WIDE OPEN SPACES - Part 1: The Sites

Somewhere in Montana.

We recently returned from a 13 day, 3198 mile road trip through Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota & Montana. I was in awe of how much of nothing but incredible scenery there is in this magnificent land we call home. I don't care what Colin Kaepernick thinks, this is the most wonderful country in the world!

I decided to title my report "Wide Open Spaces". There was so much to see & so many pictures to share that I have broken it into three parts - The Sites, The Wildlife & The Awe-Inspiring Scenery. The natural beauty had our mouths gaping open much of the time!

Our flight arrived in Boise at 6:45 PM. We found our luggage, picked up our rental car & were on the highway to Twin Falls in less than half an hour! Bet that would never happen in New York or Boston.

After a morning visit to the as of now undeveloped Minidoka National Historic Site - a Japanese internment camp during World War II - our next stop was a tour of Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho.

The black basalt rock extends for miles & miles all across southern Idaho. The grass & sunflowers gave the starkness a little color.

One of the trails that wander through Craters of the Moon.

Our first lunch stop was downtown Idaho Falls with its picturesque park along the Snake River.

We were entering Yellowstone National Park from the west entrance rather than the south. But we were able to see the Grand Tetons from the "back side" in the distance.

Both Lou & I have been to Yellowstone National Park but our recollections were a little iffy since I was there 42 years ago & Lou was there 36 years ago. It has to be one of the most diverse parks in the world. The array of natural attractions boggles your mind.

Our first taste of the incredible sights was Lower Geyser Basin. The bright aqua color of this geyser was stunning.

The bubbling Mud Pots are literally pools of boiling mud - it looks like a pot of soup simmering away on the stove.

Of course, no trip to Yellowstone is complete without a photo of Old Faithful. The geyser has been spouting steam & water every 60-80 minutes for thousands of years!

This is part of the Grand Prismatic Spring in Middle Geyser Basin. Walking along the boardwalks gives your senses an other worldly feeling.

It is difficult to explain the variety of natural phenomenon in the park if you haven't been to Yellowstone. My advice is - if you haven't been there, go!

This is one of numerous terrace formations in Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces. It looks like something Walt Disney conjured up for Disneyland.

On the eastern side of the park is the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. It is a 20 mile long, 4000 feet wide & 1200 feet deep canyon carved out by the Yellowstone River.

Next it was on to South Dakota & all the concentration of sites in the southwest corner of the state. Things are really spread out in this part of the country which made for some long days of driving but with the gorgeous scenery & wide open spaces the time didn't see to drag on.

Of course, the 80 mile per hour speed limit in all but one of the states we traveled helped make the miles fly by.

We were making good time toward South Dakota so we took a 30 mile detour to visit Devil's Tower near Sundance, Wyoming. Lou had been there but it was my first time seeing the huge monolith. 

Next stop was Deadwood, South Dakota. It is an old west town that is now filled with casinos.

My kinda place - how can you go wrong with Beer & Bling???

Our plan was to choose either Wind Cave National Park or Jewel Cave National Monument to tour. BUT with some rainy weather & an early start, we visited both. I had been to Jewel Cave shortly after its new facility opened for tours back in the mid 1970s but had little recollection of it.

The dark hole in the center is the original entrance to Wind Cave. I can't imagine someone back in the 1800s deciding it was a good idea to climb in there when they felt the wind escaping.

This boxwork formation is prevalent in Wind Cave. In fact it contains the largest concentration of boxwork in the world.

Taking a quick break on a few of the over 1000 steps that we ascended & descended between the two caves. Thank goodness most were descending & we had elevators to take us back up.

One of the interesting formations in Jewel Cave. It is far beneath the ground needing elevators to take you into the depths for tours. Its deepest point is 749 feet below the surface & it is the 3rd longest known cave in the world.

Some of Jewel Cave's stalactites. Our guide said, "See you in another 42 years!" to me as we left. I replied, "If I'm still alive, I'll be here!"

Our long, drizzling day continued with a visit to Mt. Rushmore National Memorial, Crazy Horse Memorial & a ride along the Needles Highway Scenic Drive in Custer State Park. Fortunately, we only had a few days of rain & wished they could have been on our drive days BUT it was beautiful even with gray skies.

No bright blue skies or clouds for these photos - oh, well. I'm not sure what it is but I wasn't impressed with Mt. Rushmore 42 years ago & it still didn't impress me much this trip.

The Crazy Horse Memorial was covered in clouds but we pulled off the road & waited about 20 minutes. It finally cleared enough to get this picture. All that's been done in the 36 years since Lou first saw it is his face. Maybe Charley's grandkids will see the finished product???

Look closely at the bottom just to the right of center & you'll see the one lane tunnel through the rocks. There is literally less than a foot on either side of your mirrors as you drive through.

This formation along the 14 mile Needles Highway Scenic Drive is called the Needle's Eye. I really wish we could have had some better background but you can't win them all. And we had some amazing clouds that you'll see in my Awe-Inspiring Scenery post.

