#180 Rocky Mountain National Park

"Rocky Mountain National Park boasts 191 craggy peaks within its 415-square miles - 113 of them more than 10,000 feet and 78 above 12,000 feet...[that] likely inspired the well-known lyrics that celebrate America's purple mountains' majesty.  Views of these peaks are unsurpassed on the Trail Ridge Road, billed as the highest continuous highway in the United States, raising to over 12,000 feet at it apex. Three miles from the eastern entrance is Estes Park and the well-known Stanley Hotel, inspiration for Stephen King's spine-tingling thriller The Shining, much of which was written by the vacationing author in room 217."

Please take special note of the purple nearoadia that I spotted whilst traveling the (very, very crowded) Trail Ridge Road.

#179 Cheyenne Frontier Days

"The Cowboy State's capital city was once nickname Hell on Wheels, and during the annual ride-'em-cowboy Frontier Days celebration you'll understand why."

Today's CFD features a huge PRCA rodeo, wild horse races, carnival rides, big name country music performers, and a free pancake breakfast.

I am very irritate with myself because I didn't bring my "real" camera, just my cell phone.  So the rodeo pictures are not great, but my cheese curds and red velvet funnel cake were delicious!

#178 Aspen

"You can match the beauty of the great outdoors with that of the great indoors at the Little Nell....located a snowball's throw from the Silver Queen, the world's longest single-stage gondola, which hoists skiers up 3,257 feet in just thirteen minutes [spoiler: it felt more like 30]."

I also took a bus to Maroon Bells.  They don't allow private cars up the road to the Bells during daytime hours, but if you get up for the sunrise you can drive there to see it.

During the bus ride up, the driver cautioned us to drink only from approved sources or risk Giardia. This is where I found out my seatmate had Giardia before.  He noted how unpleasant it was, and perhaps the basis for the bathroom sign, below.

Our driver also pointed out all the broken trees and "paths" down the slopes.  These are results of the winter avalanches.  In fact, one avalanche in this canyon this year actually jumped the road and torn up the trees on the other side....uphill.

And last, but not least, my bus back to Aspen Highlands, included the guy in the last picture. Transporting a giant instrument and a stool to sit on.  And, in fact, he was joined by more musicians with giant instruments, but I was able to snap a photo of them.

#177 Vail

The entire entry for Vail is about what wonderful skiing can be had in Vail.  Guess what?  I don't ski.  So, I went in the summer (on the 4th of July, actually) and it was hot, hot, hot.

Also, this is where I learned that altitude sickness is real.  A lesson that was reinforced in Aspen the next day.

#176 Sturgis

"For one week every summer, the small town of Sturgis hosts the largest motorcycle rally in America... Main street is the place to be - every bike buff should check out the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame."

There is no way I'd actually go to "Sturgis".  I hate crowds and I hate noise; and according to my Airbnb hosts you can't actually go anywhere once the crows descends.  So, I went before the rally and counted the Motorcycle Museum and went to a couple of less flashy establishments in town.


The museum also had this cool bike.  It was like a little game inside the not-so-exciting-for-me world of motorcycles.

#175 Black Hills

"Named for the dense shade of their ponderosa pines, the Black Hills of South Dakota have for centuries been considered sacred by the Lakota Sioux, once the most powerful tribe in the west."

I drove the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway one night after dinner; Dances With Wolves was shot here.

I took Iron Mountain to Mount Rushmore.  Mount Rushmore took 14 years to complete.  Washington's eyes are each 11 feet wide, and his nose is 26 feet long.  Lincoln's sports a mole that is 16 inches across.

From Rushmore I visited Prairie Berry Winery.  They have a great selection of semi-sweet wines and free tastings of five. They also have a wonderful kitchen and a deck to enjoy.  Their sister brewery is just down the hill, but their ciders are not good. I had a delicious open faced chicken salad sandwich with a Caesar salad side.  

From lunch it was Crazy Horse Memorial, slowly taking shape in the granite, that memorializes the greatest Native American warrior chief.  Then it was down Needles Highway.  Needles is a truly awe-inspiring drive, but also terrifying.

 

From there, it was back to Custer State Park and its Wildlife Loop.  I had enough time to drive it both directions and was rewarded with a lot of bison sightings.

 

I ended the day with a Rainbow Alert

#174 Badlands

"General Alfred Sully described it 'hell with the fires burned out,' and to the Lakota Sioux and 19th-century French trappers and explorers, it was the Mako Sica and "les mauvaises Terres" - the bad lands.  Frank Lloyd Wright wrote that 'what I saw gave me an indescribable sense of mysterious other-where...'"

The Badlands are populated with bison and bighorn sheep; I got to see both. There was a little group of sheep down in the grassy area in the middle of a switchback.  I drove around the switchback to the parking area so I could take pictures of them from above.  When I finished and started walking back to my car I heard what sounded like rocks (like gravel) kind of falling down the cliff over my car.  I turned around and bam!  there were two little sheep up on the cliff.  One, of which was standing on top looking right at me.

And last, but not least Wall Drug and a surprise stop to buy new tires!

I'll be honest, I hate shopping...in any form so Wall Drug was actually a nightmare.  But I did buy some really delicious fudge. And no, I didn't get a free glass of ice water.  Thanks, but I've got water in my car - "I like cold water, but not freezing cold water." 


I'd also decided that I was going to buy some Black Hills gold while I was there.  I've loved since I saw Kelly Dayley's wedding ring and so to buy some while actually in the Black Hills was a must do.


Also, the tires.  While i was in Oregon, my TPS came on and my front left tire needed a patch.  Right then I knew: I'd be buying tires sooner than later.  I started through the Badlands scenic loop, and I started on the far side (away from Wall, SD).  So when, not far in, my TPS pinged again, I got really nervous.  My gps said I was probably 30 miles away from a tire shop, so I high-tailed (and by high-tailed, it seemed like 30 hours) it to the first auto shop in Wall.  

The guy told me the patch was bad and that he didn't carry the right sized tires to replace them, but he also said it seemed like a slow leak, so he recommended that he re-fill the tire so I could go back and do my sight-seeing.  Then, come back on my way out of town and he'd fill it again to get me to a shop he recommended in Rapid City.  It was a little miracle, that I'm extremely grateful for.  


After I got to Rapid City and got my tire changed, I was able to still do some Black Hills sight-seeing, and getting dinner at a fabulous little pizza place - where I met a great couple and ended up eating with them. 

All in all, what could have been a disastrous day, ended up being a pretty fantastic one.