A visit to the immense parks ot United States western

Rome-Chicago flight and overnight at Motel near the airport. With the car we went to the west ...... we stayed in motels in the path near the parks. Solo travel.
Travel in the American parks

Abstract:
Visit the Parks of the American West, and some national monuments was like a dream come true, the holiday that we all dreamed of once in a lifetime. Because, for us, is the first time we visit the North American continent, after visiting Canada, we were completely fascinated by the beauty, variety, untouched by the grandeur of Nature, often mixed with more modern 'push' in a way that we Italians are not able to conceive easily, as we are accustomed to a subdued and formed our own little world for centuries. In the United States, and particularly in the West, the idea of ??environment "human scale" tends to vanish with the result of being small, small.
The car (or camper) is definitely the best way to discover the authentic U.S., those movies on the road, because if you want to discover the essence of a country, we can not only visit the big city (New York etc. ...) but it is the province, the far-flung places, deserts and grasslands that convey the true nature of the U.S.. We rented a car and set off into the unknown, to the natural wonders that this country has to offer and we had no fear of turning the "routes" American.
The United States have a disproportionate number of natural parks and protected areas, monuments rocky canyons, lakes, mountains ... not just a lifetime to see them all, and places like Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Mesa Verde, Rocky Mountains, etc. have a unique charm that has to be breathed and lived. No pictures and videos can reproduce the real splendor of the least impressed in our memories and in our eyes.
In general, you can 'say that the cost of living outside the big cities, is less than ours in Italy. (Regardless of the favorable exchange rate)
Drinks: put a lot, a lot of ice in any drink that is not the "famous" coffee. Is incomprehensible to Americans drink a glass of water or a drink without ice cubes.
Km paths: we drove for 13,500 miles.
The U.S. is very well organized and you can trust in their organization. In some ways, for us Italians "Mediterranean", can also seem a little naive, and extravagant, if we are respectful of their culture and their rules, we realize immediately that they are very kind, hospitable and smiling (revelers), otherwise known to be very hard.
It is very important to know English well if you want to participate in hikes with rangers otherwise you will not understand anything of what they say in American and not because everyone laughs at their jokes, they do very often ... or we are not even accepted the tour provided (eg down the Grand Canyon by mule down to the Colorado River, and probably stay there two days).

Preparing for travel
We started to organize our trip to the USA at the end of June.
We were interested in more visit the Yellowstone Park (which is about 2500 km from Los Angeles) so we decided not to visit the city and the parks of California.
On the Internet we read that in Yellowstone Park (average altitude 2500 meters) is likely to fall the snow and very cold face at the end of September, so we decided to start early September and go straight to see the parks in South Dakota , Montana and Wyoming and, after down south to visit the parks in the south-west (Utah, Colorado, Arizona, etc.). To be thorough we have encountered, always on the internet, the availability of hotels located within the parks and always found them occupied: ergo impossible to book a room in advance.
We read the diaries of those who went to USA and visited the parks, but almost all were young and diaries relating to a period of 15/20 days maximum, but we have not found any diary of older people (perhaps because they have gone with the various tours organized by tour operators).
They were hectic days in search of possible solutions to overcome the handicap of an overnight stay in hotels that are located within the parks. The decision was to start with a small following in Canada so he can sleep in campsites within the parks.
We checked our 2 (old) small tents and found them unusable. Modified choice ... .. we also have a big tent, the open .. everything is fine this is just right. Let's put it in the suitcase and ... .... We find that does not fit and is too heavy!
Think back on everything .. no! we decided to go and we start with a new small Canadian. Let's buy it and take the measure that goes into the suitcase, so we can start with a bag in each hand and one large suitcase.
We just have to plan your trip. Before deciding how, where and when to take the plane occur in different sites of airlines costs, duration and baggage weights and measures. And here there are some difficulties for the company that carry-on baggage requires certain specific measures and weights, indicate that other measures, which do not allow others to carry on luggage except for a small bag, etc. etc. ... . a jungle! Perhaps it would be easier to rely on a select tour operators and make him telling us how, and what you can bring, but it is not our case, the journey is ours and we want to take all decisions-right or wrong!
Our choice is: American airline with non-stop flight from Rome to Chicago.
August 4, 2011 And so we book the flight Rome - Chicago / r starting September 7th and return on October 17, the first night of the motel in Chicago for the evening of September 7 and the last two days (15 and 16/10 / 2011) accommodation in central Chicago (Adams str. in-loop), then the car at the Hertz airport near Chicago's O'Hare for the period September 8 to October 15 and payment on delivery of the car in Chicago.
Now we just have to wait until the day of departure!
Antero decided, seeing as we bought a new little Canadian to become a member of the club KOA (Kampgrounds of America), registers, receives the card and get the chance to get a discount for parking in campsites.

