“Traveling is like flirting with life. It's like saying, 'I would stay and love you, but I have to go; this is my station.'” Lisa St. Aubin De Teran
We left Jackson, Wyoming much earlier than we expected this morning. The alarm was set to go off at 6:30 but Linda got up a few minutes before 6:00 and John was up shortly thereafter. We were headed north on Hwy 25 by 7:04 and were soon on Hwy 189. We got to drive through Grand Teton National Park again since it was on our way and the road goes right into Yellowstone's south entrance. So we got to flirt with the Tetons again before moving on to Yellowstone. This morning, John hooked up the Hero2 video camera on the windshield and shot several minutes of video as we drove through the Tetons. The camera performed just fine, even though the outside temperature (where it was) got down to 25 degrees. He will post a video in this posting once he can get it uploaded to YouTube. It isn't going all that well here in West Yellowstone as far as wifi goes.
We were at Moose Junction by 7:33. Didn't get to see any live moose but we saw some buffalo along one of the main drags our first day through the Tetons. Other than that, our animal sightings were chipmunks and blackbirds. The visitor centers had some great displays. In one you could feel fur samples from about 12 kinds of animals found in the park. The bobcat was the softest of any and the buffalo was the most coarse. The furs were about 5 inches by 18 inches. Some had been rubbed so much that the fur was pretty bare in the center.
The John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway is a part of Grand Teton National Park and runs between it and Yellowstone National Park. An odd thing happened when we were almost to Yellowstone's south entrance. All at once Wilma's navigation system and our compass were gone. A message said “Disk Error See Dealer for Service”. The old buzzards were disappointed because, despite having a lot of maps, they have come to rely on Wilma's GPS and the compass as well. And the old buzzards were nowhere near a Honda dealer. But, we do have John's Droid2 phone and the Wilson Sleek range extender. So, we had 3G pretty much all the way and were able to use the phone's navigation app.
Soon we were in Yellowstone. And right away it seemed so very different than the Tetons - lots of pine trees, abundant water in creeks, rivers and lakes - less of the wide valleys and scrubby desert-like plants. Our route to our lodging in West Yellowstone, Montana took us past the Continental Divide twice and by Old Faithful. We stopped at Old Faithful, the most famous of all the park's geysers, even though we will be going there again Saturday on a bus tour. We took our Passport into the visitor center to get it stamped and to get a park pin for Linda. As we walked back out into the main lobby, a ranger announced that the "window for Old Faithful to erupt was in the next 20 minutes". So we figured we might as well stick around for that. It goes off every 90 minutes, give or take 30 minutes, and lasts from 5 to 10 minutes. What a thrill! It was a beautiful day and the white steam and hot water shooting up a hundred feet or so looked extremely dramatic against a very blue sky. We felt lucky to have timed our visit just right. There are several photos of the eruption in today's photo gallery.
Shortly thereafter we were on our way again, John noticed that the compass had shown up on Wilma's dashboard. Sure enough, Wilma's GPS seemed to be “healed”. But not for long. It was gone again in about 15 minutes. John had come up with two other systems (phone and tabled) to use so with them and all our maps we were fine. When Wilma's GPS and the phone and the tablet were working at the same time, we would get three voices (all female) telling us "...in a quarter mile make a right turn onto....". Pretty bizarre.
There are only 21 photos in today's gallery and you can view them by clicking here.
Below is a short video of our drive through the Grand Teton NP as we were going from Jackson, WY to West Yellowstone, MT. The drive through the Tetons was shot entirely with our Hero2 camera suctioned to the windshield. It performed very well in 25 degree weather.
After a few more curves in the road, we were entering Montana and soon were at the west Yellowstone entrance. The cute little town of West Yellowstone is in Montana. We found our lodging – The Pony Express, got unloaded and found a grocery store to get some lunch fixings for the next few days.
Fannie Mae had a visitor after our return. Her dog sitter during the day for the next two days, while we are on bus tours, came by for a greet and sniff. They got along fine. Heather is a very sweet lady and an animal lover since childhood. She is the Assistant General Manager of the company that owns several lodging properties (including the Pony Express), a tour company and a snow mobile tour company.
We had soup and salad bar at the Timberline Restaurant in downtown West Yellowstone, Montana. Then we found a grocery and got a block of ice for our “refrigerator”. Now it's time to get down to business and study our Yellowstone book and maps so we are ready for tomorrow. We will be going on the north loop.
Happy trails!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Yellowstone Road Trip - Day 14 - Grand Teton NP
“There are no foothills to the Tetons. They rise suddenly in rugged majesty from the rock strewn plain . . . the soft light floods the great expanse of the valley, the winding silvery river and the resplendent deeply carved mountain walls.” ~Lieutenant Gustavus Cheny Doane, Leader of a small exploring party, 1876
“The Tetons have loomed up grandly against the sky. From this point it is perhaps the finest pictorial range in the United States or even North America.” ~Thomas Moran, while painting the Tetons from the Idaho side, 1879
“Some day I hope to learn more about the sun and the stars, at that time we shall all meet up there, but for the present I prefer to have the boundaries shown by our familiar rivers and mountains.” ~Washakie, 1876
The old buzzards and their Fannie Mae are roosting for their second night at the Jackson, Wyoming, Motel 6. They took a day trip (after breakfast in their room) to the Grand Teton National Park. There were reports of from 5 to 6 fires in the area but none were supposed to be of any concern to Park visitors. According to the park ranger at the visitor center, only one was in the park and it was surrounded by a boulder field. From what we understand, boulders don't burn.
We headed north out of Jackson into the park at Moose Junction. We drove up Teton Park Drive as far as Oxbow Bend, turned east to Moran Junction and headed back to Jackson. For you mileage madness players, we stayed on Teton Park Drive except for a scenic loop around Jenny Lake and a drive up to Signal Mountain which was around three miles in and three miles to come back down.
If you go to Yellowstone you should also plan to have at least one day to spend in the Tetons. They are truly majestic and are located just south of Yellowstone. In fact, the northern border of the Grand Teton NP touches the southern border of Yellowstone NP. Linda kept finding herself humming America the Beautiful as we would round a corner and come upon still another spectacular view. The original 1920 Grand Teton National Park protected only the Teton Range and six piedmont lakes. To preserve valley lands not included in the first legislation, Jackson Hole National Monument was established in 1943 (a stellar year). In 1950 President Harry Truman signed a bill uniting the 1929 park with the 1943 monument thereby enlarging the park to its present size of 310,000 acres.
The largest of the mountains in the Teton Range is aptly named Grand Teton. It towers to 13,770 ft. North of Grand Teton is Mount Moran which reaches 12,605 ft. Mount Moran is named after the painter, Thomas Moran, who is quoted above.
The day was a little hazy which you will likely notice in today's photo gallery. John said it reminded him of the Great Smokey Mountains. Despite that, we think this is the ideal time to come to this park. It was crowded compared to other parks we have been to on this trip but, by all reports, it is a real zoo (of people) in the summertime.
At the southern end of the park is a rustic Episcopal chapel that was built in the summer of 1925. It was built for travelers and is constructed of lodgepole pine, with pews of quaking aspen, both cut in the valley. Above the altar is a plate glass reredos window framing the Grand Tetons. What a wonderful view to have, even during the dullest of homilies! It has other beautiful windows as well, some of them are stained glass. The land for the church was donated by Miss Maude Noble who owned the property during the 1920s. At that time there were dude ranches all around the area and the dudes and dudettes wanted a closer place to worship than having to drive all the way into Jackson. Regular services are still held and the doors are open around the clock during the tourist season.
There are many lakes in the park, the most popular being Jenny Lake. It was named after the Native American wife of an early explorer. She was helpful to the pioneers and when she died (at a young age) the lake was named after her. The lakes were formed by natural dams that were result of the movements of glaciers and the rocks they displaced.
