USA 2009 - Wyoming

From Badlands, South Dakota to Devil's Tower, Wyoming, 360 km

Departure at 7:30 The visit to the Badlands continues, stops at the designated scenic overlooks, here photos abound, the panoramas are beautiful, these mountains each different from the other range across our lenses. Lunch stop at Mount Rushmore (N 43 52 31 W 103 27 16), in front of us, Great Faces, Great Places. Big faces, great places. So reads the motto of South Dakota. You can't say it isn't apt. The faces are there, and nice and big too: those of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt – 18 meters tall – have been gazing at the panorama since 1941. We must say, however, that the impression we got is of a more modest size than it really is. The fact is that, from the spot where we are, very low down and at a distance of a quarter of a kilometer, the perspective is a bit misleading. In reality Mount Rushmore is enormous and the actual size of the sculptures is remarkable.

It's about 4:00 pm when we arrive at Deadwood, a town that until 1870 lived under the influence of the first part of its name. Then, after the discovery of gold in the Black Hills, Deadwood became one of the liveliest and most famous places in the West. Calamity Jane had been born there. Here is the Tatanka Museum (N 44 23 55 – W 103 42 48), which we visit. It collects the whole history of the bison, from the beginning, when in 1820 the mass killing of these animals began to make money from the sale of hides. Some people realized what was happening and managed to save only a thousand head from the mass slaughter. And with these thousand animals all today's herds have been rebuilt. We remain in complete awe at the sight of so many imposing sculptures. The bronze statues are surprising in their detail. The whole place is splendid.

We were guided by a burly native who spoke English with difficulty. On one RV the gray water tank came off, no. 1 tried to solve the problem by telling him a very unfortunate sentence "you signed an individual contract with whoever rented you the RV and therefore you're on your own," this sentence made most of the trip participants angry. Tonight Renato and Patrizia came to dinner at our place, in the end we ate part of the cake I had prepared, in the neighboring RV they were celebrating Giovanni's birthday, no. 8, we brought what was left of the cake which was much appreciated. During this meeting PL wanted to reiterate that CC Italia is not responsible for what may happen during the trip, the participant himself must arrange for the assistance of whoever can repair a breakdown and possibly leave the group.

Considering it appropriate that those who paid a hefty sum to make this trip have the right to a certain help and assistance from the person in charge and guide of the group, I immediately sent an email to the club president making him aware of what happened and who, I believe, fixed the matter. From the campground we can see Devil's Tower, tomorrow we'll go see it up close. Devil's Tower Campground – N 44 35 25 W 104 41 52

From Devil's Tower, Wyoming to Hardin, Montana, 360 km

Once out of the campground we are in an Indian reservation and head toward Devil's Tower, the scenic mountain setting of Steven Spielberg's film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." It is so unique and extraordinary! You can see it long before you get there but, as you get closer, the proportions become truly frightening. It is a cone cut at the tip, 2590 meters high, that juts toward the sky from an otherwise anonymous plain. It is an unmistakable volcanic rock, shot out of the earth and then cooled into its current shape, it shines in the moonlight. It seems decidedly supernatural, as if someone had laid it there in the dawn of time for aliens to make use of. Going up a very narrow road for our RVs, we stop at a viewpoint near the tower and get out to observe and photograph it better.

A sign indicates that the tower was considered sacred by the Indians and that in 1906 it had been declared America's first national monument; along the path that leads us to the base of this mountain we find trees, pines, decorated with pieces of colored cloth, they are prayers addressed to the divinity of the mountain. We set off in an orderly fashion, getting back on our Interstate 90. We are immediately out of the state of South Dakota and about to cross a good part of Montana, with deserts, prairies, plains, canyons and wild rivers. This offers outdoor recreational opportunities such as fishing, canoeing, cycling, boating, camping and all winter sports in the context of unique and unrepeatable scenery, all at an altitude of 1600 m. with muggy heat. We arrive at Little Bighorn Battlefield (N 45 34 53 – W 107 27 03).