 

Always read the internet is aware that you can buy phone cards with very little expense that allow you to talk to landline in Italy at a fraction of the cost and for a duration of more than 1000 minutes (except fall quickly if you call mobile). Make a reservation for a phone card over the Internet and immediately start with the difficulties of language. In fact, with an email telling you that we receive a call from their center to confirm everything. And so it happens, Antero is forced to understand (!) And reply (!) In English to questions that the young lady addressed. He believes that all is well, because they immediately receive a confirmation email that also contains the pin to use when we are in the USA.
Is everything all right? Not even by a long shot! Comes another email where they ask us to phone a number Italian in Rome to give us more information about the activation of the phone card.
Antero dials e. .. a disc recorded in the U.S. poses the questions that you can not understand. We are in trouble! we can not tell if the calling card will work or not. We seek someone who understands and speaks English well and are among our acquaintances a person who has lived long in England and speaks English.
We're going to find it (it is a very kind lady) who tries to do the number of Roma. Well, four times is forced to close the phone because she can not understand what it says the disc is not spoken in American English! Then after several attempts in contact with an operator "live" speaking in English which says that the phone card is in place and working. (Nb we worried for nothing because the message with which they asked us to call had been sent prior message to confirm the validity of the calling card but we had arrived soon after.)
All this is part of the clutch, the agitation that takes us when we think of a long journey to places that do not know and especially when (as always) WE ONLY.
Days go by and thinking about the trip that we will, comes to mind (we had forgotten !!!!!) that if we want to sleep in the tent camps we also have 2 sleeping bags and two air mattresses and flee ... we go to buy what we lack: 1 sleeping bag.
We continue in our large suitcase, we put in two sleeping bags, tent and ... ... .. we find that there is nothing but hiking boots that we wear for hiking in the parks, and do not want to bring with us 2 large suitcases!
Cambio. They set out how and where we will settle the tent as possible. Again the internet in search of the motel near the parks and take note of the ones where there is the availability of rooms are all about 30-50-80 km from the various parks.
Well our last decision: fix three nights in the camp near the Yellowstone Park (50 km!) Taking a bungalow for the night so we are sure we will visit the park with all the time we want. So we do but wait another surprise: in the letter of confirmation we are told that Americans are not all campsites on linen (sheets, pillow and blanket), but on the other hand, there is no heating at all.
It does not matter, just arrived in America, we equip buying what we lack.
Meanwhile, our son gives us a smartphone and prepares it so that, taking Wi-Fi in the U.S. we call the internet. (It will prove a great thing, we called all the relatives, friends and acquaintances, spending a few euros!)
Finally comes the day of departure, we accompanied our son to the airport, the time to check in and we are ready to go. The flight leaves on time, landing in Chicago the same day at 15.30 hours.
Journey time: 42 days (September 7 to October 18, 2011).
We have been crossed: 14
Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri.
We also visited many state parks and national monuments.

Parks and sites visited:

Illinois
Visit the city of Chicago.

South Dakota:
(National Parks) Badlands and Wind Cave
(National Historic Sites) Minuteman Missile,
(Memorials) Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse (Rocky Mountains) Black Hills, Belle Fourche (Centre National Geographic).

Wyoming and Montana:
(National Parks) Yellowstone and Grand Teton
(National Monuments) Devils Tower
(All national) Bighorn Canyon and the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway.

Utah:
(National Parks) Zion Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands
(National Monuments) Cedar Breaks, Escalante Grand Staircasse, Needles Park, Hovenweep, Natural Bridges
(All national and state parks) Anasazi Park, Devils Canyon, Dead Horse Point, Kolob Canyon, Snow Canyon.

Colorado:
(National Parks) Mesa Verde
(National Monuments) Dolores, Yucca House
(Outdoor) Outside corners.

Arizona:
(National Parks) Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
(National Monuments) Canyon de Chelly, Montezuma Castle, Walnut Canyon, Navajo, Meteor Crater.
(State Parks) Slide Rock State Park Sedona
the scenic byway of Sedona and the famous Route 66 to Chicago.

New Mexico:
(Historical Park) Pecos
(National Monuments) Petroglyph Circle, Santa Fe, El Malpais, Acoma Pueblo
(Paths historical) El Camino Real, Santa Fe, Pecos, NM and Los Angeles Wheels 66.

