Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and the PRCA Rodeo Hall of Fame. For six years, Don
handcrafted the PRCA World Championship saddles.
In addition to the store's dizzying selection of rope, hats, and Western tack, the museum
houses hundreds of saddles, wagons, coaches, Indian artifacts, cowboy memorabilia from
around the world, and original art. Don't leave without a King Ropes baseball cap, which
promotes the saddlery's most famous product; it will connect you with other cowboy afi-
cionados the world over.
Ucross Foundation
Twenty-seven miles east of Sheridan, nestled in the midst of a 20,000-acre working cattle
ranch (half of the land is protected by The Nature Conservancy), is the artists haven known
as
Ucross
(30 Big Red Ln., 307/737-2291,
www.ucrossfoundation.org
)
. About 80 artists
from around the globe are invited to take up residence at the foundation each year, since
1981, for a few weeks at a time. The foundation's mission is simply to provide a workplace
where writers, composers, painters, or other artists can live and work uninterrupted for an
extended period of time. There are usually eight or nine residents on the grounds at the same
time. Respected local author Annie Proulx has been a significant supporter of Ucross, and
Elizabeth Gilbert wrote part of her novel
Eat, Pray, Love
while in residence.
Big Red was the main house of the original ranch and now serves as the artists' resid-
ence. It is decorated with antique furniture and houses a gallery that hosts four exhibitions
annually. Visitors and townspeople alike descend on the campus each Fourth of July for
the spectacular fireworks show. The on-site
art gallery
(8:30am-4pm Mon.-Fri., 10am-4pm
Sat. early July-mid-Sept., 8:30am-4pm Mon.-Fri. mid-Sept.-early July) is open to the pub-
lic.
Bighorn Scenic Byway
One stretch of stunning road between Yellowstone to the west and Mount Rushmore and
the Black Hills to the east is the
Bighorn Scenic Byway,
a 57-mile stretch of road that
starts at Shell, Wyoming, in the dramatic Shell Canyon. Winding up through the Bighorn
National Forest past the stunning Shell Falls, the byway slips through narrow canyons past
red chimney rocks and towering cliffs. The highest point on the drive is Granite Pass, just
above the Antelope Butte Ski Area. North of the pass, the byway intersects with U.S. High-
way 14A, known as the Medicine Wheel Passage for its access to Medicine Wheel National
Historic Landmark. In addition to a diversity of landscapes—rangeland, forest, subalpine,
and alpine—there is an abundance of wildlife in the region; travelers can watch for elk,
moose, and deer. The access to public campgrounds and hiking trails is better on this by-
