We recently hit the road again. Our goal: To see Mount Rushmore
and Yellowstone National Park. Following are some of the highlights of the
trip. Just click on the thumbnail photos for a better look.
At North Platte, Nebraska's, Cody Park, we found one of the few remaining
"Challenger" Locomotives, #3977.
Cody Park was a very nice, well maintained park. One
resident who caught our eye was a large elk who enjoyed having his own private
island.
Approaching Mount Rushmore, you get your first glimpse of the Presidents'
faces.
And upon entering the portal . . .
Nearby is the Crazy Horse Memorial. Although the monument is still
under construction, the almost completed face of Crazy Horse was unveiled and
dedicated about two years ago.
At Hill City, SD, we stopped to look at the 1880's steam locomotive and train
that makes daily excursion runs between the historic mining towns.
Heading back to Rapid City, we were treated to a balancing act
at Old McDonald's Farm's Goat Bridge. These two pigmy goats walked the
suspension bridge seemingly oblivious to the rolling movement of the bridge.
Onward to Yellowstone National Park. The day was cloudy
and somewhat overcast but we saw numerous animals along the road. When you
see the pictures of the many dead trees, remember that last year the park was
ravaged by forest fires. On a positive note, the forest seems to be
regenerating itself nicely, and the decreased foliage enabled us to see more of
the landscape of the park itself.
Past the mud volcano area and on to Dragon's Mouth Cauldron.
Dragon's Mouth Cauldron
Around one curve was a traffic jam of cars, people and
cameras -- all focused on a large grizzly bear who sauntered through a
meadow some distance from the road.
One view of the Upper Falls.
Some of the deer throughout the park along with visible evidence
of last year's destructive forest
fires.
Firehole Falls at the end of Firehole Canyon. There's
actually a swiming hole just a few yards upstream of the falls. It was
chilly the day we were there, but there was a lot of wading going on anyway.
Midway Geyser Basin and Black Sand Basin.
"Old Faithful".
The clock inside the Yellowstone Inn. Mounted on a rock
pillar, the clock soars overhead. Notice the scaffold which presumably is
necessary to be able to set and wind the clock.
Riding into the sunset in the Grand Tetons.
Last but not least, the most unusual thing we saw on the
trip was in Wyoming -- an "antique" osprey nest above its own
historical marker. The nest is huge, created of good sized sticks and
balanced atop a telephone pole. And, as it has been for many years,
the nest is occupied by baby ospreys.
Hope you enjoyed the scenery!
Previous Outings . . .
Springtime in Texas brings the bluebonnets. In mid-April, this
field near Granbury was not yet in full bloom.
Here are a few snapshots from the May, 1999, get-together of the LOCO members
(Locomotive Operators of Central Oklahoma). Click on the thumbnail photo
for an enlarged view, then click "Back" on your browser to return to
the page.
My brother, Dallas, Engineer, and his daughter, Suzi, ride the
rails on Dallas' Top Hat Railroad.
Left, Dallas and friend Sven check out the locomotive which is sitting
on elevated sections of rail at the turntable. Right, Dallas checks the
engine's steam pressure.
One of the prettiest trains at the meet was this replica of a circa 1850s
coal powered steam locomotive. Upper left, the engineer is stoking the
coal burning in the firebox.
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Original material and photographs in this website are © P
& S Morris, 2001.
