My 2009 Road Trip to South Dakota – Wyoming – Montana – Utah – Arizona – New Mexico – Colorado Part 2
On Monday 18th May, after a night spent at the Holiday Inn Express in Hot Springs ($92.87 including breakfast, for the two of us) we headed for Mount Rushmore. The route took us along the western perimeter of Custer State Park, where there were herds of bison. Some Pronghorns were also seen as well as prairie dogs and wild turkeys. Here are some interesting facts about pronghorns: they are the sole descendent of an ancient deer-like family, and are the fastest mammals on foot in the Western Hemisphere, capable of sprints up to 97 kilometers (60 miles) per hour. They carry the only forked horns in the world, and the only horns that are shed annually.  |
| Pronghorn grazing |
Bison grazing in South Dakota
This section of South Dakota forms part of an area called the Black Hills. The Black Hills National Forest covers more than 1.2 million acres, the drives are very scenic and there is much to see. Our scenic drive took us past Stockade Lake, and on to Custer.
Crazy Horse Memorial
About four miles north of the town of Custer is the Crazy Horse Memorial. This giant mountain sculpture was begun at the request of Lakota chiefs and it represents North American Indians of all tribes. On completion, the in-the-round figure of Crazy Horse astride his horse will be 563 feet high and 641 feet long, the largest statue in the world. The nine-story-high face of Crazy Horse is complete.
Another famous attraction in the Black Hills is Mount Rushmore, which is located near the town of Keystone. Keystone was established in 1894 as a gold mining town. It is now merely a tourist attraction. Mount Rushmore is where Gutzon Borglum sculpted the massive heads of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. He had intended to sculpt the presidents down to the waist, but he died before doing so, and no further figures are to be added.
Mount Rushmore
Our route took us through the two towns of Lead and Deadwood, both mining towns. The latter was a haven for gunfighters and gamblers like Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Although we saw a signpost to Sturgis, famous for its annual August motorcycle event, we decided to not make the detour. We headed to a town, Spearfish, for lunch. The AAA Tour book recommended a restaurant that featured several vegetarian dishes on its menu. When we pulled up in front of the Bay Leaf Cafe at 2 p.m., the owner was locking up. Disappointed, we headed for the Cedar House Restaurant, which was described as having American cuisine, and where I settled for a serving of French fries. I had learnt that “American” cuisine does not bode well for vegetarians.
Ten miles west of Spearfish we were back in Wyoming and our next stop was in Moorcroft where we filled up with gas. We continued along the I-90 until we reached Buffalo. From there we took US Route 16 and headed across the Bighorn National Park towards Ten Sleep. American Indians reckoned time and distance in “sleeps”, and thus the midway point across the Bighorn Basin became known as Ten Sleep.
Practically in the centre of the Bighorn Basin is a fertile farming area, and we stopped at Worland, where we spent the night in the Days Inn. The next morning, Tuesday, we headed south west to Thermopolis, before heading north to Cody. Interestingly, a treaty between the Shoshone and Arapaho Indians and the United States specified that the warm waters of the hot mineral springs in Thermopolis would be available to everyone free of charge. This agreement continues to be honoured at the State Bath House in the Hot Springs State Park, Petroglyphis, 30 miles north-west of Thermopolis. The scenery in the mountains and in Ten Sleep Canyon was absolutely magnificent.
Cody was founded in 1896 by Col William “Buffalo Bill” F Cody. It is located near the east and northeast entrances to Yellowstone National Park, and has many historic buildings in the downtown area.
The Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, State Hwy 296 is a remarkably scenic drive 46 miles long which starts 17 miles north of Cody, off State Hwy.120 before coming to an end at Beartooth Highway, US Hwy. 212, which continues to Cooke City, Montana. T he Chief Joseph Highway runs along the Northeastern edge of the Yellowstone National Park, and one is able to observe the spectacular views. This route is often described as the most beautiful drive in America because of the stunning scenery. The following is copied from www.codywyomingnet.com/scenic_drives/chief_joseph_scenic_highway.php
"However, views of Beartooth Peak in the distance as the road works its way back north are particularly stunning. It is named after the Native American chief of the Nez Perce tribe, Chief Joseph, who, with his people, fled Yellowstone to avoid being forced into reservations. The tribe eventually surrendered in Northeastern Montana. Not only is the Chief Joseph Highway a stunning drive it is historically significant and a reminder of the Native American struggle".
Joan and I somehow managed to miss the turn off onto this famous highway, and when it eventually dawned on us that the road was flat and that anything remotely scenic seemed to have been left behind. A roadworks crew appeared ahead of us and we stopped to ask for clues as to our whereabouts. We were informed that the turnoff was about twenty miles in the direction we had come from. Thanking the two men, we did a u-turn and found our way back to the turn-off. We looked
closely for the signpost, and we agreed that it was not surprising that we had missed it going in the
opposite direction.
It had something to do with the angle at which the signpost was placed. Right is a view from the Highway
Once on the highway we were enthralled by the scenery. Our first stop was at an overlook which provided views of Dead Indian Summit, and the Absaroka Mountains. It was very windy but the views were breathtaking, with snowcapped peaks in the distance. We also stopped at Sunlight Bridge, which spanned the amazingly deep Sunlight Creek Gorge, and we took a walk over the bridge and along the edge of the gorge.