On the trail to Jenny Lake, Linda came upon a group being guided by a park ranger. She paused to hear him explain what a debt of gratitude we owe to John Rockefeller who bought up thousands of acres of land in this area for the purpose of it being preserved forever. This was during a period when cheap and tacky lodges had sprung up all around the area. They would burn down because of fire problems and spring right back up. Rockefeller did the purchases quietly (through his Snake River Land Company) and paid fair market value so everybody was happy. He also bought up lots of ranch land from downhearted ranchers who were tired of the risks and hardships of ranching, especially after cattle ranching reached an economic low in 1925. Eventually, Rockefeller purchased 32,000 acres of land. Then, once he made his offer to give the land away, it took the U.S. Government three years to decide whether to accept it or not. Duh! Even then it took politicians a long time to agree on anything.
Have you ever seen a house with so much dirt on the roof that there were plants growing on it? We stopped at the Cunningham Cabin turnoff where this land was homesteaded as the Bar Flying U Ranch by J. Pierce and Margaret Cunningham in the 1880s. This cabin is all that remains of the ranch but it is in remarkable condition. It is “dogtrot” style, common in eastern states. It consists of two small cabins joined with an open, covered breezeway. The floors are made of dirt that was wetted with water, compacted and swept. The roof has sod on it – how very green, then and now! The Cunninghams could surely win some kind of eco-friendly award in almost any state today. Well, maybe not California, we don't have any money!
The buzzards learned that what they had been calling split-rail fences are more properly known as buck-and-rail fences. They were an innovation of the first pioneer ranchers. This fencing system is named for the X-shaped braces or cross bucks used to support the horizontal rails. The fences are self-supporting and used where rails were easily obtained. Snow anchors the fence rather than toppling them and the buck-and-rail fences are easily repaired. With the invention of barbed wire after 1900, post-and-wire became commonly used for ranchers who could afford it. Later, with dude and dudette ranching and tourism, there was a resurgence in the use of the rustic buck-and-rail fences.
You really get your money's worth today with 85 images in the photo gallery. You can view them by clicking here.
We took Hwy 390 back to Jackson and stopped at an Albertsons to get late lunch fixings for ham sandwiches, along with grapes and bananas.
Dinner was at a unique bar joint named The Bird. John had been searching for a place to eat and was, frankly, more impressed by the wording on their menu than anything else. There was much humor in what was written. You gotta love a place that has the temerity to put a sign up over their bar that reads "F*** Off, WE'RE CLOSED!" You might enjoy reading their menu (a pdf file) which you can get by clicking here. John had a burger called "The Jefferson". It was a 1/4 pounder with bacon and blue cheese. Linda had the "Bushy Beaver" a veggie burger, "The best homemade veggie burger that your hippie tongue will ever taste". Both buzzards had a glass of Spaten Optimator, a really yummy dark beer. Oh, and their special homemade ice cream today was Maple Bourbon. You had to be 21 to order it. Linda and John split a dish and it was marvelous.
Rest well. Short drive tomorrow, but lots to see on the way. Don't know how good or reliable our wifi will be in West Yellowstone, but we'll let you know when we do!
“The Tetons have loomed up grandly against the sky. From this point it is perhaps the finest pictorial range in the United States or even North America.” ~Thomas Moran, while painting the Tetons from the Idaho side, 1879
“Some day I hope to learn more about the sun and the stars, at that time we shall all meet up there, but for the present I prefer to have the boundaries shown by our familiar rivers and mountains.” ~Washakie, 1876
The old buzzards and their Fannie Mae are roosting for their second night at the Jackson, Wyoming, Motel 6. They took a day trip (after breakfast in their room) to the Grand Teton National Park. There were reports of from 5 to 6 fires in the area but none were supposed to be of any concern to Park visitors. According to the park ranger at the visitor center, only one was in the park and it was surrounded by a boulder field. From what we understand, boulders don't burn.
We headed north out of Jackson into the park at Moose Junction. We drove up Teton Park Drive as far as Oxbow Bend, turned east to Moran Junction and headed back to Jackson. For you mileage madness players, we stayed on Teton Park Drive except for a scenic loop around Jenny Lake and a drive up to Signal Mountain which was around three miles in and three miles to come back down.
If you go to Yellowstone you should also plan to have at least one day to spend in the Tetons. They are truly majestic and are located just south of Yellowstone. In fact, the northern border of the Grand Teton NP touches the southern border of Yellowstone NP. Linda kept finding herself humming America the Beautiful as we would round a corner and come upon still another spectacular view. The original 1920 Grand Teton National Park protected only the Teton Range and six piedmont lakes. To preserve valley lands not included in the first legislation, Jackson Hole National Monument was established in 1943 (a stellar year). In 1950 President Harry Truman signed a bill uniting the 1929 park with the 1943 monument thereby enlarging the park to its present size of 310,000 acres.
The largest of the mountains in the Teton Range is aptly named Grand Teton. It towers to 13,770 ft. North of Grand Teton is Mount Moran which reaches 12,605 ft. Mount Moran is named after the painter, Thomas Moran, who is quoted above.
The day was a little hazy which you will likely notice in today's photo gallery. John said it reminded him of the Great Smokey Mountains. Despite that, we think this is the ideal time to come to this park. It was crowded compared to other parks we have been to on this trip but, by all reports, it is a real zoo (of people) in the summertime.
At the southern end of the park is a rustic Episcopal chapel that was built in the summer of 1925. It was built for travelers and is constructed of lodgepole pine, with pews of quaking aspen, both cut in the valley. Above the altar is a plate glass reredos window framing the Grand Tetons. What a wonderful view to have, even during the dullest of homilies! It has other beautiful windows as well, some of them are stained glass. The land for the church was donated by Miss Maude Noble who owned the property during the 1920s. At that time there were dude ranches all around the area and the dudes and dudettes wanted a closer place to worship than having to drive all the way into Jackson. Regular services are still held and the doors are open around the clock during the tourist season.
There are many lakes in the park, the most popular being Jenny Lake. It was named after the Native American wife of an early explorer. She was helpful to the pioneers and when she died (at a young age) the lake was named after her. The lakes were formed by natural dams that were result of the movements of glaciers and the rocks they displaced.
On the trail to Jenny Lake, Linda came upon a group being guided by a park ranger. She paused to hear him explain what a debt of gratitude we owe to John Rockefeller who bought up thousands of acres of land in this area for the purpose of it being preserved forever. This was during a period when cheap and tacky lodges had sprung up all around the area. They would burn down because of fire problems and spring right back up. Rockefeller did the purchases quietly (through his Snake River Land Company) and paid fair market value so everybody was happy. He also bought up lots of ranch land from downhearted ranchers who were tired of the risks and hardships of ranching, especially after cattle ranching reached an economic low in 1925. Eventually, Rockefeller purchased 32,000 acres of land. Then, once he made his offer to give the land away, it took the U.S. Government three years to decide whether to accept it or not. Duh! Even then it took politicians a long time to agree on anything.
Have you ever seen a house with so much dirt on the roof that there were plants growing on it? We stopped at the Cunningham Cabin turnoff where this land was homesteaded as the Bar Flying U Ranch by J. Pierce and Margaret Cunningham in the 1880s. This cabin is all that remains of the ranch but it is in remarkable condition. It is “dogtrot” style, common in eastern states. It consists of two small cabins joined with an open, covered breezeway. The floors are made of dirt that was wetted with water, compacted and swept. The roof has sod on it – how very green, then and now! The Cunninghams could surely win some kind of eco-friendly award in almost any state today. Well, maybe not California, we don't have any money!
