Tag: Wyoming

Needles Highway

The Black Hills area has two highways that are impassable to RVs and large vehicles. They are Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road, both part of Custer State Park.

I had decided before this trip began that we would not risk driving either of them. Greg decided he had different ideas.

So Wednesday we headed for Needles Highway. Needles Highway has numerous sharp switchbacks and three narrow tunnels, the narrowest of which is 8 ft wide. Our truck is a little over 7 ft wide.

Possibly thanks to the lorazepam and Propranolol I took before we headed out, I had a blast. It was a great day.

And the pictures!

Waiting to go through our first tunnel on Needles Highway, Iron Creek Tunnel

The first thing we did was stop at the Cathedral Spires Trail. This trail is a little over two miles round trip, but before you get to the cathedral spires, you have to climb over quite a few boulders.

Greg got as far as the boulders and decided not to risk going any further. I ventured on, mostly because the trail was strenuous, and I was damned if I was going to give up before we got to the good stuff!

The good stuff

Next up was the Needles Eye Tunnel. Greg had nerves of steel, and we emerged unscathed. Phew!

The rock formation that gave Needles Highway its name
There’s nothing more exciting than making a sharp curve between two narrow rock formations, hoping no other trucks are heading toward you.

Sylvan Lake

Needles Highway took us to Sylvan Lake, the most popular lake in Custer State Park.

This is not surprising. Sylvan Lake is really beautiful.

Greg and I started down the Sylvan Lake Trail, but again, Greg decided not to climb over the rocks. He waited for me at a shaded picnic table while I continued on.

Once I got as far as I could go on the trail (it was closed halfway around), I headed back to Greg. Then we enjoyed some drinks at the Sylvan Lake Lodge before walking the trail along the other side of the lake.

On to Billings, Montana!

Wyoming

I can’t resist posting just a little bit about our drive through Wyoming.

Good grief, this state is gorgeous!

I can’t get enough of the scenery.

Here are some of my favorite photos that I took while driving to Billings.

Devil’s Tower

Monday was another early morning. We hopped in the car around 7:15 a.m. and drove two hours to Wyoming to see Devil’s Tower. (In total, Greg clocked six hours of driving this day.)

Along the way, we drove past this interesting rock formation. I have no idea what it is.

As we got closer to Devil’s Tower, we could see it for miles in the distance.

I think it’s more impressive from a distance than closeup.

After stopping by the visitor’s center, where we learned that the tower is 867 ft from base to summit, we walked the mile and a half Tower Trail, along with a thousand of our closest friends.

There were even some intrepid climbers tackling the tower!

There is a climber in a teal blue shirt standing on a shadowed ledge around the middle mark of this photo. It was very difficult to see the climbers because they were so tiny in comparison to the ginormous rock formation.

Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway

Next, we headed to the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway. This is a 22-mile drive through Spearfish Canyon on Route 14A. It goes from Spearfish to Cheyenne Crossing.

In addition to places where you can pull over to take photographs, there are a number of hiking trails through the area. However, after our bike ride yesterday, followed by the hike around Devil’s Tower, Greg and I decided to forgo any more hikes that day.

I don’t feel like I got many good pictures during the drive. The pull-outs didn’t seem to be in places with the best views.

Deadwood

On the road again, we headed for historic Deadwood.

There, we stopped by the visitor center, then wandered down Main Street and had dinner at the Buffalo Bodega, where I enjoyed some mediocre prime rib.

I expected Main Street to be full of touristy shops. Instead, it seemed to be full of casinos.

After dinner we watched a reenactment of a wild west shootout.

Then we started the hour and a half drive back to the campground.

Of everything we did this day, I feel like Devil’s Tower was the only thing I would have regretted missing if we hadn’t done it.