Within the Crow Indian Reservation is Custer's battlefield, site of a memorable moment in American history, the so-called "Custer's Last Stand." Custer's last outpost is surrounded by a black fence. A sandstone monument marks the mass grave of the 210 soldiers of the Seventh Cavalry, commanded by the impulsive General Custer, wiped out by the 2000 Sioux and Cheyenne Indians, led by the legendary Sitting Bull, who thus reacted against the attack suffered in the great Indian camp along the Little Bighorn River. No one knows the number of Indians killed because their bodies were all taken away. Commemorative markers in memory of the fallen and also of the precise spot where General Custer was killed. Scattered like that, in such a desolate and wind-beaten place, the headstones seem surprisingly poignant, almost moving.

Also interesting is the small attached museum, the Lame Deer Montana Tribal Museum, which displays the weapons used in the battle, the clothes of the Indians and the soldiers, photos and belongings of Custer and more. Arriving at the campground we find that it is not equipped with gray and black water dump stations, some RVs had problems, a group went out to dinner and we too were invited to celebrate our wedding anniversary, but I was tired and didn't feel up to it and therefore, reluctantly, we declined, they'll drink to our health.... I and others in the group sent emails to CC Italia and Hotelplan to complain about the state of the vehicles and the poor assistance. Hardin Koa Campground – N 45 45 49 W 107 36 51

From Hardin to Great Falls, state of Montana, km. 450

Departure at 7:30 The crossing of Montana continues among immense pastures, an interweaving of plains and low hills, on two-lane roads with a not-too-good surface. The weather today was not kind, almost always overcast with some sprinkles of rain. On no. 15 the oil light came on, he immediately got worried, but then calmed down when it went off. Before arriving at the campground, a visit to the Great Falls, (N 47°31'08 W 111°15'35) nothing special, a simple little cascade from an artificial dam to power a hydroelectric plant. Nice and quiet campground, complete with dump station Great Falls Campground – N 47°29'24 W 111°13'18

From Great Falls to West Yellowstone, state of Montana, km. 420.

Departure at 7:30. A transfer leg, at lunch we were supposed to stop at the Guest Ranch, a kind of farm stay but much more characteristic, but the site was still closed, the tourist season wasn't open yet. In the afternoon we reach the 2000 m. of West Yellowstone National Park and our campground. It's quite cool.....or rather, cold. We celebrate Chantal's birthday. We're sure that tonight Yogi Bear won't come visit us.....he'd rather stay warm in his den, besides we've already eaten the whole cake ourselves.. Grizzly Campground Yellowstone West – N 44 39 23 W 111 06 17

From Yellowstone, state of Montana, to Jackson, state of Wyoming, km. 260.

Today we'll visit the splendid Yellowstone Park. We immediately realize that it's the trendsetter. Without it the concept of a protected area wouldn't be the same. The region of the mythical "yellow stone" or "jelly stone" -Jellystone- as it's mangled in cartoons. We are left speechless in front of a truly unique Eden. One must imagine an area as large as Umbria where Mother Nature wanted to add to the lakes, gorges, forests, prairies, mountains, also spectacular volcanic phenomena such as mud pools, hot springs, geysers that don't exist elsewhere on the Planet. Located in northwestern Wyoming and slightly spilling into Idaho and Montana, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone National Park is not only the first park established in the world, but also the largest in the United States. Its surface area is about 9000 sq km.

We are in front of a mountain landscape that winding but splendid roads carve between 2000 and 2700 meters and where the geological activity present in its subsoil erupts in hot intermittent springs. Indeed its 200 geysers contained in the great caldera are the largest in the world and have no equal except in Iceland and New Zealand. It is the result of the thin thickness of the earth's crust (only 5 km. against the average of 50 km. in other continental zones) that floats on a temperature of boiling lava. If you add precipitation (1 m. per year) you get a conjunction of forces that, within the cracks of the ground, give rise to strange phenomena. In fact, if the water stored at the bottom of the geyser's column cannot reach boiling due to the too-strong pressure, on the other hand, halfway up the column, it heats up and turns into steam that spurts upward.