The buzzards learned that what they had been calling split-rail fences are more properly known as buck-and-rail fences. They were an innovation of the first pioneer ranchers. This fencing system is named for the X-shaped braces or cross bucks used to support the horizontal rails. The fences are self-supporting and used where rails were easily obtained. Snow anchors the fence rather than toppling them and the buck-and-rail fences are easily repaired. With the invention of barbed wire after 1900, post-and-wire became commonly used for ranchers who could afford it. Later, with dude and dudette ranching and tourism, there was a resurgence in the use of the rustic buck-and-rail fences.
You really get your money's worth today with 85 images in the photo gallery. You can view them by clicking here.
We took Hwy 390 back to Jackson and stopped at an Albertsons to get late lunch fixings for ham sandwiches, along with grapes and bananas.
Dinner was at a unique bar joint named The Bird. John had been searching for a place to eat and was, frankly, more impressed by the wording on their menu than anything else. There was much humor in what was written. You gotta love a place that has the temerity to put a sign up over their bar that reads "F*** Off, WE'RE CLOSED!" You might enjoy reading their menu (a pdf file) which you can get by clicking here. John had a burger called "The Jefferson". It was a 1/4 pounder with bacon and blue cheese. Linda had the "Bushy Beaver" a veggie burger, "The best homemade veggie burger that your hippie tongue will ever taste". Both buzzards had a glass of Spaten Optimator, a really yummy dark beer. Oh, and their special homemade ice cream today was Maple Bourbon. You had to be 21 to order it. Linda and John split a dish and it was marvelous.
Rest well. Short drive tomorrow, but lots to see on the way. Don't know how good or reliable our wifi will be in West Yellowstone, but we'll let you know when we do!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Yellowstone Road Trip - Day 13
“The question is not what you look at, but what you see.” ~Henry David Thoreau
Departed Casper, Wyoming at 8:37 after a Brightside Breakfast (John was wrong, it is NOT a Sunnyside Breakfast!) at LaQuinta. We shared a table with a nice fellow, also named John, from Cheyenne who had been displaced from his room near the Casper Mountain fire that we told you about yesterday. He is a salesman of equipment to the oil industry and explained some of the advances in that field to us. His company just completed a record setting slant hole well of more than 19,000 feet.
Breakfast for Wilma was purchased at Common Cents for $3.599 a gallon. We headed west on Hwy 20/26 and soon came to Powder River, population 51. It has seen better days. We stopped to take a photo of the Tumble Inn sign and building, the Supply Wagon sign and building and a boarded up motel with a reserved parking sign. Then back on the road again. John started making up a song about Powder River to the tune of Willie Nelson's Whiskey River. Remember, our Road Trip rules do not allow radio or TV and Linda couldn't hit him too hard because he was driving. Actually, she didn't hit him at all. But it was funny later when he couldn't get the tune out of his head for the rest of the day.
A few more miles down the road we stopped at Hell's Half Acre. This is a natural geologic feature known to cowboys as the “devil's kitchen” but today known as Hell's Half Acre. It consists of a 160 to 200-foot deep depression that formed as a result of erosion and downcutting by a small intermittent stream that is a tributary of the South Fork of the Powder River, which lies two miles to the southeast. Parts of it were formed 50 million years ago when a tropical climate prevailed in this area and palm trees flourished, There are red and yellow banks which are the remnants of soils that formed in a tropical environment. It looked quite forbidding and viewers are discouraged from going past the boundaries by a tall chain link fence topped by barbed wire. You can find more information on Hell's Half Acre by clicking here.
One of the towns we went through was Wind River, Wyoming. Then, we kept crossing the Wind River, over and over and over again. It twisted and turned so many times to cross the highway. Perhaps the "i" in Wind is a long "i".
At Shoshoni, population 689, we noticed the Shoshoni Senior's Center on the main drag. It was a very nice building and there was a van parked outside with signage indicating it was for senior transportation. We stopped to ask how the van parked outside was funded. The old buzzards live in a town of almost 40,000 and its senior center has a great need for transportation of seniors but no funding for a van. We found that it was funded through a federal grant that is administered through the state department of transportation. Other notes: they serve lunch to around 26 seniors a day (a very large percentage of the town's population) and the lunch price is $4.00. At home, our Centennial Recreation Senior Center serves between 85 and 105 per day at $3.00. There are some photos of the Shoshoni Senior Center and their van in today's photo gallery.
We lunched on the road after stopping at a gas station in Kinnear. John had a diet Coke and a package of cashews. Linda had a ruby red grapefruit drink and her Raw Bits Twang Twang (she forgot to take them with her to the Brightside Breakfast room this morning).
John spotted an interesting old steel bridge that was across the Bull River so we stopped to photo it and the rushingi river. Both old buzzards seem to be attracted to old things which is a good thing, considering their advancing years. He also spotted an old, abandoned hunting club building with deer and elk antlers attacched to the gables.
After getting some glimpses of the Teton Mountains we arrived in Jackson at around 3:45. We will visit Grand Teton National Park tomorrow.
Dinner was at El Abuelito's (The Grandfather). John asked Linda if she was in the mood for Mexican food. She said “Sure, I haven't had any since last night!” And, he had The Mexi Burger! Tonight, Linda had a bean & avocado tostada. John had Carne Asada with rice, beans, guacamole and two homemade flour tortillas. Both of the old buzzards enjoyed their roadkill!
Even though there were no planned adventures, there are 42 photos in today's gallery and you can view them by clicking here. That's the joy of having a relatively short drive. You can stop anytime you see something that catches your fancy.
Rastros felices Senoras y Senoritas y Senors.
Departed Casper, Wyoming at 8:37 after a Brightside Breakfast (John was wrong, it is NOT a Sunnyside Breakfast!) at LaQuinta. We shared a table with a nice fellow, also named John, from Cheyenne who had been displaced from his room near the Casper Mountain fire that we told you about yesterday. He is a salesman of equipment to the oil industry and explained some of the advances in that field to us. His company just completed a record setting slant hole well of more than 19,000 feet.
Breakfast for Wilma was purchased at Common Cents for $3.599 a gallon. We headed west on Hwy 20/26 and soon came to Powder River, population 51. It has seen better days. We stopped to take a photo of the Tumble Inn sign and building, the Supply Wagon sign and building and a boarded up motel with a reserved parking sign. Then back on the road again. John started making up a song about Powder River to the tune of Willie Nelson's Whiskey River. Remember, our Road Trip rules do not allow radio or TV and Linda couldn't hit him too hard because he was driving. Actually, she didn't hit him at all. But it was funny later when he couldn't get the tune out of his head for the rest of the day.
A few more miles down the road we stopped at Hell's Half Acre. This is a natural geologic feature known to cowboys as the “devil's kitchen” but today known as Hell's Half Acre. It consists of a 160 to 200-foot deep depression that formed as a result of erosion and downcutting by a small intermittent stream that is a tributary of the South Fork of the Powder River, which lies two miles to the southeast. Parts of it were formed 50 million years ago when a tropical climate prevailed in this area and palm trees flourished, There are red and yellow banks which are the remnants of soils that formed in a tropical environment. It looked quite forbidding and viewers are discouraged from going past the boundaries by a tall chain link fence topped by barbed wire. You can find more information on Hell's Half Acre by clicking here.
One of the towns we went through was Wind River, Wyoming. Then, we kept crossing the Wind River, over and over and over again. It twisted and turned so many times to cross the highway. Perhaps the "i" in Wind is a long "i".
At Shoshoni, population 689, we noticed the Shoshoni Senior's Center on the main drag. It was a very nice building and there was a van parked outside with signage indicating it was for senior transportation. We stopped to ask how the van parked outside was funded. The old buzzards live in a town of almost 40,000 and its senior center has a great need for transportation of seniors but no funding for a van. We found that it was funded through a federal grant that is administered through the state department of transportation. Other notes: they serve lunch to around 26 seniors a day (a very large percentage of the town's population) and the lunch price is $4.00. At home, our Centennial Recreation Senior Center serves between 85 and 105 per day at $3.00. There are some photos of the Shoshoni Senior Center and their van in today's photo gallery.
