Day Six - Yellowstone and Wyoming to Custer, South Dakota

I slept in a little bit on Day Six, but the sun dawned facing the back window of my tent, so it wasn't the easiest thing in the world. We had a good, hot breakfast and waited for the tents to dry in the sun while we packed up everything else. I wish we could have stayed a bit longer in Yellowstone, but we did see a lot. I hope to return a few more times. They do some winter vacation packages which sound fantastic - cross country skiing, ice skating, wildlife viewing and more. And I'd like to see some of the trails we missed, too. It's a wonderful place. As we drove back through the park to exit it, we caught some great views of the mountains, beyond the lake.

Driving higher, we saw much more snow, and more signs of past forest fires. Along the way, there were a few bison in the middle of the road, just ambling along. At one point, one was right next to the car, just standing there. Another was right in front of the car, walking up the dead center of the lane we were in. Of course this was their land first!

And just as we exited, we saw a few more bison sitting near the ranger station. Continuing through Wyoming (and descending a bit), the landscape began to change quite a bit. We saw signs about bighorn sheep and the cliffs being used by Native Americans long ago. It is a pretty fascinating area - very beautiful and rugged. It looked like there were some ravens nesting in one of the ledges in the cliffs. They are really interesting creatures - huge, loud and threatening.

I think Wyoming continues to be my favorite place as of yet, on this trip. If it weren't so far away, I think I would love to live in Wyoming...at least I could visit it a lot. Also, there are a lot of good country music radio stations.

We drove a lot! Eventually, we crossed over into South Dakota and almost immediately entered the Black Hills National Forest. Interestingly, the name Black Hills refers to how they appear from a distance. The tribes in the area saw them in great contrast to the lighter colors of the neighboring prairies. The dense pine forests covering them made them appear black in comparison to the golden and green plains - hence, the Black Hills. It is certainly a glorious part of the country. I really enjoyed the scenery, as we climbed up mountains once again, driving toward Custer, South Dakota, just outside of Rushmore Monument and Crazy Horse Memorial.

Rain started yet again as we got into town and checked into a hotel. Again, all the rain is not too conducive to camping. This hotel was pretty nice and had an indoor pool, so I got some swimming in - very refreshing after all the driving! We went down the street a bit for dinner where I had an excellent rainbow trout and a glass of Riesling. Once I was settled in, it actually hailed a little bit! Again, a good night to be tucked in nice and cozy. Oh, and we also did some much needed laundry. Day Seven - onto Crazy Horse, Rushmore and the Badlands!