Attractions and other places we visit.
Medora is perhaps most famous for the Medora Musical, a western themed outdoor musical variety show.
An optional but related part of it is the Pitchfork Steak Fondue, where they put steaks on pitchforks and dunk them in barrels of oil, plus BBQ-style buffet.
A way-too-loud performer:
After dinner, looking down into the amphitheater:
We brought our inflatable cushions:
An actually amusing stand-up comedian:
A fun evening.
We also visited the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.
The South Unit is easier to get to, and thus more popular, but in our opinion not quite as interesting. Still scenic, though. This post is about the South Unit; see yesterday’s post for the North Unit.
Here’s a map:
An interactive map:
Entrance:
Info signs:
Info signs:
Display:
Gift store:
Exhibits:
Jenn and David:
Prairie dog town:
Wild horses:
Bison:
Wild horses:
Hike:
We visited the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.
The park is split into the North and South Units. The North Unit is a bit more remote and less popular, but in our opinion more scenic. This post is about the North Unit; see tomorrow’s post for the South Unit.
Here’s a map:
An interactive map:
The entrance:
Info signs:
The Visitor Center is just a modular building:
Heading into the park:
Bison:
A viewpoint:
Nice rustic scenery.
We visited Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. It was America’s first National Monument, but made famous by the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Passport stamp outside the visitor center:
Model:
Visitor center:
Trail info:
View from West Road:
There’s a prairie dog town on the way to the tower; these burrowing ground squirrels create massive underground colonies. We stopped on the way back:
A video of prairie dogs:
Devils Tower is unusual in that you pay on the way out, probably to avoid a line blocking the KOA campground and shops immediately outside:
On the next day, we went back to do a hike around the tower:
A peek of our coach in the KOA from the tower trail:
A timelapse video of hiking around Devils Tower:
Alpenglow view from West Road:
Such an iconic monument.
A scenic drive though the interestingly named Crazy Woman Canyon:
A timelapse video of the drive through the canyon:
After that, we had a picnic dinner at Tie Hack Reservoir:
Then walked to the dam:
Some interesting rocks on the return leg:
We did a scenic drive loop from Cody, Wyoming to the Bighorn mountains, with a detour into Montana:
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area:
45th parallel:
Shell Falls:
Butterfly:
A nice drive.
We visited the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming — five museums in one, on western topics.
Map in the foyer:
Natural history museum:
Library:
Gallery of gunfighters:
Buffalo Bill museum:
AR:
Plains Indian museum:
Buffalo Bill’s house:
Bald eagle:
Art museum:
Gift store:
Some interesting exhibits.
We visited the Buffalo Bill Dam, west of Cody, Wyoming.
Three tunnels to get there:
The Buffalo Bill reservoir:
Exhibits in the parking lot:
Drift wood:
Visitor center:
Exhibits:
Scenic drive routes:
The dam:
We took a drive along the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway in northwest Wyoming.
Here’s an interactive map of our route:
Info sign:
Interesting rocks:
A screenshot of my map, showing lots of switchbacks:
Switchback gravel road:
A picnic spot by a river, which was rather flooded:
Flume trail:
Cooke City:
We did an old west cookout and wagon ride while in Yellowstone.
Horse riders, and wagon riders waiting:
Wagon ride:
Horse riders:
Horses and wagons:
A wagon used for bathroom handwashing:
Cowboy coffee:
Buffet:
More cowboy coffee:
Horses and wagons:
Chuckwagon:
Music:
Wagon ride back:
Taking the horses back:
A fun experience.