We lunched on the road after stopping at a gas station in Kinnear. John had a diet Coke and a package of cashews. Linda had a ruby red grapefruit drink and her Raw Bits Twang Twang (she forgot to take them with her to the Brightside Breakfast room this morning).
John spotted an interesting old steel bridge that was across the Bull River so we stopped to photo it and the rushingi river. Both old buzzards seem to be attracted to old things which is a good thing, considering their advancing years. He also spotted an old, abandoned hunting club building with deer and elk antlers attacched to the gables.
After getting some glimpses of the Teton Mountains we arrived in Jackson at around 3:45. We will visit Grand Teton National Park tomorrow.
Dinner was at El Abuelito's (The Grandfather). John asked Linda if she was in the mood for Mexican food. She said “Sure, I haven't had any since last night!” And, he had The Mexi Burger! Tonight, Linda had a bean & avocado tostada. John had Carne Asada with rice, beans, guacamole and two homemade flour tortillas. Both of the old buzzards enjoyed their roadkill!
Even though there were no planned adventures, there are 42 photos in today's gallery and you can view them by clicking here. That's the joy of having a relatively short drive. You can stop anytime you see something that catches your fancy.
Rastros felices Senoras y Senoritas y Senors.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Yellowstone Road Trip - Day 12
“Morning pleasant. We went out to the hills. The wind soon commenced blowing a perfect gale. Sand blew with such violence as to be painful even to our hands. We were almost blinded.” ~Celinda E. Hines Day 5 on the California Trail
“I have just washed the dust out of my eyes so that I can see to get supper.” Amelia Knight, 1853 Day 22 on the Oregon Trail
Day 12 on the Old Buzzard and Fannie Mae Trail The old buzzard entourage left their Motel 6 room in Gillette, Wyoming at 8:03. All were very pleased with the clean and pleasant accommodations. And a first for the buzzards at a Motel 6 – the room even had a fridge and microwave. Wahoo! Since our last experience with a Motel 6 wifi wasn't so great, John decided to see how good the signal was before paying their $2.95 plus tax charge. The signal was excellent! So, John saunters back up to the front desk and tells our friendly clerk, Jonae, he wants to pay for wifi and get the login. She said, "Since I didn't ask if you wanted wifi when you checked in, it's free". Now we know how to handle wifi at Motel 6.
We took Hwy 59 south after gassing up for $3.659 at the Flying J (a new one to us). At 17 miles south of Gillette we stopped to take photos of a snow fence. Linda thought John was teasing yesterday when he told her that's what the open slanted pieces of wood were for. Wikipedia has a very good explanation of how they work if you didn't know either. To get a better photo vantage point, Linda took down the rancher's barb wire gate, ignored the No Trespassing sign on the gate post and went right in. John was listening for gun shots. Fortunately, he didn't hear any. The gate latch is a pretty clever device and there's a photo of it in today's gallery.
In the same area there were oil wells in operation and we soon saw a train hauling lots of cars heaped with coal. We have seen wind turbines off and on. Energy is Wyoming's largest industry and the state is the top exporter of energy to the rest of the country.
At Douglas we turned onto Interstate 25 but first John decided to get out of his Starbucks comfort zone and have a Hava Java. Wilma said “Destination ahead . . . on the right” then “Destination” but there was only a pipe plant and various other non-coffee businesses. So he searched for the Golden Arches and had a McCoffee. Seems like some McDonald's just aren't with the up-scale coffees, so he had to settle for a senior coffee at $0.41, including tax.
When we got on 25 headed west we were on the lookout for a turnoff for Ayres (StWW) Natural Bridge Park. It is a park operated by Converse County. The turnoff was just a few miles out of Douglas. Linda's maiden name is Ayers, so STWW stands for "Spelled the Wrong Way". It was soon green, green, green after the turnoff with cattle grazing and lush fields aplenty. We reached the Ayres (StWW) park after about 6 miles. It was lush and well-maintained but not at all pet friendly. If it was spelled Ayers it would have probably been more pet friendly. So our visit was fairly short, just long enough to photo the Ayres (StWW) Natural Bridge and for Linda to relocate (that's what her friend Pat calls it) an Ayres (StWW) rock. John calls it "pilfering". The Ayres (StWW) Bridge is 20 feet high and has a 40-foot span at the base.
Soon after we got back onto 20 (header for Casper, Wyoming) we could see smoke from a fire going at Casper Mountain. You will see some photos of the sky in today's photo gallery. The fire started around 4:00pm yesterday and the origin is still unknown. It has burned more than 6,000 acres, including two structures and, as of this afternoon, was 0% contained. Fortunately, we had some rain later in the afternoon.
When we got to Casper our LaQuinta room was not ready so we went to a park and had a picnic lunch out of our snack bin. When Linda wandered off to check out the river (i.e. take a leak) she disturbed a deer who came out to stare at her and then loped away across the open, grassy park. John looked up just in time to see the deer run across the park and thought, what's a deer doing here?
The Fort Caspar Museum was just down the street so we went there next. Haven't figured out yet why the Fort is spelled Caspar and the town is spelled Casper. Didn't notice to ask while we were there. UPDATE: John found that it was due to a typographical error when the name of the town was registered. It should have been named "Caspar". Took a printer to figure that one out! Fannie Mae was permitted onto the grounds to explore the fort with us (after we paid the appropriate admission fees) and it was quite interesting.
Native Americans, mountain men, fur traders, emigrants and the U.S. Army all visited or lived in the Casper area during the mid-1800s. The North Platte River valley was the pathway for the Oregon/California/Mormon Pioneer and Pony Express Trails across the plains. In 1847 Brigham Young led the Mormons from Winter Quarters in present day Nebraska to their new home in the Great Salt Lake Valley. You can see some photos from Fort Caspar in today's photo gallery.
After our tour of Fort Caspar we returned to La Quinta and since our room was still not ready we headed out for another museum, this one dedicated to the various trails that came through the Casper area in the mid 1800s. John had been told that it was at the top of a hill and he spotted a building with a red roof so he let Linda out at a path leading towards it and parked to wait for her. As she got closer and closer to the building it seemed that they were not having a very busy day. Then she noticed the words Box Office across the end nearest her. The Box Office was closed but she found two workers who explained that it was an event center and that the museum was on the opposite side of the road from where the path started. So she trekked back to where the path started, went across the street and made her way to the museum. There were some interesting engraved rocks along the entrance with quotes from various people who had journied on the various trails across the Caspar area during the mid-1800s. When she got to the door it was locked because the museum is not open on Mondays. Oh, well, maybe some other time. There was a nice statue of two pony express riders that was out in the open.
Finally our room at LaQuinta was ready so we moved in and set up camp – John began downloading photos while Linda went to do laundry and dangle her feet in the indoor pool next door to the laundry.
Today's photo gallery has 74 images. You can view the gallery by clicking here.
Below is a 6 minute video of Ayres Natural Bridge, a shot of the Casper Mountain fire and some clips of Fort Caspar.
We had dinner at the Wonder Bar in downtown Caspar. Linda had the salad bar, a bowl of green chili, homemade tato chips and a glass of Merlot. John had The Mexi Burger (normally, open-faced, but he had no bun at all). The Mexi Burger is a burger covered with green or red chili (John had green), jalapenos, cheese and onions. He also had a dinner salad. Oh, and The Mexi Burgers also came with homemade tater chips. (Not tato!)
Everything was excellent, especially the chips and green chili and it was a really cute place with lots of historical photos and decorations.
Happy trails!
