When I am looking into places to stay, besides hotel options and coffee shops - one of the features I like to see in a destination is walking trails. I almost always have this feature on as a layer on my Google Maps app. Though I understand smaller towns may not have them, this is an expectation of any city in which I hope to stay in. Often times, they are running through parks or along waterways, I enjoy having designated trails in nature that allow me some distance from street traffic and sidewalks.
After work today, I decided to venture out on one of the walking trails nearby. Immediately, I was delighted by the view and the path ahead. It hugged the fast paced North Platte River and steered away from the city and into both developed and undeveloped park land. The river had blue water, a far cry from the brown rivers at home.
As the path curved with the river, I began to see trailer homes across the way and thought about that beautiful view of the river they must enjoy. The path I was on gradually led into a yellow grassland that made me think I was walking along the Serengeti, this one had bike paths though for some dirt biking. Further on the trail a foul smell started to permeate the air. The smell came and went, lingering for different amounts of time. I spent much of my walk trying to figure out what was causing the smell. Could there be a landfill nearby? Was there a dead animal? Was it coming from the water?
As I made my way across the water and back through the northern part of Casper, the smell was gone. I walked west to the hotel through mostly residential neighborhoods. The houses and few businesses I saw seemed rundown, many boarded up. Cute little bungalows looked badly in need of some repairs and some fresh paint. Many cars on these streets looked battered, some even missing windows. Though I never felt unsafe, I began to wonder if the ridiculously low gas prices have anything to do with the economic state of this city.
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