We’re supposed to be going to Spearfish, SD today. However, we changed that yesterday morning before leaving Durango because of the potential for hail in the Black Hills and surrounding areas. So, no picture of Ilse with George’s granite profile at Mt. Rushmore…bummer. This also turns what was a 420-450 mile drive to a 600+ mile drive. Fun times! Nevertheless, we start with the usual morning run, this time along the Yampa River. Also great when you have a nice parking spot!
The drive was US 40 to CO 14 to CO 125 to WY 230 to WY 130 to US 30 to WY 487 to WY 220 to I25 to I90 to MT 47 to I94! All this was a positioning dance to both avoid much of the storming and get me close enough for the jaunt to North Dakota the following morning! Turned out to be a fantastic drive though. The high country of Northern Colorado is insanely beautiful, as was Southern Wyoming. I just have this feeling these are roads very few people ever experience, so I’m glad I got to.
Lunch was in Casper, WY and then it was into bits of thunderstorm and some lightning…not sure I got a capture of any lightning. It was quite sparse, but amazing. Thankfully, no hail! I was all excited at first because the car got a decent bath and the very light traffic meant not a lot of road spray either. Then we crossed into Montana where it warmed up again and the bugs returned in force! How do some bugs have white guts that literally look just like bird shit but aren’t?! By happenstance this route gave me a bit of Déjà vu. When I was a kid, my late father took me, one of my brothers and my best friend on a 41-state road trip and we went to the Battle of Little Bighorn site. I was pleasantly surprised when I drove by it, as I hadn’t thought about it being on the route. Then, I got off for MT 47 and about a half mile in was the KOA campground we stayed at that night. It put me right back in the moment. Very cool. Stopped just down the road for some shots.
Last little exciting thing…on I94 I was booking it…recalling the days of “reasonable and prudent” and see a suspicious pickup truck just as the radar KA starts to go bonkers. I hit the brakes and he lights up his light bar…then turns them off and never turns around. The guy I met at the bar said…yup they do that up here…guess I got the warning?! I’ll take it! Great dinner at the local bar and grill – Buffalo Burger.
