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Published: September 11th 2016
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25th August
After staying the evening in Cheyene in Wyoming. We traveled through Scotts Bluff, Nebraska, a significant place as this was a pass on the Oregon Trail where the first settlers passed on their way out to a new life in California. We saw old wagon trains and learnt about the hardship and the elements and diseases that many Settlers incurred. Men, women and children perished on this horrific journey to the new lands. We passed by another land mark which the first settlers would have used as passing mark, Chimney Rock. We arrived in Rapid City South Dakota and checked into our motel, and quickly headed off to the Badlands National Park. Amazing formations of rock and prairie, as it was in the afternoon we enjoyed the colours of the rocks changing in the afternoon sun and the grazing of long horn sheep. We also saw herds of Bison in the distance but couldn't get that close to them. Returning to Rapid City we drove through the Black Hills and thunder and lighting which made for the most spectacular light show. The next day we traveled through the black hills to Mount Rushmore to see the carvings of the
Famous American presidents which were sculptured by Gutzon Borglun and his son Lincoln. As you travel through the National Park, up and down rocky hills, tunnels are carved into the rock face. As your going through the tunnel, you exit out of the tunnel your faced with the view of Mount Rushmore. Amazing feat of engineering of the roads and tunnels and the eye view of this amazing monument, along with beauty of the Black Hills. On to Custer National Park where we came up close and personal to the magnificent Bison and White tailed deer. Then to Wind Cave National Park which is renowned to be one of the longest network of caves in the world. We watched a short movie on the history of the caves, however we didn't enter them, I have done my visiting of caves on this trip. The National Park Park was a great drive with Deer and Bison roaming. On the return back to Rapid City we visited Crazy Horse monument. The great Indian Warrior who is being sculptured into a huge rock mountain like Mount Rushmore, only his face has been completed so far. When finished he will have a full Indian
head dress on and he will be riding his horse. The sculpture is magnificent, can you imagine a whole mountain caved out for this particular Native American Indian. The next day we visited Deadwood, where Calamity Jane was from, however the masses of crowds during school holidays and a vintage car show was just too much for us and we didn't stay long. We drove through Spearfish Canyon and then traveled to Devils Tower in Wyoming it is a huge and quite strange formation of rock in the middle of nowhere, thus getting the name Devils Tower. The next day we visited The Battle of little Big Horn national monument, "Custer's Last Stand" We loved the place, a part of America History and recounted in many western movies of the bravery of both Indian and American soldiers. We followed the tactical manoeuvres of both soldiers and native Indians. Until Custer was finally defeated and lost his life. The Park Rangers were so enthusiastic and clearly loved history, they made the visit very special. Traveling back into Wyoming to Billings we prepared ourselves for the next few days, traveling down the Bear Tooth Highway to Mammoth Springs and into Yellowstone National
Park. Entering the Park through this route was breath taking and we have since been told the perfect way to enter Yellowstone. The spectacular views were breath taking, so very beautiful, some of the most beautiful country we have seen here in the USA.It's so vast you want to see everything, but this National Park has got to be enjoyed with a few days spent. After a day of hiking, wildlife and nature we hung our hats up in Cody at the Big Bear Cabins, we met Roy and Henry Earl, a couple of really nice guys from the Delta in Mississippi who were on a camping trip to visit Yellowstone. They certainly had big personalities and were lots of fun, we enjoyed a rodeo were the Cowboys were all Australian go figure...... Earl said we have had so much fun "We laughed our arses off" Back into Yellowstone to visit Old Faithful the Geyser, we even had a couple of picnics to entice Yogi Bear and BooBoo out, but we didn't see any bears, black nor grizzly. Visiting Grand Prismatic Springs and Grand Teton National Park as well as John Rockefeller Parkway we were in awe of such beautiful
country. Stopping in Pinedale, Wyoming ready for the next day journey into Utah. Ashley National Forest and Fossil Butte were on the next day route. We saw million year old rock formations from millions and millions years old seas and river beds. In the rock formations were Fossils which had been discovered. You could see where they were found in the cliffs in different layers of rock from all those millions of years ago. Staying in Vernal for the evening and sadly missing the Dinosuar festival on the weekend, Vernal was a lovely little town. The Main Street was awash with colourful flower pots, they were very proud of their town ?????Back into Colorado the next day and we traveled through Dinosaur Quarry and into Dinosaur National Canyon where we visited Fossilised Bones of Dinosaurs. Amazing building and how it had been built. The building that housed the Dinosaurs and bones, the earth from millions of year old rock had been dug out and sent to museums all over America so they too could extract bone samples of Dinosaurs. And in the place of the missing section of hillside, they had built a building which exposing fossilised bones in the
rock. All so recovering whole Dinosaurs. Traveling down the Dinosaur scenic highway we observed Native Indian paintings and stone Hoo Doos. We didn't know what they were until we worked out that it was American lingo ? Late in the afternoon we drove through the Colorado National Monument, a rim rock drive that follows a cliff hugging road that took us high along the mountains with vistas most rewarding. After spending the night at Grand Junction the next day we headed to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. We spent the morning driving the rim of the Canyon and the interior and we then traveled the San Juan Skyway. It is a road that took us through picturesque mountains and great views including small towns and lakes. Pulling up at Cortez for the evening and then a small journey back on to the Route 66. A bit of a detour but well worth the amazing adventure and country that we had covered.
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