Cody, Wyoming

We left Spearfish yesterday morning and headed into Wyoming. I think I’ve had a smile on my face since I first arrived in this state. Getting past the Black Hills, we wondered through some low hills of scrubland—no trees, no houses, just a few very large ranches. It was pretty lonely out there, but still beautiful. We made the mandatory stop at Devils Tower, the sight of alien contact in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It is a sacred site to 23 Native American tribes.

This feeling of spirituality pervades the land…I often wondered if Japan has Kyoto, if England has Stonehenge, if Israel & Palestine have Jerusalem, where are the United States’ spiritual centers? I’ve found some here in this region—the Black Hills, the Badlands, Devils Tower, the Bighorn Mountains. This land is truly sacred.

I never heard of the Bighorn Mountains before this trip. I’ll never forget them afterwards. It was a long, long climb up the steep slopes, until we were in the clouds & fog. There were a few mountain streams, a few ranches, a deer, but not much traffic. At times, the fog was so thick we could only see about 20 feet ahead of us. But after we crossed the top of the mountains and popped the car into second gear for the harrowing descent (there are many “runaway truck ramps” and brake cooling points), the clouds broke and we could see endless miles and miles and miles of untamed Wyoming beauty.

We made it as far as Cody last night, where it was very tough finding a room. This is a touristy Wild West town, and you can still stay at the Irma Hotel that Buffalo Bill built. The Cody Rodeo goes on every night and the downtown is gen-yuwine Old West. I’ve been listening to the radio in this area. You can pick up an NPR station from Billings, Montana, where they had a live broadcast of their 4th annual Magic City Blues Festival. Buddy Guy, Keb Mo, and the North Mississippi All Stars are there.

This is like a whole new country. How do people get down in Sheridan, Wyoming, or Boise, Idaho, or Billings, Montana? When I was talking to the bikers at Sturgis, they were talking about how it’s such a shame that Harvey, North Dakota has gone downhill since the 1960s. That’s a place where real Americans were from, I was told. It’s a real cryin’ shame what’s happened to North Dakota. Everyone’s leaving. For what?

Today we’re on our way to Yellowstone. I was speaking to a customer service rep yesterday, looking for a Wells Fargo branch out in Wyoming (there aren’t very many), and it turned out she was from Idaho. She recommended Lava Hot Springs outside of Pocatello, one of the best hot springs in the country. For my Japanese onsen-loving girlfriend, that will be a welcome break after Yellowstone.

I dig the West.