Buffalo, Wyoming & Cloud Peak Scenic Byway

July 15 - 17, 2014  Weather all over the place.  1st day nice 82, 2nd day T Storm all day and cold 58, 3rd day Hot 88.  

that's us at Powder River Pass 9,666 ft.... highest point  - 30 degrees colder up here

We are staying at Indian Campground which is within walking distance to downtown, something we don't have too often.  And the people and sites are great.

Big Horn Mountain Range view in the distance - Snow capped

Buffalo is small a quaint western town with lots of Indian and Ranch battlefields.   Billy particularly likes the one called Crazy Woman, also named a creek and water and a canyon and so on.  http://www.crazywomanwater.com/legend.html
There are several versions of the legend which I put up the link for,,, all very interesting.

Crazy Woman Cafe in Ten Sleep (yes that's me - Crazy Woman!

Downtown Buffalo has a couple of unique things to see like the Jim Gatchell Museum of Western Artifacts  and the historic Occidental Hotel which dates back 131 years with famous stays by Calamity Jane, Teddy Roosevelt and Butch Cassidy. 

Known to have the first High Noon Shootout in front of the Virginian restaurant/Occidental Hotel

Occidental Saloon

From Buffalo you want to take a drive on Hwy 16 (motorcycle or toad - not your motorhome although we saw many doing it??? i guess they like sweating and replacing brakes) west to a little 1890 town called Ten Sleep.  The Indians measured distance by the number of sleeps it took them to get some where, this was the number to their main winter camps.  It was the halfway point.  Funny whenever we are going away I always said "only 3 more sleeps or 5 more sleeps".   This 67 mile route is known as the Cloud Peak Scenic Byway and takes you over the southern most route of the Big Horn Mountain Range.

Cloud Peak Scenic Byway

Cloud Peak Scenic Byway

Wildflowers are everywhere at 8000 feet

Pigtails and Presidents - Iron Mtn Rd & Mt Rushmore & Custer State Park

Friday July 11/2014   Hot 87, T Storm late afternoon, then cool at night 65.
It is Mountain Time here so we are 2 hours behind our body clock from Ontario.  We were up at 6:11 am this morning.  And that felt like we were sleeping in!!!!
Oh well it was bright and sunny and warm.  By 8 am we were on the bike and ready to ride The Black Hills.  Appropriately named for the colour of the cedar trees.

We chose to take one of the most scenic loops in America.  Mount Rushmore is so impressive. WOW.  Carved in granite from 1927 to 1941.  We had went in and toured it before so today we just road by but it is one of our favourite attractions, you really have to see it.

the presidents

There are picturesque lakes, towering granite formations, six picture-perfect tunnels, tight hairpin curves, spiral “pigtail” bridges, and the wildlife ranges of Norbeck Wildlife Preserve, Black Elk National Wilderness Area and Custer State Park.  We encountered steep grades, sharp curves and tunnels with height and width restrictions definitely not a place for a motorhome!

8ft tunnel - must honk horn before entering

pigtail bridges - the road winds around itself

You can expect a traffic jam here caused by tourists watching a herd of buffalo, or burro, deer or mountain goat.  We stopped for the jam and got caught in the middle of the buffalo.

in the distance that brown line is a herd of buffalo

now right in front of our bike

Phew good thing we had our windshield on, that made us feel very safe!  Ha ha.  "Billy don't move"........ here they come right at the bike.  So many young.  We shut off the bike as we heard the Bulls do not like the noise.  Yikes!