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Published: September 19th 2009
WEEK SIX: CHOTEAU , MT TO CUSTER , SD
Tuesday, June 30 We took our time leaving Choteau lingering over long expanses of soft green prairies and buttes and memories Jen’s hospitality,. Civilization seems an ugly interruption of this lovely land.
The
Ulm Pishkun State Park, ten miles out of Great Falls is the historic
Buffalo Jump of the First Peoples. For hundreds of years the Great Plains Indian Tribes hunted buffalo by driving them over these and many other cliffs. To get to the edge of these impressive cliffs you must walk through a prairie dog town on top of the butte. It was fun to listen to the chirping animals send their warnings to their colonies and then dive into their burrows as we approached. We tried to imagine a thundering herd of buffalo being driven to their death, or the
First Peoples facing the herd as they steered them to their demise. The buffalo made survival of this ancient culture possible.
Driving further south on 89 through the
Lewis and Clark National Forrest we took Jen’s advice and climbed the rocky ascent to
Memorial Falls in the
Little Belt Mountains. I have never climbed over a
more rocky terrain. Amazing chunks of lichen covered yellow and pink sedimentary rocks, millions of years old, surrounded us in canyon walls and rocky outcrops. According to the Blackfeet, lichens are
ghost beads placed on rocks by the spirits as ornaments. While trying to photograph the falls and rocks I leaned against a tree to steady myself. Then I tried to walk away and found myself sticking to the pine sap. At least it smelled wonderful! When I stopped again at the side of the road to capture the light on the meadow, a swarm of mosquitoes devoured me in spite of (or maybe because of?) my pine scented body.
It was getting late and we still had over 200 miles to get to our reservations at
Chico Hot Springs in Pray, MT. As we approached our destination we also approached dark rain clouds and lightening. Is Yellowstone always stormy?? Fortunately by the time we arrived at this famous resort in
Paradise Valley the storm cleared in time for us to hit the hot springs. The resort has seen many famous personalities since it opened in 1900. Along with the relaxed, comfortable Western charm and good cuisine, it also
boasts one of the best wine cellars in the country. We stayed in the original wooden inn at the
foothills of the Absaroka Mountains. It is obvious why they call this Paradise Valley.
The horse barns are on the property near the main lodge. As we took our evening stroll before hitting the springs I spent time petting horses and watching swallows dart in and out of the barn. This is a pet-friendly resort and walking the creaky old halls of the inn I bumped into dogs of all sizes and breeds helping me to feel comfortable and relaxed at this special inn. There is little doubt that if I get the chance to return, I surely will.
Wednesday, July 1 Last night after the thunderstorm rolled through, we soaked in the relaxing mineral spring pools before heading up the long hallway to our lovely room. This morning with the sun shining Dave got out ahead of me to scope out the property. I followed by hiking up and down the hilly valley photographing the breathtaking scenery that surrounds this lovely place. Sunlight danced on the soft wheat colored hills that were carved by shadows accented by
the snowcapped mountains and the sprawling acreage that is Chico ’s.
I took one more soak in the springs before leaving for breakfast at the
Howlin’ Hounds Café in
Emigrant. It turned out to be a terrific choice, not so much for the food, although it was very good with homemade bread and farm fresh eggs, but for the camaraderie of folk from the region who obviously make this meeting place a regular routine. David, a retired rancher came through the door as we were eating our breakfast and was hailed by the cowboy hat crowd next to us. After acknowledging his “fans” and accepting compliments on his new cowboy hat, David came to our table for a chat and soon was sitting with us. Retired Pastor Ron came in with a group of his own and received a similar welcome sitting near us. By the end of our breakfast we were all good friends and I promised Pastor Ron never to stop smiling. On our way to Gardner (the north western gate of Yellowstone ) our new friends told us to check out the pond near the café to see the family of trumpeter swans. Tall necked graceful
beauties floated on the glassy surface that mirrored the Rocky Mountains . What a great way to begin the day.
In Gardner I purchased an Elk rack that I had seen when we were there over a week ago. I had many documents to fill out before heading back into Yellowstone to prove I had purchased and not poached it. Then the challenge came of fitting it in the car. It was a tight squeeze but I did it and as directed I covered it up to hide it from passersby, ultimately using it to hang our hats on!
The sun was sparkling over the golden
Mammoth Hot Springs but as we headed towards
Tower Roosevelt ominous clouds piled up in the sky. Perhaps it was foretelling of the unfortunate chain of events that occurred next: when we stopped at Undine Falls I jumped out to photograph them but my camera was not firmly in its holster and out it spilled onto the ground. I had fallen on the trail landing on the camera in Glacier National Park several days ago but this time I really did it. The lens mechanism was broken and here I was in
the best location for wildlife viewing in all of Yellowstone without a focusing lens on my camera! Sadly I limped along doing what I could but ineffectively until we saw the mother and baby black bear. Cameras and tripods lined the road as wildlife photographers captured the moment…all but me. Kindly another Nikon user loaned me his lens so I could at least get something to remember which also confirmed it was my lens, not the camera.