Oklahoma:
(National historic sites) Fort Reno in El Reno
(Memorials) Oklahoma City



Wednesday, September 7
Let's start!
At 6, after greeting the children, grandchildren, dogs and cats, with the car we drive to the airport in Rome. There is confusion in the ring but we started with a comfortable and arrive at Terminal 5 on time for check in, everything fast and without hitches and we are already waiting to board.
While we await control of all documents, including airline ticket and found that we have not received the ticket on the return. Minutes of panic, then taking advantage of the courtesy of a young Italian who has to go to Chicago for work, we take a deep breath of relief. It tells us that everything is stored on the computer of the airline and do not need to have the paper. (Mary and I ... we look at that picture!! 3 years have passed since our last plane trip and the things in the meantime have changed and we are not updated).
10.30 am we board, 11.15 hours on time the plane takes off and leaves the Italian ground. Through the window we can see the Isle of Elba, Sardinia, then the earth will disappear, we are over the ocean.
The trip takes place quiet, there are many flight hours (10,45) and try to nap between meals and more. The onboard service is continuous and we do plenty of breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner. We arrive on time O'Hara airport in Chicago that are the 15.30 local, while we are in line to try to control calls and send messages but do not take the line, we see signs that warn that there is no network coverage , refer to tomorrow because in Italy is 22.30.
While the Americans, who landed with us quickly perform checks to all others, including us, take us a long row of monstrous waiting, then there are photographs, take fingerprints, etc. monitor the documents and only after four hours to leave the airport and we are 19.30.
The first impact is negative in America! but it is not the only one: in fact, when we take the taxi and deliver a card saying the hotel's name, street, etc. etc. the taxi driver, an African American, is' a lot of exceptions, says he does not know the area, prevarication, how irritating it up to us to say that, as the browser, simply enter the address of the hotel! So does' and so we can get to our hotel for dinner.
We are tired, having left the suitcases in the room, we go to a nearby Burger restaurant, eat a quick meal and then go to sleep.

................................ diary continues until October 18, 2011.

Complete with photos etcc you can read it here:

http://www.conilcamper.it/sito/diario_usa.html

Thursday, September 8
At 4 we wake up to phone in Italy, the hotel's free wi-fi, we connect to the internet and talk with their children. (The new smartphone has been proven very useful!)
We have breakfast and call a taxi that takes us to the Hertz car rentals near the airport.
And 'soon we fixed the car for the 12 but as soon as 10.30. Ask at the counter if you can anticipate, we say yes, some formalities, we confirm full of petrol for unlimited mileage, insurance for the contract to add additional damage to the car e. .. we deliver the car.
Is 11, an employee who speaks a little 'of Italian gives us a new car (10,700 miles on odometer marks); it is a Chevrolet model. Impala, 3500 displacement and reminds us to never use your left foot brake and pigiamo otherwise we run the risk of nail.
We start slowly and with some concern, we reach the exit toll, which is regularly blocked and another employee of Hertz asks us the steps, the electronic controls and the bar is raised. Here, we are entering now we are out in the street (also appears as a highway to 4 lanes) that leads us quickly at the start of 90, that leads up to Rapid City.
What a mess, cars that we pass from the right and left, all are very fast and we do not exceed 45 miles. At the first we have to pay toll, (we know we have Telepass that allows us to move quickly but do not want to use it, given the cost incurred when using enough) then we prepare the exact coins, but there is also the toll collecting. .. everything becomes easier. To exit from Chicago still pay 3 more times (1 $ at a time!) Then nothing more, while the traffic has become even more chaotic, Antero decides to leave the motorway ... to catch my breath and full possession of the concept that driving an automatic machine is different from driving a car with manual transmission.
As soon as it has a junction on the right Antero is to exit the highway. It happens here that we did not want to happen. Because the ramp is steep, Antero tries to climb the gear and use your left foot to "crush the clutch" instead .... You lock the car so sudden! The machines that are behind are forced to slow down, to make smoking the tires, they were so fast.
What luck! 2 cars stop less than 5 feet from us, not touching, the other managed to avoid. We are getting a bit 'of insults, I apologize, then slowly, very slowly, with your left foot away from the pedal and the right arm and not touching the gearbox off again. Mary from now on must check that Antero does not put his hand on the gear!
Now that traffic is much less have time to enjoy the spectacle surrounding short break for lunch, pass the city of Madison, then in the seaside town of Lake Delton, even if it is still day we decide to stop and relax a clutch, then try a nearby motel and we find him in Willis-Dells.
Place the bags in the room (this "stress" will repeat for the next 40 days), having seen that in the motel's swimming pool and spa, we decide to go for a long and relaxing break in the warm waters of the spa with its bubbles we tones the body. And so we do dinner.

Friday, September 9
At 8 alarm clock, phone calls to children (through wi.fi!), A good breakfast and a coffee long ago that we regret our coffee, strong, mellow, low ... exciting.
We return to the highway, we stop for a snack and the usual coffee, we buy food we eat for lunch in a picnic area in the green grass and there are plenty of picnic tables and bathrooms superpuliti. We continue, the road is monotonous, and very little traffic in front of us endless fields cultivated with maize.
Every so often we see large farms with large silos and outbuildings for the cattle and everything is clean and orderly. We reach the town of Mittchell where we find a motel that seems to come out of a movie, is decorated with ox skulls and horns of deer and has a great pool on the front, we begin to see things that remind us that the West is approaching.
Saturday, September 10

