Leaving Yellowstone, we continue our journey east across Wyoming. Wyoming is one of the least populated states yet the 9th largest in land mass and this is evident by the empty roads as you ride through the state. The title ‘Equality State’ comes from the fact that in 1869, Wyoming was the first state to allow women to vote hence giving the state its reputation as the ‘equality state’. Currently they also have the highest percentage of women in the House of Representatives at 77%; the next closest state is South Dakota at 46%.
We head toward Cody, known as the rodeo capital of the world. BTW – Kanye West has just bought himself a $14m ranch just outside Cody. Theodore Roosevelt once called the road between Yellowstone National Park and Cody, Wyoming the ‘fifty most beautiful miles in America”. Named the Scenic Byway of Highway 20, aka the Wapiti Valley, the road is wedged into a valley shaped by the flow of the Shoshone River.
William F. ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody is a legend in these parts. When he was 14 years old, Cody joined the Pony Express, fitting the bill for the advertised position: “skinny, expert riders willing to risk death daily”. His legend was cemented with his hunting and killing of over 4000 buffalo and his travelling Wild West show. He established the town of Cody with a few other investors once they understood the potential for tourism with Yellowstone only 50 miles west. Another one of his visionary schemes, the Buffalo Bill reservoir and dam, was built to irrigate the Bighorn basin and provide much needed water to the surrounding plains turning it into thriving agricultural land.
We stop the night in Cody, where Sinclair tracks down a much needed new chain for his bike. We stay the night at the Ponderosa campground and shout ourselves a cabin! Yee-ha! We meet Mike, a fellow rider, who is staying in the cabin next to us. He gives us a few tips in terms of scenic routes to take tomorrow and we enjoy chatting with him.
The next morning road we take the 14A road through the Bighorn Canyon crossing Burgess Junction – an elevation of over 9000 feet. The scenery is spectacular; and the riding is awesome with some good twists and switchbacks.
We head towards Devils Tower, a geological rock formation which juts out of the ground, considered sacred by Northern Plain Indians and designated a National Monument in 1906 by Teddy Roosevelt.
We carry on towards our final destination for the day, Spearfish, in South Dakota but have one more stop, the town of Aladdin – population 15. The general store has been best preserved and hasn’t changed much since 1894.
Spearfish will be our base for a few days while we explore the Black Hills and surrounding areas.
Wow what scenery -seems likebevetything is going well understand Ron is joining
You next week enjoy
M
Everything is great and yes, Ron joining us for our last week on the road. A bit sad that its all coming to an end☹️ But we’ve had an amazing trip.
Can’t wait to tell you all about it!! Love from us xx
Hello to you both. Sounds like the travels are going ok. Have fun