Gorgeous views and opening sky was today’s theme.  It began when we left the Black Hills of South Dakota and traveled west.  We said goodbye to Custer and its charm.

The hills that were topped with blocky granite (the kind Mt. Rushmore is carved from) changed in color to include reds.  The hills spread out and enlarged.

The trees became sparse, the soil sandier.

And they got bigger still.

The trees became bushes and we noticed sage brush.  And then, in the distance… the Rocky Mountains appeared.

Which we climbed.

Where we saw sheep grazing at the top.  The air was much cooler and we didn’t need air conditioning.

We had awesome views.  There was lots of Bighorn Granite and Dolomite.

Coming down the mountain, we saw the appearance of red clay rock.

That looked like this a little further down and away from the hard bedrock.

And the road soon opened up into this… the Yellowstone Valley.

Well… here we are at our campground for the night, just north of Cody, Wyoming.  The air is dry, a cool breeze blows.  All around us the views of the mountains are incredible.  As the minutes pass and the clouds move, light changes and highlights different portions of the landscape.  It is like a silent symphony of light, air and terrain.

Tomorrow we head through for our next camp in West Yellowstone, MT where we will stay for a few days.