On day 100 of “The Ultimate USA Road Trip” we drive from Buffalo to Sheridan in the state of Wyoming. Along the route we stop at a number of museums that tell the history of this region. We drive through beautiful nature reserves/forests and we drive on the beautiful Cloud Peak Skyway Scenic Byway (WY-16) and the Bighorn Scenic Byway.

Before leaving Buffalo there is an opportunity to visit the Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum, housed in a 1909 Carnegie Library building. The museum doesn't open until 9:00 AM so we leave later than usual.
The Carnegie Public Library in Buffalo, Wyoming was built in 1909 next to the Johnson County Courthouse in the neoclassical style. In the late 1980s, the Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum acquired the library and moved the original museum to the library.

The original museum was founded in 1957 and focuses on Johnson County and border history. The museum's dioramas depict historical events and life along the Bozeman Trail, including the Wagon Box Fight, the Johnson County War between ranchers in the 1890s, the Siege of the TA Ranch and a view of Buffalo's Main Street in 1894. the artifacts include frontier and military items, weapons, wagons, Native American artifacts, drovers' equipment, and household and historical items. There is a furnished log cabin with two rooms on the property.

Leaving Buffalo on US-Route WY-16 also known as the Cloud Peak Skyway, this 64 mile (103km) drive winds through the southern portion of Buffalo's Big Horn National Forest over the Powder River Pass, passing the awe-inspiring Ten Sleep Canyon and beyond to the communities of “Ten Sleep” and Worland. The Skyway is an ideal route to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks or heading east to Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills and the Badlands of South Dakota with beautiful mountain vistas, breathtaking meadows, open parks and forests.

The Skyway offers great views of the Cloud Peak Wilderness, Big Horn National Forest, the Big Horn Mountains and of Cloud Peak, the highest peak in the Big Horn Mountains.
There are several parking lots along the route that offer the opportunity to stop and enjoy the view and take beautiful photos. The drive through the “Ten Sleep Canyon” is spectacular, with limestone and dolomite cliffs, popular with climbers. There is a parking lot at the top of Powder River Pass, at an elevation of 9,666 ft., this spot offers beautiful views of the Big Horn Mountains.

In the town of “Ten Sleep” you can visit the “Ten Sleep Pioneer Museum”, it is a small local museum with the mission to share the history of Ten Sleep, Wyoming. “Ten Sleep” is also an excellent place to plan lunch. You can visit the “Ten Sleep Mercantile”, or “Ten Sleep Hardware”. It is a typical small-town store and has been the focal point of the city since its construction in 1905. “Ten Sleep Mercantile” is an example of the tall, narrow and deep commercial buildings often found in small American towns. The building is clad with wooden roof trusses. The front facade features a rod-supported shed, a covered veranda with display cases and a recessed double door.

The next stop is in Washakie where we will visit the Washakie Museum and Cultural Center, it brings the past to life using fascinating exhibits to depict the relationship between the historic people of the Big Horn Basin and their environment. The unique geography of the Big Horn Basin and its world-class archaeological sites allow the museum to provide one of the best interpretive centers for local human history, from ancient mammoth hunters to early settlers, as well as the geology, archeology and paleontology of our area .

We drive north to the town of Greybull where the Bighorn Scenic Byway starts. Enjoy the drive on this 58-mile (93 km) road over the top of the Big Horn Mountains, the Byway winding past densely forested areas, lush meadows, waterfalls and deep gorges. It extends from the Powder River Basin to the Big Horn Basin.

There are several places along the route where you can stop to take photos. A nice stop is at the “Old Shell Store Kitchen & Tap House”, a great place to stop for a drink and a small snack. They offer burgers, salads and freshly baked sweets.

The drive through the Bighorn Forest is a beautiful drive, so take your time and enjoy and stop to enjoy the beautiful nature. Visit the Big Horn National Forest Visitor's Center, which provides information about the area including interpretive exhibits. A stop you should definitely plan is at Shell Creek Canyon Lookout, where you have a great view of the canyon, the rocks and a beautiful waterfall.

After this breathtaking ride we drive via Dayton to Sheridan. In Dayton, we visit the historic Dayton Mercantile, built in 1886 and renovated between June 2013 and September 2014. They sell consumable local products such as raw honey, honey candies, sauces, meat rubs, jellies, jams, soaps and lotions. In Sheridan we spend the night in one of the hotels in the center.