“I have just washed the dust out of my eyes so that I can see to get supper.” Amelia Knight, 1853 Day 22 on the Oregon Trail
Day 12 on the Old Buzzard and Fannie Mae Trail The old buzzard entourage left their Motel 6 room in Gillette, Wyoming at 8:03. All were very pleased with the clean and pleasant accommodations. And a first for the buzzards at a Motel 6 – the room even had a fridge and microwave. Wahoo! Since our last experience with a Motel 6 wifi wasn't so great, John decided to see how good the signal was before paying their $2.95 plus tax charge. The signal was excellent! So, John saunters back up to the front desk and tells our friendly clerk, Jonae, he wants to pay for wifi and get the login. She said, "Since I didn't ask if you wanted wifi when you checked in, it's free". Now we know how to handle wifi at Motel 6.
We took Hwy 59 south after gassing up for $3.659 at the Flying J (a new one to us). At 17 miles south of Gillette we stopped to take photos of a snow fence. Linda thought John was teasing yesterday when he told her that's what the open slanted pieces of wood were for. Wikipedia has a very good explanation of how they work if you didn't know either. To get a better photo vantage point, Linda took down the rancher's barb wire gate, ignored the No Trespassing sign on the gate post and went right in. John was listening for gun shots. Fortunately, he didn't hear any. The gate latch is a pretty clever device and there's a photo of it in today's gallery.
In the same area there were oil wells in operation and we soon saw a train hauling lots of cars heaped with coal. We have seen wind turbines off and on. Energy is Wyoming's largest industry and the state is the top exporter of energy to the rest of the country.
At Douglas we turned onto Interstate 25 but first John decided to get out of his Starbucks comfort zone and have a Hava Java. Wilma said “Destination ahead . . . on the right” then “Destination” but there was only a pipe plant and various other non-coffee businesses. So he searched for the Golden Arches and had a McCoffee. Seems like some McDonald's just aren't with the up-scale coffees, so he had to settle for a senior coffee at $0.41, including tax.
When we got on 25 headed west we were on the lookout for a turnoff for Ayres (StWW) Natural Bridge Park. It is a park operated by Converse County. The turnoff was just a few miles out of Douglas. Linda's maiden name is Ayers, so STWW stands for "Spelled the Wrong Way". It was soon green, green, green after the turnoff with cattle grazing and lush fields aplenty. We reached the Ayres (StWW) park after about 6 miles. It was lush and well-maintained but not at all pet friendly. If it was spelled Ayers it would have probably been more pet friendly. So our visit was fairly short, just long enough to photo the Ayres (StWW) Natural Bridge and for Linda to relocate (that's what her friend Pat calls it) an Ayres (StWW) rock. John calls it "pilfering". The Ayres (StWW) Bridge is 20 feet high and has a 40-foot span at the base.
Soon after we got back onto 20 (header for Casper, Wyoming) we could see smoke from a fire going at Casper Mountain. You will see some photos of the sky in today's photo gallery. The fire started around 4:00pm yesterday and the origin is still unknown. It has burned more than 6,000 acres, including two structures and, as of this afternoon, was 0% contained. Fortunately, we had some rain later in the afternoon.
When we got to Casper our LaQuinta room was not ready so we went to a park and had a picnic lunch out of our snack bin. When Linda wandered off to check out the river (i.e. take a leak) she disturbed a deer who came out to stare at her and then loped away across the open, grassy park. John looked up just in time to see the deer run across the park and thought, what's a deer doing here?
The Fort Caspar Museum was just down the street so we went there next. Haven't figured out yet why the Fort is spelled Caspar and the town is spelled Casper. Didn't notice to ask while we were there. UPDATE: John found that it was due to a typographical error when the name of the town was registered. It should have been named "Caspar". Took a printer to figure that one out! Fannie Mae was permitted onto the grounds to explore the fort with us (after we paid the appropriate admission fees) and it was quite interesting.
Native Americans, mountain men, fur traders, emigrants and the U.S. Army all visited or lived in the Casper area during the mid-1800s. The North Platte River valley was the pathway for the Oregon/California/Mormon Pioneer and Pony Express Trails across the plains. In 1847 Brigham Young led the Mormons from Winter Quarters in present day Nebraska to their new home in the Great Salt Lake Valley. You can see some photos from Fort Caspar in today's photo gallery.
After our tour of Fort Caspar we returned to La Quinta and since our room was still not ready we headed out for another museum, this one dedicated to the various trails that came through the Casper area in the mid 1800s. John had been told that it was at the top of a hill and he spotted a building with a red roof so he let Linda out at a path leading towards it and parked to wait for her. As she got closer and closer to the building it seemed that they were not having a very busy day. Then she noticed the words Box Office across the end nearest her. The Box Office was closed but she found two workers who explained that it was an event center and that the museum was on the opposite side of the road from where the path started. So she trekked back to where the path started, went across the street and made her way to the museum. There were some interesting engraved rocks along the entrance with quotes from various people who had journied on the various trails across the Caspar area during the mid-1800s. When she got to the door it was locked because the museum is not open on Mondays. Oh, well, maybe some other time. There was a nice statue of two pony express riders that was out in the open.
Finally our room at LaQuinta was ready so we moved in and set up camp – John began downloading photos while Linda went to do laundry and dangle her feet in the indoor pool next door to the laundry.
Today's photo gallery has 74 images. You can view the gallery by clicking here.
Below is a 6 minute video of Ayres Natural Bridge, a shot of the Casper Mountain fire and some clips of Fort Caspar.
We had dinner at the Wonder Bar in downtown Caspar. Linda had the salad bar, a bowl of green chili, homemade tato chips and a glass of Merlot. John had The Mexi Burger (normally, open-faced, but he had no bun at all). The Mexi Burger is a burger covered with green or red chili (John had green), jalapenos, cheese and onions. He also had a dinner salad. Oh, and The Mexi Burgers also came with homemade tater chips. (Not tato!)
Everything was excellent, especially the chips and green chili and it was a really cute place with lots of historical photos and decorations.
Happy trails!
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Yellowstone Road Trip - Day 11
“A dark mist lay over the Black Hills, and the land was like iron. At the top of the ridge I caught sight of Devil's Tower upthrust against the gray sky as if in the birth of time the core of the earth had broken through its crust and the motion of the world was begun. There are things in nature that engender an awful quiet in the heart of man; Devil's Tower is one of them.”
~N. Scott Momaday
The two old buzzards and their Fannie Mae headed out from Rapid City, South Dakota headed for Gillette, Wyoming (and points in between) at 8:23 after a Sunshine/Sunrise La Quinta Breakfast. Gas was procured for $3.699 and at the same place Linda got ice and got her photo taken on some old guy's lap. She took a photo of the Mobil attendant because she had such an interesting name tag. She was a native American and she made her name tag (including the Mobile logo) out of beads. Sounds like a loyal long-term employee.
Leaving Rapid City we passed by a very cute mini-golf place with a pirate theme. There was a gas/convenience store chain we had never seen – Common Sense. Not so common in California, sad to say.
Since our route took us by Sturgis we decided to stop off and get some espresso and take a look at the self-proclaimed largest biker bar anywhere – Full Throttle Saloon – as seen on reality TV. When Wilma said “destination” for the Bookery and Espresso Bar we only saw a "for lease" sign. There must not have been enough demand for books and coffee in Sturgis. Now if it had been touting Beer and Bikes they would have probably had a hit.
Linda spotted a business named "Flowers by Rose" and wanted to photograph the cute house and the unique sign carved into a dead tree. The other unusual thing about the florist was that it seemed to be a gardening type person instead of just a business that imports flowers and makes arrangements. Linda liked that. There were lots of hanging baskets and flowers growing in the yard.
After taking detour we ended up outside of town at the Full Throttle Saloon. We didn't see Michael Ballard (owner). Probably on vacation after the rally. Obviously the bartender could tell we weren't bikers there to drink so she didn't even bother to say "hello" and just let us take all the photos we wanted. And, after all, she was busy texting and smoking. So, including the famous Full Throttle donkey enjoying his oats in the bar, there were two asses in there.
