Friday, August 25, 2006

Wyoming sucks - so does I-84

I just drove from Eugene up to Port Orchard, WA then to St. Louis, Missouri in a 48 hour period. Not fun. Not fun at all. But, I'm now prepared to go to bed at this nice La Quinta hotel with free wireless internet access. I have essentially nothing to do tomorrow except work on the Latin transcription I'm working on for my advisor. It should be a smashingly good time. :)

Wyoming sucks. A lot. We stopped in Rock Springs because David couldn't keep his eyes open anymore and attempted to get a place to stay for the night. The first three places just told us they were booked full. The fourth front desk person said that probably every hotel along highway 80 in the entire state of Wyoming was booked. That was a fun thought, considering we were a good four miles driving time from the border and it was already 2am. We persevered, and three more no vacancies nearly made us accept the possibility of sleeping in the terribly uncomfortable front seat of my brother's Toyota Tacoma. Then we stopped at the Economy Guest Village. As you might imagine from the name, it was not a promising place to stay for the night. We were told it was full as well, then the woman at the desk said that she did have one room left but the sofa bed was busted. When told that there was a queen size bed in the "suite" I said it didn't matter and we booked it for the night.

It was a trash-hole. To put it kindly. The maintenance man claimed it was only four years since renovation, but the oven had to be early 80's at the newest. The sofa bed was indeed busted, so I got the lumpy couch and my brother got the lumpy queen size bed. We were told not to worry about the noise around 3am because that's when all the strippers came back from work, and because the owner of the strip club was also the owner of the hotels, all the girls rented out rooms in the same building we now occupied. When I woke up, I found that I had acquired a number of bug bites. I don't even want to know how.

Now I'm in this nice La Quinta, happily typing away at my laptop using free wireless (for which I paid less than my brother paid for the sad little place in Nowhere, Wyoming), and I must say that I will be extremely surprised if I find any more bug bites tomorrow morning. Which is as it should be.

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes Wyoming does suck indeed. I spent 9 months in the worst town in the entire state last year - Rawlins. Where men are men and so are the women.

Anonymous said...

wyoming sucks, tell all your friends...and promise to never come back.

Anonymous said...

You are all stupid idiots and an insult to be called humans. Go back to your stinky, crowded, polluted, big cities and leave the rocky mountain states alone in their glory and peace. These lands do not need crackpots like you.

Anonymous said...

I don't care that I'm commenting on a post that is 2+ years old. Nor do I care that this is a blog which I will likely never see again. However, I simply must express my absolute similitude with the author. We saw absolutely nothing as we traversed the State of Wyoming which would have piqued enough interest to consider stopping for the scenery. Motel, motel, motel, trailer park, motel, motel, motel. You see a trend along the interstates, and it isn't a pleasant one. I was traveling south/southeast from Washington to Texas - both of which have much more pleasant scenery and an abundance of "glory and peace" - and every other state through which we passed was better than Wyoming. No complaints about Utah, Colorado, Idaho (has a couple of good FM stations) or Kansas. Hell, even Oklahoma was nice.

Anonymous said...

Wyoming is a fucked up place. It makes Utah look LIBERAL. I love how the douchebags in Jackson love to say they live the "Mountain LIFESTYLE." Oh get over yourselves. I grew up in a little mountain town and we never referred to it as a "lifestyle." Jackson is just a bunch of self important jerk-offs who think they have it made. Great, seal the fucking town borders and don't let these jizz-bombs out. Same for Boulder.

And the rest of Wyoming is FUCKED UP with a capital F. But what do you expect from the state that produced Dick Cheney and has a fucking COWBOY for its logo!?

The women in Jackson? They are the Stepford Wives in fleece and North Face. They all dress alike, wear the same shit and drive the same cars. The other side of that are the dyke-y looking broads who wear the same Mountain Khakis (which should just go away), Patagonia Vests and have sensible shoe while they drive either a Subaru Outback or early nineties model Toyota Pickup. Hint to the "mountain broads" slap a little make-up on, shave your legs and make yourself look just a LITTLE attractive.

Wyoming just plain sucks.

Anonymous said...

indeed, wyoming sucks, but whats worse than visiting is living there for 13 years. and plus, everyone is ugly. it feels like you're in a giant, understocked walmart.

Anonymous said...

