Western States 2012 - Day 25

June 29, 2012 - Friday

Though we are parked 25 miles northwest of Rapid City near Sturgis, South Dakota, Rapid City provides a good reference point for seeing how far we’ve on this portion of our journey through some of the western states.

Total mileage from Kaibab on the North Rim to Mt. Rushmore near Rapid City is about 1,275 miles. That boils down to covering about 100 miles a day. That’s a fast pace for the 1860’s but a slow one by today’s standards. For vacationing in a motorhome it’s fast enough.

Have you ever heard the saying, “Thar’s varmits in them thar hills”? Well, it’s a true statement out here, plenty of wildlife — especially rattlesnakes. Beware when hiking, a good pair of sturdy boots and a big stick would be wise when getting off a wide path. That has been the message we’ve received from Billings, Montana to Rapid City: “Stay on the trail and keep your eyes and ears open.” We stay on the main trail and haven’t seen anything like that yet. Thank goodness!

Deadwood and Lead

Today we struck out for Deadwood and Lead (Leed), South Dakota. Deadwood was a lively gold-rush boomtown in the late 1800s built along the floor of Deadwood Gulch. Deadwood is best known for its legendary figures such as Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. There was one less known personality, but familiar to Byron, and that was Poker Alice. Poker Alice was an Ivers (Byron’s mother’s maiden name) and a cousin to Byron’s great-grandfather. In Southern Missouri she was not married while building a reputation as a “wild woman”. She had quite a reputation as a Faro (card game) dealer and brothel owner. She followed her clientele during the Black Hills Gold Rush to Deadwood and married a guy with the last name of Tubbs.

Deadwood has gradually been restored due to a percentage of the gaming receipts being allotted to restoring the town’s buildings to their original condition. Tourism is big business in the Black Hills and the Deadwood town leaders have made use of that lure. Gaming establishments abound on this it’s solitary main street but there is a lot of other interesting history as well.

Our first stop was the restored train depot and then a visit to the Adams Museum, both of which were quite interesting. We learned that the though Deadwood had a reputation of being rough that it also had quite a cultured society. It was also home to several Chinese immigrants at one point being second only to San Francisco 125 years ago.

This small locomotive, which ran on rails less than two feet apart, was used by the Homestake Mining Company hauling ore from the mine hauling up to 700 tons in a 24-hour period.

Except for the Holiday Inn Express and Hampton Inn, the buildings on Main Street in Deadwood have all been restored. Their next project is to restore the back sides of the buildings and bury the utility lines.

We then made the short drive to Lead (pronounced as Leed), which was founded during the gold rush of 1876. Lead was known for having one of the richest gold veins unearthed. It was here that George Hearst, father of William Randolph Hearst, amassed his fortune through an investment in the Homestake Mining Co. The mine was in operation until 2001 and goes 8,000 feet into the earth.

Our one stop here was the Black Hills - Fort Pierre Railroad Roundhouse to view a 35-minute multimedia presentation showcasing the history of the Black Hills Gold Rush through video, music and a 3-D map. It was quite an interesting presentation.

Western States 2012 - Day 24

June 28, 2012 - Thursday

We continued our journey East today. Our destination was Sturgis, South Dakota which is 25 miles northwest of Rapid City on the northeastern edge of the famous Black Hills. As we traveled eastward in Wyoming we saw evidence of more recent rain than was seen from Bozeman, MT to Sheridan, WY. The vegetation is a little greener and more plentiful. We even saw a few ponds or small lakes. We were getting out of the mountainous area and into the rolling hills and even some plains. It is easy to tell where the rivers run out here because that is where you see lush, green vegetation and trees along the banks.

The rolling plains of Wyoming. I-90 often runs parallel to the BNSF railroad or the Yellowstone River.

Our historic stop for the day was Devil’s Tower, northeast of Gillette, Wyoming. Devil’s Tower is a huge mass of rock that rises 867 feet from its base and 1267 feet above the Belle Fourche River. Approximately 5000 climbers come from all over the world each year to ascend its height. The first recorded ascent was made by William Rogers and Willard Ripley on July 4, 1893. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devil’s Tower the first national monument in 1906. At the base of the tower on the grasslands below, prairie dogs make their homes in the ground and run playfully to and fro with some dens being very near the highway.

Devil’s Tower as seen from a pull-out a few miles from the formation. It is sacred to several tribes most of whom state that bear claws formed etched the sides of the rock.

The expanse of the boulder field at the base of the Tower is truly amazing. The path through this field is not on solid ground but a walkway paved on fill dirt and rock poured over the boulders. When viewing the location on Google Earth the large shadow it casts is easier to see than the top surface of the formation itself.

Devil’s Tower as viewed from the Visitor Center. Trees are all around the perimeter of the boulder field.

Park visitors from the vehicle in front of us got the attention of one, curious prairie dog. They were actually smaller than we imagined; less than half the size of a ground hog.

After levying Devil’s Tower we continued toward our home for the next six nights; Rush-No-More Campground just south of Sturgis, SD. It is a nice campground in spite of the fact there are no trees for shade. Byron noticed that very few of the campgrounds in the area have trees though trees are abundant in the Black Hills area. We have learned that our first question from now on will be: “Do you have shade trees?” Out here it seems you either get dust and shade or grass and no shade.

Western States 2012 - Day 23

June 27, 2012 - Wednesday 

Today was another short travel day. Our destination was Sheridan, Wyoming as we make our way towards Rapid City, South Dakota. We had about 130 miles to travel today so we stopped at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument just South of Hardin, Wyoming at Crow Agency. The monument is a memorial to the battle fought on June 25, 1876 between the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes and the United States Army under the lead of Col. Custer.

