Yellowstone National Park

Although the road from Buffalo to Gardiner Montana took us through very high rolling countryside, it was not nearly as strenuous a drive as we had expected, and we arrived at the Rocky Mountain RV Park early in the afternoon. Once we had set up camp we drove into the village to look around, and the first thing we spotted was a woman on the lawn in front of a house on the main road, taking photos of…an elk! He was lying peacefully near the front door of the house, and when we stopped to take pictures, we saw that his lady friends were also lounging in the garden, totally unperturbed by the attention that they were attracting!

Early the next morning we left camp, armed with maps, cameras and our picnic, and were soon driving through the impressive entrance to the Yellowstone National Park. We had not gone very far when we came across a group of people who had stopped on the roadside, along with a Park Ranger, and as we slowly drove past, to our delight a black bear strolled across the road right in front of our vehicle!

The next few hours were fascinating – it is a surrealistic sight, seeing hot mud bubbling up out of the ground, or steam rising from boiling, turquoise water, and the ever-present smell of sulphur is overwhelming. And of course, the highlight of the day’s exploration was Old Faithful, the geyser that spouts unfailingly at approximately 90-minute intervals day and night. We were fortunate to have ringside seats – we arrived a while before the next spout was due, and had an unobstructed view of this remarkable phenomenon.

 

The drive back from this farthest point from our camp was a pleasant one, with beautiful scenery, a mountain lake, patches of colorful wild flowers, some impressive crags and canyons, and a lone bison grazing next to the road, and it was late in the afternoon before we finally arrived back at our campsite. There was one more treat in store for us – we had no sooner sat down to our supper, than a number of elk moved through the park, grazing on the leaves of the trees between the RVs, intriguing the campers and sending us all running for our cameras!

We left Gardiner early the next morning, heading for Canada, looking forward with eager anticipation to the next exciting adventure  - perhaps the most exciting one of all – that of welcoming our new grandchild into the world in the very near future!!

Buffalo, Wyoming

While doing an internet search for a stopover en route to Yellowstone, Buffalo Wyoming sounded like the right place, and Deer Park RV Campground appealed to us: near the highway, level campsites, trees, deer wandering through and reasonable rates, so that was our next stop - and our stay there exceeded all expectations! We were pretty travel-weary by the time we arrived and we really liked the park, so we decided to spend a few days of down-time, relaxing and getting to know our way around the area, especially as Buffalo was about to host the annual Basque festival that weekend. After the recent intense heat it was a relief to see snow-covered mountains again and we welcomed the more tolerable temperatures with joy!

The campsite owners were friendly and helpful, and we met a great couple who work there as work-campers, so we were soon happily attending ice-cream socials in the evenings and sitting chatting late into the night, learning about an alternate lifestyle as work-campers, that really holds great appeal! We could see ourselves living in our RV and working at various campgrounds enough hours a week to pay for our keep – what a lovely way to see the country and meet the people!

The wildlife in the camp was a delight – the first morning there I spotted two fawns in a far corner of the campground, and they were interested in a turkey that was resting under the trees. The turkey did not welcome their attention, and the result was most entertaining! Later in the day I spotted mama turkey again, with a brood of young – no wonder she was annoyed with the fawns!

The Basques came to USA from France and Spain in the early days as sheep herders, and they have retained their own language and a strong identity, celebrating their heritage annually with music, dance and procession. Their sheep wagons were on display around the town park, and after looking at them and walking through the flea market where traditional Basque food and goods were on sale, we made our way to the arena to watch the dancing and listen to the music. The folk were very friendly and we were soon chatting to the people next to us, who had come from far away to join in the festivities. They were interested to hear that we were from South Africa, and after a few minutes one of the party left to join the music ensemble for the dancing. We did not give the matter any further thought until, to our surprise, two girls in Basque costume took us by the hands and invited us to join the folk dance! The announcer told the audience that we were guests from South Africa, and we were welcomed by a wave of clapping and shouting as we joined in the dance – talk about confused feet! The dancers instructed us as the dance proceeded, and we were able (more or less!!) to get the hang of it, though we were greatly relieved and very breathless by the end of the round! We were then asked to stand in front, and assured that we would not be dancing any more, while four young men performed a welcoming dance in our honor, after which it was announced that we were now honorary South African Basques! What an honor, and we were given a Basque t-shirt as a memento of a memorable day!

