| And so we left Cody and headed further east, having decided we
had time to call in on Mount Rushmore even though it was rather off our
original route. Wyoming going east out of Cody is a bit like Kansas, flat,
empty and rather uninteresting. Mind you, you do get the odd moments on
travels like these. I thought this sign said it all. |  |
 | About 100 miles
east of Cody you reach the Bighorn mountains which we had to cross. But just
as we reached the foothills we saw this collection of aeroplanes gathering
dust outside Greybull. It turned out that some were being stored, some were
being repaired or used for parts, and some were part of a museum of flight
and aerial fire-fighting!. |
| Unfortunately the museum was closed when I arrived but I did have
a look around at the planes on display. This was one of the more likely
looking candidates for the aerial firefighting, but there were a number of
transport aircraft from several different countries. |  |
 | Unusual aircraft
are always a draw and this Neptune amphibian was obviously a star exhibit. |
| The Bighorn mountains rise majestically from the almost flat
plain. The formation here is an example of 'slump', where the mountain has
begun to collapse under the erosion of the ages.. |  |
 | The geology escapes
me but this example of a 'chimney' seemed quite quaint and out of place
amongst the much older rocks behind it.. |
| The mountains climb to over 9000 ft and then seem to have a
plateau on the top. On reaching the other side the view is amazing looking
over towards South Dakota. You must be able to see 150 miles to the north
and the south. What was obvious was the almost complete absence of
significant human habitation. We headed down to the plain and then south,
first to Sheridan and then on to Buffalo, Wyoming. We just had to visit here
given that we started in Buffalo, New York. We were also on the I90 which
joins both places. 30 minutes to one, three days to the other! |  |
 | Travelling east
from Buffalo we pass through Gillette where the main claim to fame is that
30% of the coal of the US in mined here. As you pass there is this huge
black hole in the ground full of dumpers like the ones we saw at the copper
mine. A conveyor leads under the I90 to the handling plant on the other side
shown here. |
| The coal is then carried away by the trainload with two diesels
on the front and one on the back. Even as we passed we saw several full and
empty so this is obviously a major operation. It was interesting that just
over the border in South Dakota they are deeply worried about air quality
and the damage that the diesel fumes might cause as the trains pass by. From
what I could see this was the least of their problems. |  |
 | There were other
trainloads and unfortunately this took us a bit by surprise. Contrary to
popular belief I don't photograph every train I see. However this had three
aeroplane bodies on flat cars of which you can see two halves. Brings new
meaning to the airtrain concept.. |
| And lastly, as our sites become more rural, the local wildlife
seems much closer. These two deer were actually grazing inside the
campground and this was taken without the aid of the long telephoto lens, so
as you can see, they come quite close, although they are still shy. |  |
|