Next we headed to Deadwood, South Dakota, a national historical monument town. It was very cute and touristy. There's a mix of casinos, hotels, bars, restaurants, souvenir shops, bling bling. The downtown is historical looking with its brick streets (just like Plainview, Texas where Linda grew up). Willie Nelson and Rory Hoffman are performing at the Mountain Grand Hotel. There is a Deadwood trolley and bus tours. We didn't stop to take pictures, buy John did hook up the Hero2 video camera to the windshield and we did a drive-by. We'll add that video to this posting soon and let you know when it's here.
After Deadwood, John finally found a Starbucks at a Safeway in Spearfish, SD. Then it was only nine miles until we got to the Wyoming border. We stayed on Interstate 90 until it was time to exit for Devil's Tower, America's first National Monument (1906). John bet Linda a dollar that it would be seven miles after they turned off the main road on the way to it. His theory is that all National Monuments are seven miles off of a main road. Sure enough he was right. Maybe Wilma slipped him the answer. (Note to John: Don't teach Linda to calculate remaining mileage on Wilma's GPS system. It will cost you money.)
What we both felt about Devil's Tower is that it is the most interesting of all the sights we have seen so far on this road trip. We are big fans of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and had always wanted to see Devil's Tower. After all, it must mean something. Neither one of us was at all disappointed. We took lots of photos because it is possible to shoot it from almost every direction. There is a wonderful 1.3 mile trail that goes around the entire tower. We won't put all the photos into the gallery but will try to give you a nice, large taste what you can see there. The weather was ideal for photos and hiking and climbing. There must have been between 10 and 20 climbers clinging onto various parts of the tower today. The climbers look really tiny from the trail but you can make one or two out in the photos.
After leaving Devil's Tower, lunch was bananas and sunshine bars in the car. At Moorcroft, as we drove down the main drag there were prominent signs directing visitors to the West Texas Trail Museum. Linda grew up in West Texas so we just had to check it out. And, the old buzzards met at Texas Tech in West Texas. Sadly, the museum is closed on Sundays but we took a couple of photos and learned that Moorcroft got its start for being where the West Texas Trail crosses the highway. Herds of Texas longhorn cattle were pushed through the area in the late 1800s giving homesteaders a reason to settle in Moorcroft.
We made it to our Motel 6 room in Gillette, Wyoming by 3:30 pm., unpacked and relaxed for a while before attempting to go to dinner at The Golden Corral. Seems the Golden Corral is still a buffet....if you want to go to a sushi buffet. Not our cup of tea. So, we went to a Village Inn (a chain in this area). Linda had a very nice chef salad with salsa as dressing. John had a chopped stead with mushrooms, broccoli and sliced tomatoes. One piece of Texas Toast. And, drumroll, a piece of Caramel Pecan Chocolate Silk pie. Admittedly, it was a small piece, but deeeeelicious.
As you might expect, today's photo gallery has loads of pictures of Devil's Tower National Monument, along with some photos we took on a brief visit to Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis. You can view the 81 image photo gallery by clicking here.
Below is a 6 minute video of downtown Deadwood, SD and some video of Devil's Tower, Wyoming.
So, for now, happy trails and sleep well tonight under the clear Wyoming sky.
~N. Scott Momaday
The two old buzzards and their Fannie Mae headed out from Rapid City, South Dakota headed for Gillette, Wyoming (and points in between) at 8:23 after a Sunshine/Sunrise La Quinta Breakfast. Gas was procured for $3.699 and at the same place Linda got ice and got her photo taken on some old guy's lap. She took a photo of the Mobil attendant because she had such an interesting name tag. She was a native American and she made her name tag (including the Mobile logo) out of beads. Sounds like a loyal long-term employee.
Leaving Rapid City we passed by a very cute mini-golf place with a pirate theme. There was a gas/convenience store chain we had never seen – Common Sense. Not so common in California, sad to say.
Since our route took us by Sturgis we decided to stop off and get some espresso and take a look at the self-proclaimed largest biker bar anywhere – Full Throttle Saloon – as seen on reality TV. When Wilma said “destination” for the Bookery and Espresso Bar we only saw a "for lease" sign. There must not have been enough demand for books and coffee in Sturgis. Now if it had been touting Beer and Bikes they would have probably had a hit.
Linda spotted a business named "Flowers by Rose" and wanted to photograph the cute house and the unique sign carved into a dead tree. The other unusual thing about the florist was that it seemed to be a gardening type person instead of just a business that imports flowers and makes arrangements. Linda liked that. There were lots of hanging baskets and flowers growing in the yard.
After taking detour we ended up outside of town at the Full Throttle Saloon. We didn't see Michael Ballard (owner). Probably on vacation after the rally. Obviously the bartender could tell we weren't bikers there to drink so she didn't even bother to say "hello" and just let us take all the photos we wanted. And, after all, she was busy texting and smoking. So, including the famous Full Throttle donkey enjoying his oats in the bar, there were two asses in there.
Next we headed to Deadwood, South Dakota, a national historical monument town. It was very cute and touristy. There's a mix of casinos, hotels, bars, restaurants, souvenir shops, bling bling. The downtown is historical looking with its brick streets (just like Plainview, Texas where Linda grew up). Willie Nelson and Rory Hoffman are performing at the Mountain Grand Hotel. There is a Deadwood trolley and bus tours. We didn't stop to take pictures, buy John did hook up the Hero2 video camera to the windshield and we did a drive-by. We'll add that video to this posting soon and let you know when it's here.
After Deadwood, John finally found a Starbucks at a Safeway in Spearfish, SD. Then it was only nine miles until we got to the Wyoming border. We stayed on Interstate 90 until it was time to exit for Devil's Tower, America's first National Monument (1906). John bet Linda a dollar that it would be seven miles after they turned off the main road on the way to it. His theory is that all National Monuments are seven miles off of a main road. Sure enough he was right. Maybe Wilma slipped him the answer. (Note to John: Don't teach Linda to calculate remaining mileage on Wilma's GPS system. It will cost you money.)
What we both felt about Devil's Tower is that it is the most interesting of all the sights we have seen so far on this road trip. We are big fans of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and had always wanted to see Devil's Tower. After all, it must mean something. Neither one of us was at all disappointed. We took lots of photos because it is possible to shoot it from almost every direction. There is a wonderful 1.3 mile trail that goes around the entire tower. We won't put all the photos into the gallery but will try to give you a nice, large taste what you can see there. The weather was ideal for photos and hiking and climbing. There must have been between 10 and 20 climbers clinging onto various parts of the tower today. The climbers look really tiny from the trail but you can make one or two out in the photos.
After leaving Devil's Tower, lunch was bananas and sunshine bars in the car. At Moorcroft, as we drove down the main drag there were prominent signs directing visitors to the West Texas Trail Museum. Linda grew up in West Texas so we just had to check it out. And, the old buzzards met at Texas Tech in West Texas. Sadly, the museum is closed on Sundays but we took a couple of photos and learned that Moorcroft got its start for being where the West Texas Trail crosses the highway. Herds of Texas longhorn cattle were pushed through the area in the late 1800s giving homesteaders a reason to settle in Moorcroft.
We made it to our Motel 6 room in Gillette, Wyoming by 3:30 pm., unpacked and relaxed for a while before attempting to go to dinner at The Golden Corral. Seems the Golden Corral is still a buffet....if you want to go to a sushi buffet. Not our cup of tea. So, we went to a Village Inn (a chain in this area). Linda had a very nice chef salad with salsa as dressing. John had a chopped stead with mushrooms, broccoli and sliced tomatoes. One piece of Texas Toast. And, drumroll, a piece of Caramel Pecan Chocolate Silk pie. Admittedly, it was a small piece, but deeeeelicious.
As you might expect, today's photo gallery has loads of pictures of Devil's Tower National Monument, along with some photos we took on a brief visit to Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis. You can view the 81 image photo gallery by clicking here.
