Snow and Cows in Curt Gowdy State Park

We said goodbye to Yellowstone and drove somewhat diagonally through Wyoming to Curt Gowdy State Park. When we got there we drove around looking for an ideal spot to camp and all of a sudden a snow storm blew in! It lasted about 10 minutes, and then the sky was totally clear again. But it was very windy so we knew we had to work quickly. We picked a spot sheltered by aspens and other trees and set up, then ate a dinner of cheese and summer sausage and crackers and chips in the tent (normally we don't eat in the tent). We got cozy and listened to the wind rustle leaves and howl down the hill. All night it was the sound of the wind in the trees and the wind beating against the tent. When we got up to pee, the night sky was so clear we could see the Milky Way.

The next morning it was still cold and windy but very sunny. We barely got coffee made because of the wind, but we did and we enjoyed it in our magic little circle.
This is one of my favorite sketches from the trip, sketched in the cold and wind as I drank my coffee and thought about how amazing it was to sleep surrounded by aspens with the wind howling like waves. 

We also heard cows during the night! When I finished my coffee I walked over to where the cows were - farther away than I would have thought, but sound does weird things in the cold air. I sketched the cows and one of the really cool rock formations that were throughout the park. But it was SO COLD and SO WINDY that my hands sort of stopped working and my sketchbook almost flew out of my hands a few times. So we packed everything up for the short drive to our next stop, and we finished listening to Moby Dick on the way.