Day 9: Great Fun, Great Food

Rapid City, SD to Cody, WY

What was supposed to be an uneventful day of travel ended up being one of our best days. So much of what we did was simply unexpected. From our pitstops to meals, every moment was memorable. After sleeping in until 9 AM, we began the day with breakfast sandwiches at the local Black Hill Bagels. The egg and cheese sandwiches were awesome and we left for Devil's Tower.

Devil's Tower, our nation's first national monument, was formed more than 50 million years ago as magma rose through the Earth's crust. The monument is special because it is formed by hundreds of hexagonal columns, towering more than 1200 ft above the surrounding area. The easiest way to understand its structure is to imagine pencils tied together in a bundle. Even from miles away, the site was impressive. Devil's Tower emerges from a region comprised mainly of prairie. When we arrived at the base of the monument, we hiked the short 1.3 mile trail, admiring the incredible formation and rock climbers working their way its summit.

Drew at Devil's Tower

After leaving Devil's Tower, we started getting hungry and decided to grab a late lunch in Gillette, WY. Considering how many small towns we've driven through, it's been surprisingly difficult to find a solid local restaurant. Fortunately, we ran across The Coop, a small restaurant dedicated to rotisserie chicken and great service. Since we didn't have lunch until 3 PM, we had the places to ourselves and wow was the food good. Carl orded chicken tacos and I had the lettuce wraps. This dive served us our best meal so far in the 2,000 miles we've driven cross-country.

The Coop in Gillette, WY

We ate our fill and continued on to Cody, WY. The terrain quickly changed from prairie to mountain. We worked our way up snaking highways to an altitude of 9,000 ft and mountaintops covered with purple and yellow flowers, an area known as Bighorn National Forest. Eventually, we reached Shell Falls and decided to stop for a quick rest. The falls tumble an impressive 120 ft over granite into Shell Canyon. Nearby, Carl and I walked a short trail that explained the local fauna and hummingbirds that hovered overhead. One plant, called Yellow Rabbitbrush, was once used to treat toothaches by inserted mashed leaves into cavities.

Carl admiring Shell Falls in Bighorn National Forest

Finally, we arrived in Cody, a fun gateway city into Yellowstone National Park. We're staying at the Cody Cowboy Village, a relatively new hotel made up of 20 or so log cabins. It's really nice. The owner came out to talk to us and recommended we have dinner at the local Rib & Chop House downtown. Today was easily our best day of eating. I somehow managed to scarf down a 1 lb buffalo steak while Carl enjoyed his dainty filet mignon. Dessert was a gigantic "ice cream sandwich" with vanilla ice cream sandwich sandwiched between 2 brownies. Now, we're back at the hotel getting ready for our first day in Yellowstone National Park. Excited for the days to come...