A beauuuuutiful start to the day, wouldn't you say?  (As taken through the window in our room.)

After a filling breakfast buffet and boarding our coach to find our new seat assignments (rotate daily), our first stop included some free-range cattle....we HAD been "warned" that this was free-range country, and, boy, were they right!  Can you spot them back there?  They were beating a hasty retreat by the time I got off the bus with camera in hand.

We were blessed with a great ride for this trip....

....and a great driver!

(Willie was trying to do "thumbs up" but I caught him before he was quite ready.  Looks like he's trying to be "cool"....well, he is pretty cool....no offense, Zach!)

Everywhere we looked there was another beautiful vista....and the vistas out here seem to go on F.O.R.E.V.E.R.!

Our next stop was at Tatanka, Kevin Costner's place that he established after filming "Braveheart" and becoming involved in preserving the Lakota Native American culture.

I was expecting this guy 's fur to feel kinda' wiry and coarse.  Not so....it was very soft and almost "fluffy", if you can call a bison "fluffy"!

This gentleman, a native Lakota, was very informative and interesting...particularly in telling us about the bison hunt/jump.  For those of you interested in the details you can go to bison jump....sad, but fascinating!

A memorial of bronze statues has been erected, and even tho' the subject matter may be disturbing to some, it is a part of the Lakota culture and the way they survived in this vast and arid land.

Placement can be everything, right?  If you focused on this sign only....well, you might wonder who or what exactly are the rattlesnakes, and are they going to stay on the sidewalk?!

 Oh!!

 This statue so perfectly portrays the power and brute strength of these majestic animals....

 And, of course, there were the wildflowers....

...and this cute little chipmunk.  Sure didn't seem to too fearful of all these humans walking around, even stopping to pose...at least it seemed that way!

After our time at Tatanka, we boarded a local tour bus headed for Deadwood.  Our guide. Jan, was a real character, as our tour director so aptly described him!  Along the way we passed these sheep grazing along the side of the road....

 This little guy is starting to grow his horns...

 I think this big fella' has his full set!

Deadwood is known as the place that Wild Bill Hickock was killed.  We learned a lot of Old West facts and lore this week....if you get a chance to explore this part of our beautiful country, grab it!  It was an experience we thoroughly enjoyed, with many memories to cherish.

We know it's geared to the tourist, but it exemplified an Old West town perfectly and was so fun to explore.

 And there's MY cowboy!

Can you tell I'm in love with the colors and skies/clouds in this area?!

As we left town, we had to exercise some patience and take it a little slow....a small sheep traffic jam!

Do you see them?  This was one of first glimpses of wild pronghorn/antelope along the road.  They were difficult to see at times, but we must have seen well over a hundred of them.

Not the sharpest photo, but it sure did help us identify these beautiful creatures.

More beautiful colors.....

An arroyo...one of the crosswords we see frequently, but I don't know that I had actually seen an arroyo before this trip.

An example of a snow fence....

Can you believe these colors?

 Me thinks these antelope enjoyed the easy grazing in this field...

  

 ....and one of my favorites....

We arrived in Sheridan, settled into our hotel, and then headed to the historic Sheradon Inn for a group dinner.

A quick tour of the first floor of the Inn revealed this pump organ (my mom used to play organ and even played this type on occasion).

 And then in the same room was this original intricately crocheted chandelier....oh, my!

It's time to say "goodnight" and head for the hotel and bed.  Tomorrow we are bound for Cody, Wyoming....wonder what adventures will await us there.

P.S.  Even tho' these photos are not the best, please feel free to "capture" one or more....just be sure to credit "tyreesontheroad" as the  photog/owner.  Thanks in advance!