MILE 1985

Day 6. Headed to the Buffalo Bill Historic Center. There were many sections and exhibits, but most interesting to me was the Buffalo Bill Museum. Western civilization's expansion to the Pacific has been so romanticized in American culture, and this man is a big reason why.


My favorite was the Plains Indians Museum. A great circular display of masks and headgear used in ceremonies, such as the buffalo mask worn in dance. A Ghost Dance robe was also on display. Amazing descriptions of painting of the hides, and several hides with painted scenes depicting Custer's defeat and the Sand Creek Massacre.






















Then it was a short drive down to Thermopolis, home of the largest Mineral Hot Springs in the world, or so they say. Hot springs and mineral deposits galore.
















In 1903, someone put a metal pipe into a hot spring with 25 ft. of that pipe sticking straight up out of the ground, trickling water. 106 years later this is the result:














And it is still trickling hot mineral water out of the top...
Taco John's crap food for dinner, then off to another cheap, funky, yet remarkably comfortable motel room.

Day 7. OK, enough of Wyoming, we've really got to get going...but not before Patty takes a soak at the Hot Springs. There's a state park bath house, (still free to the public, according to the treaty with the Wind River tribe over a century ago.) It is a wonderful experience. Temp is kept DOWN to 104 degrees. Very small group in outdoor soaking pool at 8:30am. I am youngest by 15 to 20 years. Most spend time bemoaning population growth everywhere they want to be. Hmmmmmm. I shower after my max. time of 20 minutes, feel exhilarated, but smell slightly of rotten eggs for the rest of the day.
Then we're taking the long way to Casper to stop and visit Independence Rock where 150 years ago travelers signed in.














After a good day's drive, we landed in Alliance, NE for the night. The American Inn, one of the strangest looking motels we'd ever seen. All whitewashed pressboard on the outside. Once again, very cheap but very comfortable.