The Pony Express and Jesse James

Eastbound beyond these sites is a lot of driving. Nebraska is a step above Kansas for a cross-country drive, but not a big step. The eastern two-thirds of the state are flat instead of the entire state.

We were going to make a stop just over the border in St. Joseph, Missouri to see the Jesse James museum and the house where he was shot dead. The Pony Express also has a museum that is the beginning of the Pony Express trail that wound its way west between St. Joseph and Sacramento, CA for the two years it ran. St. Josephs is actually a great historic city (http://www.stjomo.com/historical_museums.aspx) and worth the stop.

From St. Joseph's it was a short drive home and the end of the saga. We covered eight states in about 10 days. Too much, too fast, but it gave us something to look forward to in the future - going back to some of the better places we saw.

Visit our other trips and stories at this link: http://kimbasfam-roadtripamerica.blogspot.com/

EASTBOUND via Nebraska

After our short visit in the Jackson Hole area, we headed east. Wyoming is beautiful, but as you drive along the highway eastbound, the only mountains seem to be in the rearview mirror and the land is barren farmland. An occassional pronghorn is seen in the fiels along the road. Otherwise, its 85 mph straight away. I was doing about 85 and was in the way of a Wyoming state highway worker and he passed me ....

We spent the night in easter Wyoming and headed into Nebraska early the next day. We would ride right past Scotts Bluff National Monument (http://www.nps.gov/scbl) and Chimney Rock National Historical Site. Major landmarks along the Oregon, California, Mormon, and Pony Express Trails.

Chimney Rock NHS is maintained by the Nebraska Historical Society (http://www.nebraskahistory.org/sites/rock/moreinfo.htm) (not the National Park Service). It too was a landmark to the wagon trains headed west. It has been a landmark for centuries. It is eroding, but it is unknown exactly how fast.

GRAND TETONS HERE WE COME

After only a couple of days, we left Yellowstone. This place absolutely deserves more time, but we were going for exposure with the knowledge we could return on another trip. We left out of West Yellowstone early in the morning. We entered the park near Madison and headed south toward Old Faithful and out the south exit of the park toward Grand Teton National Park. We would truly be just passing through as we made our way back home.

The Tetons are truly immense. They seem to come right up to the road and we stop several times to try to capture the right photo. Guaranteed, however, that pictures do NOT do justice to this landscape.

TOURING YELLOWSTONE

We spent the day trying to see as much of the park as possible. It is MUCH larger than you might imagine - probably in excess of 200 miles of road in the "figure 8" of main roads in the park. AND, you don't do these 200 miles in 200 minutes - get that out of your head!

We were able to see Old Faithful and get some lunch on the south side of the park, see most of the geysers on the west side of the park along with some short hikes to the different pools and mudpots.

We decided to add a day to this part of our adventure and were able to get a great room in West Yellowstone, MT (literally right outside the west entrance to the park). There are plenty of hotels. This is also where I stayed when I came back for the winter snowmobiling trip as you can get a more personalized trip rather than the 15 snowmobiles in a trail that you get when you stay in the park.

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Our night in Yellowstone was simply lucky. I called only a month earlier trying to find a reservation in the park. Typically, people make reservations a year in advance. I was hoping for a cancellation - and, as luck would have it - a room for all of us. AND, it was under $50. I thought I was stealing the room. On the contrary! It was like a bad dream in a Brady Bunch film. This room had no A/C, was unbelievably small, and had zero updates since it was built probably 30 years earlier. No problem - we only needed a roof over our head - and it was in Yellowstone National Park!

After checking in, we went to dinner. The dinner hall in Canyon Village was no better. The oranges, yellows, and greens were from "that 70s show". Like most national park facilities, the help was international students and the service was lacking. We ate dinner and moved on, just happy to be where we were. After dinner, we got an ice cream at a nearby shop, had some squabling over nothing while the kids tried to spend money on trinquets, checked out the falls at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and made our way back to our cabin.

At the cabin, we spied a few deer and a squirrel VERY close to our front door. All but domesticated because they are so used to seeing so many people.

Winter in Yellowstone

I returned to Yellowstone in the winter of 2007 to snowmobile through the park. This is a truly spectacular experience that I hope to do again someday soon.

