Destination 8
Eastern Wyoming
The View
After 4 busy days in the Black Hills/Badlands area, I was thankful for fewer time-sensitive activities. With that in mind, we headed out on the relatively short (3 hour) drive from Rapid City, SD to Buffalo, WY. On the way, we made a detour at Devils Tower National Monument, which my generation, of course, remembers from Close Encounters of the Third Kind (mashed potatoes, anyone?) It was a beautiful day, and I loved our walk around the Tower Trail, which took about 90 minutes, with lots of photo stops.
After our visit to Devil's Tower, we stopped for a great fried chicken sandwich at Ranch & Roost in Gillette, WY. Johnny had an extended work call scheduled, so we also spent some time at The Local, a hip coffee shop on the downtown strip.
Also Check Out
In addition to Devils Tower, we enjoyed the following in Eastern WY:
A walk around historic Buffalo, where we had a great steak dinner at 4th on Main. It was hard to find real veggies and non-iceberg salads while on the road, and this spot served a tasty broccolini with the steak and a wonderful leafy green salad with warm bacon vinaigrette. We took the time to view the public areas of the Occidental Hotel, circa 1880. We also enjoyed a meal at Papa Bino's, a friendly, family-run Mexican spot on Main.
The scenic drive from Buffalo up to Powder River Pass (elevation 9,666) on Route 16. It was recommended that we take Route 16 all the way down the canyon to Ten Sleep, WY, but we wanted a day with less time in the car.
Brunch at Yellowstone Garage Bar and Grill in historic downtown Casper, WY, on our route from Buffalo to Cheyenne. This busy restaurant in a converted gas station served a perfect hot breakfast for a great price. There were lots of fun looking restaurants, venues and shops in downtown Casper; unfortunately, this was just a quick stop on a driving day.
A visit to the Cheyenne Depot Museum, where we learned about the development of Cheyenne as a railroad and frontier town.
I purchased a day pass at the aquatic center in Cheyenne, to enjoy some laps away from the summer heat.
A friend with family connections at Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne took us on a private tour of this historic facility, established in 1867 and the longest continually active base in the country. Occasional public tours are offered, which I would recommend.
The Rooms
In Buffalo, we booked the quiet, spacious and well-stocked Carriage House VRBO property, overlooking the Bighorn Range and farmland, but just a few minutes from town. This apartment was spotless, larger than our home in the Bronx, and has a private second floor patio facing the Wyoming sunset (below). I highly recommend this property.
In Cheyenne, we stayed at The Tribe Airbnb property, which is several miles out of town and a bit rustic for my taste, but quiet, roomy and very affordable. We learned to use a "swamp cooler" and were so enthusiastic about fighting the July heat that we nearly froze ourselves the first night. Even though not in Cheyenne proper, we were able to get food delivery and "stay in" for an evening here.
