Wyoming--The Empty and Freaky as Hell State

Okay, quick quiz: What's in Wyoming?

A)People
B)Buildings
C)Nothing. It's a freaky empty wasteland devoid of all semblance to normal life.

If you guessed C, the Wyoming Tourism Board would like to have a word with you. Though you're not too far off.

Picture this. You filled up for gas roughly 250 miles ago. You know your tank can go about 300 miles. Since you arrived in this godforsaken state, you've seen about 20 people, total (that's including those in cars driving the other way), 8 million antelope, several hundred thousand mule deer, 5 towns that would fit on the Diag on U-M's central campus(that's all at once), and scenery that could charitably be described as wasteland.

Now, you're at a place called "Devils Tower", which, besides being the subject of a movie involving alien abductions, is literally out in the middle of nowhere. I mean it. There is nothing around for miles. NOTHING. It is way after dark, because you're helping loving wife practice her night photography. You are the ONLY PEOPLE IN THE PARK. Seriously. Empty parking lot. So, you see this black monolith rising before you, and nothing else. Every once in a while, you see flashes, but there are no clouds, so it can't be lightning. You think you see some sort of light off in the distance, getting closer. There is nothing else.

When you finally get back in the car, it occurs to you that the last town you passed was 40 miles up the road (Moorcroft, WY Pop 827--though we saw NOBODY. IT WAS DESERTED, LIKE IN THE STAND OR SOMETHING). Your car might make it back there....but then again, maybe not. So, you take off down the road to the nearest town, Huett, WY (Pop 408). Going towards this town, you see nothing but the black road ahead of you. It's supposed to be 9 miles away, but after 15 minutes of driving, you see nothing. Suddenly, you see glowing eyes on the side of the road, and what can charitably be described as the Hound of the Baskervilles (or possibly, Sirius Black) looks back at you for a brief second before you lose it in the dark. When you finally find Huett, the town is deserted. Everything is closed. Oh, by the way, it's only 9pm. Did I mention that your gas tank is getting low? Closed includes the town's only gas station. You find the local Best Western, and enter the lobby....which is empty. Nobody on duty. Ringing a bell summons a creepy old lady, who tells you that the town gas station, while closed accepts credit cards while closed.

You find the gas station again, pull up, and it's a rickety old pump. You have to convince your loving wife to even get out of the car to help clean the windshield and such, and when you finally get back on the road, you see what the flashes from earlier were: chain lightning shooting across the sky some distance away, perfectly framing Devils Tower. Did I mention there is nothing around, and you haven't seen anybody on the roads, or anything for hours? Oh, and also, you've crossed the same damn river 3 times now. While traveling in the same direction.

By this time, I'm picturing the headline tomorrow: Michigan couple found murdered in Middle of Nowhere, WY (Pop 145).

To paraphrase: Wyoming is pretty freaky Bowie.