Below is a 6 minute video of downtown Deadwood, SD and some video of Devil's Tower, Wyoming.
So, for now, happy trails and sleep well tonight under the clear Wyoming sky.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Yellowstone Road Trip - Day 10
“Adventure is a path. Real adventure forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world - the world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” ~Mark Jenkins
After our breakfast at America's Best Value Inn in Wall, South Dakota, we were on the road again at 7:50. We gassed up for $3.799 a gallon and headed south on Highway 240 then on Hwy 44 on the scenic route through Badlands National Park. As we approached the park entrance a yellow sign warned us to be cautious of the prairie dogs because they have the plague. They are cute but we were certainly convinced to avoid a firsthand encounter. You'll notice that the park entrance sign has bright, shiny things on top. Those are sharp little metal needles to keep the birds from landing on the top of the sign and pooping on it.
As we got into the park it reminded us of parts of the Painted Desert in Arizona but the colors were more muted – less reds and more grays. The layers were still very distinct, however. At one point where there was a castle-like formation atop one group, Linda counted at least 47 shades of gray with interspersed layers of the same pink over and over. The area was formed from deposition at the bottom of a sea during millions of years, subsequent erosion and some volcanic activity thrown in for good measure. Where there are colors it represents that there were living creatures and plants at one time. We soon came to areas with yellows, also greens. The greens seemed to be from vegetation. In one area there were green flat places among the formations, not valleys but on a level as high as many of the uneven surfaces. Look for them in the photo gallery.
For a ten minute video trip through the Badlands National Park, including some prairie dog footage and a big horn sheep, just view the video below. We really like the music we picked for this video. The first selection is "A Ride Through the Black Hills" by David Anthony. How appropriate is that? The second is "Cloudland" by Patrick O'Hearn. Hope you like them as well.
The Badlands were named from a Lakota name meaning bad lands (mako sica). Early French fur trappers called the area “les mauvaises terres a traverser” which also means bad lands. With rattlesnakes, rocky soil, great winds (Linda had to hold onto her hat) and uneven questionable water supplies, it is easy to see why Indians called them bad. They do have an appealing beauty but not the kind that would have made it easy to put food on the table for the Indians. The peaks, gullies, buttes and wide prairies of the Badlands were challenging to cross until the nice paved roads of today's National Park.
We thoroughly enjoyed the visitor center and our scenic drive through the park. There are many vistas where it is easy to pull over and enjoy the formations. Around one bend we came to a beautiful lake called Horsethief Lake. It was created in the 1930s as a Civilian Conservation Core (CCC) project when a dam was built on Pine Creek. The CCC was a work relief program created by Franklin Roosevelt. It sent young, unemployed men to work on conservation projects. For their hard work, they received $1.00 a day.
After leaving this very interesting park we were still on Hwy 44 until we got onto Hwy 16 west and headed for the Crazy Horse Memorial. It is the world's largest emerging mountain sculpture (641 feet long and 563 feet high). Summer of 2012 was focused on developing Crazy Horse's outstretched hand that rests in the horse's mane along the skyline. The rough shaping of the colossal horse's head is nearing completion. The Crazy Horse Memorial is now in its 65th year. It honors the leader of the Battle of Little Bighorn. It's near the geographic center of the U.S. and is considered sacred by many tribes of native Americans. If it took 65 years to get it finished this much, these two old buzzards won't get to see the finished product. Lots of informative photos included in today's gallery.
We left Crazy Horse and headed on Highway 16 to go the 17 miles to Mount Rushmore. That's where reality collided with fact. When John first spotted the Mount Rushmore carving and pointed it out to Linda she was surprised at its size. In photos and in her imagination she had always expected it to seem larger than it looked just then. Another fact that soon collided with both of the buzzards was the realization that there was no way to get to the park's entrance and the visitor center but through a gate leading to a parking area, run by a concessioner, that cost $11 (not a part of admission to the park). Oh, well, the buzzards coughed it up. There are also severe limitations on dogs on the paths and byways so John and Fannie stayed in Wilma while Linda went into the Visitor Center to get the Buzzard's passport stamped and get a park pin. There is a display of flags from every state on the walkway towards the viewing area. Even though Linda has seen many photos of workers standing next to George's nostrils, the carving somehow still didn't seem as large as she had expected it to appear. Thankfully you have all also seen hundreds of photos of Mount Rushmore and won't be disappointed that FDR is just a bit in the shadows in the photos Linda made. On a scale of 1 to 10, Mt. Rushmore rates about a 2 as being a "citizen friendly" national park. $11 to park, in John's mind, is absurd. He strongly recommends most any other of our national parks as being less crowded and more accessible. Heck, we've all seen Mt. Rushmore images a zillion times. Guess what....they are pretty accurate!
So the buzzards can mark Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse off their bucket list. But first John will have to put them on his. All in all, Linda was more excited about both of the carvings than John. She has dreamed of seeing Mount Rushmore since she was a child. Maybe that's why she expected it to seem larger than it looked to her today. She was not at all disappointed with Crazy Horse. She knew it was unfinished and the visitor center has great displays showing what will be carved where and a scaled-down replica of the finished carving. AND she got to pick out a sparkly granite rock that is part of the material blasted away during the ongoing project. OK, she actually got two rocks, since John had stayed in Wilma with Fannie while she went to the visitor center and she just knew he would want a rock too. (John comment: "Yeah, dude, Crazy Horse rocks!")
It was interesting to observe the many touristy businesses that have been developed in the area around these two attractions, and the signs they've come up with to attract paying customers. There is a reptile garden, Old McDonald's Farm (a petting zoo), Putz 'n Glow (black light miniature golf), Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns, Bear Country USA. And two different Mystery Spots. There has been no sign of vineyards, but yet we saw at least three wineries seemingly aimed at tourists: Prairie Berry Winery has Red Ass wine (made from rhubarb), Naked Winery has Buck Naked wine and there is a Stone Face Winery.
Today's photo gallery has 49 images, mostly of the Badlands National Park, but some of the Crazy Horse Memorial and Mt. Rushmore. We will add a video to this post at a future date and let you know. We shot some video in the Badlands and just have to process it and put it together. To view the photo gallery, click here.
We checked into our room at LaQuinta in Rapid City, South Dakota at 3:30 and spent some time pulling photos and video off the cameras and listening to the wild children next door run back and forth screaming up and down the hall. Fannie Mae is not a fan and neither are we. Our hope is that they will calm down and sleep tonight so we can as well. We called the motel desk before leaving for dinner and now that we are back the noise is mostly confined to their room. Well, actually they are fairly confined but their noise travels through the wall quite readily. We notified the desk again, and at 9:30pm it's a bit quiter.
We had a nice dinner at a local restaurant, the Millstone. We both had their soup and salad bar, which included desserts as well.
We then went to a Wall*Mart so John could get a jacket for our visit to Yellowstone. Linda is in highlighter heaven because she got a new set to use on the atlas where she charts our road trip progress.
Referencing today's quote we are glad to report that neither of us has collided with the earth and are mostly experiencing kindness from others and are enjoying offering kindness to others as well. This can have amusing results. At a convenience store Linda was in line for the women's restroom when a mom with a diaper and a baby got behind her. Both the men's and the women's restrooms became available at the same time so Linda just told the mom she could use the women's and Linda would use the men's. When Linda came out of the men's there were 2 guys in line and no line for the women's. Some explanation seemed necessary but since she couldn't think of one, Linda just ducked her head and headed for the exit. She thought of one today. She could have said “Howdy guys, I'm in drag and they told me not to use the women's room”. Oh, well, next time. Then today was true karma. John went in to get a soft drink (called pop around here) and use the facility at a convenience store. He was gone for the longest time. While she was waiting Linda saw lots of motorcycle guys hanging around. Then when it was her turn to go inside she had to laugh at the long line of guys for the men's room and NO line at all for the women's. Yea, karma! There is no black and white! Sometimes there can actually be a line at the men's room and no line for the women's room.
