OCing in Cheyenne. But then again I never got into any touristy stuff, and pretty much fit in with the locals I met.

I highly recommend touring the area on a cycle, there is no finer way to experience the West.

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opusd2 wrote:

...I highly recommend touring the area on a cycle, there is no finer way to experience the West.

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I agree with you wholeheartedly, and I appreciate the suggestion, but with my wife, son and a fair amount ofluggage, now won't be the time.

I saw "A River Runs Through It' last week for the first time. WOW. I can't wait for our vacation!

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BB62 wrote:

opusd2 wrote:

...I highly recommend touring the area on a cycle, there is no finer way to experience the West.

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I agree with you wholeheartedly, and I appreciate the suggestion, but with my wife, son and a fair amount of luggage, now won't be the time.

I saw "A River Runs Through It' last week for the first time.  WOW.  I can't wait for our vacation!

 

 

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I don't know about anywhere else, but there's a bicycle rental place in Cody, FWIW.

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I did mean motorcycle, but I guess if you like going out on a pedal bike then go for it. My main bike right now is a Sportster 883R and I managed to go cross country a few times as well as across the Front Range constantly while loaded up with gear and never had a problem getting on. But you will want to rejet if you go into the higher mountains as you will be running too rich. And a small set of saddlebags draped across the tank will compliment the ones across the rear of the bike, and it also makes for a handy place to set your sidearm. Some saddlebags have a holster built right in, but then you're advertising.

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opusd2 wrote:

I did mean motorcycle, but I guess if you like going out on a pedal bike then go for it.  My main bike right now is a Sportster 883R and I managed to go cross country a few times as well as across the Front Range constantly while loaded up with gear and never had a problem getting on.  But you will want to rejet if you go into the higher mountains as you will be running too rich.  And a small set of saddlebags draped across the tank will compliment the ones across the rear of the bike, and it also makes for a handy place to set your sidearm.  Some saddlebags have a holster built right in, but then you're advertising.

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I figured cycle meant bicycle.
Bike would be different.
A motorcycle doesn't really solve the problem of speeding past things instead of proceeding at a more sightseeing pace. Bicycles don't cause grass fires.

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You don't have to fly on a cycle, and you should ride on the road. As a rider I understand that where others may not.

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opusd2 wrote:

You don't have to fly on a cycle, and you should ride on the road.  As a rider I understand that where others may not.

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You should see where mountain bicycle riders go.
Because they lack the internal combustion engine, they avoid the regulatory nexus which is bedeviling snowmobiles.

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It's also affecting motorcycles as well. The EPA has clamped down on a lot of the technology used in smaller engines, down to lawnmowers. Look for missing carbs on bikes now, it's going to FI. My Hardley runs very clean for a carb'd unit, but then again I've been working on those things since I was a kid.

I didn't mean to get off topic or on a flame match. It was a knee jerk reaction to a lot of BS I put up with from SUV drivers getting 17 mpg in their behemoths when my "ancient" 73 Ford PU get's that mileage in a beastly imprint. The topic is firearm related, and so I will keep it there.

But on that note, I have never had a problem with carrying in any fashion while living out in WY and wish I was still there and not lured back to WI under false pretenses by the X. I'd still be out there since a lot of WY residents live the way I do; enjoying life in a common (or not so common anymore) sense way. Even open carrying out in the open on a motorcycle has never given me a problem, and I rode all over the area without hesitation.

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I open carry a .45 at all times here in Wyoming and South Dakota. I'm also a certified NRA instructor for handguns, self defense, concealed carry and Range Safety officers.

If you'd like to learn more about Wyoming and meet some great people, visit the Free State Wyoming forum and introduce yourself. http://www.fundamentalsoffreedom.com/fswforum/index.php

We'll be having a campout in Newcastle, WY (near the NE corner) the third weekend of June. Get the details as they are available at the forum.

Hope to see you in Wyoming!

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Hope to see you all there too!

This may just be a pipe dream at this point, but I am working on finding a way to move back out there, hopefully this coming year. At this point it's just a dream, but one I have been secretly working on the details for a while. Since it' no longer a secret, not to everyone - just my girlfriend, all I ask is that no one tells her. Ha ha! She doesn't read the forums or go on my computer, so I think I may be safe...

But at the very least, a camping trip on the bike may be a good placation for the time being...

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After reading this thread:

http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/view_topic.php?id=16239&forum_id=58&msg=3

I am concerned thatOC in WY is not as legally defensible as I previously thought it was. For example, Ohio's preemption clearly states that "carry" is part of the preemption, but Wyoming's does not.

IF I choose to OC while in your fine state, and am stopped, what law(s) do I cite as supportive of the legality of my carry method?

Thank you!

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BB62 wrote:

After reading this thread:

http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/view_topic.php?id=16239&forum_id=58&msg=3

I am concerned that OC in WY is not as legally defensible as I previously thought it was.  For example, Ohio's preemption clearly states that "carry" is part of the preemption, but Wyoming's does not.

IF I choose to OC while in your fine state, and am stopped, what law(s) do I cite as supportive of the legality of my carry method?

Thank you!

I would think that this specific language from the Wyoming Constitution might be helpful:
"§024. Right to bear arms.

The right of citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and of the state shall not be denied."

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vonu wrote:

I would think that this specific language from the Wyoming Constitution might be helpful:
"§024. Right to bear arms.

The right of citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and of the state shall not be denied."

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I would like to think so too, but that hasn't worked so well with the US Bill of Rights, eh?