Red Lodge to Estes Park

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Smith Mine Disaster, Montana

Smith Mine
Smith Mine

Not long after leaving Red Lodge, we spotted a ghost mine on a hillside. The Smith Mine is the site of the worst underground coal mine disaster in Montana where 74 men were lost in February 1943. Some died as a result of a violent explosion, but most fell victim to the methane released by the blast. It’s a very poignant site. The information board quotes a note left by Walter and Johnny as they waited for the gas to catch up with them: “Good-bye wives and daughters. We died an easy death. Love from us both. Be good.” The mine finally closed in 1953 and has been left as a memorial.

Cody, Wyoming

Irma Hotel
Irma Hotel

Our next stop was back over the border in Wyoming: Cody, founded in 1895 by William F “Buffalo Bill” Cody. I must admit to being rather disappointed – it didn’t look that different to many of the other western towns we passed through, just more touristy. We admired the Irma Hotel (opened and named after Bill’s daughter in 1902), had a quick coffee and left.

Thermopolis, Wyoming

Statue by Carl Jensen
Lamp detail
Lamp detail

After coffee, we pressed on to Thermopolis. The statue is From this soil come the riches of the world by Carl Jensen (1999) and depicts a cowboy sifting dirt through his hands in 1897 when Thermopolis was founded. The Black Bear Café provided a good lunch, then it was back on the road again.

Hell’s Half Acre, Wyoming

Hell's Half Acre
Hell’s Half Acre

Our last stop of the day was Hell’s Half Acre, a sort of mini Bryce Canyon which, despite the name, covered about 320 acres. It was fenced off, so you couldn’t get down amongst the hoodoos, but there was a good view from above.

Hell’s Half Acre
Hell’s Half Acre
Hell’s Half Acre

This was close to Casper, our overnight stop. It looked an interesting place to stay with lots of pioneer history to explore. I wish I could tell you about it – but we’d been on the road for two weeks and still had another week to go. Reader, rather than sight-see I’m afraid we took advantage of a hotel with a laundry to wash out our smalls.

Estes Park, Colorado

Alpine Trail Ridge Inn
Alpine Trail Ridge Inn

The next day was all about reaching Rocky Mountain National Park. We only made one stop, in Laramie, the very first destination on our road trip which I’ve already written about (here) way back in October. Estes Park is the main town on the edge of Rocky Mountain and we agreed with our Lonely Planet Guide that “there’s no small irony in the fact that the proximity to one of the most pristine outdoor escapes in the USA has made Estes Park the kind of place you’ll need to escape from”. As we crawled through it bumper-to-bumper our hearts sank. Fortunately, however, my planning had been good. Our hotel, the excellent Alpine Trail Ridge Inn, was on the far side of town near the park entrance and had its own restaurant next door.  When we left in two days time we could take a different road which meant we would never need to go back into Estes Park. Not only that, we had something of a room with a view (see above). Result!

Next time: we climb Deer Mountain.

Colorado, Montana, USA, Wyoming , , , ,

58 Comments »

  1. How horrible was that mining disaster in Montana. Gone but not forgotten. And Wyoming is one of the 5 states I have never visited but the images of Hell’s Half Acre are definitely calling me there. I need some mountain/canyon time!

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  8. What an interesting post to me. I have been always interested in American history and now seeing also those gorgeous landscapes, were to me fulfillment. Thank You.

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  14. It’s so interesting how we all want to avoid heaps of tourists, but that we are tourists ourselves. Whilie we prefer off the beaten track attractions, there is usually a reason why most of the big sights are on the tourist trail. 🙂

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    • Quite! I’m definitely a “tourist”. I can’t really pretend to be a “traveller” – that’s more you I think. But you never have to go too far from the car to escape the crowds, as most people just seem to look and move on quickly in our experience.

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      • That’s true. I find that having time is the best commodity of all, since you can work around the crowds, explore a bit further and sometimes even wait for better weather. Not all tourists are travelers, but all travelers are tourists, whether they like it or not. 🙂 In my opinion, from the moment you visit a new country or a place that you don’t call home (permanently or temporarily), you are a tourist. But, I guess there are different levels of tourists.

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  15. Thanks for the tip on avoiding Estes Park! But I would love to see Hell’s Half Acre, and Smith’s Mine, even though it is rather sad. I’ve been wanting to head to that part of the country for years, but your blog is making me think I need to do it sooner, rather than later!

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  16. I remember reading about that mining disaster…it must have been sobering to be there with so many lives lost. I know Buffalo Bill is famous but I’m not too happy knowing how many buffalo he killed. On a nicer note, this place you stayed at sounds so nice and the canyon really quite breathtaking.

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  17. We started going to Estes Park back in the ’50’s. A whole different place now. (Although you can still find a few isolated log cabins inside the park – with one light bulb suspended on its’ wire and rain coming in thru the holes between the logs – and no TV. But you have to book early.)
    We’ve considered Alpine Trail Ridge Inn so interested what you had to say.
    (Lonely Planet is right about the town now – sad.)

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  18. I’m glad you are taking me on this route. I was unable to get this way when I rode. The parks do get crowded but sounds like you were prepared for it. Good thing too. The mine set some interest for me to take a look at one day. Keep it coming!

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  19. The bumper-to-bumper traffic sounds dreadful, glad you got a room with a view to make it worthwhile though. The note from the two miners is so sad, I can’t bear to think of them suffering 😦

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  21. Hi Anabel – well done on the planning … hate tourists!!! But the Smith Mine looks so poignant – especially that message to the men’s families … I note your point above … still gorgeous photos and wonderful trip you’ve been on …

    Cheers Hilary

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  25. I’m sure a lot of these western towns must be very touristy. Tourist dollars are probably the only economic inflow that keeps them afloat. I went to Estes Park back in 1979; I bet it’s changed a lot since then! I do love the Rockies though. Can’t wait to read about them and see your pictures. That mine is sad. Too bad you couldn’t walk around Hell’s Half-Acre. 🙂

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  26. Know that feeling well of being on the road for so long that all you can do at the next place is just chill. Good to chill though as makes you more like a local!!

    That note from Walter and Johnny is incredibly poignant. Mining is such a scary profession.

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