First I will start off with a disclaimer. We didn't see ALL of the west, but we did travel 2,320 miles across Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Colorado in search of incredible sights and tastes. Along the way we chose some 'Best of' places to share.
Best Dinner - In Steamboat Springs, Colorado there is a restaurant called
Mahogany Ridge. It is also a brew pub which means they brew beer on site. We went in to sample their brews and stayed for dinner. It had gotten a great recommendation from the owners of the hotel where we were staying. They have tapas plates from 4 - 5:30 with a big selection to choose from. We tried 3 different tapas and all were yummy! After thoroughly examining their extensive menu, I chose the maple glazed chicken breast stuffed with cranberries and pecans. The dipping sauce I loved was a porter cream and it was absolutely delicious. Don had the tandoori spiced yellowfin tuna, again it was outstanding. This was the best dinner of the two week trip. Our server, Jamie, was knowledgable and delightful. All of the entrees had dipping sauces served with them, very creative combinations to enhance the bison, elk, beef, chicken or fish that comprised the entree. What an outstanding restaurant!
Best Breakfast - In South Dakota there is a cafe called
Cheyenne Crossing. When we were leaving Hill City, we were told that the breakfast here was worth the drive. We were heading north towards Deadwood, so going to Cheyenne Crossing was not far out of the way. The drive there was beautiful and the breakfast was mouthwatering. When eating a breakfast like that, you can easily wait till late in the day for dinner, skipping lunch all together. Hash browns and biscuits and gravy will definitely fill you up!
Best Scenic Drive -
Iron Mountain Road in Custer State Park is a breath taking scenic road with 'pig-tail' bridges and tunnels that only one car can pass through at a time. While in Custer State Park, in the Black Hills, we also saw bison roaming freely sometimes across the road. Cars simply have to wait until they move. It isn't a long route, but definitely worth the time to explore.
Best Historic Site - Custer's Last Stand at
Little Big Horn was an opportunity to relive history through the story telling skills of the Native American presenter,
Sam Enemy Fighter, who recounted the events of the Battle Of Little Bighorn as we drove across the ridge above the river where 7,000 Native Americans were camped on their way to Canada. The battle has been studied in great detail and Sam's retelling brought the events to life. He is a member of the Crow tribe and has studied at university in Montana. He was very knowledgable and a great presenter. Custer was a respected general in the Civil War. He was sent to bring the Native Americans back to the reservation to live. The 2,000 warriors that were at the encampment did not want to give up their nomadic lifestyle and chose to fight to ensure their freedom. Custer was warned by his Native American scouts that he was seriously outnumbered, but chose to engage the Native Americans anyway. It was a short battle and cost the lives of virtually all of the soldiers. White headstones show the location of the fallen soldiers who are buried at the top of Last Stand Hill and red headstones show where Native Americans fell. Officers were interred at Arlington. In 2003 a
memorial was placed to honor the Native Americans who fought in the war.
Best Brew Pub -
Crow Peak Brewing in Spearfish, South Dakota was Don's favorite brew pub. Their 'Bag of Dirt' Porter was delicious and sitting on the 2nd floor porch looking out at the scenery in late afternoon was delightful. Every time we visited a pub I asked the brewer if anyone was using the spent grain to make bread. Alas, no one was, they use the spent grains as compost and feed for livestock. I have tried to spread the word about baking with the spent grains and shared the related posts on my blog. That being said, I plan to use some spent grain as I prepare the garden this fall. No livestock to feed at our house, the cat and rabbit probably wouldn't like the taste.
Best Museum -
Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming is just about a half hour from the eastern entrance to Yellowstone National Park. You need to allow several hours to enjoy this amazing place. The gun collection recounts the history of many of the owners of the guns as well as the events surrounding their use, great history there. The Natural History part of the museum shows the wildlife of the area and their art collection has paintings of the western landscapes.
Best Exhibit at a Museum - We had our favorite exhibits within museums too. Mine was the T Rex at the
Black Hills Institute of Geological Research in Hill City, South Dakota. Stan the T Rex was enormous and just one of many examples of prehistoric animals there. Don's was the gun exhibit at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, see the link in Best Museum.
Best Scenery -
Yellowstone simply can't be beat for diversity of landscape. The geology of the area is fascinating and constantly changing since it is sitting on top of an active volcano. Road repair in the area was needed when the gravel turned to an 'oatmeal' consistency and the tar was 'liquid-like' due to the underlying heat. Signs everywhere tell you not to stray past the trails since the seemingly solid ground could give way to boiling hot pools of water. Waterfalls, geysers, hot pools and mudpots provide a never ending source of wonder.
We used our AAA books to help find sights to see and recommendations of people we met for restaurants and brew pubs. The local folks always know what is best!
Great trip, great food, great sights......what an amazing country!
