- Wyoming - Summer 2001 -
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The idea of this trip was initiated three years ago when Ellie and I looked through a road atlas.  We must have been bored because we were attempting to figure out which of the lower 48 states had the least population.  Wyoming was, and still is, the champion in respect to this statistic!  It seemed like a nice place to find mountains, visit two major national parks, and hike wilderness areas.

We set off late on a Saturday night after seeing Dar Williams in concert, which wasn’t one of the best decisions made.  Not the concert, that was excellent, more the time we set off.  That night we encountered our first blooper, La Crosse, our intended stop over ,had no vacancies!  So, on we drove into the night and eventually found lodging in Rochester, Minnesota at 3:00am in the morning.

Early the next day we headed out across Minnesota toward Deadwood, South Dakota.  We arrived at 4:30pm and had covered 920 miles since the previous night.  We stayed at the KOA we had used on our honeymoon in 1997.  It was how we remembered it... it's a shame the steak in BB Cody's in downtown Deadwood wasn't (the second blooper).

The next day was a more leisurely drive across the state line into Wyoming.  We stopped a Devil's Tower National Monument for a few hours to stretch our stiff legs.  Incidentally, DTNM was the first National Monument in the United States.  It is impressive, but almost like Rushmore in the sense that unless you are hiking, it is a short stop.  We took in the trail that skirts 360 degrees around the volcanic tower.  A nice two hour walk with a variety of scenes to pleasure the eye.  That night, after driving across vast high plains with an imposing view of the Bighorn Mountains, we arrived in Buffalo and spent several days exploring the area.  The town itself has plenty to do and see.  Take some time to use the "free" swimming pool and check out the museum.

The Cloud Peak Wilderness provided our first serious walk of the holiday.  There are many trails in the wilderness area, but only a few offer a loop day hike.  Therefore, we were limited to an 8.5 mile loop beginning at the Circle Park trailhead.  The route takes in trail numbers 182, 046, and 095 which loops you back to the junction of 046/095 at Sherd Lake.  The elevation gain was taken care of in the first few miles as the trail climbed steadily from 8160ft up to 9400ft at Rainy Lake.  The entire length of the walk was under a canopy of pine trees apart from one very bare, rocky area near Her Lake.  The weather wasn't exactly considerate with the amount of water the skies hurled at us.  The photo inserted in this paragraph shows the condition of the sky and the bare spot.  If you give yourself enough time, take a look at Trigger Lake, it is a nice spot to have a snack and take in the splendor of the CPW.  Apart from the presence of trees, the walking was reminiscent of Lake District walking in the UK.  Look out for Moose in the swampy low areas.  We caught sight  of the rear end of one as we crossed the wooden walkway at the southern junction of 046/095.

We also took in some of the historical sites of the Buffalo region.  The Fetterman Battlefield site has an excellent interpretive walk which takes a look at the battle through the eyes of both the Americans and the Native Americans.  The Wagon Box site is smaller, but also represents some of the struggles that occurred with the American advancement toward the Pacific ocean.  The Buffalo region also has some excellent auto tours, one of which follows Crazy Woman Canyon (I have no idea where that name came from).  Take Hwy16 west from the town and look carefully for the entrance to the canyon because it has no sign post.  Driving down the canyon is more leisurely than driving up it !

We continued driving west using Hwy 14 & Hwy 14A (Medicine Wheel Passage) on the sixth day of our trip.  This route is okay if you aren't pulling anything or driving an RV; I'm sure it would be a little too exciting if this were the case !  The route takes you over the Bighorns and past the historic Medicine Wheel site which is worth the walk if you have the time.  The Bighorn Basin on the western side of the Bighorn Mountains is a vast expanse of dry land refreshed only by the water piped down from the Absaroka Mountains.  Cody may have been worth a look, but we were running out of time knowing that we still had many more miles to go.  Continuing west out of Cody we followed the Buffalo Bill Highway leading directly into the heart of Yellowstone National Park.  It began to rain, we came upon endless highway construction, time was lost, and tensions mounted.  By the time we had negotiated the roadwork between the Norris and Madison junctions I was tired, stressed, and ready to sit down with a beer.  I arrived in West Yellowstone, Montana without a sense of humor and an attitude similar to the car rental scene in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

The next day we woke up to a layer of ice on the picnic table.  Yes, this was August, but we were camping at 6667 feet above sea level.  Yellowstone National Park is America's first national park, so expect crowds.  Experience the park in two loops, the northern loop offers the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Mammoth Hot Springs, and an abundance of wildlife.  The southern loop offers the thermal activity that draws most visitors into the area.  Definitely check out the Grand Prismatic Spring and it's surrounding geysers.  The Spring is spectacular! Take time to walk the paths around Old Faithful and give yourself plenty of time to see the geysers erupting.  Old Faithful is spectacular to see, but the crowds are intense, even nearing the end of the tourist season.  Two days will cover all the tourist attractions in the park.  If Ellie and I were to return, we would certainly look at more hiking in the area.

West Yellowstone offers much for the casual tourist.  There are shops galore ready to suck you in and remove the green from your wallet.  Make time to visit the Grizzly Discovery Center.  The center has educated staff on hand to answer questions regarding the center's animal population and are very knowledgeable.  Meet a pack of relocated Gray Wolves and Grizzly Bears in a semi-natural habitat.  I even learned that the gray and timber wolf's track is the same.  Rule of thumb, if you think you are looking at the track of a big dog, it might just be a wolf !  The wolves display behavior found in wild wolf packs which is a good way of teaching kids that the Grimm Brothers were misinforming the public.  After you visit the center, catch a bite to eat in the Wolf Pack Brewing Company before taking in an IMAX experience.