If one takes time to get to know the local people you will find them very nice, almost innocent. But, the reputation of the state is very tarnished by the fact that their is a large number of alcoholics, drug addicts, ex-convicts, and unstable mental cases. Apparently, as the locals tell me, about 50% of the population has lost their driving license due to DUI. Also, I found that virtually no one has gone to college for anything. It was a real shocker to see company presidents, managers, and supervisors possessing little more than a GED or High School Diploma. This explains why it's so difficult to locate a quality employer. Other than these huge problems Wyoming is a land of opportunity, and most certainly has work, if one cares for
blue collar' jobs. No shortage of work here. Good Luck!

Anonymous said...

I totally agree that Wyoming sucks! I live in Rock Springs only because my husbands job makes bank here. I do love Yellowstone, but it is not so close that I would ever consider staying here. The wind blows at ungodly speeds, winter is an all year season, and I am not sure if the people here are unfriendly or just so dumb they don't know common manners. There are almost more antelope than people, which is the way it should be, who really wants to live here? Simply put I hate Rock Springs so the whole state gets a big thumbs down, sorry.

Anonymous said...

I think that if you all hate Wyoming so bad you should leave and never come back and tell all your friends how awful it is so they don't come here either. Wyoming is no worse than any other state and it would probably be a better one if you all left.
So don't let the welcome to Wyoming sign hit you in the butt on your way out of our great state!

Anonymous said...

Well all of you that think Wyoming sucks should just stay out drive around or fly over. The reason most of you don't like Wyoming is because there's not all that much for your kind to do here. Like live a good life, with clean air.

Anonymous said...

I have been residing in Pinedale for the last few months, today is May 2, 2011 and I want to leave badly. There is absolutely nothing to do and folks here are stuck up and live in an inner church circle or graduated mid 30's highschool atmosphere. Small town with small minds. I hope my husband gets a job transfer soon...to be continued I am sure!

Anonymous said...

I love the quotes of those defend the "great" state of wyomin'. Their words alone are proof of how a conservative mindset mixed with an inferiority complex in the mostly pea-sized brains of these folks creates a hostile environment for outsiders. Fuck that place!

Anonymous said...

Wyoming is a screwed up state.
I've never met more closed minded, rude, and greedy people in my life. Drug abuse and spouse abuse are rampant, and the cops target out of state cars with particular zeal. I was there for two years and found the locals to go out of their way to snub outsiders and avoid doing patronizing any business by them. I found the friendly people were the out of state people who wish they could leave. If it doesn't involve gunpowder, gasoline, or fermented grains, they don't know what to do with it!

Anonymous said...

If you want to become homeless move to wyoming. Peaple here don't give a fuck about anything. Just rednecks and meth heads. By the way most rednecks are meth heads.
Oil/Gas jobs thats just bullshit.
Dave.Y
Help

Mr. K said...

Wyoming is the worst place, socially, I have ever seen. If you are happy with one other person being your world, and don't mind extremely high percentages of incredibly slovely, ugly people, and are ok with people who choose to live somewhere where more people are at Walmart than anywhere else at any given moment, this state is for you. Truly, incomprehensively uninteresting people and social atmosphere. The worst place I have ever lived.

Mr. K said...

Viewed objectively, there are alot of places as socially desolate and bereft of stimulation, and overrun with old or drab or unattractive people. To people from those places, and that is most places viewing the country as a whole, Wyoming is O.K. I suppose. But for those people who have experienced world class venues like Miami, or New York, or L.A., and enjoy the diversity and the social and cultural opportunities, style, attractive people in large numbers that can be connected with in social venues; for those people who have experienced and like those things, Wyoming is an extremely dismal, disgusting, and shockingly unsophisticated and drab place. The pro-Wyoming posts on this log, which reflect poor language and critical thinking skills, really are representative of the overall substandard cultural climate in the state that fewer people choose to live in than anyother. Why do you think when it's inexpensive, has low unemployment, etc. that it remains the least populated state in the country?? Because you have to have the lowest standards and threshold for happiness imaginable in our society to deem Wyoming anything other than a social dump and a colony of bores.

Anonymous said...

I thought it was OK. I saw plenty of cute chicks and they also have a lot of dinosaurs. Hotel ppl are pretty rude though.

Anonymous said...

