Right, so I guess I'm going to be updating the blog by myself for a little while. Hi, folks. Bo had a minor...packing accident, and was unable to accompany BJ and I on our adventures today. We feel really bad for him, but he's in recovery and should be back to his pleasant old self in no time.
Sort of.
Anyways, we got a lot done today, so best get with the blogging! Our first order of business after checking out of the Alex Johnson hotel was to return to Mt. Rushmore for daylight photos.
Feel inspired yet? We have more pictures if you don't.
Having proved our patriotism by visiting four former presidents, we moved on to paying our respects to the Native America hero Crazy Horse.
He seems to be about as together as poor Bo.
He seems to be about as together as poor Bo.
After that, we rushed to Jewel Cave, which is apparently the second largest cave in the world at present, and they think they haven't even explored 15% of it. We were scheduled to take a special Lantern Tour where we'd get to see the cave the same way that people did when touring "back in the day". Some acrobatics were required, but I, at least, was up to the challenge.
BJ, not so much. The made him take off the hat.
There were a number of precarious stairs/ladders to manoeuver in order to get down to the cave floor, as well as a number of slippery cave rocks that needed to be navigated. Oh, and did I mention we did this all with scalding hot oil lamps swinging from our hands.
We actually enjoyed it a lot, and both thought it far superior to Wind Cave.
We next traveled to Hot Springs, SD to see the Mammoth Site. This is an active archaeological dig with an interpretive center built overhead. You can walk among the half exposed bones and see what they look like as they emerge from the rock. At present, the scientists have unearthed 58 different mammoths, and countless other prehistoric animals, and still have a good 45+ feet to dig down.
We left Hot Springs headed for Wyoming, but took a moment to photograph this pretty little waterfall in the town's park.
We also passed through Wind Cave Park for the third time and I finally managed to get a bison metered correctly. So, here's your first solid buffalo pic.
We had several goals to achieve in Wyoming today, and we'd achieve one of them. That was getting to Devils Tower before the light completely ran out.
This means something.
Our other two goals were to get interesting night pictures of Devils Tower and to make it to Sheridan, WY for the night. Those didn't work out so well. We stayed at the Tower long after everyone else in the park had left, and in fact walked the trail that circled the base while it was almost entirely dark out. That was fun, except BJ was terrified we'd be attacked by wolves...or bears...or murders who hang around National Monuments hoping young couples in love will randomly decide to stroll there after hours. We did actually scare up something that BJ thought was a raccoon and I thought was a porcupine. We didn't get a good enough look, though, so you'll have to remain in suspense forever.
We also saw a grim. No, really. It was black, dog like, and waaaay bigger than a coyote. I'd guess a wolf, but I don't think they come this far east.
It started to storm way off in the distance as we made our way to Sheridan. It was really amazing to see all the lightning strikes from a far off distance. However, the rain eventually caught up with us and the roads got a little slippery. We decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and pulled over in the first major town we came to: Gillette,WY.
So here we are, making preparations to see the Bighorn Mountains tomorrow and make our way into Yellowstone. Hopefully, Bo will be feeling better and will be able to join us.
If we don't post for several days it's not because we aren't having fun, but because internet access in Yellowstone is rather spotty.
BJ, not so much. The made him take off the hat.
There were a number of precarious stairs/ladders to manoeuver in order to get down to the cave floor, as well as a number of slippery cave rocks that needed to be navigated. Oh, and did I mention we did this all with scalding hot oil lamps swinging from our hands.
We actually enjoyed it a lot, and both thought it far superior to Wind Cave.
We next traveled to Hot Springs, SD to see the Mammoth Site. This is an active archaeological dig with an interpretive center built overhead. You can walk among the half exposed bones and see what they look like as they emerge from the rock. At present, the scientists have unearthed 58 different mammoths, and countless other prehistoric animals, and still have a good 45+ feet to dig down.
We left Hot Springs headed for Wyoming, but took a moment to photograph this pretty little waterfall in the town's park.
We also passed through Wind Cave Park for the third time and I finally managed to get a bison metered correctly. So, here's your first solid buffalo pic.
We had several goals to achieve in Wyoming today, and we'd achieve one of them. That was getting to Devils Tower before the light completely ran out.
This means something.
Our other two goals were to get interesting night pictures of Devils Tower and to make it to Sheridan, WY for the night. Those didn't work out so well. We stayed at the Tower long after everyone else in the park had left, and in fact walked the trail that circled the base while it was almost entirely dark out. That was fun, except BJ was terrified we'd be attacked by wolves...or bears...or murders who hang around National Monuments hoping young couples in love will randomly decide to stroll there after hours. We did actually scare up something that BJ thought was a raccoon and I thought was a porcupine. We didn't get a good enough look, though, so you'll have to remain in suspense forever.
I set up my camera for night shots, but I did it a little too late. I couldn't see what I was shooting at by the time I got it on the tripod, and as a result, none of the images was in focus. However, I did learn a lot about night photography in a very short amount of time.
After that, we visited the little (pop. about 400) village of Hulette because it was the closest place with a gas station and we were about to start running low. On the way, we discovered a number of things about Wyoming. Number 1: It is seriously creepy to drive at night. Number 2: Especially around Devils Tower. Number 3: There are a heck of a lot of deer and antelope (one imagines they play) in Wyoming and they are suicidal. Honestly, a good Michigan white tailed deer has the sense to cross the road as quickly as possible and to be afraid of cars. No so Wyoming roe deer. Among the many we saw skirting with death along the highway was one sweet, lone doe who crossed the road ever so slowly, stopped to look straight at us as if to ask "May I play through?", and carried on her merry way.
After that, we visited the little (pop. about 400) village of Hulette because it was the closest place with a gas station and we were about to start running low. On the way, we discovered a number of things about Wyoming. Number 1: It is seriously creepy to drive at night. Number 2: Especially around Devils Tower. Number 3: There are a heck of a lot of deer and antelope (one imagines they play) in Wyoming and they are suicidal. Honestly, a good Michigan white tailed deer has the sense to cross the road as quickly as possible and to be afraid of cars. No so Wyoming roe deer. Among the many we saw skirting with death along the highway was one sweet, lone doe who crossed the road ever so slowly, stopped to look straight at us as if to ask "May I play through?", and carried on her merry way.
We also saw a grim. No, really. It was black, dog like, and waaaay bigger than a coyote. I'd guess a wolf, but I don't think they come this far east.
It started to storm way off in the distance as we made our way to Sheridan. It was really amazing to see all the lightning strikes from a far off distance. However, the rain eventually caught up with us and the roads got a little slippery. We decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and pulled over in the first major town we came to: Gillette,WY.
So here we are, making preparations to see the Bighorn Mountains tomorrow and make our way into Yellowstone. Hopefully, Bo will be feeling better and will be able to join us.
If we don't post for several days it's not because we aren't having fun, but because internet access in Yellowstone is rather spotty.
Poor Bo! :(
ReplyDeleteBut what happened to him?
ReplyDelete