TOURING YELLOWSTONE

Yellowstone National Park is like the North American Serengetti. The scenery is spectacular and the wildlife is virtually everywhere. If you never get out of your car, you will still see A LOT of wildlife. These photos are of wildlife close to the road.

Yes, they are wild animals. No, you should not leave your car and approach them. Yes, some mental midgets do approach the animals. No it is not illegal to be stupid. But, if something happens while you are there, you will get some great photos to bring home.

WELCOME TO YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

The Picture says it all.....I remember the day like it was yesterday. A lone biker on his way to the Sturgis Bike Rally was stopped for his own picture and offered to take the family photo. Awesome!

RED LODGE, MT

We arrived in Red Lodge relatively late at night. We had a long day of driving, but we also saw a lot as well. The kids were still high on the Buffalo - particularly those in Custer State Park. We kept telling them to wait until we got to Yellowstone, but quite frankly (having never been there) even I was unaware of what we would truly see.

Between Red Lodge and Yellowstone lay The Beartooth Highway (Rte 212). Another feat of man's ingenuity. The road is taken out every so often by avalanches - sometimes for months at a time. This road is a series of switchbacks (seems like hundreds) over about 60 miles across the beartooth mountains. Do NOT think 60 miles, therefore 60 minutes....not even close. You climb about 10,000 feet in that distance and then back down. The road is not recommended for vehicles like long motor homes, but I did see them out there. We pulled over a few times when we could, but pictures absolutely do NOT do justice to this place.

These pictures show some of the hairpins and the road hanging on the edge of the cliffs. We took the family shot at the highest point on the Beartooth at just under 11,000 feet. Not long after this is where the kids took the shot in the snow at a place I was petrified to walk to - we easily could have dropped several thousand feet there. Then, there is my obligatory shot in the local bitterly cold water - I need to fire the photographer for getting that bush in the way of my shot.

BATTLE OF LITTLE BIGHORN

From Devils Tower NM we headed further northwest toward the Battle of Little Bighorn National Monument (http://www.nps.gov/libi/) in southeast Montana - a roughly four hour drive from Devils Tower. We really did not do justice the historical site. I recommend taking the historical tour with the Indian and Park Service guides. We still had a two hour drive to our destination tonight in Red Lodge, MT so we did the self-guided tour and moved on. It is still fascinating the history on that spot.

MOVIN' ON.....

We left that fine Bedrock community early in the morning before everyone else got going. We stopped by Jewel Cave National Monument (http://www.nps.gov/jeca), but the kids were a bit mixed about going underground and we weren't going to be dragging them kicking and screaming into a cave.......

We were on the road almost as fast as we stopped. We take Rte 16 out of SD toward NE Wyoming and Devil's Tower NM (http://www.nps.gov/deto/) first made famous in the 1970s movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This monument is a bit out of the way, but is such a unique feature, it seemed like we had to go.

We are traveling the last week of July and into early August. The first week of August is typically the Sturgis Bike Rally and we are starting to see A LOT of bikers at the monuments. They are sometimes alone and sometimes in large groups. Some offer to take our family photo in front of the monuments, but all are friendly.

The approach to Devils Tower is just as dramatic as in the movie. It is visible for miles and we pull over often to get a photo. When we arrive, it is a relatively short 1.25 mile hike around the base of the monument and we decide we could use the leg stretch so we head off. It is relatively crowded by the time we arrived but few actually go much beyond the parking lot - big mistake. We spied a few ambitious people climbing the monument - well beyond my abilities, but allegedly a relatively easy climb that can be done in a day without too much problem for the skilled climber. I carried my 3 year old around the monument on my shoulders the entire way in what would become a training for her to simply refuse to walk anywhere knowing dad would carry her. This haunts me to this day where the word "hike" is literally a four-letter word.

Rapid City Wrap-Up

After what was a looong day, we went to the Flintstones Bedrock City in Custer, SD (http://www.flintstonesbedrockcity.com/). Yes, a bit cheesy, but the kids had been in the car a lot of time now and needed an outlet. This was a great opportunity.

We had packed enough things so we did not need a tent and sleeping bags on top of that, so we rented a small cabin that slept 5 perfectly. We were able to have a small campfire and just relax. Needless to say, we did not go back to Rushmore for the fireworks, but there will be time for that in the future.

we weren't up to late - next stop....Devil's Tower National Monument in NW Wyoming (http://www.nps.gov/deto/). But the entire day will take us into Montana as well as we get closer to our ultimate destination - Yellowstone National Park (http://www.nps.gov/yell/).

