Day 32 - From Cody, WY to Deadwood, SD

The Absarcka Mountains come into view in a little over an hour after leaving Cody.

The climb begins!!!

If you enlarge this picture, I think tht you will see the roadway that connects these two peaks.

Awe! The summit!

Looking into the Bighorn Basin formed by the Beartooth Mts. to the West and the Absarcka Mts. to the East.

The next three pictures were taken riding the high plateau created by the Absarcka Mts.

The blue flowers were really pretty and much more noticeable than the picture portrays.

My GPS got me into this mess. Someday I may be willing to whisper to friends and family how I got out of it!

Devil's Tower National Monument in Wyoming.


The following picture was taken shortly after I entered South Dakota.

I had a wonderful day of travels over 435 miles in almost perfect weather. (Low of 63 and a high (briefly) of 83). I was pleased that almost every mile was interesting. I thought that after I left the Rocky Mountains I would have to struggle to stay alert and interested in the ride. Thankfully, at least for today, that wasn't the case. Most of today's ride was on Route 14 or Alternate Route 14. Once in a while I was forced onto I90.

It was a wonderfully steep and twisty road that climbed from the Bighorn Basin to the top of the Absarcka Mountains. And an equally steep and twisty road that descended onto the plains of Wyoming before you reach South Dakota. And in between the ascent and decent there were many miles of high mountain meadows to enjoy.

After Devil's Tower, I headed to Sturgis. I expected a very old cowboy town. And while some of the buildings were old, most probably date from the 50's or newer. I had an enjoyable grilled Alaskan salmon special at The Knuckle Saloon.

I'm staying overnight in Deadwood which is pretty much a new town built over an old town. Almost every business offers some form of gambling. The most interesting thing that I've seen is related to where and how Wild Bill Hickok was killed. I just can't get into the gaming thing and they allow smoking which is also a turn off for me. So I finished up the evening working on this post.

Tomorrow I plan to visit Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument. I have reservations in Rapid City tomorrow night.