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Cody
We leave behind us the large meadows to approach undulating landscapes and semi-desertic or woody mountains.
We choose the northern road to go to Cody.
Good choice : we find a big variety of landscapes.
Cody was founded in 1896 by Willian Cody , known as " Buffalo Bill".
We visit the Buffalo Bill Center, divided in 5 corners.
We enjoy most "The indian plains" dedicated to the native indians of this region and "the Buffalo Bill Museum" describing the eventful life of the hero.
Devil's Tower
40 years after the famous Spielberg movie " encounter of the third kind", it's our turn to look for U.F.O. at the Devils Tower where it has been filmed.
Several indian nations share different legends about the origin of this prominent butte.
Each one is nicer than the others.
In reality, 50 millions years ago, molten magma was forced into sedimentary rocks above it and cooled underground, contracting and fracturing into columns.
Over the years, erosion of the sedimentary rock exposed Devil's tower which now rises 260 m.
As all the tourists, we walked around it and saw hundreds of prairie dogs.
Mount Ruschmore * Back Hills
Our day, starts with the visit of Mount Rushmore, world known for the heads of 4 presidents sculpted in the mountain :
Whashington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt..
At the origin , the first idea was to sculpt american heroes...Borglum, the sculpter took another decision and chose the president's heads.
To get closer to the monument, one has to cross an esplanade where the flags of all the States fly.
South of Mount Rushmore, we drive through Custer State Park, in the Black Hills.
We take the "Iron Mountain Road" which leads us to the heart of the park, in large meadows. That's here that we see our first bisons herd : very impressive.
We then take the " Wildlife Road Loop" before entering the "Needles highway", a little road that snakes through dramatic rock cathedrals sculpted by the erosion and whose tunnels hollowed out in the cliff have been stressfull for us.
The last one we went through was just 15 cm wider than the camper. We got applause from the crowd when we got out of it...
Our bivouac is so nice and the weather is perfect : we decide to spend the whole day here, reading, sunbathing and drinking Champagne for Christophe's birthday.
Waking up amid the beautifull landscape of the National Park.
We spend the morning reading and fixing a few things on the camper.
We had planned to rest the whole day doing nothing, but the gusts of wind are so strong that we have to leave.
So, we drive to Rapid City, do some shopping and buy the Bear Spray that we will need for our trecks in teh Yellowstone National Park.
We share the evening with a nice german couple,Brigitte and Gottfried, touring like us in their camper.
The Badlands
Otherworldly lanscapes, stunning panoramas of vivivdly colored buttes, pinnacles, spines and canyons. The 1000 km2 park, once known as Mako Sica features rock formations striped by erosion, revealing multicolored laters of various rock types.
The Arikara was the first tribe known to have inhabited the White River area. By the mid -18th century, they were replaced by Sioux, or Lakota who adopted the use of horses and came to dominate the region living of bison hunting.
French fur trappers were the first who supplanted the Lakota, followed by soldiers, miners, cattle farmers and homesteaders.
After 40 years of struggle, culminating in the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890, the Lakota were confined to reservations.
We spend the afternoon hiking on Castle and Medecine Root trail among fantastic landscapes.
We were lucky enough to see a bighorn sheep herd.
We end the afternoon taking the touristic road through the National Park to reach our bivouac.
ROAD BOOK 015
MAVROS ODYSSEE
