around and return to Spearfi sh. The fi nal stop of the day
is an unusual attraction that isn't well-promoted. As you return west to Sundance on I-90, take exit 205 through the town of Beulah and continue about four miles. Just as it seems you must be on the wrong road—surely there’s nothing out here—a small building on your left sign- posts the site of the Vore Buffalo Jump. You can’t see it from
either the access road or the highway, but the huge pit just behind the building is an intriguing archaeological site. Here, over a period of about 300 years, different tribes in the area used the Buffalo Jump as a trap, driving herds of bison across the plains to this unexpected sinkhole where the ani- mals would plummet to their doom. Twenty thousand bison were butchered on this site over the centuries, where their bones now lie along with a wealth of tools, arrowheads and other artifacts of the Plains Indians. Only about 5 percent of the site has been excavated since the early 1970s.
Rock climbers on the McCarthy West Face route on Devils Tower.
Day 3 Custer State Park
To vary your trip back to Colorado, start early again and spend the fi rst half of the day cruising the Black Hills and Custer State Park in South Dakota. The simplest detour is to head east from Newcastle to Custer on Highway 16, then return to Highway 85 via Hot Springs. This will take you past Jewel Cave National Monument, some amazing scenery in the Black Hills, and fi nally the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs—one of the most spectacular archaeo- logical digs in the world. The area around Custer is great for wildlife sight-
ings. Be prepared for “buffalo jams” that rival any- thing at Yellowstone National Park. If you’re pressed for time, or if you’re not sharing
the driving during this long day, just pick one stop to visit along the route before heading back west for the long haul home down I-25. There’s always another weekend coming up.
Carrie Patrick is a New Zealander based in Denver who writes about her travels, activities and inventions.
Roughlock Waterfalls in Spearfi sh, S.D. EnCompass March/April 2012 25
When to go
There’s only one proviso when planning a summer road trip to Wyoming and South Dakota: Sturgis. This year, the famous annual motorcycle rally runs August 6-12. The town of Sturgis is only 80 miles from Devils Tower; enormous crowds and lengthy traffi c delays will be part of the experience during rally week. Those who appreciate the party atmosphere that comes with the infl ux of 500,000 bikers might fi nd this the most exciting time to visit. If that’s you, book accommodations far in advance and throw out the idea of keeping to a schedule. Those in search of quiet contemplation should plan their visit for July or late August instead. Whenever you visit, drive with motorcycle awareness in mind.
© Stock Connection/SuperStock
© Prisma Bildagentur AG/Alamy
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52