Cody, Wyoming

July 20 - 21/2014  Weather is 90 to 95 everyday. Dry - No humidity 15%.  Night 60
If you look at the map of potential roads from Ranchester/Sheridan/Buffalo Wyoming there are several "scenic" byways you can take to get to Cody........   Nope we only take the motorcycle on those.   So I know, even the Trucker's Atlas says you can safely take Hwy 14, Cloud Peak Skyway and hook up to some principal roads to come to Cody.  Nope.   We went back to Interstate 90 around and through Billings then dropped down on a principal road Hwy 310 to A14.  No elevations to worry about, no run offs, no drop offs the side of mountains.  A nice easy ride in the motorhome, with an extra hour or so that we are happy to take!
A great location to make base camp is at Cody Ponderosa Campground for a week of scenic riding and visiting nearby Yellowstone National Park.

Poster of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show

Cody is all about Buffalo Bill Cody.   A young pony express rider then soldier, hunter and eventual showman.  He was made famous by a novelist who used him as the heroic wild west character...  which was turned into a live show that went on the road to Europe and North America and movies.   The town and everything around here is named for him.   

Firearms at BB Center of the West

Excellent museum of Buffalo Bill Center of the West, the Indians, the wild west wildlife and Firearms!!!!   GUNS - 10,000 of them.  It is an unbelievable collection second to only the Smithsonian in Washington. They have so many that only half are on display.   As Canadians we have little knowledge about firearms so it was an overwhelming display of the last 100 years.

South Fork Road

We were chased back to Cody by a Thunderstorm

Beautiful ride on hwy 291 the South Fork  around the Buffalo Bill Reservoir  into the Shoshone National Forest.  There are many Dude ranches, this area is also the wintering ground for one of the largest herds of bighorn sheep in America. 

entrance to Dude ranch

Big Horn & Medicine Wheel Passage Scenic Byways

July 19, 2014  Ranchester temps hitting 100 degrees at 4:30 pm.  Hot.   In the mountains it was about 70. 
Our loop was Ranchester - west to Burgess Junction, Big Horn Byway Hwy 14 to Greybull, north to Lovell on 310 then west on Medicine Wheel Passage Byway 14a back to Ranchester.

Today was 196 miles of heaven.   Just beautiful scenery one mile after another.  Not for RV's.... we think.   At times it felt like we were driving off the edge of the mountain and at others we were climbing and climbing and climbing while zigzagging to the peak.   So much diverse landscape - from lush grasslands to alpine meadows, from crystal-clear lakes to glacially-carved valleys, from rolling hills to sheer mountain walls.   Elevation starts at about 3700 feet and the up to 10,042 on Bald Mountain. My camera was filled!!!    

Wild Flowers in South Dakota & Wyoming

July 18/2014 Cookin' today high of 94. The West is in a Heat Wave for the next week.   It's amazing how it drops almost 30 degrees at night, low of 58. 
We had an easy 50 mile day just down the road from Buffalo to Ranchester, Wyoming.  Staying at Lazy R Campground at the base of the Big Horn Mountain Range to ride two of the scenic byways.  It's a tiny little campground with maybe two pull thru's but that's ok one is ours and we only needed a couple nights.

Bull Thistle

In South Dakota and Wyoming one thing surprised us was all the wildflowers.   At 4,000 ft elevation or 8,000 ft.  The wide open alpine meadows abound with flowers.

lupines

daisies

Mountain Dandelion blooms at sunrise - My Mom has one!

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

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

July 13/2014  Hot today 84 and blazing sun.  Even hotter riding thru the Park.

Nothing but rocky outcrops as far as you can see

French fur traders who explored this area in the early 1800's dubbed this land mauvaises terres - "bad lands".   The scenery is truly awe inspiring.   You will drive thru moonscapes of ridges, crumbly spires and canyons stretching as far as the eye can see.  244,000 acres.  

the scenic hwy 240 thru the Badlands Nat'l Park

 Now how can you imagine that magnitude of land.   Here is my best sense of describing the size.... We road on hwy 44 which borders the Badlands for over 83 miles, that was around 2 hours on the motorcycle.   Which was down a portion of one side.   It seemed like forever....... there was nothing.  It was almost creepy.

We pulled into this Ghost Town of Longhorn after 1 hour.... on hwy 44

In fact we were both becoming nervous if something happened out there we only met about 3 other vehicles.  No cell phone towers.  Nothing.    Then we came across a ghost town which was not reassuring. 

looks like the moon

Eventually we came to the National Park Loop that takes another 38 miles through  the unbelievable landscape.  

then spires of crumbling rock

And then 6 miles down the road after leaving the Badlands a vast oasis of ........ Wall Drug!  The story goes that in 1936 the proprietors put up signs that all the travellers in cars passing thru the hot dusty prairie would be given free ice water and the rest is history of this tourist trap little town.

inside Wall Drug - Tourist Shops or tourist trap?

The Blackhills of South Dakota .... Riders Paradise

July 12/2014 Saturday Beautiful sunny warm day 82, night in the 60's.  Another T Storm late afternoon.  We seem to be timing it just right and heading out early since and just in when the thunderstorms hit.  This is the 3rd day in a row.   Our stay here is in Rapid City at Rushmore Shadows RV Resort.  It's a good campground for location to do all the riding in this area. 