We can not take the AT & T so we just have to try the famous American card. It 'a long procedure the number to dial is very long then you have to add the pin code, then the phone number to call with the 039 Italian front, but we do it using the phone we have in the room. What beauty we have to consume 1111 minutes and via phone calls to friends and relatives. Let's start and the first stop is a big shopping center Val-Mart (hypermarket great that we will find even the smallest countries) and we buy you need to spend three days in camp in West Yellowstone Koa, that is a warm quilt, a pillow, a canned food and heat for .... a chamber pot. is just a chamber pot!, for the night. We do not know how we are placed in the camp ... and if we were far removed from the baths? better not risk it.
Of course we have already changed the way we eat. We have abandoned the traditional American menu (the desserts are all with the frosting, covered with vanilla or another, and very, very sweet, then the bread we like bread with a crunchy crust and here in America there is one bread soggy, soft, good only to make the famous McDonalds sandwiches, sauces are included in all foods that are so tasty, but high-calorie, pasta is always a kind of glue, the meat is superspeziata and quantities are always giants .... then complete the 'by television shows such as restaurants prepare the food and how customers can taste them and opened his mouth to mo' from the oven, then, more importantly, we have seen so many obese Americans, not fat but obese-very big-time we're afraid of us and we said, immediately change the way we eat. In the morning we have breakfast with cornflakes in cold milk, cold (milk, even in cold, is in the flask immersed in a bowl of ice), less than half a cup of coffee along the long, banana or other fruit, and so, for lunch we stock a variety of fruit, crackers, cheese and yogurt, and sometimes we take slices of ham or other with the white bread. For dinner we procure fried chicken legs, roast chicken, salami and cheese, mashed with buffalo steaks and other goodies ready to be cooked in minutes in the microwave, then asparagus, beans, peas, and other types of canned vegetables, we buy in large quantities lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, artichokes and other vegetables ready.
Here this was our power for the entire period except occasionally eat at the Mexican restaurant, Chinese and American .....
Today we are going to visit the famous National Park of the Badlands always walk along Interstate 90 and take exit 131, 5 km and here we are in front of us entering the north-east of the Park.

Rangers to guard (indeed it is a big rangers) ask for a pass valid for 1 year which allows us to go into all the national parks and monuments at a cost of U.S. $ 80.
We go in and immediately notice that the entire park is an area of ??geological incredible charm, consists of ravines, pinnacles, sandstone pinnacles stratified, with different colors, in a labyrinthine path of extreme beauty, a kaleidoscope of colors and shimmering of the strange formations whose attractiveness is given by the continuing erosion of the land continues to sculpt the "butte" today. (Butte = "small hill" isolated, strongly sloping sides and flat top), so that one day - in future - Badlands will be completely eroded.
We walk slowly Loop Road and we stop whenever we find a trial (path or path) which enables us to approach on foot in the ravines and pinnacles.
Along the way we see so many cars stopped along the side of the road: we are in the Robert Prairie Dog Town, where we find the largest community of prairie dogs (Prairie Dog) of the Badlands.
Continuing the trail and arrive in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation where the White River Visitor Center with ranger Oglala Sioux tribal communities. At the Ben Reifel Visitor Center - open all year and park headquarters we have seen a very interesting movie. We head to Wall and find the Cedar Pass Lodge with an Indian encampment of tents (teepees).
I90 in return and then we go to visit the "Minuteman Missile National Historical Site" where we see the planes, missiles and all American technology for space.
It's getting late we go to Wall, a small town is particularly known for his Drug Store, which has become a tourist attraction.
In the old town have been reconstructed bars and typical shops of the Far-west America. There is also a small museum, full of original period photographs that depict Indian leaders, the Wounded Knee, completely dedicated to a tragic episode in 1890 when the 7 th Cavalry massacred the tribe of Sitting Bull and Big Foot, marking the end of Indian resistance.
We find a motel near the center and return after dinner overlooking the street where so many old saloons, we have the feeling of living in the past.

Sunday, September 11
Unlike the first impact we have had with the Americans, now we see a willingness and a very warm reception.
All strive to understand "our" English, and collaborate with courtesy.
Tonight we stay in Custer. In Rapid City we shop at a famous jeweler, "Rushmore Gold & Diamond Factory." Buy 2 special watches have both a grape leaf and a bunch of grapes as well as all the jewelry she produce here. When we come to Canyon Lake we see signs that advertise an original wooden church in Norway. We have seen much, but here in America is indeed a rarity, was dismantled in Norway, brought here and rebuilt. Further, before arriving at Mount Rushmore we enter the car into a park where the animals are free. Crossing the road that bears, elk that graze, bison sleepy that accompany us to the exit but not without giving us that certain frizzicore and fear for any damage to the car.

A brief stop for lunch at 15 and we're finally at the Mount Rushmore National Monument.

