“We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore
and tell the world the glories of our journey.”
-John Hope Franklin
Mount Rushmore to Yellowstone
A National Monument, a National Historic Site, and a National Park, 2 states and 500 miles, all in 3 days? Just another week in the life of a vagabond!
Sunday – Rapid City to Sheridan
We found some breakfast at a local coffee shop, then left behind the City of Presidents to arrive in the City of Bikers – Sturgis! The annual invasion had occurred a few weeks before our visit, but the town was still filled with motorcycles, and the streets are lined with biker-friendly shops. 😉 If you’re not looking for leather or tattoos, the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame has exhibits for vintage and military motorcycles, modern works of art, racing bikes, and famous female bikers. It was an entertaining way to spend an hour, then we walked over to the Gas Monkey Bar & Grill. (It’s connected to the Fast N’ Loud television series – a car fixer-upper show featuring the Gas Monkey Garage. Barry’s a fan.) The food was ok – we mostly just went to say we’d been.
A slight detour led us an incredible National Monument – the Devil’s Tower. You can see it from several miles away and it resembles a giant, other-worldly tree stump. Up close, this mountain of stone looms overhead with an air of mystery and wonder. If you go on a weekend, it may take you a loooooong time to get into the parking lot, but your patience will be rewarded, I promise. We hiked around the base of it, met a bunch of lovely people, and gawked at the few intrepid climbers that were making their way to the top!
We stopped for the night in Sheridan, WY at a quirky little airbnb – a renovated shipping container! Actually, three containers combined into a cozy 2-story apartment with a kitchenette, one and a half bathrooms, and even sliding glass doors! It was quirky cool! 😎
Monday – Sheridan to Cody
Our morning quest for caffeine led us to Java Moon – a cute little downtown cafe (try the honeybee latte!) and introduced us to a local couple who made a few route suggestions for this leg of the trip. We thought, “Why not?”, and took their advice to detour onto Hwy 14A as we went over the mountains.
Driving the Bighorn Scenic Byway has breathtaking views, and fortunately lots of pull-outs along the road to stretch your legs and take in the scenery. We drove over towering mountains and through layered canyons. Taking 14A allowed us to stop at a National Historic Site: the Bighorn Medicine Wheel. A circle of limestone rocks and boulders, the medicine wheel is 80 feet across and has 28 spokes. It’s at least 1000 years old, and its origins are unknown. One of the largest and best-preserved medicine wheels, it still serves as a sacred ceremonial site for indigenous people.
Back on the road, we traveled down the mountains into the town of Cody, which sits on the eastern side of Yellowstone. Today was our shortest driving day, so we arrived early enough to visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West Museum. This is actually a collection of 5 galleries, so we only made it through part of it, but it was very interesting to learn about Buffalo Bill’s life and legacy, and life in the West. We picked up a pizza for dinner and headed to our lodging for the night – a log cabin! This was a shared airbnb, and our hosts were delightful. The cabin sat on top of a mountain, with views for days and true western cowboy vibes. Drinking a glass of wine on the back porch watching the sun set is one of my favorite memories.
Tuesday – Yellowstone National Park
First, if you want to visit Yellowstone, I suggest planning for a week there… or maybe two. It’s huge, bigger than I had imagined, with entrances in 3 states, numerous camping and RV sites, countless hiking trails and wonders to see. Only spending a day there felt like we did not do it justice. That being said, if you do only have a day, there is an “inner loop” that will take you to some of the most popular attractions.
Yellowstone has its own Grand Canyon, with a North and South Rim, upper and lower falls, and different trails and viewpoints. It would take 3-4 hours to see all of it, but since we only had a day to do everything, we went to Artist Point on the South Rim. This is one of the most photographed and painted spots in all of Yellowstone.
The Grand Prismatic Spring is my favorite spot in Yellowstone, at least of those I’ve seen so far. I want my whole house to be painted in these colors! Parking can be rough – we parked on the side of the road and walked in. The trail to the spring is just over 1/2 a mile of boardwalk, and you can explore other geysers and pools while you’re there. The Grand Prismatic is the largest hot spring in the US, and if you want to get a better ariel view, there is an overlook that can be reached by a 1.5 mile trail a little further down the road.
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And of course, Old Faithful! We arrived about 45 minutes before its predicted eruption – just enough time to wander through the gift shop a bit and buy two bottles of water. Dozens of benches surround the geyser and we were fortunate to get a seat in the front row. The show lasted almost 3 minutes, and we got hit with some of the mist. It was a cool ending to our day in the park.
All through Yellowstone there are signs warning you about the wildlife – that all the animals you see: bison, elk, wolves, bears, etc. are in fact, wild – and to keep a safe distance. We did see some herds of bison, and a few loners, out on the plains. And then we saw this guy, just strolling along the side of the road! And yes, he was that close to the Jeep! 😳
I was really, really, really hoping to see a bear, but it didn’t happen this trip.🐻
By the end of the day we were “slap wore out” (to use a southern expression), but we loved our time in Yellowstone and want to make it back someday! I am starting to understand the yearning people have to buy an RV and spend months meandering the country.
One last sleep in the cabin, and the next morning we continued west. The next part of this trip is filled with family and friends, so check back soon for our adventures in the Pacific Northwest!
“We are now in the mountains and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling every pore and cell of us.”
~John Muir
Til next time, shine bright friends!
~Dawn 🌻
