Dreary CASPER, halfway up Wyoming on I-25, may not seem an obvious place to visit, but at a good 150 miles from anywhere of similar size it makes a likely pit stop. Originally at the spot where the Oregon Trail crossed the North Platte River – you can visit a reconstruction of the 1860s Fort Caspar which gave it its (misspelled) name – Casper has been the center of Wyoming's oil region since 1890. Its population (and appearance) fluctuates between periods of high and low demand; right now, the economy is ticking along, though with the exception of a couple of retail blocks along E Second Street downtown, still hasn't completely shaken off the signs of harder times.

Casper's biggest bright spot is the Nicolaysen Art Museum, 400 E Collins Drive (Tues, Wed, Fri & Sat 10am–5pm, Thurs 10am–8pm, Sun noon–4pm; $3). Housed in a disused power station, it displays old and new art by Wyoming artists. For a portrayal of life at an Oregon Trail Outpost, visit the Fort Caspar National Historic Place, on the North Platte River west of downtown.

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