Random thoughts

Enjoyed a trip to Cheyenne to watch the state cross country meet. It was held at Little America. The last time I saw Little America it was OUTSIDE of Cheyenne, down the Interstate.  That tells you how much Cheyenne has grown and also how long since I had been beyond what I considered a BIG city over a decade ago - or more.

The day was perfect. Teams in the low 60s, gentle breeze, no wind, and the competition was great to watch.

It’s interesting how the times go down as the classifications go up. When they got to the 3A and 4A, in the male division, there was one 15-minute recorded.

The TR girls won the state title. A very jubilant group of Lady Eagles, indeed.  It was a close, close competition.

Boo came in fourth and her freshman teammate came in just a few seconds behind her, which excited them both.

A freshman from Big Horn, who won the regional meet in Hulett, was unbelievable. She finished two minutes, that’s right, TWO minutes, before the second placer crossed the finish line. She did exactly the same thing in Cheyenne.

When it happened at Hulett, the fans thought maybe the rest of the competition had gotten lost!

One runner tried to keep up with her right from the starting gun, and discovered that was not a wise move.

Anyway, it was a great meet.

A big shoutout to the Lady Buff volleyball team who won the conference and goes into the tournament this weekend as the top seed from the Northwest.  Go Buffs!

Football is now winding down; just the playoffs left.

Was so nice to get to go over the Big Horns last Friday night to watch Hagen’s last football game, which they won in the final minutes. Great plays by some athletes who have gone unnoticed before. A great catch, one young man saving the game in the final minutes with two outstanding defensive plays — a great finish to his junior year.

The trip over the Big Horns was an eye-opener. The blackened trees, the valleys usually lush with greenery, now blackened.  Odd to see a wave of nothing but dead trees, and then, right beside the blackened poles, one green pine, untouched.  

The air quality was good, still smoky, but not as much as I had expected.

Bad, yes, but it could have been a whole lot worse.