If you don't like it don't come here. We don't have many big buisness's and the drug users are out of control but it is getting better. It's beautiful in the winter, spring, and fall. No there is nothing here but that's the way we like it. we arn't cut out for big cities. Our politicians suck but hey we are not red necks. we are jsut people trying to work and feed our kids. We aren't trying to live the city dream. we are here to work and produce the power for the electricity your computers using right now. If it wern't for us half of America would go without power and thousand's of other important minerals. Stay away, or just drive on through. Or get off your high horse and enjoy the quite. We have good hotels and nice malls, just deeper in the bigger cities.

Anonymous said...

You can't judge all of Wyoming off of some of the people you have met. No we wan't almost nothing to do with big cities but we can be nice and helpful. Maybe if you would do a little less critisizing and quit being hypocrites you would love it. We are nice if you are. Yes there is alot of drugs, but its like that in every city. Ours is just outlined a little more because of our lacking population. We are not just peasants. We do know things. Don't judge a book by it's cover and don't judge Wyoming by its wind.

Anonymous said...

Wyoming exists ONLY for Skilled people from other states to Take Money Out Of

locals are undereducated fools and bigots, with big mouths but lacking anything resembling a SPINE

Anonymous said...

I work in wyoming and I hate it. The people are generally ignorant, the wind never stops, anything on the east side of the state is an eye sore, the towns and city's are complete dumps, everyone thinks they are so cool for being a cowboy, almost everyone is butt ugly, the alcohol consumption is unreal because everyone is depressed and they don't know why (it's because they live in Wyoming), and they all make love to cows.

Wyoming, where the men are men, the women are too, and the sheep are scared.

The only good thing about that state is the fact it has oil. Once they run out of oil they need to fence it off and use it as a nuclear waste site.

Anonymous said...

I have noticed that there is too much drugs and booze. There is a serious lack of education period. If you want to work in a mine or the oil field, work yourself to death, be broke and unhappy then wyoming is for you. I wish we could move to another state that isn't wyoming.

Anonymous said...

Wyoming is a fine place if you don't mind being penned up indoors for 8 months of the year. If you don't mind 45 mph winds sucking your breath out of your lungs and the life out of your soul. If you don't mind blizzards in May, June and September, then sub-zero temps and brutal wind the rest of the 8-month-long winter. I live in Cheyenne and the one thing that makes it tolerable is its proximity to Colorado. When the wind is blowing 25-45 mph in Cheyenne (about 250 days of the year), I head south and enjoy a lovely day outdoors in the windless Colorado sunshine. The day I retire I am heading south for good. You Wyoming folks can have this place. I'm just here for your money.

Anonymous said...

I am grateful that my opinion on this place is shared by so many. Now if only I could get my family to leave that place before they lose their souls, that'd be great.

J S said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

If you cannot see and feel the utter social desolation in Wyoming you are a dullard and a bore yourself.

Anonymous said...

Born in Wyoming an lived an traveled all over it I'm educated. Skilled an hard working the truth is Wyoming does suck but I still love it. Yeah 90% of the jobs don't pay jack unless it's oil or gas related or your a doctor or a nurse an most the time u can't get a job because of buddy system BS I'm a independent in a 85% republican state an people here are stubborn an honestly half the population is retarded but I like the low population an wide open spaces. An large amount of public lands an wildlife sure the wind blows 9 out of 10 days from 20 to 100mph. An it gets cold. Especially when Ur working in the middle of winter outside at night in minus 30 not counting wind chill ,,,,,, An it seems like all that makes up the town's are bars banks churches an school's. An it sucks when u work here an u get laid off from work welding or oilfield n such because u might not find a good job for some time because all of the best jobs that pay good an last people work until they die or retire so u have popsicles chance in he'll of getting one , an like what was started above land an house prices are over inflated too the point most people will never be out of debt or own it but for people from California or new York they think it's a deal ,,,,,, An the state an town's are all ran by the people with money so good luck changing anything. Nothing gets done by the public vote mostly just by the rich picking what suits them at your expense. ,, an the parks department an the game an fish have become overly greedy I've seen it change over the past 30 years where now it's at the point to go camping at a lake good luck many lakes are now a reserve camp site only status. So all the Coloradans reserve them so no camping for residents I remember when it was free to go to a lake or camp an now it keeps going up. For no reason. Not like I'm getting paid anymore an the game n fish is just as bad. Wasting money then demanding more raising the cost of everything an giving preferences to out of state An don't get me started on Jackson if u love there your either rich an live in lala land. Or Ur a broke ski bum ,, An the funny thing is Wyoming has the highest % of people per capita working for the government ,,,, blm. City State. Military n such. , if didn't already live here an have family here I would leave. But I love my family an the outdoors

Anonymous said...

