Wyoming Trails in 1995.

Friday, July 7, After a free pancake breakfast provided by a civic group in preparation for the rodeo we drove the Snowy Range Highway through Centennial and Saratoga to Encampment. The 81 mile Snowy Range Highway is a scenic highway (up about 9000 feet-still 6 foot of snow at top and the lakes were still loaded with ice. Great views -spectacular. Encampment has a great museum.

After Encampment drove to Rock Springs, Wy-167 miles from Encampment.-Overnight.

Saturday, July 8-Rock Springs to Pinedale, Wy -100 miles. Pinedale is the home of the Mountain Man Museum and also holds the Green River Rendezvous-re-enactment of the fur trade between the mountain men and the Indians.

Great pageant. We had a ball here, especially at the museum and the campfire sing-along at night. The whole event was really fun.

Overnight in Pinedale.

After a Prairie Mass out on the prairie we drove to Jackson.

We went to the National Wildlife Art Museum.-Really nice art.

For dinner we had signed up for a chuck wagon dinner and western show at a local ranch-the meal was average but the entertainment was really good. It was worth it.

After breakfast we toured the Tetons by car-went to the visitors center, drove up Signal Peak and drove to Jenny Lake. The Tetons are spectacular but we didn’t have much time as we were due into Old Faithful at 4:00 PM

Our room at Old Faithful Inn was on the second floor and looked right at the geyser.

Tuesday, July 11 thru Wednesday July 12.

We spent Tuesday and Wednesday touring the park and trying to see it all. The Jim Norris geyser Basin was awesome, so was Mammoth Hot Springs. We didn’t get to spend much time at West Thumb geyser basin because we got caught in a thunderstorm. The Yellowstone Falls area was spectacular. Artists point-View was unbelievable. Tower Falls were also great.

Two and a half days is not enough to see this park. It is absolutely mind boggling.

Left Yellowstone at around noon-it was tough to tear away from. Drove thru Cody Wyoming, through the Shell Canyon Scenic Highway to Sheridan. The Bighorn Mountains are spectacular and appeared deserted.

Friday-AM-Sheridan Rodeo Parade-preceded by bed races down the street-The parade is a must see if in town on that day-we planned it that way. The Seventh Cavalry Drum and bugle corps does a pub-crawl after the parade which is a must see. The whole corps marches down the street single file and then they march into a watering hole. While inside they play about three pieces-the noise in there is deafening. After the three pieces and probably three beers, all of a sudden a flag comes thru the front door-points up the street and the whole process is repeated.

Art museum at a local ranch full of Charles Russel Art work.. Lunch at the Bozeman Trail Inn-longest operating bar in Wyoming-I doubt that it shut down in the prohibition.

This was my birthday and it was a spectacular gift to be able to go to the battlefield and see it all. This is a really interesting place. I felt I was in church.

We drove from Little Big Horn over the Bighorn Mountains over the Medicine Wheel Pass. This was spectacular again as it is a scenic highway.. It was along drive but we needed to see the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody which we didn’t have time to see on our first trip thru Cody.

We spent all day at the museum- we went in at 9:00 am and came out at 5:00 pm. Interesting place.

We drove through Meeteetse, Wyoming through Ten Sleeps Canyon(another designated scenic highway over the Bighorn Mountains.) The Powder River pass is at 9200 feet.

At Buffalo we went to visit Fort Phil Kearny and the scene of the Fetterman Massacre.

We then drove to Gillette to spend the night.

In the morning we visited the Devils Tower National Monument-spectacular. Great walk around the base-I didn’t want to climb it. If you saw Close Encounters of the Third Kind you know what it looks like. In the afternoon we drove in to Custer, South Dakota.

Tuesday Night we drove over to Mt. Rushmore National Monument for dinner and the evening program-impressive.

Went to see the Crazy Horse Statue-being carved out of a whole mountain. Toured Custer State Park-big bison herd. Drove to Deadwood in the afternoon to the casinos and also over to Lead to see the gold mine-open pit in the middle of the road.

Thursday, July 20,Custer, SD- toured Mt. Rushmore in the daytime, shopping in Keystone, SD. Lunch at a small local bar. They were unloading a trailer truck of Budwiser and when I mentioned that it was a lot of beer he said that was only one half of the amount they would sell when the Harley Davidson rally would be in Sturgis in about two weeks. Wood carvers museum in Custer was dissapointing.

Friday, July, 21, Custer SD to Ft. Collins,Co.-315 miles.

Stopped at Fort Laramie and Cheyenne-both interesting. Overnight with a friend in Ft. Collins. John Kisiday.

I miscalculated the flight time and we arrived at the Alamo car check in at around 10:45.

I thought the flight was at 11:52 but checking the tickets it was at 11:25. There was an absolute crush of people at the Alamo check in and we bulled our way on to the bus at11:00 AM. We arrived at the terminal at around 11:15. We checked our baggage at the curb and entered the terminal at around 11:20. Luckily our gate was in the first wing of the airport and got to the gate very quickly. We even got seat assignments at this time together and as we walked into the plane they shut the door of the plane behind us. Talk about stretching a vacation.

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