Going to the Sun

As I was driving down I90 making my way west, I was trying to decide where I should start heading north to Canada.  I found out that there are many National Parks along the I90 corridor.  The first I noticed was the Badlands, the park is just south of the highway.  I kept arguing to myself that I did not have the time to drive through the park but I did take a break in Wall, SD.  Of course I did visited the famous Wall Drugs and stop in the National Grasslands Visitor Center before moving on.



McNanny State Fish Hatchery exit just before crossing into WY

As you drive further west you drive pass Black Hills National Forest and several National Monuments my inner voice kept saying turn, turn but I was good and kept driving west into Wyoming.  Just before crossing the Wyoming border I turn off at an exit for SD McNanny State Fish Hatchery to take some pictures of the rock formation. Wyoming has a new visitor and rest area.  The stop has several nice shaded picnic areas, tourist information, free Wi-Fi, and there is a beautiful bronzed status of a cougar outside the center.



Wyoming Welcome Center

My second day ended in Big Horn Mountain National Forest, I found very nice Forest Service Campground called Tie Hooks off Hwy 16 just west of Buffalo, WY.  I just finished putting up the camp before a short rain shower cooled things off.  The mountains were much cooler than the lower elevations, where the  temperatures were in the high 90’s for the first two days on the road.  The mountain landscape just bring a sense of wonder to me when looking at its beauty.


Wyoming Hwy 16 heading to Tie Hooks Campground. 
The rain show here was heading toward my campsite.

The third day started out stopping at the turnoff into the campground to take pictures of the Big Horn Mountains.  Once back on I90 I start driving toward Montana I decided to crossed the Canadian border near Glacier National Park.  I did several stopped to take some pictures.  Ate lunch in Helena where I stopped to buy a shock cord kit for my tent poles.  On the third travel day the temperatures were between 100 -105 in the plains and hazy due to the huge forest fires in Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota.



Big Horn Mountains early in the morning at the entrance to
Tie Hooks Campground.

Well, if you cannot guess from the title I could no longer say no to passing another National Park.  I was hoping to find a campground near or inside Glacier NP for the night.  I ended up spending the night at Buckhouse Inn in Augusta, MT approximately 100 mile south from the park. 

The next post will be about traveling the Going to the Sun Road.