Day #28 - July 11, 2010

Sturgis, SD to Cody, WY
422 Miles

I left Sturgis this morning about 7:00 a.m. and drove northwest on Route 90. There are mostly farms in this area of the Black Hills and this photo is fairly typical of the landscape.

I very soon crossed into Wyoming and this roadside marker on Route 90 details Custer's 1874 Expedition in this area. I had hoped to go to the Custer Battlefield National Monument in Montana, but it proved to be farther north of my intended route than I originally thought.

However, I did take a short side trip north to Devils Tower. The explanation for its formation is: "About 60 million years ago molten magna was forced into sedimentary rocks above it and cooled underground. As it cooled it contracted and fractured into columns. Over millions of years, erosion of the sedimentary rock exposed Devils Tower. The tower rises 867 feet from its base. The diameter of its base is 1,000 feet."

On the road into the park, I encountered these deer. They seemed to pose for my pictures.

I returned to Route 90 via Route 14 and continued to Gillette and Buffalo, WY. From there I travelled west on Route 16 through Ten Sleep, Worland, and Greybull to Cody, WY.

The scenery on Route 16 is spectacular. The following photos were taken along that route.

I arrived in Cody, WY about 4:00 p.m. and went to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. It is a wonderful museum and the Buffalo Bill exhibit is only one part of the museum.

Buffalo Bill and the American West Exhibit

A very fine exhibit housed on several levels is The Nature of Yellowstone Exhibit. This gives a history of the entire Yellowstone area including plants and animals native to the area, geology, etc. This exhibit alone is worth the price of admission and it was a nice prelude to my visit to Yellowstone tomorrow.

There is also an elaborate display in the Cody Firearms Museum, also a part of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. I did a fast tour of this exhibit and was impressed with its display.

My favorite exhibit was Plains Indian Peoples. No photos were allowed in this area because the flash from cameras would affect the artwork. The best part of the exhibit was a display of Indian clothing, particularly buffalo hides that had been decorated with beadwork and painting, as well as intricately decorated moccacins and bags.

Also, no photos were allowed in the Western Art gallery, again because of possible damage to the paintings.

It is a wonderful museum. I was there for about 2 hours until they closed at 6:00 p.m. and I did not see everything.

I checked into a motel in Cody and will spend tomorrow at Yellowstone.