Sharing a connection with the Flaming Gorge

"There's plenty of open space out here for you to explore and get off the beaten path," Lucy Diggins-Wold told a tour bus full of people Friday. 

A tour group had a taste of those open spaces during a tour of the Flaming Gorge area hosted by the Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism. Lucy, the tour guide for the trip, hopes that taste will be enough to create a connection that will keep people coming back. 

The tours have been running on Thursdays and Fridays since June 3, and there are two tours left this summer.

The trip starts bright and early, with participants meeting at the Explore Rock Springs and Green River Visitor Center on Elk Street in Rock Springs at 7:30 a.m. to depart a half-hour later. From there, the tour lasts most of the day, traveling roughly 160 miles before arriving back in Rock Springs at 4:30 p.m. 

As the tour makes its way around the 91-mile-long Flaming Gorge, participants stop frequently to stretch their legs, get a bite to eat and most importantly, learn about and enjoy the beautiful scenery. 

The tour stops at spots including Firehole Canyon, the Flaming Gorge Dam, the Red Canyon Visitor Center, Sheep Creek Geological Loop, and several scenic overlook spots. Food is provided throughout the day, with donuts for breakfast, soup and sandwiches at Red Canyon Lodge for lunch and ice cream treats at the Lucerne Marina store in Manila for an afternoon snack. Other snacks and bottled water are available throughout the day . 

During the drives between stops, Lucy speaks into a microphone as she points out landmarks, wildlife and fun facts about the areas the group travels through. 

Those on the tour learned about the history of the area, with Lucy sharing stories about the interesting people who used to live there. Some, like Amos Hill and Cleophis Dowd, raised and trained horses for Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch when the outlaw gang operated in the area. Amos was a recluse who lived in a dugout and wore a burlap sack and cowhide shoes. Cleophis intended to be a priest in life, but shot someone before he was ordained. 

The abundant wildlife in the area was on display throughout the day. The group saw two groups of ewe bighorn sheep, as well as pronghorn antelope and a variety of birds and smaller animals. The group also learned how the landscape provides good habitat for wildlife, what areas are ideal for bird watching and details about the Wyoming Game and Fish's management of fish, like Kokanee salmon spawning and fishing for burbot in the Gorge. Lucy is an expert on wildlife because, prior to hosting the tours, she was employed by the WGFD as the information and education specialist for the Green River region. While at the Firehole Canyon stop, the group heard from another WGFD employee about inspections for aquatic invasive species. Lucy also gave tips for how to see more wildlife -- such as returning to the area early in the morning.

There are interactive elements to the tour as well. Lucy encouraged everyone to call out if they noticed wildlife, explaining that she used to hate bus tours while employed by the WGFD since she would always spot a moose when it was too late for everyone else to see it. She also hosted a round of Wyoming trivia during one portion of the drive, asking questions like how Wyoming became known as the equality state, what the first city with electricity in Wyoming was and the name of the first woman jury foreman in the US from Cheyenne. Those who called out correct answers received a small prize.

Lucy said the tour isn't meant to tell everything about the Flaming Gorge because it would be an impossible task. Instead, she hopes to pique people's interest. 

"We want to entice you to come back with friends and family and explore a little bit," Lucy said.

The Flaming Gorge Loop tour is a new attraction from Sweetwater Travel and Tourism, but it's been in the works for a long time. 

"They've been trying to get this going since the early 90s," Lucy explained. But she said the funds weren't available until Jenissa Meredith, executive director of Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism, applied for a grant to pay for the tours. They had hoped to get started in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic hit, delaying the tours for a year. 

According to Lucy, they're just getting started. 

"It's so new that we're shaping how this thing's going to go," Lucy said, explaining that the details have evolved throughout the summer. The tour had a script that was largely history-focused, but one of the reasons Lucy was chosen to lead it was so she could add more information about wildlife and the natural features of the landscape. Lucy adds to and modifies the information she shares as she learns more throughout the trips, sometimes learning from the people taking the tour.

The tours have had a good turnout this summer, with groups between 19 and 29 people. While most tour participants have been locals, Lucy said they've had people join from throughout Wyoming, including residents of Buffalo, Laramie and Cheyenne. The tour has also attracted people from neighboring states like Colorado and Utah. They've also had a variety of ages among tour participants, from children to a tourist in their 90s. 

Lucy hopes the tour will only continue to grow and expand next year. She enjoys being a tour guide and meeting the people interested in Flaming Gorge area.

"Seriously, it sounds corny, but I'm a people-person," she said with a smile.

Along with the wildlife and the visit to Red Canyon, Lucy enjoys all the stops along the route and basically everything about the tour. Lucy isn't the only person from Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism enjoying it.

Sophie Spicer has been helping Lucy with the tours throughout the summer. She explained that she started working for Sweetwater County Tourism at the end of May and was asked to assist Lucy. She had the time of her life and has been helping out ever since.

Sophie wants to share that joy with others and hopes people will go home after the tour and be excited about everything they saw and the opportunity to go explore more. Both she and Lucy want people to bring their families out and continue growing that appreciation. 

The two also pointed out that the tour is very relaxed and people don't have to be "outdoorsy" to enjoy it. It's a full day, but everything is easy-going and people have freedom to choose when they want to explore or when they want to just sit and rest. Additionally, going on the tour means being driven to each stop along the way. 

"We'll do the driving," Lucy said.

The tour is also a great opportunity to meet new people -- Lucy and Sophie get excited when tour participants start to mingle and chat with each other on the bus.

They hope the tour will continue to expand and evolve next year, possibly by adding trips on the weekend. They also hope to fill the bus even more than they already have. Lucy is sure the tour will make further changes and adjustments to appeal to and be available for even more people and she's happy to receive feedback. 

"We're always asking people what we should do," Lucy said.

For Lucy, the main goal for the tour is to create a connection between tourists and the Flaming Gorge area. Even if it's something simple, like knowing where Buckboard Marina is, or wanting to see the Kokanee salmon spawning, Lucy hopes it will make them want to return, "so that when they come back, or they hear about the Gorge, they'll want to protect it and share that with friends and family." 

She pointed out that she wants people in Wyoming to realize what special and unique outdoor experiences can be had not far from home. 

"I just want people to understand how lucky we are to be next to all this stuff and have the opportunity to be this close," Sophie added.

Sophie wants people to "unleash their inner kid," to learn and explore and play, to "take it in and have a nice day off with us."