Happy trails!
After our breakfast at America's Best Value Inn in Wall, South Dakota, we were on the road again at 7:50. We gassed up for $3.799 a gallon and headed south on Highway 240 then on Hwy 44 on the scenic route through Badlands National Park. As we approached the park entrance a yellow sign warned us to be cautious of the prairie dogs because they have the plague. They are cute but we were certainly convinced to avoid a firsthand encounter. You'll notice that the park entrance sign has bright, shiny things on top. Those are sharp little metal needles to keep the birds from landing on the top of the sign and pooping on it.
As we got into the park it reminded us of parts of the Painted Desert in Arizona but the colors were more muted – less reds and more grays. The layers were still very distinct, however. At one point where there was a castle-like formation atop one group, Linda counted at least 47 shades of gray with interspersed layers of the same pink over and over. The area was formed from deposition at the bottom of a sea during millions of years, subsequent erosion and some volcanic activity thrown in for good measure. Where there are colors it represents that there were living creatures and plants at one time. We soon came to areas with yellows, also greens. The greens seemed to be from vegetation. In one area there were green flat places among the formations, not valleys but on a level as high as many of the uneven surfaces. Look for them in the photo gallery.
For a ten minute video trip through the Badlands National Park, including some prairie dog footage and a big horn sheep, just view the video below. We really like the music we picked for this video. The first selection is "A Ride Through the Black Hills" by David Anthony. How appropriate is that? The second is "Cloudland" by Patrick O'Hearn. Hope you like them as well.
The Badlands were named from a Lakota name meaning bad lands (mako sica). Early French fur trappers called the area “les mauvaises terres a traverser” which also means bad lands. With rattlesnakes, rocky soil, great winds (Linda had to hold onto her hat) and uneven questionable water supplies, it is easy to see why Indians called them bad. They do have an appealing beauty but not the kind that would have made it easy to put food on the table for the Indians. The peaks, gullies, buttes and wide prairies of the Badlands were challenging to cross until the nice paved roads of today's National Park.
We thoroughly enjoyed the visitor center and our scenic drive through the park. There are many vistas where it is easy to pull over and enjoy the formations. Around one bend we came to a beautiful lake called Horsethief Lake. It was created in the 1930s as a Civilian Conservation Core (CCC) project when a dam was built on Pine Creek. The CCC was a work relief program created by Franklin Roosevelt. It sent young, unemployed men to work on conservation projects. For their hard work, they received $1.00 a day.
After leaving this very interesting park we were still on Hwy 44 until we got onto Hwy 16 west and headed for the Crazy Horse Memorial. It is the world's largest emerging mountain sculpture (641 feet long and 563 feet high). Summer of 2012 was focused on developing Crazy Horse's outstretched hand that rests in the horse's mane along the skyline. The rough shaping of the colossal horse's head is nearing completion. The Crazy Horse Memorial is now in its 65th year. It honors the leader of the Battle of Little Bighorn. It's near the geographic center of the U.S. and is considered sacred by many tribes of native Americans. If it took 65 years to get it finished this much, these two old buzzards won't get to see the finished product. Lots of informative photos included in today's gallery.
We left Crazy Horse and headed on Highway 16 to go the 17 miles to Mount Rushmore. That's where reality collided with fact. When John first spotted the Mount Rushmore carving and pointed it out to Linda she was surprised at its size. In photos and in her imagination she had always expected it to seem larger than it looked just then. Another fact that soon collided with both of the buzzards was the realization that there was no way to get to the park's entrance and the visitor center but through a gate leading to a parking area, run by a concessioner, that cost $11 (not a part of admission to the park). Oh, well, the buzzards coughed it up. There are also severe limitations on dogs on the paths and byways so John and Fannie stayed in Wilma while Linda went into the Visitor Center to get the Buzzard's passport stamped and get a park pin. There is a display of flags from every state on the walkway towards the viewing area. Even though Linda has seen many photos of workers standing next to George's nostrils, the carving somehow still didn't seem as large as she had expected it to appear. Thankfully you have all also seen hundreds of photos of Mount Rushmore and won't be disappointed that FDR is just a bit in the shadows in the photos Linda made. On a scale of 1 to 10, Mt. Rushmore rates about a 2 as being a "citizen friendly" national park. $11 to park, in John's mind, is absurd. He strongly recommends most any other of our national parks as being less crowded and more accessible. Heck, we've all seen Mt. Rushmore images a zillion times. Guess what....they are pretty accurate!
So the buzzards can mark Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse off their bucket list. But first John will have to put them on his. All in all, Linda was more excited about both of the carvings than John. She has dreamed of seeing Mount Rushmore since she was a child. Maybe that's why she expected it to seem larger than it looked to her today. She was not at all disappointed with Crazy Horse. She knew it was unfinished and the visitor center has great displays showing what will be carved where and a scaled-down replica of the finished carving. AND she got to pick out a sparkly granite rock that is part of the material blasted away during the ongoing project. OK, she actually got two rocks, since John had stayed in Wilma with Fannie while she went to the visitor center and she just knew he would want a rock too. (John comment: "Yeah, dude, Crazy Horse rocks!")
It was interesting to observe the many touristy businesses that have been developed in the area around these two attractions, and the signs they've come up with to attract paying customers. There is a reptile garden, Old McDonald's Farm (a petting zoo), Putz 'n Glow (black light miniature golf), Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns, Bear Country USA. And two different Mystery Spots. There has been no sign of vineyards, but yet we saw at least three wineries seemingly aimed at tourists: Prairie Berry Winery has Red Ass wine (made from rhubarb), Naked Winery has Buck Naked wine and there is a Stone Face Winery.
Today's photo gallery has 49 images, mostly of the Badlands National Park, but some of the Crazy Horse Memorial and Mt. Rushmore. We will add a video to this post at a future date and let you know. We shot some video in the Badlands and just have to process it and put it together. To view the photo gallery, click here.
We checked into our room at LaQuinta in Rapid City, South Dakota at 3:30 and spent some time pulling photos and video off the cameras and listening to the wild children next door run back and forth screaming up and down the hall. Fannie Mae is not a fan and neither are we. Our hope is that they will calm down and sleep tonight so we can as well. We called the motel desk before leaving for dinner and now that we are back the noise is mostly confined to their room. Well, actually they are fairly confined but their noise travels through the wall quite readily. We notified the desk again, and at 9:30pm it's a bit quiter.
We had a nice dinner at a local restaurant, the Millstone. We both had their soup and salad bar, which included desserts as well.
We then went to a Wall*Mart so John could get a jacket for our visit to Yellowstone. Linda is in highlighter heaven because she got a new set to use on the atlas where she charts our road trip progress.
Referencing today's quote we are glad to report that neither of us has collided with the earth and are mostly experiencing kindness from others and are enjoying offering kindness to others as well. This can have amusing results. At a convenience store Linda was in line for the women's restroom when a mom with a diaper and a baby got behind her. Both the men's and the women's restrooms became available at the same time so Linda just told the mom she could use the women's and Linda would use the men's. When Linda came out of the men's there were 2 guys in line and no line for the women's. Some explanation seemed necessary but since she couldn't think of one, Linda just ducked her head and headed for the exit. She thought of one today. She could have said “Howdy guys, I'm in drag and they told me not to use the women's room”. Oh, well, next time. Then today was true karma. John went in to get a soft drink (called pop around here) and use the facility at a convenience store. He was gone for the longest time. While she was waiting Linda saw lots of motorcycle guys hanging around. Then when it was her turn to go inside she had to laugh at the long line of guys for the men's room and NO line at all for the women's. Yea, karma! There is no black and white! Sometimes there can actually be a line at the men's room and no line for the women's room.
Happy trails!
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