Yellowstone or Bust! Day 3

Monday, June 24, 2013. The girls’ cabin was awake and organized by the time the men arrived at 6:30. We were sitting on the deck of the cabin breathing in the lovely fragrance of pines and enjoying the beauty of the mountains surrounding us. The temperature was a little brisk so we were wearing jackets, but the sky was clear and blue and the sun promised a gorgeous day ahead. All the tubs of food and supplies had been organized before bed last night, and our luggage was packed and waiting the van’s arrival.

South Dakota must have more money than Illinois because Custer State Park is simply wonderful. The scenery is spectacular, the cabins are roomy and clean, the beds are comfortable, the showers and bathrooms are immaculate, and everything looks brand new. When the men arrived, they said at their campground (French Creek Horse Camp) each cluster of cabins has its own horse corral for guests’ ponies. It is so nice we want to stay a few more days! But our chauffeurs arrived, breakfast was quickly eaten and we were on the road for our next adventure.

We began our day in Custer for gas and coffee, but quickly headed back to the park to drive the Needles Highway. There is actually a rock formation that has a hole through it like the eye of a needle, a favorite with rock climbers. We had a fun photo shoot in front of a tunnel, did a little rock climbing, and spotted some more wildlife (mule deer, wild turkeys, and marmots) as we drove and enjoyed the scenery. Many of the Ponderosa Pines are dead or dying because of pine beetles, and as the rangers clear the dead trees out they are assembled into log teepees awaiting the right burn conditions. There are hundreds of these teepees throughout the forest, and entire slopes of pines turning red or brown as they succumb to the beetles.

The Needles Highway loop brought us back to Custer for a little shopping. Do you remember the ‘Cows on Parade’ in Chicago? Well, Custer has something similar with decorated bison statues on their street corners. Dane purchased a bison scrotum bag, and he found many uses for it throughout the day: water bottle holder, I-pod stand, man purse. He was extremely pleased with his bison ball sac, and we giggled about it all day.

Devil’s Tower was next on our agenda, so we had to get on the road and put some miles behind us. It wasn’t long before the scenery changed and we were passing through wide meadows ringed by mountains. Soon the terrain transformed again into bright red soil rock formations reminiscent of the Badlands. And then, thrusting high into the blue sky, appeared Devil’s Tower. This volcanic rock tower stands over 1,200 feet above the plains. Huge tumbled boulders at the foot of the tower beg to be climbed, and we weren’t the only ones taking photos among the stones. After our short hike and photo shoot, we found a shady spot a short distance from the monument with some convenient boulders for seating and had lunch. What an incredible backdrop for a picnic! We topped off lunch with ice cream cones from a shop at the park entrance, then began our long drive to Greybull, Wyoming.

The landscape changed over and over as we headed west; from colorless, arid eroded hills with only sagebrush for cover, to snow capped mountains with meadows full of fragrant purple lupines. In the Bighorn Mountains, snow was still heaped along snow fences and at the base of the pines. We went from hot, to crisp and cool, and back again to hot weather as we traveled. Interesting road signs were spotted along the way: “Open Range. Expect Cows On The Road”, “Runaway Truck Ramp”, and a personal favorite, “Road Closed When Flashing.” I love how when there’s too much snow, the gates come down and the roads just close down. Place names also seem more colorful out here: Crazy Woman Canyon. Sourdough Road. Ten Sleep Creek. Interesting indeed!

Eventually we arrived at our KOA in Greybull. More cute little cabins, a nice pool for the kids, clean (if small) bathrooms and showers, and laundry facilities. We had polish sausage cooked with potatoes, onions and peppers for dinner and s’mores for dessert again. Deb took over laundry duty and had to contend with a washer/dryer hog. We were getting lots of updates from the Quad Cities about today’s storms; there was a lot of damage and power may be out for days for some customers. We are oblivious to any other news that may be happening and have no idea what is going on in the world. For now, we are in our vacation bubble and it is sweet! TTYL!