Our stay at Deer Park was one of the most pleasant stops along our way, and as we said goodbye to Connie and Truman the morning we left, we had very mixed emotions – it is always difficult to leave good friends, even though the road ahead is inviting!

Mount Rushmore, General Custer Park and the Needle Highway

We set out early the morning we went to see Mt Rushmore.  We were armed with a map of the area, and worked out a circular route that would take in the national memorial at Mt Rushmore, the Custer State Park and the Needle Highway – and the way home would take us past the beautiful Sylvan Lake. 

After driving for a while, climbing all the time, we arrived at a viewpoint from which we could see the Mt Rushmore memorial. It was really impressive, and we wondered how anyone could have imagined that such a sculpture, blasted out of the solid rock, could even be possible, let alone actually achieving it! The enormous faces stare out over the centuries, stern and unsmiling, facing the future with unwavering resolve.

Going back down the mountain, we arrived at the entrance to the Custer State Park, and decided to take the “animal loop”, where, we were told, there are buffalo, deer and wild donkeys that beg for food!  We had just about given up hope of seeing anything – we had only spotted two deer in the distance – when we rounded a corner to find a row of cars stopped in the road. And there were the donkeys, standing in the road, reluctant to move, and literally harassing the motorists! It took us quite some time to get past them, as they had no intention of giving way to the cars at all!

A few miles further along the road we at last came upon the buffalo herd – what huge, ungainly creatures they are, and also totally undaunted by the attention of the passing traffic. We were delighted that we had seen them, and took some good photos before moving on.

Nothing we had seen on the map prepared us for the Needle Highway, an unbelievable feat of engineering genius. The engineer, Peter Norbeck, designed the road in 1919, and it was not completed until 1933.The road winds upward into the most amazing scenery, around switchback hairpin bends and through tunnels that almost took the mirrors off our truck, with frequent pull-offs which allowed us to stop and gaze in awe at the breathtaking splendor of the mountain pass.

Just when we thought that we would never reach the end of the pass, we rounded a corner and there before us lay Sylvan Lake, probably one of the most beautiful picnic spots we saw on our entire trip. We were fortunate to find a parking spot, and were able to walk along the lake and enjoy our lunch while soaking up the tranquil beauty of the lake and the surrounding mountains.

We arrived back at our campsite that evening tired and sunburned, but well pleased with an outstanding day of sightseeing and exploring!

1880 Town, South Dakota

We left Al’s Oasis early in the morning, hoping to get to Rapid City before the heat of the day, and we had only been on the road for a few minutes when we began seeing enormous signs advertising 1880 Town.  The advertisements became more and more intriguing, and when we finally  reached the 1880 Town offramp we decided that it might be worth a visit.

This village has been recreated with remarkable ingenuity – relics have been collected from all over and relocated to this site, so all buildings and memorabilia are genuine originals that have been collected in one spot to form an authentic 1880 town, and stepping through the door is like stepping back in time. It was used as the film set for “Dances with Wolves”, and there is a large room containing many of the props used in the movie, displayed is a realistic scene complete with a recording of howling wolves that makes one look nervously over one’s shoulder! We spent nearly two hours wandering around, taking photos and even having a buggy ride to an old homestead up the road, watched by a herd of longhorn cattle. What a fascinating place – we continued on our journey well satisfied with two unforgettable hours in a previous century!

Chamberlain/Oacoma

The drive to Rapid City from Sioux Falls is a long one, so we decided to break the journey at Chamberlain-Oacoma, situated on either side of the Missouri River. After the heat in Sioux Falls, we thought that being near the river would be a relief – man, were we mistaken!  The temperatures there varied from 37’C to 40’C, with a heat index of 46’C (combination of heat and humidity) – hot, hot, hot - and we were barely able to breathe. The “wide Missouri” was wider than ever, as South Dakota was experiencing widespread flooding, and in the evening we drove down to the river for a closer look.  Although the main highway bridge was
open, the bridge on the provincial district road was impassable and that road was closed. The Riverside RV Resort ‘s campground was partly submerged – I guess there were some nervous campers there!  We were pleased that we had decided to stay at Al’s Oasis, where there were trees, a lovely cool pool, and no river!