The rain came down in torrents as we checked into the cabin part of
Roosevelt Lodge and Cabins. This lodge is the most rustic of all the lodges we visited at in the park. The food was very basic and the 1920s cabin we stayed in had electricity, a bed, a lamp and a wood stove but no plumbing. We waited for the hail to stop before getting out of the car to unpack in the drizzle. Not wanting to spoil the day we had lunch at the lodge then drove down to
Artist’s Point and the famous
Yellowstone Lower Falls at the
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I had tried to photograph this site a week ago but it was pouring
rain, this time my camera was malfunctioning and then it poured rain.
We worked our way back in and out of rain clouds to the Roosevelt Lodge for dinner and into our cabin to start the fire in the wood stove. I resolved after dashing in the cold to the bathroom that whatever happened I would stay warm in my bed until daylight.
Thursday, July 2 The memory of sunshine flashed through my mind as I woke up to a cold cabin (the fire went out). We had partly sunny skies and 40 degrees at 6am. Dave and I collected our things, grabbed coffee to go and at 7am I was out trying to focus a broken lens on the buffalo in a nearby meadow. We drove through the
Lamar Valley in intermittent showers and around
herds of buffalo. As I got out to photograph a small buffalo herd with one bouncy calf that clomped and ran down the street in front of our car another wildlife enthusiast told me I just missed the grizzly bears again! (About twenty minutes before we arrived two grizzlies had attacked a buffalo and were next to the carcass). Maybe it
was just as well that I had this better memory of that beautiful beast. I am enamored with the romance of the buffalo. Having stood close enough to smell their pungent odor and hear these huge animals breathe, grunt and chew the grass in close proximity is a humbling and awesome event I won’t soon forget. I could actually feel their power as they stood stock still and looked me in the eye while I tried to take their picture!
The rest of our drive proved uneventful which gave me time to observe more of this rugged landscape. So much of the pine in Yellowstone, as well as throughout the Tetons, Colorado and up to Glacier, have been devastated by fire and infested by the lodge poll pine beetle and other pests. In the gloomy aspect of a rainy day it seemed like the remaining tall tree trunks were ghosts of a forest gone by.
Cooke City is only a few buildings bigger than Silver Gate, the first town at the northeast entrance to the park. We stopped for breakfast at the
Bistro Café, the only place in town, and with only three tables it took the cook
over an hour to prepare fried eggs and cold cereal. By the time we left the sun had come out so we left with some degree of optimism for the spectacular
Beartooth Highway . Similar to the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier, this road climbs high into the mountains with beautiful snowcapped mountain views at every hairpin turn. Crystal clear lakes punctuate the scenery and when we reached the highest peaks above the tree line we found skiers and a T-bar on the remaining snow mass. I climbed over bright yellow and blue alpine flowers to look at the snow covered ravine below me, watching the few skiers coming back from their run.
The Beartooth Highway (or mosquito highway as Dave will remember it) wound down into the old mining town of
Red Lodge, Montana where Calamity Jane and Buffalo Bill Cody vacationed. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid robbed the local bank (what bank didn’t they rob?) and the infamous “Liver Eatin” Johnston had been the town’s sheriff. History abounds in this tiny town but we needed to make some history of our own so we stopped at the
Bridge Creek Backcountry Kitchen and Wine Bar for a fabulous lunch. Still troubled with my camera, Dave suggested I check out the local camera store to see what could be done. Dave had wanted me to find just the right thing for my birthday so I ended up getting a new lens for my camera saving the vacation.
The
Crowne Plaza Hotel in Billings is the tallest building in town. We were delighted with our room overlooking the mountains and the rainbow that appeared after the storm. A short walk around the block brought us to the
Montana Brew Pub which turned out to be a fabulous choice for dinner. Great food, great local beer and good energy in the outdoor café until the storm kicked in and blew us out of there. Fortunately we were finished with our dinner so we returned to our hotel. On the bed was a lovely package with lavender scent for our pillows, a sleeping mask and ….oh no…
earplugs. I soon discovered the reason for the gifts as the train whistle echoed through town only blocks away. Dave took his hearing aides out and slept soundly.
Friday, July 3 I was not out the door in record time
this morning so Dave walked the historic district scoping out a place for breakfast. He came back to report that
Stella’s Kitchen had the best smelling pastries so off we went for a sample.
