Day 5: Wyoming

Today we left a little later than usual because of church. The earliest mass time I could find was 8am so we didn't hit the road until 9. Rapid City was only one hour from the border with Wyoming so we crossed the border in relatively short time. The landscape here was incredible. they weren't kidding when they call this place "Big sky Country." We gained a couple thousand feet or so and then it flattened out. I felt so close to the sky and the clouds and I could see clearly to the horizon in every direction.

The land here was much drier it seemed than what I experienced in South Dakota. The grasslands began to give way to patches of yellow, dried up grass and glossy green shrubs. Farms became a rare sight but cattle ranches were abundant.

In front of us to the west, rising above the terrain like a wall were the Bighorn Mountains. This range had some members rising well above 10K feet and were still snow capped. The interstate had to swing north due to these large mountains. We soon took the exit to go west through a mountain pass up near the border with Montana. This was the first time I was on a single lane highway with a speed limit of 65 mph. We climbed up another few thousand feet and through the range. It was beautiful with very interesting points of interest to stop at and learn about certain geological features in the area.

We descended the range back to the relatively level ground. In front of us now were the Rocky Mountains. By the time we reached them, it was beginning to get late and we found it wise to stay in the last town before heading into the mountains and eventually yellowstone. This was a great move. We managed to get tickets to a rodeo! I think it is the only thing that there is to do in this town so alot of locals showed up in their cowboy hats and shirts. Tonight's event was all bull riding and something known as freestyle bull fighting (it should have been called "taunt the bull and run away"). This was one of the most enjoyable events I have ever gone to. I was entertained throughout the whole thing. The best part about it was that animals are used for fun and they prayed specifically to Jesus with no PETA or ACLU around to bitch and complain! I love the West :-)

Tomorrow: Yellowstone National Park, WY