There are conflicting stories about how the canyon got its name. One says an Indian woman was left to live alone in her tipi and she went crazy. Another is a gruesome story of a settler who saw the capture and scalping of her husband by Indians and she lost her mind.
For centuries this canyon was used as a passageway for Native Americans and was a staging area for war parties during the Plains Indian Wars. Today it is a gorgeous trip through some of the most stunning scenery in the area.
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| As we dropped into Crazy Woman Canyon the forest was lush, the canyon walls erupting sandstone spires. |
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| Lovely Crazy Woman Creek. |
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| I could sit here for hours. |
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| Aspen and pine lined the road as the sandstone canyon walls closed in on us. Imagine October. |
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| Boulders as large as RV's littered the hillside. |
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| Check out the size of the boulder on the left! |
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| Mosses and other small plants carpeted the rocks at the water line. |
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| At one point the entire creek dropped into the hole below Hans and went underground for a tenth of a mile! |
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| These Common Mullein blooms always make me think of popcorn! |
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| Near the end of the canyon the walls were red sandstone. |
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| Exiting the canyon we looked back to a wall of triangular sandstone slabs. |
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| The mountains immediately give way to rolling, grass covered plains. |
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| Pronghorn dot the plains all over Wyoming. |
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| Clouds build over the Bighorn Mountains. Crazy Woman Canyon is up the V... |
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| Another typical Wyoming scene...cattle is big business here! |
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| The mountains, the plains and the big, beautiful skies are quintessential Wyoming. |
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| Grazing lands are still quite green from all the rain this spring and early summer. |
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| I love this country! |
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| Every irrigated field we pass has either pronghorn or deer munching happily. This time I was thrilled to have a pair of youngsters close enough for a photo. |
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| I find them sweet as can be...don't know what the ranchers think of them though! |
That is some beautiful country. We definitely need to go back and explore more of Wyoming.
ReplyDelete:-) If the winters weren't so harsh I could live here or in MT!
DeleteWhat a great drive! Yes, Wyoming has a lot of great places. Nice shot of the antelope youngsters.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I just love the variety of ecosystems we've come across in this place!
DeleteOh my goodness, it is so beautiful out there! The picture just before the wildflower captured me the most. Those were really huge boulders! I will "Amen" to your comment "I love this country." Beautiful indeed.
ReplyDeleteThe boulders were as inspiring as those we've seen in AZ and UT!
DeleteVery cool auto hike, thanks for taking us there !
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome!
DeleteThere is something special about Wyoming and Montana...I agree with you!
ReplyDeleteCrazy Woman is one of those names that peaks the interest and what a beautiful canyon it turned out to be! Those are some dang big boulders and I would love to have been sitting by the creek for hours as well! Your photo" I love this country!" Is amazing.....
There are some neat back roads here that you would probably enjoy with the Jeep!
DeleteYou're timing on this is perfect. We were trying to decide on this drive today. I've had a few different locals tell me what should or should not drive thru there. We are taking the CRV on the drive and I think that should make for a great day. Beautiful pics.
ReplyDeleteThere really is only one iffy spot on the whole drive and the CRV should be fine if you take it slow!
DeleteDefinitely a spot by the creek to spend some time - beautiful! This is a drive we will love - the boulders are incredible. Glad Hans managed to not follow the water into the hole :-) Interesting that each "side" of the area's history has their own story for the canyon. Don't suppose we'll ever know for sure now. Very sweet babies :-))))
ReplyDeleteI am just loving these posts from Buffalo. You're finding treasures that I don't recall reading about anywhere else. And those pronghorn babies! How amazing! There are so many pronghorns in Wyoming and Montana, but I've never seen babies!
ReplyDeleteLooks nice. We are enjoying your travels. We made it to MN in the middle of a heat wave that should turn around Monday. We tried your hike to Harney Peak but thunder and rain made us turn around. The part we did was great. Thanks for the pointers.
ReplyDeleteTrekkingwiththebs.blogspot.com
That is some stunning country. You two have given us such great ideas for exploring. Thanks so much Lisa. Your photos are breathtaking!
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are just stunning Lisa. What a gorgeous drive you took. Those are coffee table book pictures on after another. I love that the drive is not on a paved road so no one hopefully goes very fast. How could you through scenery like that. It even looks like a road Ruby could do. Are there people lucky enough to live in the area? Brrrr in the winter though I bet.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic "auto hike!" I so enjoy riding through areas like this and relaxing to enjoy to the scenery. You certainly saw a lot of beauty. Loved the stream with all the boulders. I imagine the sound was very soothing. Those were some mega boulders along the way! Can you imagine what it sounded like as they fell! The mountain with the triangular slabs was very cool! Those are some big ears on the babies:) So cute:) Yes, this is a beautiful country and one has to love the big sky of the west.
ReplyDeleteSuch a gorgeous landscape! I enjoy that you give us grand views as well as close-up photos -- the deep purple of the penstemon is beautiful. And those antelope babies are adorable!
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