Late in the morning we left Billings for the
Pictograph Cave State Park. Sadly the pictographs were not very visible but the rock caves and surrounding landscape was beautiful plus I got to photograph my first
rattlesnake. My luck must be turning because I didn’t get bitten. Dave found concretions protruding on the rock wall near one of the caves. These odd round mineral formations reminded me of the moqui marbles we found on the Grand Escalante in Utah.
Clouds were forming on the horizon as we took off for the
Little Bighorn Battlefield about an hour away. I was surprised to see the hilly and bumpy terrain where the battle was fought. We drove the long five miles from the beginning of the battle to the famous “Last Stand” trying to imagine the horror of the day. The gloomy skies, empty landscape and ghostly silence produced a palpable sadness in these hills. I was glad to see that the Cheyenne and Sioux warriors
were also memorialized here with gravestone markers. Although most of the markers do not identify which body fell, at least there was a tribute to the fallen.
By 6pm we had checked into the
Historic Mansion House Inn (built in 1903) in
Buffalo, WY and by 7pm we were at dinner at the 129 year old
Occidental Hotel where Buffalo Bill Cody, Calamity Jane, young Teddy Roosevelt, Butch Cassidy and the Hole in the Wall Gang and Owen Wister, author of The Virginian found comfort while passing through. The inn was filled with photographs, antiques, and other memorabilia but as charming as the hotel was, the food was not memorable.
Saturday, July 4 The Buffalo area is teaming with history. Sadly for us, the entire little town shuts down for the 4th of July including the
Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum with its prized collection of Indian artifacts, shell casings from the local battles including Little Bighorn, and details about the Cattle Barons planned invasion of Johnson County . The actual “Hole in the Wall” is a short drive (but a rugged hike) from town. The
Johnson County Cattle War of 1892 took place 40 miles south of
here. Numerous forts and battlefields are within a close proximity to Buffalo and on this Fourth of July we drove north to the site of
Fort Phil Kearny. This fort was important to the prospectors and pioneers on the
Bozeman Trail but it was also on land promised to the Crow Indians. Broken promises, misunderstandings were the foundations of a power struggle over land that had once been home to nomadic tribes. The disaster here in the mid 1800s was pivotal to the battle at Little Big Horn and the surrounding
“Indian Wars”.
We moved on to the former estate of
Cattle Baron William Moncreiffe. Wealthy and landed English and Scotsmen came to this country in the late 1800s to grow their fortune in the cattle business further adding to the turmoil in the west. This estate was later purchased by
Bradford Brinton who was a prominent collector of Western Art. We toured the estate and I especially enjoyed viewing his impressive collection of art including black and white paintings by Remington and sculptures and paintings by C.M. Russell.
With over one hundred miles to go we grabbed lunch and headed to
Devil’s Tower in the northeast corner
of Wyoming and the edge of the
Black Hills. Like so many sites we have seen, you have to experience a place to grasp its magnificence and this site was no exception. Devil’s Tower was created by a once-active volcano and there are many theories about how it evolved to its present state. It also is considered a holy site by Native Americans and as we walked around the base of this enormous rock tower we found prayer cloths and offerings tied to the trees.
Native American legend tells a story of a huge bear attempting to attack seven little girls. They prayed for help and the rock lifted into the sky to save them. The marks on the side of the tower are the bear claws in his attempt to reach them. Although we did not see a mountain goat, we stopped to enjoy the prairie dogs squeaking and jumping in the
Prairie Dog Town as we left the national monument.
The late afternoon sun was casting beautiful shadows on the hills and rivers as we drove to
Spearfish, SD. Dave kindly stopped at several spots for me to attempt to capture this lovely landscape with my new
lens. I could easily have stayed for several days. We unpacked our things at the hotel and after a quick meal drove past Deadwood and into
Lead to enjoy their local
fireworks celebration.
Sunday, July 5 Spearfish Canyon is located on Scenic 14A south of Spearfish in the heart of the
Black Hills National Forest. The early Native Americans named this area “ Black Hills ” because the Ponderosa pine were so dark green they appeared black from a distance. Spearfish got its name from the Indians who used to spear fish in the crystal clear waters of Spearfish Creek. This area boasts many beautiful waterfalls but my favorite was
Roughlock Falls. Little Spearfish Creek pours over pale yellow limestone cliffs accented by the black-green Ponderosa pine forest. The memorable crisp sweet smell of wild roses hung in the air as we walked down to the water’s edge. The falls are off a long bumpy dirt road which also leads to a site for the movie Dances With Wolves. It is worth the drive to the falls but not worth the extra 2 miles over badly maintained roads to see an unremarkable part of the dense woods where part
of the movie was shot.