I cant really comment on the rest of wyoming as I have not lived there, but Jackson Hole is just that... a fucking hole. The job market in jackson is actually great, I think there are usually about 6 pages of help wanted ads in the jackson paper and alot of them pay pretty well. Thats where jacksons assets end. Jackson is an overcrowded toilet full of subaru-zombies who are somehow brainwashed into thinking that they are blessed in where they live as they sit in bumper to bumper traffic jams that make the 5 mile drive from jackson to wilson a 45 min ordeal. They stupidly grin as they eat 20 dollar cheeseburgers and shop in overpriced stores bearing fake log cabin facade. There are no good places to shop in Jackson unless you want a 4000 dollar lamp, or some dumbass wildlife art. But there are enough dumbasses who buy it because every cookie cutter cabin here is littered with pictures and statues of animals, mountains, and of course skiing. The housing market is a joke. These poor fucks pay 3 to 20 times the price of housing that the rest of the country does just so they can look out their window at some rocks or water or pine trees and then tell everyone on facebook that they are hardy mountain people living in the wilderness. WILDERNESS MY ASS. Go hike anywere around jackson or victor and you will find candybar wrappers, footprints, used toilet paper and signs of people in the woods everywhere. The infrastructure cant support the massive amount of traffic, and the general attitude on the road is totally big city. "get the fuck out of my way". Make the mistake of visiting and you will soon see that the most used word besides wilderness or wildlife is "teton". You can go to the teton market on teton street and brag about your dog named tetona who was found at the teton animal shelter in teton county... you get the idea. I am moving out of this backpacker magazine joke asap to the the real world where everyone is not trying so hard to be something they are not. You would have to be a maggot-brained dumbfuck with no identity to want to live in this place, and it is full of them. Like someone else said... build a wall around it and keep them in there.

Anonymous said...

I was forced to live in Wyoming. Not only does the wind blow, but so does the population. Regarding the comment above mine...WILDERNESS MY ASS..exactly. Sagebrush and overgrown egos with lots of rifles.

this: "the most used word besides wilderness or wildlife is "teton". You can go to the teton market on teton street and brag about your dog named tetona who was found at the teton animal shelter in teton county... you get the idea"

...says it all.

Anonymous said...

Yup, Pinedale locals are extremely rude. I literally just bought a house here and instantly regret it. These people love to put me down, just because I'm a new face in town.

Anonymous said...

Worst place I have ever lived. I was lied to by my fiancee about how wonderful life is here, so I bought a house, got married, and got snowed on in Sept. The funny thing is, it didn't stop snowing until June! No wonder more people per capita kill themselves in Wyoming than most other places. To add insult to injury, the temperatures drop to the -20s quite often throughout the year with 200+ days of 25-45 mph wind. Not to mention that breathing is difficult. If you have breathing problems, it WILL get worse here. If you can do so, please don't do your family, and especially your children the disservice of bring in them here.

Anonymous said...

Should have been reserved as a penal colony for the absolute wort criminals.

Anonymous said...

Not to mention that the expense of living in Cheyenne is not cheap, especially when the top average wages are fairly low.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, if summer falls on a Sunday this year, we are going to have a picnic.

Anonymous said...

36 years ago Jackson was a tiny undeveloped shithole for shitheads. Today it is an overdeveloped shithole filled with shitheads. Fuck Jackson, and fuck Wyoming.

Anonymous said...

Yeah. Worst place I have ever been.

Anonymous said...

Fuck Wyoming

Anonymous said...

Great job proving their point. This is the typical Wyomingite rude comment about how Wyoming doesn’t suck and Wyomingites aren’t rude. “If you don’t like our state and how rude we are then get out” they always say. Gladly, I’ve lived in Wyoming for two years, which is two years too long. I can’t wait to move to a state where the people actually ARE friendly and actually DO have manners. I’ve travelled the world and Wyomingites are the rudest people I’ve ever encountered. The people in Wyoming are so closed minded they don’t realize how rude and close minded they are. This mindset that they are fine and everyone else is the problem will keep their crappy hole of a state the same and never improve in any way. Good luck with that.

Anonymous said...

Wyoming is a wonderful place if you like the outdoors. People are a little funny toward outsiders but are usually polite.