From the National Park sites near Custer we headed back toward civilization as we visited the first two of four State Capitols in South Dakota & North Dakota. But first we made a quick stop at Wall Drug (how could you not with signs every 1/4 mile?) & a drive through Badlands National Park where we encountered a herd of buffalo on the road! See the Wildlife post below.

Wall Drug is located in Wall, South Dakota & takes up an entire city block. You could spend all day but we did a quick walk through & had a mid-morning donut for energy. Lou's was free because he is a military veteran!

Some of mountainous scenery in Badlands National Park. It was named "badlands" because it was next to impossible to get a wagon through the rocky landscape.

The South Dakota Capitol in Pierre. 

The North Dakota Capitol in Bismarck is one of four Art Deco & three skyscraper State Capitols. I have now visited 42 state capitols, 44 if you count the two that I've seen but weren't open to go inside. 

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is located on the west side of North Dakota. Roosevelt's mother & wife died on the same day devastating the future president. He sought solace in the rugged country of North Dakota that he loved. Years earlier on a hunting trip he had bought land in the wilderness & retreated to his cabin to soothe his soul.

The Maltese Cross Cabin where Theodore Roosevelt withdrew to grieve the deaths of his wife & mother.

Hiking in the rain in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. 

The land that Roosevelt loved. He stated, "I have always said I never would have been President if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota."

Another unscheduled stop was Pompey's Pillar National Monument that we discovered along our way through Montana. Just before Billings along the Yellowstone River sits a sandstone rock where William Clark of Lewis & Clark fame carved his name along with many other pioneers. This was during the time that Lewis & Clark had split up on their return trip. Clark named the rock Pompey's Pillar after Sacagawea's son, Jean Baptiste, who he nicknamed "Pomp" or "Pompey"

Pompey's Pillar - the frame in the middle of the of the photo partially obscured by the rock is protecting William Clark's signature.

Close up of Clark's signature. It says Wm. Clark with July 25, 1806 inscribed below.

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Our third state capitol on this trip was up next. After visiting the Montana State Capitol in Helena, we made an unscheduled stop in Butte, Montana, & stumbled on to the Copper King Mansion. It is a historic mansion first owned by a mining magnate who in his prime supposedly earned 17 million dollars a month back in the 1800s! What? Now, the mansion is a museum/bed & breakfast. It was unbelievable how much stuff was in that house.

The Montana State Capitol in Helena. It was originally pronounced Ha-lay-na but the citizens thought it was too feminine & agreed to keep the name if it was pronounced Hell-uh-na.

The Pioneer Cabin - the oldest structure in Helena, Montana.

The Copper King Mansion originally owned by William Andrews Clark, a mining millionaire (no relation to William Clark of Lewis & Clark). It is now a Bed & Breakfast that doubles as a museum since they give tours daily. As a guest, you must keep your personal items out of sight in the closet for the tour groups. 

One of the B & B rooms in the Copper King Mansion.

It was on to Big Hole National Battlefield in Montana then back into Ketchum & Sun Valley, Idaho to complete our almost 3200 mile loop. Big Hole Battlefield is one of 30+ National Historic sites that chronicle the battles between Native Americans & the military. It is a sad time in our history & the horrors that were committed by our soldiers were many.

Our selfie in the fields of Big Hole National Battlefield. Fortunately, Lou didn't fall down the hill getting to the bench before the timer clicked the shutter.

Another of our lunch sites. Lou always likes to buy groceries & have picnics on our road trips. We have so many places where we've had lunch, some beautiful, some not so much, like in the car or sitting on palettes beside the interstate.

We discovered that Ernest Hemingway was buried in Ketchum Cementery. Then we saw the sign as we were speeding down the highway & turned in. It didn't take long to find his grave. People have put coins, pens, cigarettes, etc on his grave.

And, of course, the empty bottle of Vodka & a glass of wine were necessities for the hard drinking author.

The Sun Valley Lodge - this is a really upscale resort area.

Finally we had arrived at the last full day of our road trip. It seemed like months ago that we wandered around Craters of the Moon National Monument & Yellowstone National Park. As with any trip, as much as we love traveling, exploring & seeing the world, it is always good to get home & sleep in your own bed. But there was one more full day of adventures remaining.

The Perrine Bridge across the Snake River in Twin Falls is supposedly the only place in the U.S. where BASE jumping is allowed anytime without a permit. For those of you who don't know the lingo, BASE jumping is parachute jumping off of a Building, Antenna, Span or Earth. Mostly they are extra crazy ass skydivers with few brains. Before the skydivers reading this give me any grief, answer this - would you really jump off a 486 foot bridge with your parachute in hand, do two back flips & spend 12 seconds under your canopy before hitting the ground? Freaking nuts! Too many shadows for any good photos.

Shoshone Falls just outside of downtown Twin Falls. It was almost dry but is known as the Niagra Falls of the West & must be quite a sight in the spring.

A couple of satisfied travelers.....ready for the next adventure!

The Snake River Canyon near the Perrine Bridge. You can still see the ramp where in 1974 Evel Knievel launched himself on his ill-fated motorcycle jump attempt. Interestingly enough, two days before our visit we learned another guy actually made the same jump.

Our final stop on this trip - the fourth State Capitol in Boise, Idaho.