Trolley Tour of Top Attractions in Rapid City – June 11, 2021
Upon arrival in Rapid City, the starting point of our tour, we checked into our hotel. Nestled in the heart of South Dakota, Rapid City is often referred to as the “Gateway to the Black Hills.” After settling into our room, we took the 60-minute City View Trolley Tour to visit the city’s top attractions, which included the quirky green dinosaurs of Dinosaur Park and a 30-minute stop to explore the Chapel in the Hills, an exact reproduction of the famous Borgund Stavkirke of Laerdal, Norway.
Discovering the City of Presidents and Welcome Reception – June 12, 2021
After breakfast, we embarked on a fascinating journey through American history in the City of Presidents. This unique outdoor exhibit features life-sized bronze statues of all the U.S. presidents strategically placed along the city’s downtown streets. Later in the evening, we met our tour director Steve Weiler and fellow travelers at a welcome reception and dinner.
Buffalo Safari, Crazy Horse Memorial, and Mount Rushmore – June 13, 2024
We began our day with a private Buffalo Safari at Custer State Park, home to about 1,500 bison. Afterward, we drove through the scenic Black Hills, admiring the granite spires known as “needles.” In the 1920s, a state official’s idea to carve images of famous Dakotans eventually led to Mount Rushmore.
In 1948, in response to Mount Rushmore, an Oglala Lakota elder commissioned sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to create a memorial to Crazy Horse on Thunderhead Mountain. At the Crazy Horse Memorial, still a work in progress, we saw a dramatic model of Crazy Horse on his war pony, visited the museum and cultural center, and had lunch.
Next, we visited the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, featuring the presidential faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln. The breathtaking carvings, known as The Shrine of Democracy, were carved without permission on a mountain called The Six Grandfathers by the Lakota Sioux, inspiring the Crazy Horse project in response.
How to be a cowboy… a day at a ranch – June 14, 2021
This morning, we departed for a journey to the T-A Ranch in Buffalo, Wyoming. The T-A Ranch is steeped in cowboy history and lore, notably as the site of a pitched battle during the famous Johnson County War of 1892. This conflict pitted rival ranchers and their hired hands against each other for control of the range, a dispute that eventually drew the intervention of the US Cavalry.
On our way to the ranch, we made a surprise stop at Devil’s Tower, a striking geological formation in northeastern Wyoming. Established as the first U.S. national monument in 1906, it rises 867 feet high and offers stunning views.
At the ranch, we enjoyed a variety of activities including a guided horseback trail ride, pitching horseshoes, a wagon ride, witnessing a roping demonstration, and meeting a horse-whisperer. After a delightful dinner, we continued on to Sheridan, our next stop on this Wyoming adventure, for an overnight stay.
From Bighorn Scenery to Buffalo Bill’s Legacy and the Cody Nite Rodeo – June 15, 2021
We headed out for Cody this morning, traveling through some fantastic scenery in Bighorn National Forest – a landscape that’s ever-changing, with alpine meadows, waterfalls, glacier-carved valleys, and mountain ranges.
We continued on to Cody, a high point of our Wyoming trip, named for the larger-than-life western showman, William F. Cody (Buffalo Bill): buffalo hunter, army scout, Wild West Show entrepreneur, and tireless inventor of tall tales. We explored his legend at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, a complex of five museums that immersed us in American Western culture and mythology: galleries of art and artifacts (including works by famous artists like Remington and Wyeth), ephemera and historic objects, a firearms museum, and a center dedicated to the traditions, values, and histories of Northern Plains tribes, including the Lakota, Cheyenne, Pawnee, and Arapaho.
Later that evening we attended the world-famous Cody Nite Rodeo, a fixture here since 1938.
Cody to Yellowstone National Park – June 16, 2021
We traveled to Yellowstone National Park this morning, where we spent two nights in two different parts of the park – America’s first national park – described by filmmakers Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan as “America’s best idea.” We viewed special film vignettes by the filmmakers throughout our trip, providing us with behind-the-scenes insights into the visionaries and explorers who shaped the West. After touring within the park, we arrived at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, located near the Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District.
Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon & Geysers – June 17, 2021
This morning, we took a guided tour of some of Yellowstone’s 10,000 geothermal wonders, including hot springs, waterfalls, fumaroles, and mudpots. We stood in awe at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, carved by the Yellowstone River, plunging over a thousand feet with miles of breathtaking gorges and torrential waterfalls. We arrived at the Old Faithful Inn for lunch and an overnight stay; a national landmark built in 1904, the log and wood-shingle inn is a rustic work of art, featuring a towering lobby and a massive stone fireplace.
In the afternoon, we explored the Upper Geyser Basin – one of the largest concentrations of geysers in the world – and Old Faithful, only steps from our door. We marveled at Old Faithful Geyser, the famous clockwork geyser that launches a steaming jet of water 145 feet skyward every 90 minutes. Seeing Old Faithful in person was truly awesome.
The Tetons, Jackson & Mormon Row – June 18, 2021
Our Wyoming trip took us through awe-inspiring scenes of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park. On our way to the park, we passed through the continental divide. We stopped at Jenny Lake, the tranquil center of a landscape featuring the jagged peaks of the Teton Range and alpine forest, frequented by moose, deer, and grizzly bears. We continued to the town of Jackson, once a magnet for fur trappers and now a trendy attraction set against the backdrop of the ever-present Tetons. After exploring the town on our own and enjoying a lunch, we visited Grand Teton National Park’s Mormon Row Historic District.
Mormon Row is a homesteaders’ settlement dating back to 1890, located in an undeveloped area of the park. It is home to a number of weathered historic structures, including the iconic T.A. Moulton barn, an unofficial symbol of the park. These structures, along with their dramatic Teton Range backdrop, attract photographers from around the world and convey the sense that we had traveled back in time.
We arrived at the Jackson Lake Lodge for a two-night stay. Historic in many contexts, the lodge features an amazing lobby where windows 60 feet high provide stunning panoramic views of the breathtaking Teton Range.
Rafting Down the Snake River – June 19, 2021
Today, we went on a guided float trip down the Snake River inside Grand Teton National Park. We floated through miles of stunning river landscapes that lay in the shadow of the mountains, occasionally spotting deer, elk, moose, and bald eagles. After our river adventure, we spent the rest of the day at the lodge, getting ready for our trip home.
In the evening, we had a farewell reception and dinner at the lodge, sharing our last moments together in this beautiful setting.
Homeward Bound – June 20, 2021
Said goodbye to the Grand Tetons and headed home.