. Introducing the Pass shall verify their validity, we deliver the artwork of the monument and park the car in a large underground parking (fee). We walk a few yards down an alley with all the flags of each U.S. state and arrived in the square we see carved on a large wall of rock faces of four famous presidents of the United States of America (from left to right: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln), respectively, chosen as symbols of the birth, growth, preservation and development of the United States. The sculpture is really impressive, is about 18 meters high and is a major tourist destination, even for the natural beauty of the Black Hills (Black mountains) and is the symbol of the first 150 years of American history.
From the square we see the great theater carved into the rock, while the side a few steps lead to a museum and go on to become a forest trail (trail) that slides under the faces of Presidents. It is very hot and the rangers suggest to bring along water and so we walk the trail admiring the impressive sculptures that loom above us. It's still daylight when we leave Mount Rushmore. We continue and arrive in the village of Custer in the Black Hills National Park. When we arrive we will have a pleasant surprise, the whole village is in western style, houses, bars, banks, sheriff's station.
All are made of wood with bright colors, all have the American flag. Let's take a short walk, buy some food that we eat in the motel where we spend the night.
Monday, September 12
Early (as soon as they are 8) take the US16 which leads us quickly to the place where the wonderful sculpture (unfinished) created by the Indians in memory of Crazy Horse. At the entrance to the Crazy Horse memorial we immediately notice the facial features characteristic of the Indians, park your car, take the brochures that allow us to know the history of this people and of his great desire to build this monument, we see an interesting movie illustrates all stages of preparation of the immense sculpture, which, once completed, will be the largest sculpture ever built in the rock, 195 meters wide and 172 meters high. (For comparison, the heads carved on Mount Rushmore are high Only 18 meters).
The Lakota leaders supported the idea of ??a sculptor willing to honor the memory of what is called the last Sioux to do so enormous sculpture to repair the "provocation" the white man who had built Rushmore in the sacred territory to the Indians.
In 1999, the then U.S. President Bill Clinton visited the excavation site. Those who had dedicated his life to Crazy Horse's arm would tend to indicate his beloved Black Hills, also unfinished work could legitimately claim that an outcome had been achieved: an American president paid tribute to the memory of the Lakota leader, largest in history never officially became head of his people, but only because the undisputed leader of his own charisma.
We take a small bus that takes us right up to and admire the sculpted head size, much remains to be done to finish the work but the Indians are proud of their decision not want the national contributions and raise the work only with revenues of inputs and sales of souvenirs. We meet a pair of French, the first Europeans to see, came to America for 3 times and now are headed to Yellowstone. But we go in Custer Park in the Black Hills and we put in the U.S. 87. The trail winds along the slopes of high mountains, through small tunnels dug into the rock, we spend close to seeing a beautiful lake with endless rolling hills and mountains of granite peaks, we walk the streets (the Wildlife Loop) opening onto breathtaking views Always a beautiful setting. During our tour inside the park we have to stop several times to pass herds of bison, the white-tailed deer, turkeys, squirrels, prairie dogs and donkeys, lots of donkeys. We knew, for reading in some magazines that here is one of the largest herds of bison in the U.S., a significant amount of pronghorn antelope, and many other types of animals, but one thing is to read and dream and another to experience these close encounters.
We reach the legendary scenic byway 16th we travel to over Keystone, then we put in another scenic route, the 385, where we enjoy the beautiful view, nature here is the absolute master. We finally arrive in Deadwood, national historic monument: the Far West is a city once ruled by gangsters, gamblers and gunslingers, his story begins in 1876, two weeks after the Battle of Little Bighorn, where occurred the defeat of General Custer .

The discovery of gold attracted outlaws, gamblers and gunslingers with the gold diggers, Deadwood is a city that has yet to be born, who live without laws, populated by all sorts of criminals. In a place where there are laws, the only law that applies is that of the strongest in this case, Al Swearengen, one of the pioneer founders of the city, the only master's Saloon where he runs his shady dealings. Other characters come to town with the intent to start a new life: among them are Seth Bullock, a former sheriff, the most famous gunfighter of the west and gold miner Wild Bill Hickock (but only a few weeks after his arrival, was killed while playing poker and holding a poker hand of aces and eights - forever known as the hand of the dead), and Calamity Jane are both buried in them-Mount Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood. After the fires that have devastated the city several times, turning it into an old ghost town, here in 1989 is legalized gambling. So now the city looks like a huge casino with gambling halls in every street corner, in fact even in our motel, there is a saloon with a casino attached.
After we relaxed in the spa (small pool with hot water - 38 degrees - with bubbles!), We go to eat in the gaming room and there are many people committed to the green tables and slot machines. The bright lights and flashing, along with the noise they make us think about how they should be the 800 saloon, and we immediately notice that the casino cashier is sheltered by thick bars useful to limit the excesses of the players towards the cashier.
There are players smiling (they won) and others who seem desperate (they lost), others who lost their marbles seem shuffling feet and the sounds and noises of the saloon, and so we spent the evening, are the 24 local time and again people come groped luck as we go to rest.

