once again its time to go on vacation

[sailordad]

well a week from friday(tomorrow) the wife and i will be going on vacation
we will,like always,be driving cross country.we love to drive
our new car,which we bought last octobor,already has 20k miles on it.
it had 15 when i brought it home from the dealership i work at.
so to say we like to drive is an understatement 

this time we are headed to a place i have never seen before,the wife has but i havent.
YELLOWSTONE NAT'L PARK,and GRAND TETON,and GLACIER NAT'L PARK.
we dont have any real definate plans set,we always just kind of wing it.
that way we cant say we didnt get to see what we wanted to.but we always see what we want

so any how hers the question at hand
if any one knows of anything that is a true"must see" please let me know.
any museums etc,you know the kind of stuff people like us would like
any place i may find rock for knapping,as i always have an interest in finding rock while i am on vaca
i like to try and make a point out of something from the area i visit 

as a side note: tonight i was talking on the phome with our oldest son,Derek.
he is in the Navy in Little Creek Va.
i have been helping him purchase a new car from the dealership where i work 
it has been an interesting process as he is 130 miles away,wel today the car officialy became his
its a 2010 Ford Fusion Sport,almost like mine.
his is tuxedo black,with black leather interior but no navigation system
well he told us tonight on the phone he would be coming home by saturday 
he aid its cause he wanted to come visit mom and me,but we know its just because he wants his new car
either way were as happy as 2 proud service parents can be
this is gonna be an awesome week end now

[JW_Halverson]

If you are passing thru South Dakota, I can see what I can do to make sure you see the highlights of the Black Hills. 

[Pappy]

Black hills are great,Tim you need to pm Wolfwatcher he knows that country and you will be close to where he is.I bet he can tell you some sites to see.Have a good trip.  
   Pappy

[El Destructo]

How long are you on Vacation Tim?....It takes a couple weeks just to take in Yellowstone

[n2everythg]

cody WY has a great museum with all the winchester guns and a ton of cool NA stuff. I would suggest that.

Second. Go see Devils canyon on Hwy 14 near lovel WY. No one goes there and it is kinda like the grand canyon. Very cool place. I used to work there.
 
Spend some time in the Big horns if you can. Another mtn range that is really cool and no one goes to.
At the top of one mtn in the bighorns on 14A there is the medicine wheel. Built by the NA's who the heck knows when - 1000s of yrs ago. Kinda of like a stone henge. Worth the trip. you have to walk 1.5 miles to see it but well worth the trip.

make it to the beartooths even if it is just for a drive through. but would recommend at least an overnight if you can.

I can get you to some out of the way spots with hot springs that the tourestos dont visit if you want. Between yellowstone and the tetons.
I could tell you about a bunch of great places to hike in Jellystone or the Tetons.
Depends upon how much time you have and what you wanna do.

Worked out there for a summer and visited a lot.
PM me if you need more info.
wade

[JW_Halverson]

I have to echo the post about the Medicine Wheel outside of Lovell, Wyoming.  I went there back when I lived in Lovell about 200 years ago, back when you could walk thru the medicine wheel.  Nowadays it is fenced off and you have to stay on the path, no dogs, no chewing gum, etc.  The chainlink fence around the medicine wheel is full of plastic and other stuff people have left for whatever reason. 

The Shoshone held the place with some regard, but had no flipping idea what it meant or who put it there, they said it was there before time came into the land.  17 spokes on the wheel and from what I have gathered, the number 17 never really had much religous value to Native American cultures.  Yeah, a place of real mystery and a lot of rather scenic views....except they do not allow you to walk over to the edge of the cliff to take in the view anymore.  Bummer, used to watch the sun come up early in the spring mornings, way back when.

Seriously, call me if you care coming thru the Black Hills.

[sailordad]

Mike: the wife and i have from the eve of the 9th thru the 18th off,we need to be to work on mon the 19th
        its a 12 hr drive from our place to the motel we have reserved for the first night.

N2: we do plan on stopping in Cody.i geard that museum is sweet as apple butter,especialy for someone like me
      Devils canyon sounds cool too.but definatly gotta check out that medicine wheel 
      Beartooth is already on out agenda too 

JW: we will be going thru the badlands as far as i know.however we try and do most of our travel driving(point a to point b)at night.
      i figure if we leave st.cloud mn at 9pm,we shoud be going thru the badlands at about sunup.
      seen the badlands once beforeat sunup,man is that a pretty sight to behold as the sun is rising.simply awesome to view.
      i'll see if the wife wants to see more of the badlands on the way back.if so i'll let ya know