U.S. 14 in Wyoming is known as the Big Horn Scenic Byway as it crosses the Bighorn Mountains. I first drove this highway in 1979 on a family vacation, pulling a travel trailer behind a Buick station wagon. It was my first mountain driving experience and the highway was narrow and steep in places. It has been widened and leveled somewhat since then. At times, my speed fell to 10 mph, creating a backlog of cars behind me. I pulled over where possible, but still irritated the folks behind me. The transmission in the Buick had to be re-built following this trip.
From Greybull, the highway runs east through Shell Canyon, with Shell Creek flowing alongside. The canyon makes this a spectacular drive, though difficult to get photos because there are few pullouts.
Shell Falls, one stop along the byway, is where I turned around this time.
Next I visited Medicine Lodge State Archeological Park, a sacred spot for the Indians who lived in this area, primarily the Crow and Arapahoe tribes. The main attraction of the park is an 800 foot long cliff where petroglyphs and pictographs can be viewed. They are said to be up to 10,000 years old, so many are faded and hard to see.
I looked around for a good spot for sunset viewing, but didn't find the kind of place I wanted. So, I went back to Devil's Kitchen and got one of my favorite photos from the trip.
Castle Gardens is a BLM site with both colorful geology and very old petroglyphs. I have been aware of this place for years, but never visited because it is so remote. I stayed in Riverton at the nearest RV park to Castle Gardens, and it was still a 45 mile drive through the desert. Once there, I walked the trail and saw amazing formations and petroglyphs much different and any I'd ever seen.
I had told myself "no more photos of pronghorns". However, these two posed in such a stately manner on their rock outcroppings, I couldn't resist.
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