Tuesday, September 13
As usual we have breakfast with corn flaks, then at 8, after a few kilometers we are in the Lead town famous for its gold mine until closure in 2001 was the world's oldest still in operation. We ask to participate in a guided tour to go and see the huge pit 550 meters wide and 300 meters deep but the visits ended September 10, patience, we are content to see the huge pit with a roof terrace.
Take the U.S. 14 and arrive in Spearfish, nestled in the spectacular scenery of its canyon, and that fascinates us with its historic district. We continue toward "the geographical center of the United States", in fact we read in our guidebook that is near Belle Fourche.
At Spearfish we get a brochure with details of the "center"; interrogate our NeverLost (American navigator), and off we go the route we decided to immortalize this moment. We pass the town of Belle Fourche and the navigator tells us that the "center" is about 30 miles (50 km), we are confused, thought it was close to the city, but always confirms the position of the navigator.
We continue on a long strip of asphalt surrounded by grasslands, steppes, and nothing else, already begin to see signs indicating the nearby border with Canada, while very few cars travel the road, but we wonder where you go ..? Finally, the browser indicates a track to take in order to arrive at the exact point ... but we are in the desert, nothing and nothing on, in front of us and we will not even leave the lonely road. We look around and we see nothing (in the brochure was a picture of the "center" with lots of trees around here, but there's nothing. Suddenly, and fortunately, a car arrives. Antero beckons the driver to stop and it stops right in the middle of the road (so it's all there is nearly straight and not anyone). We ask where is the famous "center of the United States" and we see the navigator, tells us to go back up in Belle Fourche and cross the bridge, turn left we will find the famous "center." The navigator has cheated, maybe he wanted to arrive in Canada? But!
We go back, retrace the 50 miles that separate us from Belle Fourche, arrived at the bridge there is a square, and leave the car behind the visitor center, appears to our eyes the famous "geographical center of the United States." This is a great disc of marble inscribed with the shape of America, Alaska and Hawaii, which together form the United States. Yes, even if the "center" may be too far north must take into account these 2 states that are at the extremes of the territory of the United States of America.
Let's photographs of ritual, telephony, thanks to wi-fi, the children we share a brief snack and visit the famous Devil's Tower so called by the Indians Devils Tower. Behind us we leave and enter South Dakota, Wyoming, in this state you can feel the magic and bloody history that, in the west, also has the least populated of the U.S. and nothing has changed since the days of pioneers and cowboys. The spectacular nature of the Rocky Mountains has remained intact, the rodeo is still the most important fact, while the work is the most coveted HORSE whisperer (the man who whispers to horses) and there are people who can tame wild horses simply by whispering in his ears.
The road runs with no view, only grasslands, then suddenly the horizon appears a big cone of stone: Devils Tower, which is all that remains of a volcanic cone.
It 'very impressive and when we are at the base of the "mountain" we feel small, small. Its strange shape is composed of many vertical columns of rock and we note that there are many climbers trying to reach the top. We do around the base of the tower, enter a path into the forest and see many, many squirrels and lots of holes in the ground ... popular prairie dogs are coming in and out as wanting to be photographed.
It was made quite late, we just have to go into the first town and find a motel, do a few miles and stop in Gillette a country that has nothing special but what we need: a motel.

