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Motorcycling Lifestyles
BIKES: Tamela Rich - Looking For The Devil’s Toenails In Wyoming
Why Greybull? In part to enjoy its small-town charm and the wonders of the nearby Big Horn National Forest, and in part for the paleontology adventures to be found in the region.
Tamela Rich - Canyon Curve, Wyoming
When you think of vacationing in Wyoming, your first thought is probably Yellowstone and Tetons National Parks. I want to entice you to Greybull, just 140 miles east of Yellowstone. If you’re a motorcyclist like I am, I’ll encourage you to take the Chief Joseph Highway and get there in 213 stunning miles full of twists and turns.
Why Greybull? In part to enjoy its small-town charm and the wonders of the nearby Big Horn National Forest, and in part for the paleontology adventures to be found in the region.
This year’s summer road trip is my second pass through the region, but my first staying with the Cor and Maria Bijvank and their dogs Rose and Bonnie at the KOA campground. When you pull in to the office the dogs will likely bark their greetings from the iconic KOA rooftop as either Cor or Maria come to greet you with a bottle of water and a heartfelt welcome. It’s the rare camper who gets all the way in to the office without first being greeted in this manner.
The Bijvanks have a collection of “the devil’s toenails” on the office counter to show you exactly the kind of fossil treasures that can be found nearby at Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite. I took my dual-sport motorcycle out to the site on the well-maintained gravel road with no problem, but it would take a skilled rider with no concerns about chrome damage to take a cruiser out on it. I spent about an hour learning about the dinosaurs who left over 1100 tracks on what was once the Sundance Sea. We know they were meat eaters that walked on hind legs and lived in the Middle Jurassic period, but their fossils are still being analyzed for further categorization. I left the “Ballroom,” as the footprinted area is called, and headed down the trail to find devil’s toenails for myself and, thanks to seeing them at KOA, knew exactly what I was looking for.
Devil’s toenails are the fossilized shells from Gryphae, or oysters. They range in size, but average a bit over an inch. You see them in the walls alongside the footpath and they come out easily by prying them free with your fingers or a car (or motorcycle) key. As much as I enjoyed looking for them, I’m sure children and teens would have a great time, too.
No matter whether you’re in a car or on a bike, be sure to take the drive through the big Horn National Forest, about 20 miles east of Greybull, including Shell Canyon. It’s a visual feast. Wyoming does a great job labeling the rock formations you pass through. Be sure to stop at the Shell Falls Interpretive Site, where Shell Creek falls over three-billion-year-old granite at some 3,600 gallons per second to make a spectacular waterfall.
Back in Greybull, where everything is in walking distance from the campground, you’ll find plenty of shops to visit, including the Bighorn Basin Geoscience Center, which shares space with a homemade gift purveyor, and Probst Western Store, which has outfitted cowboys and greenhorns since 1945. I recommend taking a leisurely meal under the shade of a big Russian Olive tree on the patio at Lisa’s Fine Food & Spirits.
If you can possibly do so, be sure to stay in a Deluxe Cottage at the KOA. Cor built them himself and outfitted them with unexpected luxury, including monogrammed towels and comforters, granite countertops in the kitchen and a flat screen TV that can be angled for viewing everywhere. I ate outdoors with friends on the patio, where there is a gas grill for your cooking pleasure. If a Deluxe Cottage isn’t available, the Kamping Cottages all have flat screen TVs, refrigerators and air conditioning. Cor and Maria’s daughter is a physical therapist who helped them design a special bathroom for those with special needs; they really do think of everything there!
LINKS:
Tamela’s photos and video from the Greybull KOA campground.
Tamela’s folder of shots from the Tracksite.
A set of Tamela’s photos from the town of Greybull.
Why Greybull? In part to enjoy its small-town charm and the wonders of the nearby Big Horn National Forest, and in part for the paleontology adventures to be found in the region.
This year’s summer road trip is my second pass through the region, but my first staying with the Cor and Maria Bijvank and their dogs Rose and Bonnie at the KOA campground. When you pull in to the office the dogs will likely bark their greetings from the iconic KOA rooftop as either Cor or Maria come to greet you with a bottle of water and a heartfelt welcome. It’s the rare camper who gets all the way in to the office without first being greeted in this manner.
The Bijvanks have a collection of “the devil’s toenails” on the office counter to show you exactly the kind of fossil treasures that can be found nearby at Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite. I took my dual-sport motorcycle out to the site on the well-maintained gravel road with no problem, but it would take a skilled rider with no concerns about chrome damage to take a cruiser out on it. I spent about an hour learning about the dinosaurs who left over 1100 tracks on what was once the Sundance Sea. We know they were meat eaters that walked on hind legs and lived in the Middle Jurassic period, but their fossils are still being analyzed for further categorization. I left the “Ballroom,” as the footprinted area is called, and headed down the trail to find devil’s toenails for myself and, thanks to seeing them at KOA, knew exactly what I was looking for.
Devil’s toenails are the fossilized shells from Gryphae, or oysters. They range in size, but average a bit over an inch. You see them in the walls alongside the footpath and they come out easily by prying them free with your fingers or a car (or motorcycle) key. As much as I enjoyed looking for them, I’m sure children and teens would have a great time, too.
No matter whether you’re in a car or on a bike, be sure to take the drive through the big Horn National Forest, about 20 miles east of Greybull, including Shell Canyon. It’s a visual feast. Wyoming does a great job labeling the rock formations you pass through. Be sure to stop at the Shell Falls Interpretive Site, where Shell Creek falls over three-billion-year-old granite at some 3,600 gallons per second to make a spectacular waterfall.
Back in Greybull, where everything is in walking distance from the campground, you’ll find plenty of shops to visit, including the Bighorn Basin Geoscience Center, which shares space with a homemade gift purveyor, and Probst Western Store, which has outfitted cowboys and greenhorns since 1945. I recommend taking a leisurely meal under the shade of a big Russian Olive tree on the patio at Lisa’s Fine Food & Spirits.
If you can possibly do so, be sure to stay in a Deluxe Cottage at the KOA. Cor built them himself and outfitted them with unexpected luxury, including monogrammed towels and comforters, granite countertops in the kitchen and a flat screen TV that can be angled for viewing everywhere. I ate outdoors with friends on the patio, where there is a gas grill for your cooking pleasure. If a Deluxe Cottage isn’t available, the Kamping Cottages all have flat screen TVs, refrigerators and air conditioning. Cor and Maria’s daughter is a physical therapist who helped them design a special bathroom for those with special needs; they really do think of everything there!
LINKS:
Tamela’s photos and video from the Greybull KOA campground.
Tamela’s folder of shots from the Tracksite.
A set of Tamela’s photos from the town of Greybull.
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