West - in my Miata - 3,320 Mile Road Trip

I love a good road trip, my favorite memories as a child were the great road trips my dad would take us on.

Distance -  3,220 Miles
States Traveled - 10
Time - 8 Days
Educational Value - High
Physical Activity - Medium
Wildlife Observed - Deer, Antelope, Moose, Bison, Elk, Prong Horn, Prairie Dogs




Day 1

We left Indiana and headed west on Interstate 70, heading for our first night stop in Kansas City.  Of course we had no time to take in some of the great things to do in KC, but we do plan on going back to visit the Truman library and museum as well as the Eisenhower library in Abilene, KS.  The presidential libraries are a great place to visit - there are only 15, our goal to visit them all.  There was not a lot of scenery to see between Indianapolis and Kansas City.  So we stopped and rented a good book at Cracker Barrel, it makes the time driving over those boring stretches of highway go much faster.
Notes: Books on CD or tape are available free at your local library or you can rent them at a Cracker Barrel and then return them at any other Cracker Barrel location.  They have both adult and children's books.

Day 2

Our plan on the second day was to head to Tall Grass Prairie Preserve in the Flint Hills of KS.  At one time this Grass covered 140 million acres, there is only 4% left.  This was a very interesting preserve; you could hike or take a bus ride through the tall grass area, as well as take a tour through a late 1800's mansion and farm.  As you walk through the tall grass, its hard to image the early settlers having to plow through this 4 to 5 foot high grass on there way west.  The preserve is located south of Kansas City on HWY 35 turning west at the town of Emporia.

Notes: If you have time take the bus tour 1 1/2 hours, otherwise tour the house and take the 45 minute walk on the tall grass hiking trail.
 
We then consulted Alice (my GPS) for the fastest way to Denver, CO.

Day 3

We spend the night just outside of Denver and the next morning we woke refreshed and headed for Estes Park, a small town at the entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Park, it is a great place as a base camp for exploring the area.  Lots of shopping, hiking, eating and other activities in the area.  In the past we spent a week exploring the area from this town. We arrived around 9:00am and a few stores were open but most of them did not open until 10:00 so we decided to move on and get over the mountain before it got to hot, as we wanted to keep the top down for the view.

Heading Up Trail Ridge Road

We headed up Trail Ridge Road and what great views but near the top they were working on the road and we had to set and wait for about 30 minutes before crossing the top of the mountain and heading down to the town of Granby.

Elk

One of our goals on this trip was to visit the Cheyenne Frontier Days, in Cheyenne, WY.  So we left Granby heading north on HWY 125, this was a scenic route and is a great road to view wildlife, here we saw our first moose on this trip.

Moose along HWY 125

Notes: Drive slow and look for the Moose in the streams along the road.   


We finally arrived in Laramie, we had reservations for two nights and planned to drive the 45 miles to Cheyenne each day.

Notes:  Because of the annual Festival in Cheyenne the hotel rates were very high.  For the past few vacations we have been booking using Hotwire.  Although you can't pick the exact hotel, you can request 2, 3 or 4 star hotels.  So far we have never been disappointed and on this trip we saved over 300.00 on hotel rooms. 
Restaurants:  We enjoyed both Altitude Chophouse and Jeffrey's Bistro (Favorite). Both are downtown Laramie.  


Day 4

We got a good nights sleep and headed for Cheyenne the next morning on Hwy 80, on the left side of the Hwy we saw some unusual rock formations and decided to explore.  At Exit 329 we found a small camping and park area, in the Medicine Bow National Forest.  The Turtle Rock trail turned out to be one of the most scenic trails we have ever hiked.  This is a 1-2 hour hike and is a must hike if you are in the area.  This is a Easy hike.

Turtle Rock

Turtle Rock Trail

After a great hike we headed for the Cheyenne Frontier Days.  We had never been to this event and did not know what to expect.
The Frontier Days consisted of a daily Rodeo with the top 20 cowboys competing in a number of events.  I have never been to a Rodeo but it was like any other sporting event with big screen replays, cheering, parade and actually is a great 3 hour family event.  They also had a Western Museum and Art show, Native American dancing, flute playing and story telling as well as vendors selling a variety of Western items.
Notes: Get there by 9:00am and take in all the other events, especially the Native America Village, the Rodeo starts at 1:00pm.   

Native American Dancers

Day 5

The next morning it looked rainy so we decide to head north to one of our favorite places to visit; The Black Hills of south Dakota.  On the way we decided to go by Scott's Bluff, Nebraska.  Scott's Bluff was a Pass on the Oregon Trail.  This is a good stop to learn some American History. There are also great views from the top of the bluff.

Notes: Take the free bus to the top of the bluff and then walk back down the trail to the visitor center. (1.6 miles)  Also while in the area visit Fort Laramie and the Agate Fossil Beds.

