Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument

We arrived in the Black Hills and even though we have been there a number of times before, took a tour of this great area. Of course, high on the list of attractions is the Mt. Rushmore National Monument. Our first stop was along the side of the monument where there is a great side view of George Washington's carving. 

 You can see both the amazing carved figure as well as the dark colored granite from which the figure was carved. Located at about 5,700' in elevation, this face of George Washington is over 60' high.

 From a distance, it is easy to see the granite cliff where the carvings were created. It is also easy to see how the Black Hills got its name, given the dark rocks and the equally dark green color of the spruce trees.

Carved by Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln Borglum, the monument was carved from 1927 to 1941 before completed to this stage. Initially, the figures were to be carved from head to waist, but funding restrictions caused the monument to stop at the current completion.

 Regardless of the initial plan, this monument is remarkable and inspires patriotism in all who see it. We have been several times before and never fail to be moved as we view it.

 Of course, Mt. Rushmore is not the only monument in the area. We drove through the Needles area (see the next post) and came out in the town of Custer, SD. Driving back north, we passed the fabulous Crazy Horse monument.

The size of this project is beyond reality and when completed, will be over 500' high and 600' wide. In progress since 1948, the monument receives no public funding and is totally done by a foundation directed by the Ziolkowski family, represented by the wife and children of the original sculptor,  Korczak Ziolkowski. While we did not have time to explore the monument up close this time, we have done so on several prior visits and it is certainly well worth the visit.

Crossing the Bighorn Mountains to Buffalo, WY

 Highway 16 leads from Cody, WY, over the Bighorn Mountains, to Buffalo, WY and is billed as the "Safest and Fastest" Route to the Yellowstone. It is also a very scenic route and one that we have used several times in the past.

 The mountains are high, and beautiful and we looked forward to a pleasant drive on our way to Buffalo. Many of the hills are bare rock and very formidable.

 We stopped for lunch at a rest area about half way up the mountain and enjoyed the great views at about 7,800' up. Rick was very pleased with the performance of the coach -- the Cummins 400 did a great job of powering us up.

 A short way later, things changed in a big way! The road literally disappeared in a flurry of construction. The pavement was gone and we followed a very slow pilot truck for several miles.

 This is not the best conditions for large motorhome travel, but we took it easy and had no problems. Of course, the dirt tossed up on our Buick tow car was amazing and Rick had to do some real cleaning in Buffalo.

 After a few miles of construction, we finally got back to the paved roadway and reach the crest of the Powder River Pass at 9,666'.

 Obviously, the pass is above the treeline in the area. Given the difficult terrain, we were very happy for the great weather and decided that we would not be excited about crossing the pass during the winter.

 We also quickly learned that what goes up -- must come down! We negotiated some 7% grades as we descended, but again, the great compression brake on the Cummins worked like a champ and we had no problems.

Once we were out of the construction zone, Hwy 16 was great and we enjoyed the drive, although we were glad that we didn't have to run on the dirt any longer than we did.

Old Trail Town in Cody, WY

Old Trail Town in Cody, WY is located at the site of the original town site of Cody, WY as founded by Buffalo Bill in 1895. In 1967, Bill Edgar, a resident of the area, started collecting actual buildings of the old west.

 Today, there are 26 buildings and over 100 wagons that have been painstakingly collected and assembled here. Most of the buildings were taken apart log by log, moved and re-assembled.

 Today, Old Trail Town is a real old west town -- with the real buildings and feelings that go with it. Each building is furnished as it was in the period.

 This was a nice one room cabin that was built in the 1890 period. Imagine spending a REAL cold winter by yourself here.

 The buildings are arranged in a typical town formation around the "Main Street" of the town. It was easy to imagine these wagons full of folks and materials as the ranchers came to town for suppliers.

 Of course, no town would be complete without a school and Old Trail Town is no exception. This was called the Coffin School - so called because the original resident cut his foot with an ax and died of infection. The school was then set up after his passing.

 The town also featured an actual store from the late 1890's. This was the Walmart of the era, with everything you could want.

 Naturally, this was the real, wild west and outlaws played a part. In fact, this very cabin was one of the home cabins of the famous Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid outlaw group from the nearby Hole in the Wall.

 This famous picture that is in the cabin shows Butch (sitting on extreme right) and the Sundance Kid sitting on the extreme right), along with the rest of the Hole In The Wall Gang.

 Here is another cabin used by Kid Curry and the Sundance Kid in 1897 before they attempted a robbery in Red Lodge, Montana.

 Rick got a great kick out of being in the actual cabin these famous outlaws used. Although, for all the fame, these were pretty Spartan accommodations, as the regular citizens did not see the humor in the outlaw's activity.

