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Hunter did not want to leave the K3 guest ranch.See here
She loved her wagon bed
and could hardly drag herself out to the outdoor BBQ breakfast cooked by our host, Jerry. It was something special for her.
We stopped at the information centre and saw a couple of whitetail deer on the grass. We were aiming to see the Devils Tower National Monument today and also take a big chunk out of our cross country trip eastward bound.
The first hour of driving was through rolling country, dry and reminding me of Waiouru country except where it was irrigated and that was productive and green.
The next hour and a half went up into the Bighorn National Park. Through stunning mountains with various geological ages noted along the way, to a high plateau at 9000 plus feet. Higher than Ruapehu. Rocks had been bent every which way on the drive up.
This was obviously a popular camping plain. Stunning views
before we descended onto the flatter but rolling country of Sheridan and Buffalo.
We had a break for lunch at Sheridan and thought of Mrs Bucket and her son. We ate leftovers from our meal out the night before (huge meals here). Then on the road again on the interstate - it is easy driving. You can go 75mph the equivalent of about 120kph. The land was dry and Waiouru- like again. Information centre at Sheridan gave a good history of the area. We were coming to the end of Wyoming,
Our detour to the Devils Tower was certainly worth the added two hours.
It is stunning, sacred to the Indians and you can see why they admire it so much. It is huge! The columns of stone that have fallen off
are about 2 m diameter so if you imagine how big each one is you can get an idea. It took 45 mins to walk around on rolling land and at 95 degrees F you can imagine how hot we became. Dan says that's about 35 degrees C.
Hunter and I both suffered from heat exhaustion and needed copious amounts of water and air conditioning in the car afterwards. We enjoyed seeing a fawn and mother on the walk
and large birds soaring on the thermals the whole time.
Another treat was to see the Prairie dogs which are protected at the monument Park.
The country around the tower is beautiful and lusher than along the interstate. It was very pretty.
From there it was another hour and a half and as we left Wyoming and passed into South Dakota I was pleasantly surprised by the relative lushness of SD, too. But it is hot. 91 degrees F at 9pm. I can hear Jerry Jordan telling me wait till I get in the Badlands..... Coming shortly, Jerry, I may not leave the car at all! At least there is a pool here at the motel. Tonight it was McDonalds - right over the road and too tired for anything else.Not many photos taken today. Just 96. A long eight hour drive plus a couple of stops on the way, has left me tired out but so happy we made it from Cody to Rapid City in South Dakota. Tomorrow Mt Rushmore.
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