Wild, Wild West

Sunday, August 9

• Drive from Sheridan, WY to Hill City, SD
• Devil’s Tower
• Deadwood

I couldn’t really post from the wedding. I had internet, but there was so much going on, it just couldn’t happen. I did manage to get my photos uploaded, so I’ll have those uploaded for you to take a look at at some point. Anyway, it was a beautiful wedding and we’re on to the South Dakota part of the trip now with my mother and aunt.

First we stopped at Devil’s Tower and I just couldn’t get over it’s impressive size. I wasn’t expecting it to be over 800 feet tall. As we drove up to it, I caught a glimpse of it in the distance and was just shocked, then as we got closer it was even more amazing. We took a hiking trail that encircled the whole formation and there were boulders after boulders at the base of it that Jason and Jade climbed through while my mother, aunt and I stayed on the path. From every angle it looked different. Apparently, it’s hallowed ground for the Native Americans, so occasionally we would see prayer clothes tied to trees out there. It was just so cool.

We drove on to Deadwood next. I expected it to look like Cook City (see Thursday, August 6), but it was instead a tourist trap that almost wasn’t even appropriate for Jade. They had almost nothing but casinos and bars on the strip and it took us a while to find a place to have dinner that was family friendly, but we eventually ate at the Gem Theater (the famous saloon from the TV show) and moved on. We drove from there to our next hotel in Hill City, from where we will be based for Mt. Rushmore, Custer State Park and whatever else we can fit in until it’s time to go to Billings. Maybe the Badlands, maybe the Mammoth Site, who knows.

Did you notice the prostitutes in the windows?  Classy.

Wild, Wild West

Day 3: Yellowstone

§ Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

§ Upper and Lower Falls

§ Old Faithful Inn

§ Old Faithful Geyser

Since yesterday we past by so much to get to the hotel in time, today we decided to head back up the way we came and see what we missed. After getting up from our hotel room with an amazing view of Lake Yellowstone Lake, we had a lovely breakfast and got back on the road.  

Yellowstone Hotel

We noticed a lot of people with binoculars and telescopes on the side of the road on the way down, so we stopped at a sporting goods store and bought a pair for ourselves. Are we glad we did. Along the side of the road we saw a coyote eating something that we could only see through the binoculars! It was so cool and Jade was so excited.

We also took a hike through the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and saw the most amazing falls. There were two and they were both so amazingly beautiful. The hike itself was so cool, too. Jade impressed us again with that. It was an hour of hiking through pretty steep stuff and she just pushed on through, taking in the sites. Who would have thought that I would enjoy hiking and white water rafting? But I'll tell you, it was refreshing.

We moved on from there and headed to our next hotel, the Old Faithful Inn. It's literally a big log cabin and it was probably Jason's favorite part. He was like a kid in a tree house. It was actually really neat, it was 5 stories and so full of character. We checked in and sat on the big deck overlooking the geyser with a few beers, watched the sunset and Old Faithful erupt. That's the way to watch it. 

Wild, Wild West

Day 1: Yellowstone

§ Landed in Billings at 5:30

§ Drove 3 hours to Yellowstone

Hi all! Apparently there is no internet service anywhere in Yellowstone proper, but tomorrow we will drive out 5 miles to Gardiner, MT to do a white water rafting trip, so I’ll stop in coffee shop to send this. After the rafting, we’ll be heading back into the park to stay for two more nights, then we’ll be heading to Cody, WY on our way to Sheridan for the wedding. I’ll keep typing the next couple of nights and just post it all on Thursday evening. After that, we’ll have Internet service every night. Unfortunately, I forgot the hook up from my camera to the computer, so I’ll have to post pictures when I get one, I’ll try to find one once we get out of the park.

Well, already we’ve pulled over to the side of the road to take pictures of mule deer and a beautiful stream along the side of the road. Really, Jade couldn’t be more excited about this trip. She’s been giggling so much it’s like she’s 5 again. She’s informed us that this is one of the many places she’s always wanted to go and she can’t believe she’s here. The kid’s been to Hawaii, Paris, the Caribbean, and countless cities across America, but at Yellowstone National Park has her giddy with happiness.