Montana - Idaho November 2010

Travelling through Montana and Idaho was a relocation day as part of travelling west to the Pacific coast.  From the north of Yellowstone NP in Wyoming to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on the border with Washington State. We stayed at Bozeman in Montana, just north of Yellowstone, on Interstate 90, thereafter following the highway as the only clear route through the Rockies. 

North from Yellowstone NP.  Easy rolling  extensive grazing land.

Soon changes to wilderness for much of the area as we move into National Forest land.

With occasional towns and good eating houses.

However the mountain passes are not very high at 4726 feet (1440m) compared with other passes.
Frequent warnings for trucks seemed to have little effect on their continued operation.

A great welcome!  In the D'Alene Mountains about an hour from our stop for the night at Coeur d'Alene.

Wyoming November 2010

Wyoming was the route west towards Yellowsone via Cody, the wild west town named after William Cody better known as Buffalo Bill.  Leaving from Rapid City in South Dakota travel was almost due west across northern Wyoming.

Much of the land was flat to rolling generally under extensive farming systems.

With a lot of saved hay for winter feeding.

Livestock generally appeared closer to winter feeding areas being close at hand when the snow arrives.

There was even a lot of quality fencing particularly along the roadsides.

On dry shallow and rocky soils conifer trees appear as scattered copse' of Pinus Ponderosa in grazing land.

The winter conditions not far away and the feedlot with its hay will become attractive to these cattle.

A few early arrivals at the hay.

In the distance Devils Tower, on highway 24 , NE Wyoming.

There was a real slow down of tourist activity at this store and cafe close to the Devils Tower.  Here we met a couple who had a cabin on a small block nearby and his neighbour had just taken photos of a couger in the area.

The Devils Tower, a core of hard rock where the softer rock has been eroded.  Now a rock climbing mecca.

The way west towards Cody.

It was not all farming.  Here electricity generation fueled by coal and also shipping coal out by rail.

A coal extraction trench across the highway.

Highway 16 traveses the Big Horn Mountains at nearly 10,000 feet (approx 3,000m)

Some signage may have made the road appear quite tortuous but it was just a normal mountain road.

With some spectacular rock formations.

It was not long before the landscape opened out to more ranching.

Irrigation and the production of winter feed is critical in a high dry land.  Here irrigation enables high forage production on small areas, mostly alfalfa (lucerne).

Yes the town was named Ten Sleep.

The fencers probably needed ten sleeps after erecting the huge lengths of fencing needed in rather poor grazing.

Then within a short distance intensive pasture or...

crop.

Not many of these fellows.  Take you pick of horn style.  Here a "double twist" and in the backgound the "back hook", better as a wolf tosser.

Cody is all about "Buffalo Bill".  This was an excellent museum about the history of the district.

A character depicted larger than life.

His highly ornated saddle.

Plenty of space in the main street.

After two days at Cody we head west again toward the northern road across Yellowstone NP.

A few locals we met along the way.

Typical conditions near Cooke City (village) on entering the NP.

Streams were starting to freeze up.

A mob of wild Elk had gathered at Mammoth Hot Springs in the NP just below the northern entrance.

Christmas is near as we leave the park and ...

...leave the Bison to his winter abode.

South Dakota, November 2010

South Dakota along its western boundary is very similar to the north with an interesting National Park area known as the "Black Hills of Dakota" and it's interesting history and characters.  Mt Rushmore with the Presidents' Carvings is in the Black Hills.

More prairie.

With some grazed by Merino sheep...

...and other areas for intensive cattle finishing.

There are restored tourist towns in the Black Hills such as Deadwood.  The town has a population of 1,100 people and 83 casinos.

Here a lone person (Kath) wants to leave town, waiting on the restored railway station, now the information centre.

This is a feature of the Black Hills located not far south of Rapid City.

A monument carved out of solid granite.

From left:- Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, Lincoln

A couple of international visitors.  It was cold !

During carving, this picture gives a perspective of size.  The work was lagely done with explosives.

Washington from a different angle.

"Crazy Horse", work in progress.  When completed it will show him on his horse.

There was some interesting engineering around scenic roads.  It was not the intersection of two roads but the same road in a tight loop to gain altitude.

Also an interesting stone bridge over a water course.

Several short tunnels through granite rock were encountered.

He was unlikely to come to life but it would not be appropriate to sit closer to Abraham Lincoln.  Besides his hand was hard and cold, very cold.

A typical view from the Black Hills.

Where Elk abound.  Well, they can be seen.

A real surprize was in store.

The mamouth archeological museum at Hot Springs about an hour south of Mt Rushmore near the south end of the Black Hills.

The excavation was contained within a large building and is an ongoing excavation site of mamouth remains.

Back to the present livestock.  A mob of Red Angus cattle encountered as we left South Dakota for Wyoming on Highway 24.