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| Sunlight Gorge |
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| Road through Cooke City |
We stopped for lunch in Cooke City (population 140 and elevation 7675 feet) where snow was still to be seen on the roadside. The northeast gate of Yellowstone National Park is four miles west from Cooke City. Below are pictures on the way into Yellowstone Park.
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| View of Gardiner and the river running past it. |
On Wednesday morning, we started our drive through Yellowstone National Park, heading for Jackson, 65 miles south as the crow flies. Yellowstone was established in 1872 and was the first national park established by an act of Congress. According to the AAA Tour Book: “Though its mountain forests and meadows are beautiful in their own right, Yellowstone is unique for its geysers, hot springs, mud pools and fumaroles - the largest concentration of geothermal features in the world”.
“Fountains of scalding water burst high into the air from some geysers, while others bubble and spit in murky depths. Hot springs gleam in shades of emerald green and blue. Algae and bacteria withstand boiling temperatures to create these vivid colours; vigorous steam vents emit uncanny sounds and smells”.
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| A Frozen Lake |
This description is exactly what we feasted our eyes on that day. Added to this, we also stopped at : Mammoth Hot Springs, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Old Faithful, Norris Geyser Basin and a few of the lakes.
Below are pictures taken inside the park.
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| Vapour off one of the many geysers |
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| Hot pool in Yellowstone Park |
"Old Faithful" a geyser that spews up hot water at amazingly regular intervals. People congregate to see this natural occurrence a few minutes before this renowned phenomenon takes place.
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| View of the Hot Springs |
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| Walkways over part of Mammoth Hot Springs |
When exiting the south gate of Yellowstone, one enters the Grand Tetons National Park, and further south one exits the park and enters the town of Jackson, often also referred to as Jackson Hole, although not technically correct, as Jackson Hole is actually a valley encompassed by the ranges of the Grand Tetons on the west and the Gros Ventre on the east. Being late in the evening we set about finding a place to spend the night and once again thanks to the AAA tour book we found accommodation in the Antler Inn located in the centre of the town.
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| Wooden walkway in Jackson |
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| View of Jackson |
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| Arch made of Elk Horn |
Early next morning we did some sightseeing, which consisted of walking along the wooden sidewalks and drinking in the Western atmosphere. We were impressed by an archway made of elk antlers, at the entrance to a small park close to the inn.
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| Street scene in Jackson, Wyoming |
After breakfast we headed west to the Tetons, through the Teton Pass (8431 feet), into Idaho, and on through the town of Idaho Falls. Our plan was to reach Salt Lake City in the next state, Utah, during the afternoon.
Visiting the Mormon Tabernacle was on Joan’s Bucket List. Unbeknown to her I had discovered that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings at 8.30 pm, and that these rehearsals are open to the public. So I had planned our journey around that information. We arrived in Salt Lake City after lunch and found accommodation at the Howard Johnston Express Inn, downtown. ($70 for the two of us). We spent the afternoon finding our way around the town,WE located the Temple (which is closed to the public) and the Tabernacle and Joan went on a tour of one of the buildings. Listening to the choir rehearse was a splendid experience, despite them not being dressed in their “uniform”.
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| Mormon Temple |
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| Utah State Capitol |
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| Mormon Tabernacle Choir Rehearsing |
Salt Lake City has a light rail system, TRAX, with a Free Ride Zone area in the downtown area, and
finding one’s way around the city is very easy, due to its uncomplicated system of streets, with an easy to
follow numbering system. On Friday morning Joan and I took a train as far as the library and walked for several blocks before returning to the TRAX which took us back to the hotel. The traffic was not heavy, and streets were wide and remarkably free of litter.
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| Library in Salt Lake City |
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| Library Garden |
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| TRAX station near library When leaving Salt Lake City we headed south towards Bryce Canyon National Park, where some of Earth’s most colourful rocks, sculpted by erosion into pillars, called “hoodoos” can be found. We stopped to take pictures from the numerous roadside viewing areas. |
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| Hoodoos |
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| View of Canyon |
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| Natural Bridge |
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| Bryce Canyon Vista |
Kanab was our next overnight stop. By this time we had travelled 1760 miles, and we had completed just over half of the distance we eventually covered. Kanab is a small town, a few miles from the Arizona border, and is in an area where hundreds of movies and TV series have been filmed. The Parry Lodge has walls covered with pictures of film stars such as Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and many others. Fort Kanab was built in 1864 for defence against American Indians and as a base for exploration. It was abandoned in 1866 and a group of Mormon missionaries reoccupied it and founded the present town in 1870.
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| The Barn behind Parry Lodge where movies were made |
A visit to
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| A view of the town |
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| Houseboats on Lake Powell |
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| A view that is marred by a power station in the distance |
The Glen Canyon Dam is one of the highest dams in the USA and is part of the Colorado River storage project, It generates hydroelectric power that is distributed to cities and industries throughout the West, but its main purpose is storage of water.
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| View of dam wall |
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| View of dam wall from river side |
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| The description of the discovery of a site with Dinosaur Tracks. A rock with tracks is on display |
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| A view of the Colorado River below the dam wall |
Unfortunately our timing was wrong again for another reason. We were unable to go on one of the less expensive scenic boat tours. But, we did take advantage of the scenic road trip to the Glen Canyon Dam, where we took pictures of the houseboats on the Lake and the colourful hills surrounding the Lake.
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| Bridge next to Glen Canyon Dam |
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