Wednesday, September 14
Even early this morning we leave the motel, we want to visit Buffalo, the Big Horn Mountains with the famous Scenic Byway that Lowell will lead us to a spectacular view up to Cody.
We arrive in Buffalo, suddenly the sky turns dark, throws a strong wind, cold weather so much so that we can see that we are the first stop at 0 degrees, continue hoping for an improvement. We climb the mountain up to 3000 meters, but we can not see anything because the fog has enveloped everything, now we go to 5 / 10 miles, there is no traffic, we are alone, there are sharp bends and ups and downs, every turn we have the feeling of leaving the road, so we have a little 'fear. Unfortunately the beautiful landscape that you had to see through this road has remained shrouded in fog and could not wait to go back down and get to Cody.
Finally, and only when we come to Powell the fog disappears. Along the road there is a visitor center, we see that the leaflets near Canyon deserves a visit a beautiful but we are content to see the movie because there are still about 50 kilometers to get to Cody where we need to reserve the room, and watch the show Western front of the Hotel Irma be held at 18.
Entered into its confidence with the friendly, helpful, polite and friendly ranger visitor center, Antero asked to book a room for us for tonight Irma hotel. Of course the discussion goes on for a few minutes saw our English, but in the end the rangers call the Hotel understands and communicates our data and, more importantly, our credit card, and he reassures us of the outcome of the reservation.
Hooray! We have time to get to Cody, visit the town, place our things in the room reserved and quietly watch the show.
This city is also famous for the Buffalo Bill Historical Center contains collections of western culture, Cody Firearms Museum, and for, the world's largest collection of American firearms and even today still speaks of him Cody: Buffalo Bill (William Frederick Cody) and his famous rodeo. Also one of the historic sites of the city is the hotel restaurant, Irma, because it was built by Buffalo Bill as a luxury hotel and as a concrete representation of the legendary western hospitality, bears the name of his youngest daughter, Irma, and is still run by family . Every night in front of the hotel you can attend the performance of traditional duels with pistols of the old west.
When we get to the hotel receive a warm welcome, the Western-style waiters are with us here in our room and a welcome surprise: we sleep in the room No.20 by Col. WF Cody the preferred (Buffalo Bill) and in his name, in other rooms there are still holes left by the pistol. After crossing the moment of natural emotion for that room furnished in western style and in consideration that the temperature fluctuates between 3 and 7 degrees we take a nice hot shower warms up a bit ', thinking that only yesterday we had over 35 degrees!
What a thrill! that's all reminiscent of the old west, the wooden staircase to go upstairs in the great hall where the restaurant was set up. The bar where the bar (cherry gift from Queen Victoria to Buffalo Bill), there are brass handles, a large mirror behind the bartender and the spittoons on the floor ....
At 18 o'clock, right side exit from the hotel, a road that is closed for the occasion, assist in the preparation of the scene. The show will begin immediately after the national anthem at which all up and hand over his heart, not just actors but all the audience, and at the end of the hymn pours a huge round of applause! Really exciting.
Then the show, the actors (people of the country) speak, cry (of course we do not understand what they say) with the rifle and shoot the guns, get drunk, make a bank robbery, challenge each other to a duel and wins ... the law. 19.30 to end the show in great applause, we meet all the actors to take a souvenir photo.
It 'so beautiful over the day and tomorrow awaits us Yellowstone.
Thursday, September 15
Departure for the Yellowstone Park where rest 4 nights and 5 days.
"The Yellowstone National Park is located in the extreme north-western state of Wyoming and borders, for a small tract, in the states of Montana and Idaho, occupying a large area of ??the Rocky Mountains. It is one of the largest intact ecosystems in the temperate zone left on Earth. Yellowstone is the oldest national park in the world (it was founded in 1872 and has been declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1978).
The park covers 8,980 km ² on a series of plateaus that have an average altitude of 2,400 meters above sea level The area is crossed by several rivers, the longest of which is the Yellowstone River, from which the park takes its name, it completely crosses from south to north and then jump into a deep canyon and creating two magnificent waterfalls.
In the park there are many trails (trails) and trails that extend for 1600 km in total.
Geyser and formations
The park is famous for its numerous geysers, hot springs (200 ° C) and other interesting geothermal areas. The Geysers are about 400 here and reach their highest densities in the world, the largest emitting jets of steam at regular intervals of up to 50 meters.
The hot springs are more numerous and the water leaking from many of those who create and rich in minerals in the soil around cones and terraces. The most famous and impressive is that of the Mammoth Hot Springs, where the deposits have risen even touching the 90 meters. The most famous geyser is certainly "the Old Faithul" (the "Old Faithful" in English) that tourists can see steam jets when it issues every 93 minutes.
Under the Yellowstone Park lies a supervolcano which experts believe sooner or later erupt, spilling huge amounts of ash that is deposited all over North America. A marked slope of the land has in fact completely drained a lake, demonstrating the rise and the increasing pressure of the magma beneath the surface of the ground.
There are also many other rock formations such as mud volcanoes (piles of rock material soaked by the end of spring water) or as the Tower Falls, 40 meters high, the Golden Gate Canyon and the Obsidian Cliff, a formation of obsidian about high 50 meters.
The park is very important in national and international level to be populated by rare and often endangered.
There are almost 60 species of mammals in the park, including the Gray Wolf, the American Bison, the brown bear, moose, mule deer, bighorn sheep on, the wapiti, the goat of snow, the cat, the otter , the pronghorn, the white-headed sea eagle symbol of the united states of America, the mountain lion, lynx, and the famous grizzly bear, has become the symbol of Yellowstone. "