There are motorcycles on every turn and bend, it really is a riders paradise.

Spearfish Canyon

along Spearfish Canyon

The 180 mile loop today took us to Hill City then north to Lead and Spearfish Canyon then around to the famous gold mining town of Deadwood (I am hooked on the TV HBO series of Deadwood, it brings Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and Sheriff Seth Bullock to life)

main street in Deadwood

and on to Sturgis where the infamous Biker Rally has been held for over 70 years now, then south back to Rapid City.

Rosey trying to read the map to find our way back to the campground

Only 1 drink  - promise :)

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!

Wall Drug Signs - South Dakota Interstate 90W

July 10/2014  70's to 80's today, low in 60's; Thunderstorm when we pulled into our campground at 2:30.

Anyone that has ever drove West or East on Interstate 90 can tell you about the marketing job that the little town of Wall Drug has accomplished.   We saw the first sign just inside the South Dakota border from Minnesota.   It said "Wall Drug 366 miles".   Then a few miles down the road we saw another sign.  And so on and and so on.  If you come anywhere close to the Black Hills you will be so curious that you simply must stop.   The mind just won't let it go.   I once was told by someone that the farthest sign was in Japan.    Really?  I think he was pulling my leg.   But I have to admit.  It's effective.

Wisconsin & Minnesota

July 8, 9/2014

barn quilt

Weather has been cool, in the 70's and 50's and rain at night.  Actually great for traveling and camping.    Today started in the 70's and as we drove west it ended up in the 80's.  We are actually headed into a heat wave in the Rockies (high 80's) according to the weather network..... 
Even the travel days are fun:)  Of course it doesn't take much to make us happy.
Wisconsin is a pretty state to drive through.  We headed south towards Green Bay then cut across due west to hook into interstate 90.  Hilly and lush scenery.  The farmers all have silo's with their barns.   Lots of dairy and yes Wisconsin Cheese.  I think it's the best in the USA.  Tuesday night we stayed in Tomah at Oakdale KOA. 

Now depending where you are in Minnesota the scenery changes.... there are 15,000 lakes and the northern area is trees and rock and lakes.  Paul Bunyan country.  Sadly we did not make it there this time.  Put that on the bucket list.   We went across the southern end which is pretty around the Mississippi River but as you head west it is known as the plains so it is basically flat farming land.  Tonight we are staying just inside the South Dakota border at Sioux Falls KOA.   The cool thing that we were chatting about all day today was the John Sanford novels that feature Virgil Flowers from Minnesota.  

Virgil Flowers based in Minnesota

We have read about 6 of them just recently and they all take place in remote places in the state.  (Detective stories - we rate 4 out of 5)   As we drove I found them on the map.  Of course Virgil has a favorite beer brewed in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin - Leinies  Leinenkugel's.   When we stopped for gas guess what I brought back to the RV????  

Wagon Train West - Michigan

July 6 & 7, 2014
We are thrilled to be on the road again.  This is our 3rd full time anniversary (36 months, 1080 days)  - and it's easy to remember cause it's time to pay the Motorhome insurance.  Honestly we are still pinching ourselves everyday cause we are so lucky we both love this life.
The goal this summer is to see the Rocky Mountains in the USA and Canada and end up along the California coast before we warehouse the RV and fly back to Ontario.
Looking at the map the logical way out west is across from Detroit and run the bottom of Chicago.  HOWEVER,,,,, yes that is a big however!   We have made several trips to Iowa and there has never been a good time to drive through Chicago, between the traffic and construction.  So my brother had the ingenious idea that we should take Interstate 75 north through Michigan and cross at the Mackinaw Bridge then turn left.  Brilliant.   So that is what we did.  Good for us heading north on Interstate 75 and bad for those coming back from the July 4th weekend.  Never have we seen such a bad traffic jam going southbound, back from cottage country.  From Saginaw up it was stop and go and mostly stopped for 60 miles.  It was the worst traffic jam we have ever seen in 3 years on the road.
Our ride north was fine and our first stop was in Mackinaw City at the KOA.   Nice campground for the night. 

Mackinaw Bridge

Then taking the 5th longest suspension bridge in the world the  Mighty Mack Bridge into the "UP"  Upper Peninsula. 

entering the U P - excellent share the road motorcycle sign

This would be a beautiful place to stay for a week, we have done this on the bike previously so it is still on the list to come back in the motorhome.  Lots of motorcycles and campers on the road.  Summer season is here.

View from the motorhome on Hwy 2

The ride along Lake Michigan on Hwy 2 was very scenic with many miles along the coast of Lake Michigan.  The road is often 3 lanes and has big wide shoulders so it was great with the motorhome.  The second night we are staying in Iron Mountain, an old mining town just on the edge of Michigan and Wisconsin.  Cute little campground called Summer Breeze.
If you like going under ground you can visit the mine and they will take you 400 feet into the Iron Mines.

But Billy and I are above ground people you might say,,,,,,,,   We prefer to keep our feet in the sun.  :)