This was the best appointed cabin in the town and was the residence of a cattle rancher. While plush for the day, Rick thought he would still prefer his motorhome. Old Trail Town was a great place to visit and much more interesting than Rick first expected. Well worth the trip!

The Buffalo Bill Dam

 Buffalo Bill Lake is a remarkable reservoir as it is a huge lake with almost desolate shores. Given the lake of rain and rocky shoreline, very little vegetation grows in the area. Still, there are beautiful views available on every front.

 The lake is several miles long and is at about 5,100' in elevation. Offering great fishing, this is a popular local destination as well as providing irrigation and power generation.

Col. Bill Cody had a huge impact in the area in addition to founding the City of Cody. He was an early proponent for irrigation and owned much of the land in the current lake area. 

 The dam was completed in 1910 and was the tallest dam in the world when completed at 325'. Built out of concrete and rock, the construction was a totally new experience in engineering.

The dam is only 70' wide at the base and widens to 200' at the top as it is wedged tightly in the rock gorge carved by the Shoshone River. At this point shown in the picture, the water is about 325' deep. Whew. 

On the downstream side of the dam, the vertical height is easy to see! Here, Rick is looking straight down to the base some 350' below. Not a sight for the vertically challenged. 

The gorge behind the dam presents a remarkable view of the original river canyon and is a beautiful, if rugged, picture of the river.

This shot behind the dam shows the more recent 25' extension to the dam which brought it to a height of 350'. The building on the far side is the Visitor Center which provides a great historical overview on the dam and area. 

The original construction was very challenging with floods, extreme winter weather and new methods of construction being used. It was hard to imagine the difficulty that the construction crew had back then, but this picture gives a bit of an idea as to how the dam was built. 

 The Buffalo Bill Dam and Lake are a great place to visit just a few miles outside of Cody and we had a great time checking the area out.

On the Way to Cody, Wyoming

 We exited the Yellowstone Park using the east gate and headed toward Cody, WY. As we neared Cody, we passed Buffalo Bill Lake, which is formed by the Buffalo Bill Dam, which holds back the Shoshone River.

 As we drove by the site of the dam, we made a note to be sure to come back and visit it the next day. Here, you can just see the dam on the right and the 3/4 mile long tunnel we would pass through to get to Cody.

 Cody is located at the edge of the mountains and was founded by none other than Buffalo Bill himself in 1895. The views from the town are just amazing.

 Needless to say, "The Scout", Buffalo Bill Cody is a main focus of the town, which is appropriate given his amazing life as buffalo hunter, Army scout, showman and business man.

Not surprisingly, outdoor activities are a main focus of life in Cody. This included the Foundation of North American Wild Sheep headquarters and an remarkable sculpture of the largest wild sheep ever taken. 

 This is the Chadwick Ram, the largest ram ever taken by a hunter, in 1938 up in British Columbia. Taken by Lee Chadwick, the horns on this ram measured over 50" on each side - which were very impressive on this life-size replica.

 Downtown Cody is a fun place to stroll and do a bit of shopping. Orinda Had to stop, however and check out this white buffalo which shared the sidewalk with her.

A focal point of main street is the Irma Hotel -- built by none other than Buffalo Bill in 1902 who kept an office in the hotel for conducting business. This really helps you connect with the past -- which is never far away in Cody, Wyoming!

MANY Bison and The Yellowstone Lower Falls at Artist's Point

Leaving the Yellowstone Cascades and traveling north, we came to a large meadow area that was covered by several herds of bison. This is an amazing sight and gave us a glimpse into what such herds must have looked like in the great Plains in the 1800's.

We saw a number of calves ranging with the herds. We suspect that the calves were pretty safe hanging around with the adults!

This bull was not worried about anything or anyone! Rick was very glad that he was using a zoom lens to capture this shot as we did not want to get anywhere near this fellow.

Hmmmm. These guys were standing shoulder to shoulder and totally blocking the other lane. They apparently had not moved for quite a while as there was a long line of traffic waiting their turn. We didn't think that the bison were in much of a hurry to move and were happy to ease by them.

One of the premier attractions in Yellowstone Park is the lower falls of the Yellowstone River and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. From this picture, you can quickly see why this is so spectacular. 

 The falls themselves are some 308' high, or about twice the height of Niagara Falls. These are spectacular from our vantage at Artist's Point observation platform.

 The Canyon is very deep (some 1,000' in total) and the river rages at the bottom after dropping over the falls. That is some rough water!

 One of the amazing things about the canyon is the way light changes the appearance of the canyon and the falls. We watched for about 30 minutes and were delighted how the changing sunlight illuminated the canyon in different ways.

 Orinda was happy to be here and experience this wonderful display of rock and water. This has to be a must do if you visit Yellowstone Park.