They say the west doesn’t get any wilder than
Deadwood. That was true back in the late 1800s and to this day rough riders and gamblers still inhabit this western town. High in the hills (some 4,533 above sea level) Deadwood was founded during the 1875 gold rush. The canyon became known as
“Deadwood Gulch” because at that time many of the trees that lined the canyon walls were dead. Once word got out about the gold a mining camp was established and prospectors began swarming in town looking for liquor, women and places to gamble.
Wild Bill Hickok came here from Abilene looking for opportunities of his own, but a few short months after he arrive he was murdered when he mistakenly sat with his back to the door during a poker game holding the now
famous “Dead Man’s Hand”. Both he and his friend
Calamity Jane are buried in the town’s Mt. Moriah Cemetery. We watched a very good reenactment of the shooting at
Saloon # 10 then had lunch upstairs at the
#10 Deadwood Social Club. It was after lunch that we realized we’d left our special pillows at the hotel
in Spearfish so Dave volunteered to go get them while I learned more about the town.
There are more gambling casinos here than I have ever seen in one place (of course I haven’t been to Vegas) and the main street was filled with bikers. Kevin Costner owns the
Midnight Star Saloon. Inside is a classic casino with slots and card tables but what makes this saloon unique is Costner’s movie props, costumes and memorabilia that cover all the walls.
When Dave returned to Deadwood we headed south to get a room in the honky tonk tourist trap of
Keystone before heading up to
Mount Rushmore for the evening performance and light show. The sculptures are indeed moving but I found the Ranger’s talk to move me more. He spoke about the history of the Indian Wars, especially focusing on the important battle at Little Big Horn and finally the tragic massacre at Wounded Knee which ultimately closed the chapter of the Native American’s nomadic lifestyle in the United States . I was surprised (and pleased) that here at Mount Rushmore his talk gave dignity to the Indians and portrayed the reality of what we as a nation
did to their culture.
Monday, July 6 We came back for a second look at
Mount Rushmore, this time in daylight.
Gutzon Borglum’s original models were strategically placed in Borglum’s studio with a window to the monument, thus having the ability to compare the planned sculptures with what was actually accomplished. Borglum had intended a much more complete carving on Mt Rushmore but WWII was in full swing and congress could not afford to support it, then Borglum died shortly after his appeal for money ending the project before it could be totally completed. It was interesting to see what he had planned to create but what we see now is still pretty impressive.
It was still early in the morning when we left Rushmore for the pigtail bridges and narrow tunnels on the winding
Iron Mountain Road, part of the
Peter Norbeck Scenic Highway. Thanks to the former South Dakota Governor’s vision and generosity we can enjoy this beautiful Scenic Byway through Iron Mountain as well as
The Needles Highway. Huge granite needle shaped rocks pierce the horizon on this narrow, twisting road. One of the many narrow one-way tunnels opens up to the
Needle’s Eye, a
Sculpture of Crazy Horse with monument in the background
The monument is unfinished but will look like the completed sculpture in the foreground when enough money is raised to finish this monumental task.tall granite pinnacle with a hole in the top shaped like a needle.
Near the end of our drive on the Needles Highway the road opens up to the breathtaking
Sylvan Lake. Rounded granite boulder-hills are reflected in the deep blue waters of this lovely lake reminding us of Guilin , China . We picnicked at the edge of the lake watching the boaters and enjoying the vista before leaving for
Crazy Horse Monument. I am not sure what I expected to see beyond the enormous rock carving but after entering the park I was impressed not only at the work but the vision sculptor
Korezak Ziolkowski had done to honor the Native Americans through his ambitious plans to build a Medical Center , University and airport at this location.
Although the weather forecast was for fair skies, the clouds looked ominous as we left Crazy Horse so we bagged the tent idea (again) and looked for alternative lodging near
Custer State Park. The park was sold out but there were a number of reasonable cottages going into the park near
Custer, SD. Keeping with the Rushmore theme we found a small cottage at the
American Presidents Resort staying in the
William Harrison Cottage. We then headed into the park around 6:30pm on the
Wildlife Loop with the hope of viewing some animals before dinner. We didn’t have to wait long for we saw white tailed deer, turkeys, antelope and finally some buffalo. The light was fading and we were hungry but when we were half way to our dinner destination we encountered the wild burros grazing in a meadow. Several cars had stopped and by the time we arrived the burros began to head in our direction. We had a great time watching them come in and interact with us and other humans until Dave’s stomach growled a little too loudly.
The
State Game Lodge in Custer State Park was operating out of the former
Coolidge Summer White House. By the time we arrived for dinner it was packed. They did find us a table but we didn’t finish eating until 9:30, too long for two tired adventurers.
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