CHEYENNE, Wyo. — As Michael Engelbrecht of Cheyenne Wells, Colo., lifts the cumbersome lid from a cast iron pot, he is greeted with the lively crackle of hot cooking oil. He calls to his wife, Tammy, who brings over the breaded meat she has been tenderizing with an authoritative whack on the chuckwagon a few paces away from Michael’s campfire.

No more camping—or less camping.

That’s a lifestyle change some Wyoming residents throughout the state have made due to the rising costs of fuel over the past few months.