We left the Yellowstone area striking a course for Grand Teton National Park and found Jackson Lake very dry.  The Idaho potato farmers had struggled for water and Jackson Lake is their water source.  We were going to stay at the Teton RV Park which is east of Moran Junction.  This would have been a blustery mistake and instead, chose to stay at the Teton Village KOA.  Where we stayed placed us close to the beauty of the Tetons and about five miles from the city of Jackson Hole.  Quite a good location really.  The sights of Teton can only be enjoyed if you wander into the mountains themselves.  Yes, the highway overlooks made famous by Ansel Adams are spectacular, but do not match the beauty of meeting head on with a moose.

We embarked on our longest hike while staying in the Teton area.  Although only nineteen miles long, Ellie decided to say that we had walked twenteen miles; it just sounded longer!  We started out early from the String Lake trailhead (6800ft) and headed up Paintbrush Canyon.  This trail begins as a steady climb up the valley through pine trees before breaking out into open ground near Holly Lake.  The trail continues on through rocky ground before making the steep climb up to the crest of the Paintbrush Divide.  The last section of the trail follows a narrow route up switchbacks.  The view is impressive, but make sure your eyes are on the path, it is a long way down.  Also, if you hit this part of the trail around noon, be very wary of the glacier above which takes pride in spitting boulders at you.  Not exactly a place to hang around.  The ping and pop of a boulder coming lose is enough to inject a steady stream of adrenalin into the blood stream.  As you round the last section of crags you pop out onto the blustery and cold Paintbrush Divide at 10700ft after a slog of eight ascending miles.

Good news though, the next eleven miles are all down hill and you can only pity the poor souls (fools?) making the climb up from Lake Solitude far below.  Lake Solitude is 2.4 miles from the crest of the Paintbrush Divide.  It's a great place to stop for lunch and rest weary feet.  Do you find solitude?  Easy answer, no, mainly because this is the turn around point for anyone hiking up Cascade Canyon.  Our peace was broken by a bunch of French persons who took it upon themselves to be as loud as possible.  But, regardless, enjoy the view and stick around for a while before continuing down.  It was also a good point to filter water for the rest of the hike.

From Lake Solitude, the path winds seven miles down through the North Branch and eventually Cascade Canyon to a point just above Hidden Falls.  You see plenty of wildlife on the way down the canyon.  We saw bull moose lazily munching in the wet areas, marmot scurrying in and out of rocks, and unfortunately, plenty of people.  Hidden Falls is a major attraction for tourists crossing Jenny Lake on the ferry and should be avoided if you prefer the solitude of the wilderness.  We turned north along a path which took us in a direction toward our trailhead.  It was a long mile, a seemingly endless mile, which snuggly followed Jenny Lake. We arrived back at the car after nine and a half hours of walking.  At that point I let on to Ellie that I had lied about ever walking nineteen miles.  But I justified the lie by telling her that it inspired confidence in her.  In reality, it did, it gave her the confidence to embark on other hikes of the same magnitude.  That night we celebrated our victory over Mexican food and margaritas at a restaurant next to the Teton KOA.  Watch out for the friendly skunk who wanders in and out of the tent sites next to the little stream at the back of the camp site.  He seems friendly enough, even rubbing himself against your leg if you are quiet enough.  However, knowing what a frightened skunk smells like, be very cautious on how friendly you want this mephitis mephitis to be.  

The following day we left the mountains of western Wyoming and headed for South Pass City.  The scenery changes dramatically as you follow hwy 191 south toward Farson and then north on hwy 28.  For over a hundred miles the scenery consists of sage brush.... endless, vast stretches of nothing.  It is no wonder Wyoming ranks as the state with the least population in the lower forty-eight.  Eventually, you will arrive at South Pass City, it is the worth the visit.  We stayed in Lander that night and frequented the Gannet Grill.  It's a wonderful little establishment with good food and beer.

The next day (our four year wedding anniversary) we briefly visited Sinks Canyon State Park before continuing east toward Casper.  This route follows the Oregon trail as well as many other pilgrim/pioneer trails.  Devils Gate and Independence Rock are good stopping points to stretch your legs as you skirt the Great Divide Basin.  Eventually, you will reach the industrial town of Casper, not exactly a tourist attraction, but a good stopping point on the way home.  We were now definitely heading home now covering hundreds of miles each day.  The following day we headed toward Guernsey to take a quick peek at Wagon Wheel Rut State Park and also Register Cliff State Park.  They are both worth a visit and show a brief glimpse of America's history.  We spent the afternoon and evening working our way east.  Our biggest mistake was driving into Nebraska.  Nebraska has now joined the ranks of Iowa and Indiana.  Here's a piece of advice, drive through them at night and fast.

After we escaped the clutches of Nebraska by heading north, we zoomed along I90, staying in Sioux Falls for the night.  Our last leg was uneventful and for the first time since moving here, the green landscape of Northern Wisconsin was actually welcoming.  It felt like we were going home.  We spent fourteen days on the road and passed over 3822 miles of tarmac (black top).  That figure equates to an average of 283 miles per day.  It was one hell of a trip, but I was glad to be home.  We put on the kettle, gave the cat a love, and had a nice cup of tea.

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