Let Cody and continue for about 100 km in the U.S. 14 until you arrive at the eastern entrance of the park where we have the classic photography.
At the toll entrance, after the control of the pass, the ranger gives us all the documentation and notice that the places to visit in the park are divided into 5 times and the path forms a sort of 8 so if we start from where we entered we will visit Be the first to the Fishing Bridge and Lake Village, then the Canyon Village, Mammoth Hot Springs to the north, west of Old Faithful and Grant Village to the south (all with an average altitude of over 2,000 meters).
A brochure in Italian it easier to read and then divide it into 5-day visit to the park. After a few miles ahead of us, near the lake, a herd of bison graze peacefully on the Prairie. We will pass by some 'the lake, we are at 2400 meters high, is the majestic Lake Yellowstone Hotel caldo.Vediamo completely of wood and white and yellow as it was built in 1891, we return to the north and travel along the Yellowstone River which is the longest river without dams in the United States and flows into the Missouri, there is torrential, and we see many fishermen who fish fly, here you can also catch fish 50/80 pounds! For a curve appears on the left with a huge basin of boiling water pools with colors ranging from green to red while the water is blown cobalt blue, we are in the area of ??Sulphur Caldron and Volcano Mod.
We walk the entire trail in the midst of these wonders; runways are sometimes just above the fumaroles and sometimes do not allow the fumes to see anything. We take the Hayden Valley lush meadows and wetlands paradise for wild animals. We do not make a long way and we had to stop in line with many other machines; Why, what happens? There is a herd of bison, slowly, across the road. A little later a small group of elk grazing in the meadow among the fumaroles, almost without realizing we already arrived at the Canyon Village and omit the visit of the famous waterfalls. At the crossroads east of the Grand Loop Road (a road that forms a perfect 8 280 km long). We still have to drive over 100 miles to go to camp that we booked for 3 nights and that is about 10 km from West Yellowstone .
Norris arrived at the junction (intersection) go down south to Madison Junction, then turn right to go to the west exit of the park and get to West Yellowstone and then our camp.
The distances are considerable and the speed is limited to 25 mph.
We arrive at the campsite at about 18, Antero shows the membership card, pick up the key of the bungalow but before you go to our "little house" the manager gives us the list of things we can not do, the main one is not leave anything out, put the garbage in the containers tightly covered iron, because (we are in a forest inside the park) at night bears and other animals go in search of food and can be dangerous. So if we have some food that we keep in the car must be thoroughly covered to ensure that animals do not feel the smell, the risk is to find the car smashed regole.E if we stick to it, learn what to do we're going to take possession of our small wooden hut. At the entrance, under a small porch there is a terrace with a great rocking side there is a large barbecue and ... ... the famous container with a lid, all made of iron, for trash, tightly closed. The interior of the cabin is spartan, is a studio with a large bed and 2 bunk beds, lack of bedding, pillows and blankets, and lacking even the bathroom. But we have everything you need because we have bought in Rapid City. On the other hand we feel we have been having the heating lowered the temperature so sudden: During the day the temperature is always between 20/25 degrees, now, at 19, there are 2 degrees at night and will even colder.
In the camp, about 150 meters from us, there is also a large heated pool and spa will remain open until 23, but this cold is not really the case through the park to go pee.

Friday, September 16

We slept in the warmth while out last night went below zero. The bed is a bit 'hard but overall we had a good time. For breakfast we go to the village 10 km because here there is everything in the camp but only until September 10. In all the town houses, motels, restaurants, bars, old-style American etcc are very characteristic and welcoming. We go into a library that exposes a sign saying "espresso" coffee and there is a nice lady to ask if you can have a strong coffee. He understands that we are Italian and puts all his effort, but ... it comes out pretty good coffee but still very, very long, however, is drinkable and not a liter! Meanwhile, the sky is covered with clouds that do not promise anything good. Take the case you need to cover, shelter from the rain and cold and we enter the park. The road runs along the Madison River, and we decide we arrived at the intersection to the south west, towards the Old Fathful to visit Lower Geyser Basin, Grand Prismatic, in short, all the wonders that will meet the 30-kilometer walk. The sky is overcast, cold enough, and sometimes a light drizzle falls.
Unable to list the wonders that we encounter: some placid bison graze between puffs boiling, take the first wooden walkway leads directly to a few meters from the cauldrons that smell of rotten eggs, all around us in a frenzy of colors, the water of a transparent blue contrasts with the yellow and red due to the bacteria that breed only at temperatures lethal to any living being, it seems to be a paradise disguised as a hell of Dante's memory.
Arriving near the Grand Prismatic Spring, leave the car in the parking lot and take the walkway that leads us to the edge of this great spring color, but the fumes that releases are so many and thick that it is hard to see it well. There is a possibility to reach a small bridge about a mile, pass under it and take a path that, after about 2 km takes us into the mountain, just above the big spring.
We go by car to the small bridge, then after reading that it is very likely to encounter bears in the path, never mind. Over several square miles there are dozens of other geysers some larger and more beautiful dell'Hold Faithful but much less precise and consistent in their performances, so a show reserved for the few who have the opportunity to spend many hours here. We have the good fortune to attend some of these eruptions and it is only at this time that we realize that there is only the eruptive phenomenon but also the colors of round concretions, up to discover that all ports are connected to each other. In fact we see that as a geyser erupts, the next spring empties, by sucking the water down. Both will fill a few minutes later to eruption: a phenomenon that has left us open-mouthed.
And we come to the most famous and impressive geysers in that, for some strange alchemy of groundwater

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