Little Bighorn Battlefield

This was a battle about a people trying to preserve their home. As Sitting Bull asked, “What would you do if someone was trying to take your home.” Custer’s 7th Cavalry Regiment was defeated but the Indians finally retreated when they learned of the approach of more soldiers lead by Colonel John Gibbon from Fort Ellis in Montana and General Alfred H. Terry from Fort Lincoln in Dakota Territory. Following that day, most of the Indians returned to their reservations and surrendered a few years later. The most powerful statement we read this day was “Power is in peace.”

Monument to Custer and the 7th Cavalry Regiment. The monument sits atop Last Stand Hill.

Western States 2012 - Day 22

June 26, 2012 - Tuesday

This was a slow day. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, it was a regular work day for Martha and a “fiddle around” day for Byron, who made a run to Pierce RV in Billings to see what the dealership was like. Second, it was hot. Since we had been in upper elevations for more than a week we got used to temperatures no higher than 78. Here at the lower level it got between 95 and 100, depending on which way you stood.

Like fools, we took off for a discovery adventure to Pictograph Cave State Park — in the middle of the day. Martha was ready for a break and she was caught up on reports to complete.

The park was about six miles from the Billings KOA where we were parked. It is situated along the rimrocks about 1,500 feet above the river valley. It is a cluster of caves where, over a period of five thousand years, historic American Indian counterparts left behind a legacy of painted images and artifacts. The walls of the caves are sandstone. These caves are actually more like shelters and were probably only used for temporary purposes since they only go back into the rimrock from 60 to 90 feet.

It is a bit of a steep climb up the concrete walk to the main cave of Pictograph State Park. Archaeologist feel that the rims of the rock indicate that this area was once under water. Oyster beds are imprinted in the sides of the sandstone.

Western States 2012 - Day 21

June 25, 2012 - Monday

Today was another traveling day. Our objective was to go from West Yellowstone to Billings, Montana. Martha put in a couple hours of work before leaving. Since she always checks the coverage maps with regard to Verizon and Virgin Mobile’s mobile broadband coverage, she knew we’d not have service for 90% of the first 90 miles.

Google Maps takes the route into the west entrance of Yellowstone, up to the Mammoth area, and then eastward to the northeast entrance which is near Livingston, Montana. While it may be the shortest route in terms of mileage, it isn’t the fastest way to get there. One can only average about 38 mph when driving in the park. At times, it isn’t that good. There are reasons. First, the maximum speed limit in the park is 45. Second, there are twist, turns, and steep hills to deal with in addition to a few rough sections of roadway where our federal dollars and low park fees haven’t covered maintenance. Third, it is necessary to keep on the lookout for the animals, which also means watching for stopped or very slow vehicular traffic of the human kind.

Our route took us up US 191 to Bozeman and the east on I-90 to Billings. Basically, it is downhill all the way. West Yellowstone is at an elevation of 6,650. For the 90 miles to Bozeman there is a descent of 1,850 feet to an elevation of 4,800 feet. From Bozeman to Billings through Livingston the descent isn’t as steep. The difference is 1,625 feet stretched over a distance of 120 miles. The drive, however, is beautiful all along the way.

The Gallatin River near Bozeman, Montana. It is fairly shallow and rocky and ideal for trout fishing. There are rapids all along the way.

Western States 2012 - Day 20

June 24, 2012 - Sunday

The Morning Hours

Since we didn’t have to cross state lines or a time zone change, we decided we might be on time for church today. We decided to not have ice cream today and, instead, stop at Ernie’s Deli and Bakery for a cinnamon roll while on the way to the 10 a.m. service. Instead of a cinnamon roll, we opted for a large sticky bun with pecans. Our eyes changed our minds. They were delicious but rich! Big, too!

From what we saw there are four churches in West Yellowstone; Baptist, Catholic, Mormon, and a non-denominational church. We went to First Baptist of Yellowstone. It is a small church but a church with a big heart. Martha’s daughter, Ashley, spent the summer of 2006 working in Yellowstone through a program the church calls “Innovators.” It is a college outreach summer program. Students from all over the country apply to be are a part of this program. They work during the week and do ministry outreach on the weekends. First Baptist is the home base for this group. The church’s sponsors remembered Ashley so, in a way, we had a connection to this church beyond just a place to visit. The pastor asked that the resident members in attendance stand. Then he asked all those visiting for the first time to rise. It was obvious that visitors outnumbered residents. There were visitors from all over the country and even a couple from Scottsville, Kentucky who know many of the people Byron knew when he was Associate Pastor at Scottsville Baptist Church in 1971-1975. Of course, they struck up a lengthy conversation after the service.

Western States 2012 - Day 19

June 23, 2012 - Saturday

We were slow to get started today, but eventually headed out around noon sporting our new Yellowstone t-shirts. Our destination for today was the Tower-Roosevelt region with a stop at the Artists Paintpots.

We drove through a lot of mountains today, at one time being at 9000 feet, so high we could reach out of the car window at some places and touch the snow we had been looking at from a distance for a few days. Of course, again, there were the bison and elk along the way. At Tower we walked the short distance to Tower Falls which is a 132 foot drop. We made our ice cream stop for today choosing Painted Buffalo Chip for today’s flavor Yesterday it was Moose Tracks, tomorrow we will see. We then drove a few miles to Roosevelt Lodge in the northeast area of the park. Along the road we saw a black bear, and at the lodge we saw a trail ride/chuck wagon supper group heading out across the plain for an evening of fun.

On our way to Tower-Roosevelt area we stopped by Gibbon Falls

on the west side of the Park.