Then the cycle begins again with a new supply of water from the depths of the cracks that, near the molten magma, renew the reaction. The park's main points of interest are served by the "Grand Loop Road," a 235 km road shaped like a figure eight. We will only travel the lower part of the eight, the most important one with the most beautiful sites. Here traffic is often hindered by the presence of animals, since Yellowstone is the largest reserve in the United States, after Alaska. First of all there's the bear, we saw a cub and there were rangers preventing us from getting close. Today it has become difficult to spot, whereas before 1970, it used to follow the tourist and his family to get some treat. Secondly there's the bison, despite its systematic slaughter by white man at the end of the last century, currently the park has the largest herd in the world of about 3000 head.

They roam undisturbed through the park even blocking traffic. They can also be dangerous, one shouldn't provoke them and in any case, if you want to approach them, you should always do it upwind. We saw quite a few also in front of our vehicles that, undaunted and fearless, very calmly crossed the roads. Furthermore it is possible to come across the Canadian deer which surpasses the European species in build and size. At a certain point we split into groups of 4 RVs so as not to hinder traffic too much in the rest areas, they set off alternately at 15-minute intervals from each other. We reach Old Faithful Geyser at 1:00 pm, half an hour late compared to the time set by PL. Its name is tied to the interval of its eruption cycle lasting 90 minutes. Its jet of steam varies from 36 to 55 meters. And it is the symbol of the park.

We crowd onto the wooden boardwalk waiting to watch its jet, it was beautiful and interesting but I expected it much higher and more powerful. We then of course go to Mammoth Hot Springs, hundreds of geothermal springs that form colorful pools of hot water rich in minerals which create travertine formations on the rock terraces. One above all is the Grand Prismatic Spring, 113 m wide, which is located near Old Faithful. This rainbow-colored hot spring, along the bank of the Firehole River, is one of the largest in the world. We don't miss the view of the Upper and Lower Falls either. Many trails along the canyon's edge offer beautiful panoramas. And also the "Uncle Tom's Trail" which descends via a steep staircase to a platform overlooking the falls. How many photos will we have taken? Over a thousand? Crazy, but it all must stay within us for a very long time.

We get back on the road and enter Teton National Park which with Yellowstone form an enormous natural area extending for over 160 km. We pass Moose and arrive 10 miles south of Jackson Hole where, right on the banks of the Snake River, is our Jackson South Snake River Koa Campground. We settle the RV, a shower, dinner and then off to bed. Jackson South Snake River Koa Campground – N 43 20 27 W 110 43 27

From Yackson, state of Wyoming, to Vernal, state of Utah, km. 430.

Another long transfer day. Evening of celebrations, Renato has a birthday, during the brief stops of the day I managed to make him a cake, the usual tart with the number 64 written on it, the age he's turning, unfortunately the size of the cake pan and the oven don't allow me to make a bigger one and dividing it into 35 the portion is very meager, however it was accepted and appreciated. Vernal Dinosaurland Koa Campground – N 40 28 09 W 109 31 43

Conclusion

So much effort and so much hard work for this trip that gave us emotions difficult to describe. Every day was unique, unmissable, extraordinary, thanks also to the commitment and determination of all our adventure companions. What do we remember most? Hard to say. Every place, in its own way, was wonderful. This trip will be memorable.

Our thoughts go, in order, to the impetuous charm of Niagara Falls; to the badlands of the Badlands; to the faces of the Presidents carved into the mountain; to the magnificent Devil's Tower, to the thrilling Old Faithful and the whole Yellowstone Park (even though we didn't see Yogi Bear and Boo Boo), to Monument Valley, and its delicate arches and its spires; to the light filtered through Antelope Canyon; to the legendary Lake Powell with the Glen Canyon Dam; to the superb, the great, the beautiful, the breathtaking Grand Canyon; to the lights, the sounds of Las Vegas; to the very hot Badwater in Death Valley; to the very old and very big General Sherman and the unexpected snowfall at Sequoia National Park; to the wonderful Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline seen from romantic Sausalito; and finally, to the enormous New York, its skyscrapers, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bri

dge, the Statue of Liberty (seen from afar). There would have been so many other things to tell that we didn't include in this text. Others that we could have mentioned but that are found in all the tourist guides. Still others, like the most intimate feelings and emotions....that can never be described but that will remain prisoners forever within us. Now it's really all over. It's time to return home, see friends again, continue our usual life, waiting for another wonderful trip to enjoy together.