A week before Halloween can only mean one thing: good sledding right? Well usually not, but thanks to several inches of snowfall on Tuesday evening, Pando Park in Cheyenne was filled with kids and their parents trying out the fresh powder with their sleds on Wednesday afternoon.
Weather
One hail of a night
Tuesday started off as a very slow day until it wasn’t. I was on my way back from Wheatland Tuesday afternoon when a severe thunderstorm rolled through town. Luckily, I was miles north on Interstate 25 when a hail storm pounded much of the central part of the city, leaving cars across the city dimpled with hail dents. When I drove past the Wyoming State Capitol, it became apparent this wasn’t a typical hail storm. There was a ton of hail. I swung by the office then headed back out to look for storm aftermath shots. I parked near Pando Park and shot a few kids playing in the park that was submerged in about 40 inches of water. A parent mentioned Pershing Avenue got pounded by the hail. I jumped in my truck and drove over to Pershing. A few blocks down the street, I noticed some extreme fog in a cemetery and doubled back to shoot a ghostly shot of the fog rising amongst the tombstones. At this point, I had to put my truck into four wheel drive to make it down the streets. A police car caught my eye as I headed south. One of the intersections – 23rd Street and Bradley Avenue – was completely submerged and covered in hail. I noticed a lot of people gathered at the intersection as some residents tried to clear drains. I ended up shooting most of my take at that intersection. I’ve been in Cheyenne for seven months now, and this is by far the craziest story I’ve covered. I have never seen hail like this before, especially with such a large accumulation. It reminds me of a scene from “The Day After Tomorrow.”
Storm topples part of tree in Cheyenne
In a fog
I got a weather alert on my phone that seemed a little puzzling. Fog warning. Seriously? I got it midday in what was a chilly, overcast day. I thought my phone was messing with me again. That was until I went out to Powers Field to cover Cheyenne Post 6’s game at 7:30 p.m. I showed up a bit early to get a few features of the crowd, but soon after I arrived a dense fog appeared quickly and rolled across the field. The JV game before the varsity game was eventually delayed and called when the fog became so thick that outfielders couldn’t see fly balls in the outfield. The whole scene had a ghostly feel about it. Reminded me of that movie “Silent Hill,” except for the whole being dead and not knowing it part. At least, I don’t think I’m dead. That would be unfortunate.
Snow in Cheyenne
So I guess winter has finally arrived in Cheyenne. Since I’ve been here, this was only the second serious snow fall we’ve received. It’s only the second time I’ve had to put my truck into four wheel drive to get around town. Some days it’s incredibly hard to find features around town. Today that wasn’t the case. Early in the day, there were a lot of people cleaning off cars and sidewalks on almost every corner. I even ran across a group of antelope leisurely walking around a neighborhood in the city.