Scott's Bluff

We left Scott's Bluff and headed north on Hwy 29 to the Agate Fossil Beds.  In the 1890's a large collection of bones were discovered on the James Cook ranch.  There is a 2.7 mile walk to the collection sites.  My favorite at this site was the gallery of Native American artifacts collected by James Cook a friend of Chief Red Cloud.
We then hit Hwy 20 and drove through Fort Robinson State Park.  What a wonderful place to explore, I had never hear of this place before and it was quite a surprise to stumble upon it. In the past this was a working fort and the officers quarters and other buildings have been converted to hotel rooms.  This had the feel of a big Camp for adults and children.  With horse back riding, swimming, bike riding, hiking and lots more.  I would like to go back and stay a couple of days.

Agate Fossil Beds

We continued on North toward Hot Springs, SD.  The Black Hills is one of our favorite places to visit. This our second trip in the Miata to this area.  The Black Hills is not just one place but is a large are bordered by the town of Hot Springs on the South, Deadwood on the North and in the middle the towns of Custer, Hill City, Keystone and Custer State Park.

Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument are also located here.


The Black Hills has so much to see you can spend 4-5 days in the area and not see everything.  This is our fourth trip to the Black Hills and we still find new things to see.  It's a place to Explore; the roads, towns and trails, you never know what you will see around the next corner.  Within the Black Hills is Custer State Park, one of the great parks in the country, with lots to see and do.
We headed to our hotel in the town of Custer and looked forward to a good nights sleep.  

Tunnel on the Needles Hwy

Day 6

View from the Needles Hwy

We got up and after eating a quick breakfast at the hotel we headed over the Needles Hwy toward the town of Keystone.  The Needles Hwy is a very scenic road with lots of tunnels.  Campers often ignore the warning sign and get stuck in the small tunnels.  There is also a number of spots to park and hike along this road.  We arrived in Keystone which is at the base of Mount Rushmore. The night program at Mount Rushmore is very patriotic and is a must see, if you are staying overnight in the area. From Keystone we took the back road to Hill City, (turn at the Train station and follow the road to Hill City) or park your car and ride the train to Hill City for lunch.  Our favorite place to eat is the Alpine Inn in Hill City. For lunch they have great sandwiches and deserts.  At night it is steaks only.  We ate at this restaurant for the first time 25 years ago and is still run by the same family.


After lunch we headed up the road to the Crazy Horse Monument.  In the past we always skipped this, because of the price. But they have lowered the price to ten dollars per person, so we decided to enter the monument.  It was not a disappointment, it is worth spending a couple of hours looking around. Make sure you see the short film on the history of this Monument.   From the Crazy Horse Monument we took the Iron Mountain Road from the south to the north, this allows you to see a unique view of Mount Rushmore as you pass through the tunnels. (Have your camera ready)

 We then headed to Custer State Park, I was fortunate enough to find a cancellation at one of the parks famous inns.   Our favorite area to stay in the park is the Game Lodge area, this time we are staying at the lodge at Sylvan Lake.  The trail around Sylvan lake is a good hiking area.

Bison on the Wild Life loop

About two hours before dark we headed back to Custer to the Purple Pie and Ice Cream Parlor for a great slice of pie and ice cream. Bumble berry was my favorite.  We then headed toward the wild life loop in the park, it is a great place to see wild life.


Notes: While driving the wild life loop you will see gravel roads heading into the interior of the loop.  Often this is the best place to see wildlife, don't be afraid to take this roads.


We stayed on the loop until dark then headed back to the lodge for the night.


Day 7

Streets of Deadwood

This morning we decided to head north to Deadwood before starting back to Indiana.  Deadwood is famous frontier town but has been turned into a large Casino with Slot machines in every building.  It is still worth a quick stop.  Especially the Celebrity Hotel, it has lots movie memorabilia, like cars, motorcycles and clothes.

We then hopped on Hwy 90 to head home.  Make sure you take the Badlands loop drive and stop at the town of WALL to visit Wall Drugs, its a crazy tourist trap but lots of fun.  Also stop at Mitchell and see the Corn Palace.

Day 8


We finally arrive by home.  It was a long trip but we enjoyed it.


Now where are my maps, I need to plan that next road trip....







Notes: Favorite things to do in the Black Hills.
            More info at www.blackhillsbadlands.com


Hot Springs - Mammoth Site, Wild Horse Sanctuary, Evans Plunge is a great place to cool off 
Custer - Shopping, Eating at Bavarian Restaurant and Cattleman's
Keystone - Shopping - Train ride to Hill City
Hill City - Shopping, Eating at the Alpine Inn Restaurant - Desserts are GREAT.
Drive -  the Needles and Iron Mountain Hwy, See Mount Rushmore at night as well as day.
Hike - Harney Peak - pack a lunch and eat at the top
           Freedom Trail - in Hot Springs
Bike and Hike - George S Mickelson Trail - Trail Heads throughout the area total 109 Miles
                                                                      Bike rentals are available
      My favorite ride was take the back road from Hill City to Keystone, ride up the big hill to Mount   Rushmore then back down to Hill City on the Hwy.
Camping - Lots of great camping sites
Antiques - Lots of antique stores but our favorite was Wild Bill's on Hwy 89 between Sylvan lake and Custer. 
Caves - Visit Wind Cave on the way to Hot Springs