Crazyhorse Comes Alive

I was so taken by the memorial, I returned in 2007 (almost four years after my initial visit). A lot of progress was made, but the scale of the monument makes it difficult to see. This time, I did make the effort (and commitment) to get to the top of the monument - the guided tour onto the Arm of the statue. Talk about bringing the statue to life and providing scale unimagineable before.

If you get to the upper mid-west, you must go to this site. It is worth every minute you can spend there. The memorial is being built with private contributions ONLY. They have turned down all government money that has been offered as it would likely lead to control over content, creative, methods, etc. Make the trip - you will be moved by it! Guaranteed!

Crazyhorse Memorial

The Crazyhorse Memorial will be taller than the Washington Monument. The four faces of Mount Rushmore could fit on the head of Crazyhorse when it is done. The statue is absolutely enormous. It was the vision of a single man that brought the mountain carving as far as it has. To get the real perspective, I recommend you get the movie about the man and dreams behind the carving:

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In one of these pictures, a model stands outside the visitor center at the foot of the mountain (with the real one in the background). It has taken over 50 years to get as far as it has. Although the progress is accelerating, it is still a long way from completion. I heard the phrase "your children's children will see it completed". Now that is commitment!

TOO LITTLE TIME

We were keenly aware we shoved too much into the trip by now. This sleepy town has a lot to offer the typical visitor. I was trying to stay on a schedule, but in hindsight, I was in a hurry to go nowhere. The industry I was in was undergoing a total meltdown and I REALLY did not need to hurry back. But that can wait for another day.

We left Rushmore in the early afternoon for what is a 20 minute ride to the Crazyhorse Memorial. I hoped to come back after dark for the fireworks show at Rushmore. The Crazyhorse Memorial is worth every minute you spend there. Words simply CANNOT do justice to the work that has been done, is being done, and will be done. The scale, the vision, the commitment of this project are all too much to comprehend in a short visit.

I will post photos and more detail later. In the meantime, you can visit their website http://www.crazyhorsememorial.org/.

Mt. Rushmore

Mt. Rushmore (http://www.nps.gov/moru) is only a short drive from Badlands. Our route went from Interstate 90 entrance through the park and exited on the northwestern side leading toward Rapid City.

South of Rapid City we toured through Custer State Park (http://www.sdgfp.info/Parks/Regions/Custer/custersp.htm). This is a great diversion. One of the largest herds of buffalo in the United States roam within the park. The lodge here is supposed to be first rate - it has housed many Presidents - but we did not stay there.

We then went through the needles highway toward Mr. Rushmore. This is a great way to approach. The highway is very scenic and an engineering marvel with some corkscrew turns and manmade tunnels. The last couple of these manmade tunnels "frame" Mt. Rushmore perfectly as you are headed through the tunnel - a nice intro to the monument.

It is a fascinating feat of man's creativity. The story behind the carving is equally fascinating. Gutzon Borglund, originally behind the Stone Mountain Carving near Atlanta, abandonded Stone Mountain and raced to South Dakota. The "rest of the story" is here: (http://www.nps.gov/archive/moru/park_history/carving_hist/carving_history.htm)

Places to go, People to See, Things to Do

We spent the night in Kadoka, SD just outsided the Badlands National Park (http://www.nps.gov/badl) in a questionable hotel (under a national brand). We got in late and up early so all we needed was a bed - I suppose it fit that definition. We made the mistake of getting breakfast there and lost an hour - just HOW LONG does it take to make pancakes? I suspect I could have fed the population of Kadoka in that time frame.

We entered the Badlands shortly after breakfast. It is tempting to stop very early due to the scenery early in the park. The reality is that the desolation and eroded mounds are throughout the entire park. There are places to get out and walk through the mounds and that is well worth it.

We were not spending long in the park - a couple hours - but it was long enough. It gets hot early in the park - basically a high desert. As we were nearing the exit, we saw a small herd of buffalo. Since it was our first sighting of "wild" buffalo (city folk), we were captivated by them. They were VERY close. Their size is AMAZING. We motored on toward Rapid City, Mt. Rushmore, lunch, and more.